Waterstone’s Edinburgh
THU
18
NOV 7PI\/I
TUE
NOV 7PM
THU
25
NOV 7PM
SUN
5
DEC ALL DAY
‘ o . A - a O O ‘ 0‘ 6 Q Q ..
WEST END
CENTRE FOR SCOTTISH PUBLIC POLICY
A MODERNISER’S GUIDE TO SCOTLAND: NEW THINKING FOR THE NEW SCOTLAND (CSPP £10.99)
ASSEMBLY ROOMS
NORMAN DAVIES
The Isles
WEST END
ROBERT BAUVAL
Secret Chamber: The Quest for the Hall of Records (Century £16.99)
ALL THREE BRANCHES
CHILDREN’S DAY 10% OFF ALL CHILDREN’S BOOKS
WA'l‘lC RS'I‘ON li'S
Look outfor our Christmas shopping evening coming soon in December
Ticketsfirr Eden Nightsfi'om East End branch. 83 George Street. Edinburgh
tel: 0131 225 3436
West End. 128 Princes Street, Edinburgh tel: 0131 226 2666
East End‘ 13-14 Princes Street‘ Edinburgh tel: 0131 556 3034/5
116 THE LIST I8 Nov—2 Dec I999
books
review
MUSIC HISTORY
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
Bill Brewster & Frank Broughton (Headline £14.99) ‘k * ir 1k
'4 F)
The history of the: disc jockey
The role of the DJ has changed con5iderably since the days of the gramophone and the Invention of radio. They have risen from Slmply being the blokes who prOVide the music, to OCCUpying an almost god-like posmon, worshipped by thousands.
In recognition of that evolvmg role, Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton — freelance writers and authors of last year’s Ministry Of Sound: The Manua/ - have trainspotted their way through thousands of interVIews, books and articles, plus a wealth of hearsay to chart the real history of the DJ.
From early American radio and the BBC, to rock 'n' roll and the Top 40, to the more recent and recognisable northern $0u| all-nighters, hip hop battles and raves, it’s all here - the why, when, how and what they where wearing when they first did It. The pair hold an impressive understanding of not Just the historical landmarks but the essence of what it really takes to be a DJ. (SBa)
SHORT STORY COLLECTION The Picador Book Of
Latin American Stories
Carlos Fuentes & Julio Ortega eds (Picador £8.99) at * ii a: 1i:
In the centenary year of the birth of Jorge LUIS Borges, the great pioneer of the new Latin American short story, Picador have released a collection of 39
short stories written by the most
eminent Latin American authors of the 20th century.
Although the Latin American story defies historical and generic categorisation, the stories included in the collection — over a third of which are published in English for the first time - are typified by the exploratOry nature of the writing A continent defined by its rapid socIal and political change has, of consequence, produced writers continually forced into new ways of seeing the world.
The tales range from Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez's experiments in the ’fantastic' to the ‘realistic’ and often bleak Vision of MeXIcan Juan Rulfo whose 'Luvma‘, the story of a ghost town, illustrates the peOple’s distance from political power. These challenging stories create a poetry of fluidity and change (CB)
BRITISH PULP Quick Before They
Catch Us Mark Timlin (No Exit £14.99) * i *
Brit pulp doesn’t come more tooled- up, bloodied and battered than Mark Timlin's series of books featuring ex- bent copper Nick Sharman. In his fourteen preVIous adventures, the South London private detective has resorted to tactics dirtier than the Thames, resulting in a body count as Wide as a Cockney barrow boy.
This one’s no different, Roped as reluctantly as ever into finding the runaway daughter of a Manchester busmessman, he unearths a deadly and deceitful world of strict Asian traditions, arranged marriages and top- notch curries.
With his mildly most and misogynist outlook, Sharman is a hangover from The Sweeney swapping punches with Mike Hammer but Timlin undercuts this dinosaur attitude With irony and a touch of self-awareness. The story is stretched far too thinly in the first third, but when Sharman’s conscIence kicks in and the pace accelerates, all hell breaks wonderfully loose. IAM)
ART COMEDY The Beast Is Near
David Shrigley (Redstone Press £4.95) a: t *
Shrigleyland is a rum place. Littering the pages of this kind-of-cartoon book are draWings of men pretending they are dogs, stick figures running amok and weird creatures looking contented havmg Just devoured a Jacket. In amongst this doodle mayhem, Shrigiey delivers his mutterings on life. The underside of his Reebok trainers are apparently spiled, in particular the letter ’0’ of Reebok which is packed With dog excrement.
DaVId Shrigley is an artist based in Glasgow Who parades a dark underbelly of humour. Sometimes the
underbelly connects to the funny bone,
at other times it is so off-beam it hits a nameless spot. That is the delight: you don't Quite know What planet Shrigley is on, let alone orbiting.
Shrigleyland makes a fine destination for a daytrip rather than a long weekend. And, as he suggests, you could get out yOur felt-tips and colour in the weird creatures and turn his dark humour into a multi-coloured snigger. (SBe)