Brian Gorman Interview (2020)

 

Brian Gorman is professional actor, freelance writer and artist based in Manchester

His graphic novels celebrating Patrick McGoohan the 1960's Cult TV Show, 'The Prisoner' and iconic Manchester band, Joy Division have received acclaim, as has the play 'New Dawn Fades' based on the latter.

He has also completed the artwork for S M Worsey's 'Animus'. It's been described as 'The Expendables' with animals and will be published later this year.

'New Dawn Fades' was first performed in 2013 and subsequently there have been numerous sold out performances every year since other than 2017 (and this year as it stands)

I caught up with Brian as he's working on 'Atmosphere' a sequal to New Dawn Fades, continuing the story of the post-punk Manchester music scene

Hi Brian, how are you?

Absolutely fine, thanks. As a writer/artist, I am used to working alone, and often in isolation, so I have kept myself busy.

 

Before we talk about 'Atmosphere', you were born in 1964. When were you first aware of Manchester's rich music scene 

Probably in the mid-1980s when I got involved in amateur theatre in Wigan.

My family were very ignorant of contemporary music, and my dad only ever had Jim Reeves, Nat King Cole, and Irish folk songs on the record player. Joining the theatre crowd, led me to hearing more modern stuff, and everybody loved New Order.

I was a very shy kid and was very late in my experience of late-night pubs and clubs. After rehearsals, some of us used to go to The Pier nightclub, in Wigan, and it was New Order, The Smiths, etc being played. Stuart Maconie was in the same theatre company, and we acted in a few plays together.

He was Macbeth, with me as Malcolm, and when his character was killed, I was crowned king at the end of the play!

Photo : Shay Rowan

 

'New Dawn Fades'... which idea came first, the graphic novel or the play? 

Weirdly, the graphic novel came both before AND after the play! I started writing the graphic novel around 2006 and got a three book deal with Simon & Schuster. Unfortunately, there were some technical and legal issues, and the book deal evaporated. I'd done so much work, and research, and I didn't want to waste it all, so I had the idea to adapt it into a stage play.

My friend Gareth Kavanagh was running The Lass O'Gowrie pub, and we put it on there as part of the 2013 Greater Manchester Fringe Festival. 

We opened on Ian Curtis' birthday, 15th July, and every performance sold out in advance! John Robb gave us a brilliant review, and Rowetta from Happy Mondays was in tears at the end. We then took the show to bigger and bigger venues, and I decided it was time to publish the graphic novel with a small indie company, in Glossop. I added some new artwork, and a selection of Shay Rowan's brilliant photos from the stage show, so it made a perfect souvenir and companion to the show.

 

The book and the play are both very rich in detail, which I think appeals to fans without losing 'casual' readers / audiences. Was this balance something you were conscious of when creating/writing them?

Definitely! Anything I do, I aim for it to be accessible to both the casual reader/audience, as well as the more die hard fans. I always try and find the human element, and the universal themes; life, love, mortality, creativity, etc. Ian Curtis' personal story is obviously full of drama and tragedy, and his enigmatic lyrics also helped me to introduce a variety of diverse elements into the story - the 2000 year history of Manchester, Tony Wilson and Factory records, etc.

Are there likely to be future tours of 'New Dawn Fades' once things 'return' to normal?

Yes. We were planning a new tour for 2020, before the lockdown happened. We were always being asked to tour further afield and were working on places like Berlin and New York.

What we have always needed is some kind of financial support or sponsorship, as we are a completely independent show, with our only revenue coming from ticket sales. My producer, Giles Bastow, and I had been investigating possible sponsors, but everything is obviously on hold, for now.

 

You're currently working on the graphic novel 'Atmosphere' which covers the late 1970s and 1980s Manchester music scene. It's set to encompass Manchester's entire history, leading up to the present day, featuring the likes of New Order, The Fall, The Drones, The Smiths, Buzzcocks etc. How long has this been planned?

I've been asked about a sequel to New Dawn Fades, for a while now. I was never sure if I wanted to do it, as the Ian Curtis and Joy Division story was really my main interest.

However, I met Tony Davidson when he came to see the show, a couple of years ago, and he had so many personal stories of when Joy Division (and many other bands) rehearsed at his studios in the 1970s and 80s; I had an idea. I could use the studios as the focal point and tell the story of how all these great bands came together, there, and how Joy Division fitted in with them.

 I was also influenced by Tom Stoppard's play 'Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead', which is a modern play centred around two minor characters from Hamlet. In the play, we see parts of Shakespeare's original scenes, but from the point-of-view of these two characters.

I thought I could revisit some of the scenes in New Dawn Fades but have more of the other bands interacting with Curtis, Hook, Sumner, and Morris.

Imagine, for instance, new scenes with the likes of Mark E Smith and Mick Hucknall, perhaps rehearsing in one room, while Joy Division record Love Will Tear Us Apart in another. I will also be delving more into Manchester's past, and peering into the present and future music scene.

Has 'lockdown' benefitted you at all and given you the opportunity to focus more on your work? 

Yes. It has saved me from spending too much time, and money, in the pubs. It's also allowed me more time to work on writing and drawing. Plus, I have been experimenting with making short videos, and performing scenes from plays for virtual events.  

I have also, recently, started writing songs. I wrote my first one a couple of years ago, called 'Dance Of The Dead', for a special performance in a cabaret I devised for an event at Portmeirion. I had to hum the tune into a phone recorder, and a friend transcribed it for guitar. When the lockdown started, I set myself a task of writing an album's worth of songs, by the time the pubs opened again. I have done five, and just need someone to transcribe the music. 

Hopefully, they will be recorded by the end of the year. In the meantime, I may perform they as Spoken Word poems when we are able to utilise live music venues again. I've also started teaching myself to play the ukulele!

Are there any stories you're specifically looking forward to telling in the book? 

Ha ha! Oh, yes!! I am especially keen on including Mark E Smith, Morrissey, and others. So many dynamic and controversial characters on the Manchester scene. Plus, more of Tony Wilson's exploits; The Hacienda, etc. 

I'm also thinking of involving myself as a character, as I used to ride into Manchester, on my push bike, from Wigan in the early 1980s. I rummaged around second hand record shops, looking for film soundtrack albums, and I have since learned that I went in some of the very same shops that a young Ian Curtis frequented.

Photo : Shay Rowan

As mentioned, you've got Tony Davidson (legendary owner of TJ Davidson Rehearsal Rooms and TJM Records) involved in the 'Atmosphere' project who is also in the process of writing 'The TJM Story'.

Are there any bands which you feel have been overlooked who don't get the credit they deserve for the part they have played in the Manchester music scene?  

Tony has been a huge help, and his experience and knowledge are invaluable. There were many bands who helped to kick-start the post-punk scene, that never made the dizzying heights of Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, etc.

The likes of The Drones, Ed Banger and The Nosebleeds, V2, Slaughter and The Dogs, and others, were a vital part of the whole scene, and some are still gigging today. After New Dawn Fades hit the stage, I got to meet a lot of those people who were around in the 70s, and their personal experiences are fascinating. So many tales to tell!

You have an www.indiegogo.com campaign on the go at the moment, there are some really nice perks available, including the opportunity for people to have themselves 'drawn in' to the book as well as some of your own paintings and sketches...

Yes, I believe this is the best way forward for projects like this. We tried to get Arts Council funding for the stage shows but were always knocked back. Graphic novels cost far less to produce, and with a Crowdfunder, I have complete independence.

Anyone who enjoyed the stage and graphic novel versions of New Dawn Fades will certainly enjoy 'Atmosphere', as it continues the story, but also revisits and enhances what they have previously seen and read. The campaign expires in a few days, but I am going to extend it for another 30 days:

ATMOSPHERE: A GRAPHIC NOVEL

Painting by Brian Gorman

Maybe getting ahead of myself... what have you planned after 'Atmosphere'? 

Do you feel a need to get up on stage and act in order to give yourself a break from drawing?

I toured my one man show, 'ONE MAN BOND: Every Bond Film In 60 Minutes', through 2017 and 2018 (and won the 2018 Salford Star Award for 'Best Performer'). That was the most physically exhausting show I have ever done! Nearly 200 characters, accents, fight scenes, and songs!

I'm 56, now, and I want to concentrate on art, which is my first love. There will be more graphic novels - I have plans for biographies of P J Proby, John Thaw, and others. They were originally planned as one man shows, but the live theatre scene is on hold at the moment. Luckily, I can create graphic novel versions in the meantime. I am also looking at doing more virtual performances online.

I have also, recently, completed a series of paintings and coloured drawings for an exhibition in Ashton. Portraits of famous Northern artistes (music, football, film) as well as local characters I have met in pubs. I want to do more portrait paintings, and street scenes.

I am never bored!

A few quick questions to finish 

Best gig you've been to

The Fall, Royal Exchange Theatre circa 2015. To see Mark E Smith's attitude, in action, was a profound experience!

Favourite song / single

Ooooh, tough one! 'Ordinary World' Duran Duran (a great comeback for them, and came out around the time my mum died, in 1993, so it has very poignant emotions). It was also the same time as I split up with a long-time girlfriend, and the hurt has never gone away. Boo hoo!!

All-time favourite artist? 

Easy: John Barry! The melancholy, emotion, exuberance, and epic qualities of his music have thrilled me all my life. It was those same melancholic elements that drew me to Joy Division and New Order.

Iain Key 2020