Dave Simpson talked to James Brown about his
‘five a side life’ and his new book Above Head Height.
Ray Brown writes:
James Brown has been an anarchic cog in the
British cultural machine for over thirty years.
In his early teens he was amongst the forefront of punk publishers, his
fanzine Attack on Bzag! a passport to an ever increasing rock
scene. A few years later, as NME's youngest features editor, his bailiwick had expanded to Los Angeles and beyond.
Then came another publishing innovation, LOADED. He is still, I believe, the
only British Society of Magazine Editors
‘Editor of the Year’ for two consecutive years. Then came the editorship
of GQ.
And so on. Throughout it all was an obsessive dedication to football, as
supporter of Leeds and a regular player. At just over fifty he still plays
three games a week.
 |
| James Brown |
Above
Head Height began life as a broadsheet feature he wrote when a footballing pal
died. Finding its way onto the internet, the feature went viral. And James
realised that he had a lot to say about amateur football, the stable in his
life and in millions of others. And the publisher Quercus realised that no-one
had said it before.
Veteran of the Culture Show, Newsnight, and
presenter of two radio shows (football and music – what else?) James was at
ease in the sold out Litfest event. Dave
Simpson (of the Guardian) kicked off by recalling a fifteen years old James
approaching him in Dortmund Square and
persuading him to buy a copy of Attack
on Bzag! They are old pals. After a little introductory
banter James read Chapter 1, We Cremated
James Yesterday. The James in question was James Kylo, the five a side pal
who died unexpectedly and too young. The chapter is more or less the original
feature. And to some extent it sets the
tone of the book, more laughter than tears, but the tears are there. It’s a spy
hole into an intricate joyful mainly masculine (for how long) world.
James and Dave very obviously enjoyed the
evening and so did the large audience. The place was full of laughter, interest and
respect. James dipped into his life in football and occasionally threw in
snatches of his life as a music journalist and editor. Anecdotes from the book abounded, and all
told with unassuming good timing and followed by unforced laughter.
Let me come clean. I’m his dad. And I have
no interest in football.
Be sure that had I not been his dad, or had
not read the book in advance, I would not have been at the New Headingley Club
last night. In fact when he told me he was writing such a book I was not
overjoyed. To be honest I saw the task
of reading it as a paternal chore. He is a good writer, but... football! When he talks about football I like to think
that all the players with Latinate names are opera singers or renaissance
painters, it makes the images interesting.
In
the event I read Above Head Height with
pleasure. Didn’t skip a page! It isn’t
just football, though somehow he makes that game interesting, it’s an exercise
in nostalgia and, most of all, a book about friendship. Which, you will appreciate, is a relief to me.
Watching him perform last night, sitting
with Dave Simpson where two years ago I sat with Doug Sandle, launching my
novel In All Beginnings, gave me a
bit of a glow of rightness. And it took me back to the years when we
lived in Headingley, him playing football in the garden with Dem, our Bearded
Collie, who could outrun any of the local kids and sometimes forgot he was
playing football in favour of rugby, taking the ball in his mouth and streaking
across the Filey sands or into Battersby
Woods.
And from those days, here is a little gift,
perhaps to him as well, since he may not remember.
At primary school (Bennett Road) he wrote
the inevitable ‘What I did on my Holidays’ essay. We
drove to Devon and back. In his account we stopped off in the Midlands and
visited a zoo were he rode an elephant and saw real lions, tigers, monkeys, etc. ‘Why?’ I asked
him. ‘To make it more interesting,’ he said.
At Bedford field he wrote ‘The
Storm’. It was full of billowing bruised
purple prose that really puzzled me, where had it come from I wondered? ‘I
pretended to be Dylan Thomas,’ he said. Later he would name my first grandchild
Marlais, Thomas’s middle name. A born writer then.
After hundreds if not thousands of articles
written and others edited, Above Head
Height is his first big hardback. He assured us there would be more. His is a life dominated by football and music,
and he’s made a living by enjoying himself. Long may it last. And perhaps he will bring all the future
books home to the LitFest.
Audience comments
Very engaging and well structured.
Enjoyable regardless of a specific interest in football. Venue was perfect for
the themes of British Culture and the community vibe.
Very interesting, never been interested in
football, but I am now, and I am going to buy the book.
It was a most stimulating and engaging
evening. Much more than just football 'blather'. Thank you for organising it,
it brought 5 older men out for a talk!
Entertaining - very laddish but funny.
Enjoyed the bits about being young + 5 a side best. Look forward to reading the
book.
Great to hear stories from where I grew up.
Great venue. Will check out LitFest website.
*good format * entertaining evening * good engagement
with the audience * value for money!
Very entertaining evening. A good
collection of humorous anecdotes. Worth coming!
The whole evening was very entertaining and
had lots about amateur football but little about the men who played it. Great
section at the start on writing. Bit rambling at times.
I don't even like football. However this
was a very interesting evening.
High energy performance from an obviously
rich life! Bit too much football, but clearly an entertaining, even interesting
and informative book. Talented and amusing guy. Did not know that football
could be so amusing.
Should have had a PA - would have made it
more professional. I have no interest in football whatsoever - however
thoroughly enjoyed this evening, really interesting and engaging! First time
attending the LitFest event, would attend again.
Interesting and informative evening about
the passion of 5 a side football and the impact upon peoples' lives.
Well run event with interesting discussion.
May have been quiet at times.
Most interesting and a blast from the past.
Interesting on all sorts of levels. Thought
provoking - thanks. (+ very funny)
A welcome down to earth part of the
LitFest. Intro to the book.
Very entertaining evening. The sort of guy
you'd be happy to spend an evening in the pub with.
James was v. informative, interesting and
entertaining. Enjoyed it.
Good event. Chair of event needs to let
speaker be the focus and prepare more quotes!
Voices of Leeds very evident in this event.
Brilliant. Very interesting. Maybe better
shorter, without an interval.
Resonated with so much ??? Done = 25 years
of 5 a side.
Interviewer too interested in telling his
own anecdotes and not asking questions. Too much football. Fortunately James
was very entertaining - despite the name dropping.
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