Monday
Sep202010
Blog No. 42
Monday, September 20, 2010 at 12:29AM I’ve just got back from my week’s teaching at the Arvon Foundation’s Lumb Bank. Either side I did book signings at independent bookshops. On Saturday the 11th as Evelyn said me and my mother did a joint event at News from Nowhere and this Saturday I did the Big Green Bookshop in Wood Green, London, we sold 115 books in all. Now if I could only get to every bookshop in the country I’m sure I could get Stalin Ate My Homework into the top ten. I’ve taken to obsessively checking the Amazon top 1000 every ten minutes to see how the book is doing which is pretty stupid as its only changed every hour but I notice there still aren’t any reviews yet, so maybe if any of you have an inclination you could do one.
More importantly I’ve done an interview for Your Cat magazine about Wilf M’Banga for the Celebrity Cat section. I suppose he qualifies twice, once because he lives with me and secondly because he turned up in John Humphries garden as a stray. I hope he’s not one of those cats who only wants to hang out with other celebrities, a sort of feline Kate Moss. I wonder if when the article comes out he’ll get his own agent and PR, if he does I’m cutting down on his fishy treats.
"Here's Wilf's photo that will go with his interview in Your Cat"
Reader Comments (19)
I recently read a few of your old blog entries and was intrigued by the talk of rabbit phones. So I tried buying one and I don't think it's working properly. It just makes a sort of buzzing noise.
!!!
So I tried buying another one, but this one's no better, it just hops about and eats carrots.
!!!!!!!!!!
Cheers, you've been great.
I saw your story in the Daily Mail mag last Saturday. I went to Alsop High School from 1960-1965 and certainly remember Messrs Abrahams and Cornes. Cornes had one of the Roger Moore Saint Volvos, a white one. Do you remember Harry Hobart, who was custodian of the tuck shop? I hadn't realised you went there so we must have overlapped as you're about 3 years younger than me. Feel free to e-mail me if you want and we can chew some fat.
Hi Alexei, I received your Comrade Santa drawing, thank you so much! It's great!
About the cat; it looks huge and has an attitude that reminds me of a bouncer with a long carreer in free fighting and prison. Do you use it to frighten the mail man?
Your cat is so cute. And your cat's fur looks so soft :) I want one like that
One cute cat, and he looks like he knows it! I'll be busy for the next couple of months with my Postgraduate Degree and volunteering, so I may be late posting updates. If there's anything that really needs urgent attention please e-mail it in to me an I'll get to it!
J. xx
Write a book review for Stalin Ate My Homework on Amazon? Something like – This book should be banned. Then, after a protracted legal case at the High Court, it would sell the huge amount of copies it deserves to. To be serious, I definitely couldn’t write a review that would do Stalin Ate... justice.
Great name for a cat. Wish Id thought of it!!!
Dear Human
Please set up a twitter account for Wilf - we need him in the Whiskas Liberation Front #WLF
Yours
@tiddlesfry
It was nice to come back from a small lad's holiday in Prague and read in 'Stalin ate' about Alexei staying in Kobelysi as that is where I stayed when I was there.
We avoided the Heidric stuff but did go to the Kafka museum becuase my mate thought he was the bloke who wrote 'Day of the Triffids' (it became clear he wasn't after being there for about 30 seconds) and were a bit tripped-out by the whole experience.
It was cool though, I definitely want to read ‘The Castle’ now.
Listened to your Radio 4 prog about TUC conferences - interested cos I'm writing a book about work my dad did with TUC as Industrial Chaplain - and NO he wasnt a bible pusher! Came from Rhondda Valley and had 3 choices - church and chapel, communism or the pits. Chose church BUT went on to be nominated for an MBE for his work to build up disability rights as the Chairman for many years. HATED Tahtcher, died in the first two years of Blairs govment and was a force the chruch had to reckon with on more than one occasion. Told people to make sure they went to their union meetings but never told them to go to church. Anyway, Ive got loads of his writings and they make great reading especially in the curretn climate - they could have been wirtten today. Some of what you were saying in the Radio 4 piece struck a chord with me. Any help with suggetstions of publishers or particularly what sort of slant to give the book would be great, I dont want it to be a momoir, nor sentimenatl - just an interesting read about the life and times set against the current day. Thanks and hope you'll reply
Thank you for my Stanta drawing! Have to find a frame for it. Just brilliant.
Wilf is very handsome.
As soon as I get over jet lag and running a half marathon through LAX to get to the most uncomfortable Transatlantic flight I have ever experienced, I will write a review. Or I will scribble rough drafts and then get neurotic about posting. But will try. It will be my first review on Amazon if I actually post anything.
Hi Alexei, somebody asked a good question on the fanpage regarding Stalin...
'Do you have an American distributor? My friends at Rainbow Coop Books would order your books for the store.'
xx
Unapologetically off-topic, sorry about that...
Alexei, sir, I submit that "Didn't you kill my brother" finally has the video footage it needs for the twenty-first century.
Somebody filmed two young rats in a staring contest. I threw your song onto the footage with no edits at all to vision or sound.
It seems to make sense, which may be a failing, but nothing's perfect.
Time to reclaim the high ground! There are billions out there waiting to see this. At time of writing, 23 already have -- in just two weeks!
Humbly offering my humble offering: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE5NENlC3_M
Stanley
Wed, 22 Sep 10, Duration: 42 minsThis week Libby Purves is joined by Philip Townsend, Alexei Sayle, Tony Fitzjohn and Harriet Mead: http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/midweek
Just got back from the book reading in Poole. Thanks for a really funny and poignant evening. Please don't leave it too long to come back to our area.
Have you caught him brushing against the TV when David Walliams comes on?
I came on because I was reading about Robert Rankin (perhaps your cat knows him... ) and his running joke about the M134. And I thought immediately of Alexei...
Rat-a-tat-Boom.
(It's been ages since I visited here - I'm drawing my own Stanta picture.)
Of all the spambots in all the world...
I was very interested about your fears that your cat may be raising its media profile.
It may amuse you to learn that by my count at least 7 cats have been prosecuted for flyering and flyposting
http://www.pearshapedcomedy.com/ban_history.html
and given on the spot fines by their local authority under
The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 Section 23 inserted a section into the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
The relevant section of the EPA 1990 is 94B and schedule 3A
Probably many more cats prosecuted but I’m afraid I lost count now…
Hello Mr Sayle,
I am a bit new to blogging so please excuse if I do it wrong.
Wanted to say thank you so much for Stalin Ate My Homework.
2 reasons for thanks, I think: One; it was (obviously), funny and sad and true and it was me too (albeit 10 or so years later). Two: I need to buy a copy for my daughter for 5 years time.
"Boys are hideous and scary and I wish you never had to meet any" I shall say. "On the other hand," I shall say "please try to forgive them, because your daddy was like that too." Confusing message for a 15 year old, bit of a headache all round. Ooh! Timesaver! Read Alexei!
Sincerely - Simon Fletcher