Word play
‘ALL THE FUN OF CORPORATE BRANDING, NONE OF THE GUILT'
Joel Stickley and Luke Wright are two quarters of poetry boyband Aisle 16. They tell Emma Lennox why they are now parodying the textual world around us
in.’ .xa_\x l.iikc Wright w lioxc latcxt [iroicct aimx
to xliow that mctaphorical hlatlcx arc morc pow'ct'ltil than tlic xwoi'tl. cxpcciall} whcii accompanictl h_\' a xatirixt'x [icn. 'l‘at‘gcting thc titicxtioiiahlc writing that .xattiratcx otii‘ li\cx t‘i‘oiii tahloitl papci‘x to oh-xo- clc\ct'. ironic atl\ci'lixing. ll‘lio ll’rilr'x 'liliix (iii/)7. co- writtcti with t‘cllow coiiictlian-poct .locl Sticklc}. ix a coiiipcntlitim ol' c\cr_\'tliiiig oiic [icrxoii rcatlx iii a tla). from a hottlc ot' xliaiiipoo at (i.42am to a tc\t iiicxxagc at 3.13am. ‘l loxc tlic itlca ol~ “l‘otiiitl tc\tx".' c\[ilainx
‘ I t'x tiicc to gct ati tippttt‘lllltll) to .xtick tlic kiiil'c
Wright on thc originx of tlic hook. 'takiiig hitx of
writing wc arc all familiar with and turning thciii into .xtiiiic‘tliiiig morc iiitcrcxtiiig. w hcthcr it’x through paxticlic or parotl}. l{\cr_\ timc I walk tlow ii thc xtrch l .x'cc xoiiicthiiig iicw that llL‘CLl\ to hc rippctl to xlii'ctlx.' Rcct'catctl to minutc pci't‘cction in corporatc graphicx and coi‘rcct t‘oriiiatting. tlic hook ix almoxt worr_\iiigl_\ similar to tlic tlroxx w c titiwittingl} ahxoi‘h on a tlail} haxi.x. But thc atithorx' pla} on wortlx aiiitixiiigl} ctitx through thc markctiiig iicwxpcak aiitl clciatcx hatll} translatcd .xpam into niclaiicholic muxiiigx on lit‘c and death. \Vitlc—rangiiig writing .xt) lcx arc tlixpla} cd in thc latc.xt trciitl) iio\cl tl’iglitiiic l’ix/i iii I/lt‘ l.ui¢'-.\'ta’/u
[.(IllIIt/I'Ullltlll or l'L‘CUlIllllL‘llLlCLl .xclti-hclp hook tchaptci‘
otic: ‘You Arc \otliing'l. making thc rcatling cxpcricncc ax cclcctic ax‘ Sticklc} and \Vright‘x writing proccxx'.
‘l rcall} cnjoyccl writing hroatlxhcct llL‘\\xp;tpCl'x. xclt? liclp hooks and corporatc w chxitcx.‘ ‘a_\,x Sticklc}. ‘Basically. anything a hit pompoux and .xcltlimportatit. That kind of Voicc is alw';i_\.x cax} to pokc fun at.'
24 THE LIST ‘8 C‘CT- ‘ \c. QCC‘
\Vi‘iglit prclct‘x tlic athcrtixiiig xitlc. atltliiig: '.\ll tlic lllll ol~ coi'iioratc hrantliiig. iioiic ol tlic :Jlllllt. \ct. not all ol it ix w ratliltil pcn xtrokcx. linking tlic .ii‘hiti‘ai‘} c\ccriitx ix a loncl} ligiii'c. through wlioxc c_\cx w c rcatl ax lic lookx at (iooglc xcai'cli i'cxtiltx loi' ‘hoictl' or icccii.cx tlii'catcniiig tc\t iiicxxagcx from an oiiliiic wciglit loxx programmc.
‘\\'c w antctl to ct'catc a hook that coiiltl hc oiiciictl at an} pagc antl cntct'taiii. hiit tlicic wax tlctiiiitcl} .i lccliiig that it xlioiiltl alxo ol't’ci' a hit iiiorc.‘ cxiilaiiix \Vi‘iglit. '\\'c waiitctl a xciixc ol cliaiactcr. .i gliiniixc of tlic xatlncxx that comcx li'oiii xiilllc'iillt‘ wlioxc Ulll} ical coiiitiitiiiicatioii with tlic woi'ltl ix hcing on tlic i'ccci\ iiig ctitl ol’ atlici'tixiiig‘x hliitlgcoiiing liaiiiiiicif
Starting a war of wortlx with tlic xiiin iiicixtcix. liowc\cr. ix not without itx tlt'awhackx. Mm c‘ttll\l.illll_\ aw arc of c\ci'_\ iiiaplirtiiii'iatch [ilacctl iicwx xcrccii aiitl hatll} [iliraxctl ltincli iiiciiii. tiiiahlc to ignorc an} axtcrixk on athcrtx aiitl coiitractx. tlic atlitixtiiicnt hack to littl'llt;tll1§ hax hccii tliltictilt. Rcinintlctl ol .i xcciic in li/It .lluti'ii. l axk it tlic atitliorx now oiil_\ xcc tlic worltl in tcrtnx ot~ lcttcrx antl wortlx. “\cx. it'x c\actl} likc tliatf cotit‘irnix Sticklc}. 'l'.\c‘c[‘t that wlicrcax lx'canti Rcc\cx' rcactioii to c‘\c*i'}tliiiig ix "whoal". iiiinc ix a kind of xatl. tiuict wliitiiiici'. l‘iii xtill iiiiiiici'xctl in tlic worltl ot'itmk mail and xiiam. ()iir w chxitc liax a xcctioii w hcrc pcoplc xcntl lll c\ant[‘lcx ol hatl writing tlic_\ \c xccn and | w ritc cxxaxx on tlicm. lt‘x likc a tlail} pcnaticc. itixt to rcmiiitl mc that tlict‘cK no cxcaiicf
Who Writes This Crap? is published by Hamish Hamilton on Thu 1 Nov.
:3: Gail Porter the
[ (tiriijrwtilt l)tilt‘r ltit?tli.i Slat drops iv, for a hook signing as she unveils her tititoliiograiihy, l (in! titre. ‘.‘Jlll(lll chronicles the lllélll‘)’[)13\(Illt)l(Kll(ltll and physical l)£tlllt'fi she}; eiitliired over the last fl(31_i.?l(l(‘. Hate/stone's. lo'irihuig/‘i, Iliu 91’) Oct.
=2: Jackie Stewart Another Scottish icon ‘Nllll a memoir speeding at us. the racing driver legend produces Winn/rig is Not Enough which details, his trials and tritiulatioi :: on and off the track. lr‘i.’at<,v.x‘torie's. text/i, Edinburgh. Sat Qt) Oct; Royal Concert Half A: Horde/‘5; l_)’('i()l<5;, Glasgt‘iiic Wed 24 ( )(TI.
=E= Scottish International Storytelling Centre This year's lieanfeast includes Alexander McCall Smith. the Ouit‘l Crack Halloween Night. Highland Legacies and a whole range of African themed events. Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri [36 Oct ‘Sllll 4 Nov.
=i< Joel Stickley 8. Luke Wright The daft textual world that revolves around us is the source for this collaboration between the Aisle to guys. See preVir-zw. left. Ham/sh Harii/lto/i.
=i< Rosemary Goring The Hera/d hook guru produces Scotland: the Autobiography which looks at the evolution of the nation through the eyes of those who have lived through it. See rewew. page 25. Viking. Nicolas De Crécy ln Glacial Period. this former colleague of Sylvairi Chomet brings us a cryptic tale about some explorers stumbling upon a mystical building isolated in a future ice age. NBM/Coni/cs Lit.
Steve Miles 8- Ben Templesmith With 30 Days of Nights hitting the cinemas soon. here's your chance to get acquainted with the scary vampires of Barrow. Alaska. See revrew. page 26. IDW.