Pictures, 1000 words, etc

I WAS going to write a post here but I write too much.  I'm always writing.  I'm either firing through hundreds of emails per day; work related and otherwise or I'm tinkering with Lost Angeles while I still can.  Orson Welles once said "projects are never finished they're simply abandoned" - that guy had more truth in him than he knew what to do with.  If I'm not doing that I'm on the typer working through a first and now second draft of something else; something different and when I'm not doing that I'm either trying to update Knifed in Venice or pondering what to put down here.

I had wanted to use this blog as a way of getting people used to me and my way with words but I write too much.  I wanted people to maybe get an idea of what to expect before I give man-birth to my little book.  I'm going to be posting the first chapter on here shortly (that's bound to do it).  In the meantime I don't think there's a better way to get an idea of what Lost Angeles is about than to check out the photos from back in the day below and maybe drop by the Bookshelf.

Images by Ben Fox




In the chair; pre-ink

 

and the tattoo is underway



Serious men



Who have been kicked off the train



Friendships blossom



Making plans with Nigel



Paul



Draining one off



Getting Lost





The Pug Picks...

I'M PRETTY SURE when I get around to having kids that they're all going to be girls.  I was raised by my mum, dad wasn't around (probably because I wasn't old enough to buy a round).  Now I've got my fiancé and our little pug Molly - she's also 50% princess.  I'm used to playing servant to my ladies; herself says I love it really - I think she's probably right.  I don't even have first choice in my own living room when it comes to DVD selection.  Before you watch the below video bare two things in mind. 1. At this point I was a film programmer and 2. All decisions were final and honoured.

Fante, Fuel & Fun

I GOT MY copy of John Fante's The Road to Los Angeles this week. It's been three weeks coming so I've been really looking forward to it. Ignore the demonic glare of the pug, you get used to her after a while.

I'm currently writing so I'm going to put off reading Fante until I'm done. I love his work and the work of the writers he has influenced, I'd love nothing more than for people to think of his work when they're thumbing through mine but I know myself well enough to know how impressionable my writing can be especially with such a powerful influence.

The missus and I had our first proper night out in a while. Money is tight, she tells me we're in fuel poverty. I hadn't heard that before, didn't realise it was something else we would have to deal with. We're a little more fuel poor today as we drank most of what little cash we had left. At least we had fun; I am assuming we had fun as I don't remember most of it - which is usually a good sign.  It was a friends birthday, his 30th.  He had a barbecue (in the middle of Sep-fuckin-tember) and a casual BYOB (bring your own beef), he's probably regressing.  We all are really.

I'm nervous about letting people read my stuff. It's a working class condition that us North Belfast boys suffer from, "none of that artsy fartsy shite, get yourself a proper job". I've had proper jobs, hated most of them, bored by all of them so I figure I better get used to letting people read my artsy fartsy shite.

When I've worked myself up to it I'm going to post a chapter from Lost Angeles here...probably an early one, maybe chapter one. Hopefully not too many people have issues with it...and if they do well opinions and assholes and all that. Will wade through for the positives. I've had two cracking reviews of it to date (worth pointing out only two people have been allowed to read it). Can't really remember what I was reading at the time of writing it, I wonder what shines through.

Loud 'n' Clear

David Louden is the author of LOST ANGELES and film enthusiast whose site KNIFED IN VENICE examines the forgotten, misunderstood and downright bizarre that the world of Exploitation cinema has to offer.

A native of Belfast Northern Ireland David studied Film & English Literature at Queen's University Belfast.

Living in Fast City with his fiancé, their pug child Molly where he battles fuel poverty and the 9-5 white collar slave trade.