Animal House

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I can imagine popular authors get inundated with enquiries but the authors popularity on this social media platform is fledgling. For a teen-come-twentysomething, Loaded magazine was the bible of all things music/sport/fashion/film and gonzo journalism right at the centre of what would be known as 'Cool Britannia'.

But Move on Up by Curtis Mayfield, White Man in Hammersmith Palais by The Clash, and Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division all remain terribly thrilling, no matter how often I hear them. The woman's magazine Glamour asked me to do a series of interviews with famous actresses I was interested in and I submitted the idea of Julianne Moore, Helen Mirren, Ellen Barkin and Kim Basinger, but they came back and said they were all too old for their audience. Following a few anecdotes and a brief overview of James' early years, James begins by talking about his publishing career and the creation of his Fanzine.His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, GQ, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Ploughshares, and The New England Review. It tested appallingly in focus groups, but legend has it that Lewis altered the figures, and so the project was greenlighted.

If you were an eagle-eyed reader of the weekly music papers back in the late 80’s/early 90’s such as NME the name James Brown was synonymous with some of the most captivating articles that featured artists such as The Happy Mondays in its pages. I remember when Loaded 1st came out, it was such a great read, but then it changed for me and the adverts were for things I could never afford and it spoke less and less to me like it did in it's early editions. James noted that Loaded is now frequently lumped in with the other later 'lad's mags' such as Maxim and Nuts due to it featuring similar content focusing on alcohol and women but that he felt Loaded was above that genre, it was a brief comment but I would be really interested to read his deeper opinion on that and the genre that Loaded arguably spawned whether intended or not. Yet when I think back to the 1990's, the decade that made me and was one of great social and cultural change in this country, I really wish we could. Not quite a fully-fleshed memoir although things pick up nicely when the focus moves to Loaded magazine's inception.Today, though, Brown sees it more clearly: “There was not much fun in media before we came along,” he says. This is a very well written account of a glorious time in modern history, one that is personal to me anyway as a rabid subscriber to the mag in its genre-shaking first three years.

It's an inspiring read of a working-class boy who did really well and lived by the motto that anything was possible. Along the way they dream up genius headlines like ‘Fifty ways to lose your liver’, ‘Chocolate and the Charlie factory’ and ‘Sushi and the van keys’. Brown’s claims that he was “trying to create a magazine that competed with Rolling Stone” are a contrast to the way Loaded was often portrayed at the time: as sexist and moronic. Seemingly overnight, London was the Technicolour centre of the universe and James and his merry bunch of men and women were in the eye of the storm.He briefly managed the band Fabulous, and spent a lot of time in America but eventually was invited to an interview for the job of editor of the NME. Whether that works for you will depend on your enjoyment of seeing how functioning alcoholics can pull their shit together to craft great copy. I was going to say no, but I did have two strange experiences in Filey around both my mum and granny who had both passed away, one of which was utterly unexplainable. Loads of Leeds memories and as someone who followed his career, brilliant to get additional insight to the articles I can remember reading.

He decided he didn’t want to do it after my first question, but didn’t have the manners or know-how to end it politely. Brown describes his journey from being born and raised into humble circumstances in the northern quarters of Leeds, his Mother having lived a life full of mental health struggles, sadly dying in 1992, in the weeks leading up to Loaded becoming a physical reality.The Chalke History Festival announces a new name, new look, and tons for history buffs to get their teeth into! These days he doesn’t seem to need to look for gainful employment, he has made so many connections the phone regularly rings with people looking to drink from the James Brown fountain, whether it be writing or advice. He rediscovered his love of music, reconnected with smaller music venues, hung out with the Reeves guy that was in the Matrix and the one that was partnered with Bob Mortimer, and went clubbing.