The Best Short Stories of Ian R. MacLeod by Ian R. MacLeod

Author:Ian R. MacLeod [MacLeod, Ian R.]
Format: epub
ISBN: urn|ean|9781480422131
Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
Published: 2013-04-10T16:00:00+00:00

Afterword

As a writer, failed artists have always been of greater interest to me than successful ones; there’s so much more to write about. Outsiders, as well—people who’ve pushed or driven themselves beyond the edge. Then there’s music, which probably means at least as much to me as literature.

My sister was the Beatles fan in our family, and I’ve never had that much time for John Lennon’s solo stuff. Still, there’s no denying Lennon’s slightly twisted brilliance, and I read Albert Goldman’s biography—generally regarded as a hatchet job, although still written with some regard for its subject—with great enjoyment. The idea of Lennon not being in the Beatles, or rather opting out of the band just as their career took off, appealed to me. There are, of course, many real examples of people who left bands just before they became big, and I’d always thought it must leave an odd kind of legacy. So near, and yet so far…I hesitated then, until I shared my idea for a John Lennon story with my wife; the thing just seemed too daft. “Why not have John Lennon living in Birmingham, and working in the civil service?” she said. “That’s what you did…”

As I write this, I’ve also had the interesting experience of being on-set to see this story twisted, transformed, changed—however you care to put it—into a another medium as a planned feature for Sky Playhouse. Once a story is done with, I honestly don’t feel that it belongs to me in any deeply personal sense. The things I wanted to say have been said, the battle has been lost or won. Still, the production has been a labour of love for those involved, and it looks as if they’ve done a witty and intelligent job. Interestingly, David Quantick who wrote the script and the people at the production company are all far bigger Beatles fans than I am. I think we all agreed when we talked about it that only someone who was dealing with this twentieth century icon from a slightly sideways and distanced direction would have had the nerve to do what I’ve done to John.

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