Tour Interruptus

Mes Amis

Its taking me a while to document the tour, and I know you want me to get the good stuff - like The Ho in Arizona or the incident with the twenty dollar notes, the whipped cream and the camera at the hotel bar in SF (of which, rather sadly, no evidence exists, but trust me that it happened and it wasn't entirely what you're thinking, you filthy minded lot!)

But in the meantime, here's an interview I gave on the road. I think I mix some things up here and there (including my spectacular failure to remember the awesome John Rector's name) but it was great fun talking to Mr Rawson in Arizona.

Russel D. McLean interviewed by Keith Rawson from Damon Cap on Vimeo.

By this point in the tour I was barely able to tell you which continent I was on, but let me say that I knew I was having a spectacular evening at the Poisoned Pen. Something I'll tell you more about very soon indeed...

But in the meantime,

au revoir

Russel

"I can barely remember what I wrote in this one"

Mes Amis

Not quite the same as being there, but with thanks to my Dad, a couple of clips of the launch of THE LOST SISTER now exist online. There was apparently a third clip but its been deleted by an act of God (or a wrong button pressed - only you can decide!).

Anyway, here I am about to try and read from the opening of the book when a couple of heckles and an unexpected intruder put pay to my plans:



And here I am finally getting back into order and reading the prologue of the novel.



Of course, there was far more than that going on, but as you can see I got at least one decent laugh out of the evening and that's all that counts.

Its also worth noting that THE LOST SISTER made it into the Scottish Interest Charts from Waterstones at #8 this week (as seen in this week's wondrous Glasgow Herald), one behind that master of mirth Christopher Broookmyre (SNOWBALL IN HELL is great fun!), several more behind that rapscallion Stuart MacBride (if you ain't read HALFHEAD, do it NOW! - after reading THE LOST SISTER, obviously) but frighteningly, one place ahead of Literary Genius Iain Banks (I haven't read TRANSITION yet, but its on me list!) ! Of course, with your help perhaps we can make it two weeks before I drop out of the charts altogether. So go ahead, purchase away my legions - - let us make this the Age of the Russel - free beards for all!

Right... now to go and catch up on stuff what I should have done ages ago...

Au revoir

Russel

Speaking of Lazarus...

Mes Amis

Come on... admit it... you knew he wasn't dead. Yes, two and a half years after being gunned down, Captain America is back. So, in celebration of his return, let us all sing together:



(tip o' the mask to Jon Jordan who twittered the link earlier today)
Au revoir

Russel

Get Rich Cheating...

Mes Amis

The thing is... I could almost believe it was real...





(Website here: http://GetRichCheating.com , and hat tip to the flick filosopher where I noticed it first)

Au revoir

Russel

"I come to bury Ceaser, not to praise him..."

Mes Amis

No need for words, just... the Shat...



(Hat tip to David Hewson)

Au revoir

Russel

"I started out with nothing and I still got most of it left..."

Mes Amis

Yeah, its been quiet round here of late, so let me quell your fears with some music. Presenting Seasick Steve with a song that most writers should be able to identify with:



There'll be real news soon enough, believe me.

Au revoir

Russel

"You bloody fool... you should never mix your drinks!"

Mes Amis

Withnail and I changed my life. Seriously. I was taken to see it when I was seventeen by my dad, who said, "You're going to uni: this will be your life from now on."

Knowing that he reads this blog, I can't say with any honesty how accurate he was.

But Withnail and I remains one of my favourite movies,* and so it was with intgrigue that I saw the Cottage where Withnail and "I" end up staying is currently up for sale.

Intriguingly, the pub where they wind up going is referred to on screen as the crow and crown but is referred to in my edition of the script The Crow and C**t.**

Of course, the following clip has nothing to do with that, but is one of my favourite moments from the film (followed closely by Withnails "imagine getting into a fight with the fucker" and the lads' attempts to sober up at a respectable cafe after getting arseholed on the money Uncle Monty gives them for wellys).

Au revoir

Russel

*I actually own a coat very similar to Withnails
**starred out for the more sensitive readers, who can stay with me up to "fuck" but pass out beyond

Do Androids Dream...?

Mes Amis

Having recently re-read a couple of Philip K Dick novels, I was thinking about the Android version of PKD they made a few years back... something you'd imagine might be something of a nightmare for the author himself considering how his novels dealt with replicants and simulacra on many occasions.

Anyway, thinking about it led to some googling and led to this footage of the prototype android in action. All things considered, even if it gets many things wrong, its an amazing achievement.



Au revoir

Russel

"Have you ever been to Scotland, Dag?"

Mes Amis

In lieu of real content, and following a discussion earlier today on Scottish stereotypes...




Real posts coming soon...

Au revoir

Russel

Bill Burn, formerly of the MFI does... something... I forget...

Mes Amis

Reading from my prompter in front of me, I see that in fact it is James O. Born formerly of the DEA... and this time (for his previous adventures, click here) the Florida-based crime writer is doing things with a potato cannon in order to help a few authors improve their memories...

Therefore, I present to you...




So remember... those for forget Mr Born shall pay a terrible price. But the rest of us shall be most entertained.

Au revoir

Russel

The Elephant and the Balloon

Mes Amis

Yeah, I'm hibernating again.

First:

Congratulations to all Edgar nominees. There are some I didn't know on there, some I was pleased to see, some I didn't expect - like Michael Chabon, whom I didn't associate with the genre despite the subject matter of the nominated book - and everyone who gets on that list deserves it.

As for other matters:

I'm behind with interviews I should be doing (you know who you are, and I'm coming for you).

I'm behind with reviews.

And articles.

And a couple shorts.

Mostly, I've been trapped in sewage and under collapsed bookcases (You think I'm lying? Well, about one half, sure).

I've also been writing:



More news and things on the way soon.

But figured I'd let you know I was alive.

Au revoir

Russel

Watching Black Books

Mes Amis

The clip probably speaks for itself:




Au revoir

Russel

A little late Christmas Present

Mes Amis

Home good. Family good.

Russel back at work.

This is not so good.

But since I am still feeling generous, have a little late Christmas present in the form of the Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain playing Smells Like Teen Spirit.




Au revoir

Russel

"I'm not entitled to ramble on about something everyone knows..."

Mes Amis

With cheers to my buddy Leona, who decided to get this damn thing stuck in my head.




Engage...

Russel

Because there really is no sanity clause...

Mes Amis

Surely somebody's making this up...

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20071115/tod-lifestyle-australia-christmas-offbea-37b0eca_1.html

And, simply because its been running round my head all day:




Au revoir

Russel