GUY MANKOWSKI

On 28th February, in the midst of the bleak Newcastle winter,  The Cluny will host a unique celebration  bringing together musicians, comedians and writers for the launch of a new novel about music and The North. 'How I Left The National Grid' brings to life the sprit of the 80's Factory Records scene in Manchester, a spirit which we'll be summoning through a one-off event. The night will feature music from  Kingsley Chapman  of the acclaimed North East band THE CHAPMAN FAMILY.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKzW7phwtRE The Chapman Family’s debut album was described by The NME as ‘angsty, cliché free brilliance’. Also playing is the Glasgow-based  hausfrau , a necromancer summoned straight from a David Lynch film, recently described by The List as ‘mesmerising and understated’.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vZ_oYjcOrU As if that wasn't enough, there'll also be a sprinkling of dark Northern stand-up from Manchester comed...

'How I Left The National Grid', will be published in the UK, US and Canada in February 2015. More information to come soon through Zer0 Books / Roundfire. In the meantime, here are some words that have been said about it- 'This book is the epitome of cool. A cross between Twenty Four Hour Party people and Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers, written by Julian Barnes. It contains a narrative as spiky as a punk set, a whole symphony of ideas composed by Mankowski within a few subtle bars of text. A brilliantly written literary treat.'   AJ Kirby, reviewer for The New York Journal of Books . ‘Anyone who remembers Melody Maker, or who attended indie nights in clubs strewn with Snakebite, will fall in love with this book immediately. Mankowski captures brilliantly the psychology of ‘fan obsession’. Those of us who marvelled at ‘The Secret History’ or ‘A Passage To India’ are sure to find it enthralling.’  Matthew Phillips, Huffington Post. ‘Already recognised a...

I'll be talking about pop manifestos and post-punk at the Punk Scholars conference at the University of Leicester on 30/10. Other talks that day on anarcho-cinema, Johnny Rotten, and virtual moshpits. Tickets available from link- http://psnpostgradconf.wordpress.com/    

After two and a half years of writing, I'm excited that my third novel, 'How I Left The National Grid' will be published in the UK, US and Canada in February 2015. More information to come soon through Zer0 Books / Roundfire. In the meantime, here are some words that have been said about it- 'A cross between Twenty Four Hour Party people and Tom Perrotta's The Leftovers, written by Julian Barnes. It contains a narrative as spiky as a punk set, a whole symphony of ideas composed by Mankowski within a few subtle bars of text. 'This book is the epitome of cool.    A brilliantly written literary treat.'   AJ Kirby, reviewer for The New York Journal of Books . ‘Anyone who remembers Melody Maker, or who attended indie nights in clubs strewn with Snakebite, will fall in love with this book immediately. Mankowski captures brilliantly the psychology of ‘fan obsession’. Those of us who marvelled at ‘The Secret History’ or ‘A Passage To India’ are sure to...

Greg Fox and I are excited to have just been awarded Northern Film and Media funding to start making our comedy script 'Antennae: Manchester's Darkest Band'. We had the idea for it three years ago, on a tube ride after a Manic Street Preacher's gig in London. I was on crutches at the time and Greg somehow managed to blag our way into the backstage party, which led to the most ludicrous situations ever as some people assumed I was a competition winner. As passionate fans of music, we thought it would be funny to come up with something lampooning the pomposity of the English popstar (something which was not in evidence that night but with the likes of Morrissey, David Bowie, Mark E Smith etc we thought it would be interesting to explore). It's a subject we don't think 'Get Him To The Greek' quite covered. What we're aiming to do is a Spinal Tap set in the North East. No wonder if took us three years to even begin to get our heads around it. Havi...

This week I found out that an extract of my novel has been used in GCSE English Literature training material by Osiris Educational. It was used alongside an extract from Morrissey's biography, describing his school memories, and some other extracts by Simon Armitage, Zadie Smith and John Betjeman. It's amazing where your writing can end up. I wrote this novel in my bedroom, not even knowing if would get published, let alone read...

Elizabeth Bernholz, of Gazelle Twin , is in a unique position. Her debut album, ‘The Entire City’, was hugely acclaimed by broadsheet newspapers- but no one seems to know what she looks like. Travelling to Brighton to interview her face-to-face I had no idea who I should be looking for. Elizabeth frequently performs with her face covered, and even in her videos she is a fleeting presence. Given that her last video involved a woman destroying a supermarket with her mind I might have been forgiven for being surprised by the softly-spoken and agreeable person I met, waiting patiently in the corner of a small coffee shop. Before tea had even been poured, she had made a link between Brutalist architecture and Mind-Temple structures. I knew at that point this was not going to be a normal interview. But I had no idea it would take in everything from creative trance states to the evolution of moths: GM- Given that you’re living in this seaside location, I’m almost surprised at how u...

Helen Marnie might have made her name as the singer for the internationally acclaimed synth-pop band Ladytron, but in June 2012 she released a solo album, Crystal World, through Pledge Music. The album confounded expectation and quickly cultivated a passionate and devoted following, with many (including The VPME and Polari) giving it flawless reviews. In contrast to her work in Ladytron work it’s an album in which nature constantly pulses and throbs. In it Marnie undertakes a set of startlingly emotional journeys, drawing what some have described as ‘a map of the heart’- quite an achievement for such a pristine electro record. I caught up with Helen to try and dig a little deeper into the record, in a conversation that took in everything from the Piscean gift for swimming to her striking choice of outfit for the video to ‘The Hunter’.   In previous interviews you’ve talked about the state of transition you were in when you wrote ‘Crystal World’. Did writing the album help...