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English Slacker chapter twenty-two |
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By chrismorton
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17 June 2008 |
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On the walk down to the train station the weather was clearing up. It felt pretty cold though and the street was eerily silent (apart from the wind). I had my walkman with me but didn’t turn it on. I figured I was gonna be a while at the train station and wanted to have something to look forward to once I’d got there. Also the station at Bracksea is a good place for joint butts and my plan was to find a couple of good ones, sit down on one of the benches, put on my walkman and spark up.
When I got to the station though there was fuck all there: Not even anything worth trying; just in case. I considered going to the offie for a beer to make the wait a bit more enjoyable but then remembered that it was a Wednesday and it’d be closed. So I sat there, wondering for a while how I was gonna pass the time but thinking that at least I still had my walkman and sitting on a bench and smoking some fags and listening to a bit of music didn’t seem so bad.
I put on the radio rather than tape and tuned in to John Bank who was playing some sort of weird half Hawaiian half gypsy type music which I’d never heard of before. It was pretty cool actually and made me feel like more alive and less alone than I guess I really was.
Before long the train came in and I watched all the people get off. It was a mixed crowd and I remember guessing where all the people had come from and why they were getting into Bracksea at that time of night: Some lads who looked like they’d been out in Firkinton, a couple of people in suits who were obviously returning from work (fuck that!) and a woman with a baby and I couldn’t work out what her story was. She looked too distressed to be coming back from a friend’s house or something.
I rolled another fag, taking my time and thought (and said), “If Duncan doesn’t come before this train leaves then I don’t have to go to London and all I need to do is roll this fag and smoke it and by the time I’ve finished then the train will have gone and I’ll have done my bit.”
The program on the radio changed and they started playing this hardcore shit and the people disappeared and the guard closed all the doors and paced up and down and had a fag too and looked at me a couple of times and then looked up and down the carriages and clicked whatever it is they click before the train slowly moved off. |
Written by fellpony (1749 comments posted) 18th June 2008 | | I'm still following your character's footsteps Chris - just so you know you are writing for somebody! I still don't like him, but I'm sure you're going to engineer something that will gee the little bugger up. |
Written by chrismorton (65 comments posted) 18th June 2008 | Thanks. I'm pleased he is a believable character at least, (even if not likeable for some!)
actually it's funny, a lot of people who have ended up reading this so far are not the target audience but (some) seem to find it interesting in a different way, following this young "scallywag" around... there's probably something in that for me to think about. | Hee hee
Written by fellpony (1749 comments posted) 18th June 2008 | | I don't think he's alive enough to be called a scallywag, Chris. He comes across as an idle little git who doesn't yet have a clue what he's going to do with his so-called life and can't be arsed to find out! |
Written by bluecity (432 comments posted) 13th July 2008 | I'm still worried about this "walkman". It needs updating to an ipod.
I love the way he "people-watches" the passengers getting off the train, although I'm a little surprise he bothers, because he seems a bit self-centred.
You talk about music a lot. I don't recognise hardly any of it, and, you must remember that, even if you were being read by a more appropriate generation, there is so much music around that you are still unlikely to hit the spot, unless you refer to very well-known stuff.
By the way, you are surprised by your readership. I'm not. I know GW. Also, think of the demographic of people who read... er older people, commuters, women on the beach. There are, however, a few young writers with GW and you might like to flag it up as being suitable for young adults more conspicuously.
Rosemary
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Written by chrismorton (65 comments posted) 13th July 2008 | Thanks for the coments so far. You make a lot of sense.
I need to point out again that all the music referred to in the book is fictional. Does this work? You've pointed out already that you don't recognise any of it and i think if i used real bands a lot of people still wouldn't.
If i used famous bands then I'm frighteed it would be unrealistic, and further that it would feel as if i was name-dropping.
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