I Was Douglas Adams's Flatmate
Andrew McGibbon
I Was Douglas Adams's Flatmate
Ernest Hemingway, Sam Peckinpah, Johnny Cash, Tina Turner, Douglas Adams, Morrissey — all legendary figures whose obsessions, addictions and drives have been well-documented through press interviews, biopics and biographies. But what were these people really like? In this collection of interviews, based on his Radio 4 series, Andrew McGibbon talks to a close friend or collaborator of each of these often near-mythical figures. We hear the story of how Johnny Cash became the Man in the Black Suit from his tailor, Manuel; we hear about Les Dawson’s literary aspirations from his joke writer, David Nobbs; Jon Canter, flatmate, recounts the time he spent living with Douglas Adams as he turned from aspiring writer into international star; and in the final chapter the author tells his own story of his brief spell as the drummer for Morrissey.
2.2 out of 5 based on 2 reviews
|
Omniscore:
|
| Classification |
Non-fiction |
| Genre |
Humour |
| Format |
Paperback |
| Pages |
288 |
| RRP |
£12.99 |
| Date of Publication |
February 2011 |
| ISBN |
978-0571251728 |
| Publisher |
Faber & Faber |
| |
Ernest Hemingway, Sam Peckinpah, Johnny Cash, Tina Turner, Douglas Adams, Morrissey — all legendary figures whose obsessions, addictions and drives have been well-documented through press interviews, biopics and biographies. But what were these people really like? In this collection of interviews, based on his Radio 4 series, Andrew McGibbon talks to a close friend or collaborator of each of these often near-mythical figures. We hear the story of how Johnny Cash became the Man in the Black Suit from his tailor, Manuel; we hear about Les Dawson’s literary aspirations from his joke writer, David Nobbs; Jon Canter, flatmate, recounts the time he spent living with Douglas Adams as he turned from aspiring writer into international star; and in the final chapter the author tells his own story of his brief spell as the drummer for Morrissey.
Read an extract from the book | The Independent
Reviews
The Times
Iain Finlayson
“McGibbon’s interviews are good gossip but they also stand up as entertaining primary source material for future biographies and media histories.”
19/02/2011
Read Full Review
The Independent
Tim Walker
“There may be a revealing volume to be written about the friends and colleagues of the famous. This isn't quite it. McGibbon has produced, instead, a bizarrely versatile toilet book.”
25/02/2011
Read Full Review