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Indelible Ink: Kirsty Gunn’s ‘The Big Music’
I first came across the term ‘The Big Music’ with reference to The Waterboys in the early 1980s. It was the name of a track on their 1984 album, ‘A Pagan Place’ and I think it was Mike Scott, in an interview from that time, who explained this was what the band aimed to make; […]
Alistair Braidwood
February 4, 2014
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The Dear Scotland Xmas Video
It’s that time of year again. A very special Christmas video, featuring a very Scottish Santa:
Pete Reid
December 13, 2013
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Indelible Ink: Leila Aboulela’s ‘The Translator’
One of the best things about reading books written in and of the country you live in is that they give you new perspectives on the familiar and everyday, making you look again at places and people you had long since taken for granted. In the last few years I have read work by English, […]
Alistair Braidwood
November 4, 2013
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Scotland at SXSW 2014 – Round One of Announcements Includes 2 Scottish Bands
The first round of SXSW Music Festival artist announcements is here earlier than ever and it includes 2 bands from Scotland. It was announced today that Casual Sex and Saor Patrol have been invited to play in Austin next March.
Pete Reid
October 16, 2013
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Indelible Ink: Des Dillon’s ‘Me and Ma Gal’
Some people have said to me that they just don’t have time to read books these days. Personally, I would say that their priorities are a tad askew, but I do understand that there are many things vying for everyone’s time, and the thought of tackling a 600 page novel can seem like too much […]
Alistair Braidwood
August 7, 2013
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Indelible Ink: Karin Altenberg’s ‘Island of Wings’
Recently Scotland’s Highlands and Islands have been the setting for all sorts of interesting and diverse books, from Kevin MacNeil’s ‘The Stornoway Way’ and the fabulous collection of poetry which he edited, ‘These Islands We Sing’, through Robert Alan Jamieson’s ‘Da Happie Laand’ and Neil Butler’s ‘The Roost’ to the recently published ‘Orkney’ by Amy […]
Alistair Braidwood
July 9, 2013
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Indelible Ink: Laura Marney’s ‘No Wonder I Take A Drink’
It has to be said that there is not a great deal of humour in many of the books we have covered in Indelible Ink so far, and when there is, such as with Irvine Welsh’s ‘Trainspotting’, Alan Spence’s ‘Way To Go’ or John Niven’s ‘Kill Your Friends’ it is so dark that many will […]
Alistair Braidwood
June 5, 2013
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NYC Scotland Look For Revenge in Cosmos Copa
Back in 2006 when I lived in New York, I was part of the first annual Tartan Army Tartan Day football match between the NY Tartan Army and Tartan Army visitors. I know that there is too much ‘tartan’ in that sentence but there you go. Anyway we (the NY Tartan Army) won 4-2 that […]
Pete Reid
May 29, 2013
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Indelible Ink: Archie Hind’s ‘The Dear Green Place’
There have been a few great Glasgow novels discussed on these pages; Alasdair Gray’s ‘Lanark’, Jeff Torrington’s ‘Swing Hammer Swing’ and James Kelman’s ‘Kieron Smith, boy’ are just three examples, but perhaps the most recognisable literary depictions of the city can be found in Archie Hind’s ‘The Dear Green Place’. Hind didn’t opt for the […]
Alistair Braidwood
May 7, 2013