Calling all friends of London bookshops and similar.

October 2, 2006 12:47 PM

Author seeks London venue for Neutral Milk Hotel reading in November. Can you help?

I wrote a book for Continuum's 33 1/3 series of little books about great albums, on Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over The Sea" and the Elephant 6 collaborative community that helped birth it.

I'll be in London on November 7, and hope to find a venue where I could read from and sign the book. And schedule permitting, John Perry will join me and read from his 33 1/3 on Jimi Hendrix.

Unfortunately, Continuum's UK publicist has just left her post, so I'm left with very little time to find a venue, and via email at that. I'm open to any sort of space, gallery, book or record shop, cafe, church, pub, etc. Any suggestions much appreciated... and if you manage to book a reading, I'll send you a bunch of copies of my zine, Scram, and stand you a pint if you attend. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

posted by Scram to media & arts (18 comments total)

No suggestions, but I'd like to see a link to the book, if you've got one. I love NMH. Best of luck in finding something.
posted by averyoldworld at 1:42 PM on October 2, 2006

Try Crockatt & Powell - a great independent bookshop behind Waterloo.
posted by patricio at 1:53 PM on October 2, 2006

It's a long shot, but the Union Chapel might be a decent place. It's a beautiful space, though maybe a bit bigger than what you're looking for. It does have the advantage of already being hipster-associated, though. They hold pretty great shows there, fairly frequently. They also don't appear to have anything scheduled for the 7th.

The book was fantastic, by the way. Read it in one sitting.
posted by god hates math at 2:57 PM on October 2, 2006

I'd like to see a link to the book

Here you go. Highly recommended!

I really wish I could help, Kim. I'll ask my London friends if they have any suggestions.
posted by ludwig_van at 3:31 PM on October 2, 2006

Many thanks for the suggestions, the kind words, the asking of friends and the link. (There are also some book reviews and interviews about the writing process at the NMH link in my profile.) I will drop lines out to Union Chapel and Crockatt & Powell and hope for a nibble. Any other thoughts, please, keep 'em coming!
posted by Scram at 3:58 PM on October 2, 2006

Hmm, from the Union Chapel website, it looks very much "for hire," and my publisher has no budget for this event. I should have clarified it's a free venue I am seeking--book or record stores are ideal, as they like to bring potential shoppers in. Anyhoo I have emailed C&P and hope to hear back from them. Thanks again.
posted by Scram at 4:04 PM on October 2, 2006

Foyles do a lot of this sort of thing.
posted by influx at 4:13 PM on October 2, 2006

Emailed Foyles, too. Merci!
posted by Scram at 4:27 PM on October 2, 2006

Try Fopp.They have five stores in London.
posted by Dr.Pill at 5:45 PM on October 2, 2006

Scram! I haven't forgotten you. :)

Can't help you much with England, but if you plan (now or ever) to come to Holland I'll try to help you out on the Dutch side. Good luck.
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane at 5:58 PM on October 2, 2006

Notes have gone out to the five Fopps in London, thank you. And that is very kind, gnfti. No plans to visit Holland on this trip, but if I ever do make it to the lowlands I will happily take you up on the offer.
posted by Scram at 9:51 PM on October 2, 2006

Fopp is an excellent suggestion - I was in there last week and they had copies of the book :) For other independent bookshops, the Guardian newspaper ran an article a while ago that listed the best ones. It's here and might be worth a look to find some places to ask. Let me know where it's gonna be, I'd like to come along :)

Since the book is music focussed, you could maybe try Rough Trade record shops too?
posted by Sifter at 4:51 AM on October 3, 2006

I've been advised that you may have some luck asking at the following message boards: Resonance FM and Urban 75.
posted by ludwig_van at 1:14 PM on October 3, 2006

I do have feelers out to Rough Trade, and have posted on Resonance FM. I await approval of my account on Urban75, which looks like a very vibrant community site.

BTW, it's looking like John Perry won't be reading, or if he does he won't know until a couple days previous.

If nothing comes together for London--and it is such short notice, I won't be surprised if it doesn't--at least there's going to be a lovely bilingual event in Paris on November 1, at Galerie En Marge, with Miles Marshall Lewis reading from his 33 1/3 book on Sly & the Family Stone, plus Francophone pop scholarship from Jean-Emmanuel Deluxe and Pierre Mikaïloff, DJ Bertrand Burgalat, exhibition of Scram cover designs & more. M. Deluxe set this up in what seems like no time at all, and having spent all this time trying to arrange something much simpler in London, I respect his skills and kindness enormously!

Anyhoo, I will certainly post here if something is booked for London. Thanks again for all the good wishes and suggestions.
posted by Scram at 4:28 PM on October 3, 2006

One other idea - have you tried posting on I Love Music? There's a big London contingent there, and there have been threads about the 33 1/3 books in the past - in fact I believe some of the other authors are regulars.
posted by ludwig_van at 5:14 PM on October 3, 2006

Good thinking, ludwig_van... how did I ever forget ILX?
posted by Scram at 5:38 PM on October 3, 2006

And an update... I think we have a venue, Pogo Cafe in Hackney. Yay! This will be the evening of November 7, final details still to be determined.
posted by Scram at 12:53 PM on October 4, 2006

BTW, this is how I found Pogo. Hurrah for zine symposia.
posted by Scram at 12:58 PM on October 4, 2006