{"id":7595,"date":"2015-11-30T11:53:12","date_gmt":"2015-11-30T11:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/?p=7595"},"modified":"2016-04-05T23:13:30","modified_gmt":"2016-04-05T22:13:30","slug":"author-steve-piper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/author-steve-piper\/","title":{"rendered":"Author – Steve Piper"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 3 of 9 in the series Old Dog Books<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Who am I?<\/h3>\n

Good question. All I do know is that I was born in the glorious year of \u201969 among the royal hunting grounds of Epping. Born an accident but thankfully loved enough by one. The other only seemed to love himself.\u00a0A sister soon followed me and then he upped and followed his own dream soon after, leaving us with our mum, nanny
\nand grandad.<\/p>\n

Mum did well and I remember being a happy child.\u00a0Mum met Al, a real diamond with a \u201870s moustache. We all moved in together on Chingford Hall estate, mum, me and Jo; Al, Adrian and Elaine. A ready-made Waltons! If only things were that simple.\u00a0Always having to play catch up throughout my childhood was exhausting. Money was hard to come by but somehow I blagged it. I was a tearaway, ripping around the estate, vandalising, setting fires.<\/p>\n

My oldest friendship was formed on that estate; a bond that was initially made through music, fashion, circumstance, tolerance and understanding; I was a hard one to get along with. We are still in touch today.\u00a0A move to Walthamstow accelerated further forays into fashion, music and occasional criminality. And there I remained for the best part of 14 years, eventually leaving school with 4 cse\u2019s, finding work as a carpet fitter and spending my evenings and weekends with mates, listening to music, fighting, riding scooters, drinking, visiting seaside resorts with hundreds of others, taking drugs, meeting girls; one of whom, Melissa I eventually settled down with and had two children, Charlie and Rebecca.<\/p>\n

Then came the wilderness years; long hair, beards, surfing, camper vans, grunge, US punk and rock music, all resulting in a move to Cornwall where we lived happily for 14 years.\u00a0Renewed and newly formed friendships made by chance and through the \u2018net softened an aversion to all things past and we began exploring the revitalised scene that had once been our life. It was fun.<\/p>\n

Kids grew up, moved up to London and Brighton (no work in Cornwall, poorest county in England by all accounts), we followed.\u00a0And here I am\u2026<\/p>\n

01. How did you get started in the world of words?<\/h3>\n

I\u2019ve always had a hunger for the written word. As a kid I was an avid reader, a fantasist; I played out stories in my head.\u00a0The first proper books I read were probably \u2018The machine gunners\u2019 by Robert Westall; I love it and still own a copy, and the Enid Blyton books. I would imagine that I was part of the gang; Secret Seven, Famous Five. Most of my early reads tended to be about belonging.<\/p>\n

As time went on I suffered from a lack of parental persuasion that meant that I never got to explore any talent that I may have had for the written word despite my English teacher at senior school singling me out for praise and encouragement. I loved English at school. I was also a good actor but these things didn\u2019t seem to matter in the East London of the \u201880s.<\/p>\n

My first writing in print came about as part of the \u201880s mod movement. I produced a fanzine called \u2018Listen here\u2019 with my best mate Darin Gosling. The title was a nod to the Brian Auger track on \u2018Befour Befour\u2019 (Forget the release date; it\u2019s a great mod club dancer!).<\/p>\n

LH was a London-centric rag but I think it was well put together. It ran for 4 issues. I would be interested to know if anyone has any copies. I have none.\u00a0After this initial dip of the toes I didn\u2019t write for a very long time.<\/p>\n

02. Has it been a struggle getting your first book published?<\/h3>\n

Soul destroying! I\u2019ve never thought I was good enough to be worth anything so I took any perceived \u2018rejection\u2019 badly.\u00a0I wrote \u2018Too Much Too Young\u2019 approximately 10 years ago after a difficult period in my life. It was initially a very na\u00efve attempt, full of typos, timeline errors and poor grammar and yet it got some interest from mainstream dealers.<\/p>\n

Feedback was that I had something that was commercial and interesting but that they were unsure how they would market it despite me explaining why I thought it was marketable (The Specials had reformed and were touring, Amy Whitehouse and the Ordinary Boys were name checking them).<\/p>\n

One lady found my prose too \u2018street\u2019!! All those who expressed initial interest lost their bottle.\u00a0I lost heart and put it away, got on with paying the rent.\u00a0This summer just gone, my daughter Rebecca completed her journalism course and we were having a chat in the garden. She asked if she could get it out and have a look. She encouraged me to punt it out again. So I sent Paul Hallam a proposal which he liked and bob\u2019s your carbuncle as they say.<\/p>\n

03. Where did you see the first piece you had written in print, how did that feel?<\/h3>\n

I once wrote a piece about the London mod scene for Teletext in the \u201880s. That was my first experience of how hacks can take something and weaken it. The finished article was a very watered down version. It was edited to death. I was embarrassed by it.<\/p>\n

I wrote for mate\u2019s fanzines but this didn\u2019t feel like \u2018real\u2019 writing although I felt I had a knack for it. I also wrote some pieces for George Marshall\u2019s
\n\u2018Skinhead Times\u2019.<\/p>\n

My first proper piece in print was for Scootering magazine. I wrote a piece about a very eventful journey to Exmouth mod rally. I think I still have a copy of
\nit somewhere.<\/p>\n

I find it anxiety inducing to know that a piece I have written is about to be scrutinised by many. I have a tendency to focus on what has been edited out rather than the fact that they have decided to use it. It\u2019s a natural default of mine. I am getting better at enjoying the exposure. An old friend Guy Joseph once told me \u2018even bad press is good press\u2019. I\u2019m not convinced. We live in an ultra-critical age and it takes strength of character to absorb some of the diatribe that can be
\nflung around.<\/p>\n

04. What were the main reasons that you started to write seriously?<\/h3>\n

My overactive imagination and noisy brain is my driver. I have tons of ideas with lots of gaps to fill. I like to use a very expressive, descriptive style of writing; I visualise as I write. I can taste, smell and feel when I write.\u00a0I also found a lot of writing about youth culture, fashion and music was too intellectualised and analytical. I am not convinced that this is how it should be. What is there
\nto analyse?<\/p>\n

It was what we did; it was exciting, inspiring, violent, heart breaking, adventurous, brave but mostly it was just good youthful exuberance.\u00a0Through my writing I try to get those feelings across to those that weren\u2019t there and to remind those
\nthat were.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t rewrite history, though many try, but you can use it to make a very enjoyable story.\u00a0I believe that any observational piece about bygone eras, fashion, music, whatever, is \u2018a truth thy own\u2019; disputable but hard to disprove.<\/p>\n

05. What\u2019s a typical working day like when you are writing?<\/h3>\n

Real life gets in the way. I write in the evenings and at weekends mainly as I have to hold down a day job. I carry a notebook around with me and try to write ideas, thoughts, down as I go. I\u2019m not very consistent to be honest and often kick myself if I forget something later on.\u00a0I get frustrated if I start something and it loses its flow. I have tons of unfinished bits and bobs lying around and I am my own harshest critic.<\/p>\n

06. What were your teenage experiences that helped to shape your later mind set?<\/h3>\n

I would suggest that my old man fleeing the nest when I was 3 years old had the biggest impact on my teenage years. This shaped me in many ways and caused me to seek out qualification through association. I was drawn to the company of others, gangs: the more \u2018on the fringe\u2019 and tougher the better.<\/p>\n

Adopting rudeboy fashion in the early \u201880s helped fuel an early interest in Jamaican music: a flame that was initially ignited by finding and listening to Prince Busters \u2018Al Capone\u2019 from my mum\u2019s collection of two 7\u201d singles at a very young age.\u00a0Bravery of curiosity and exploration rewards those who step outside
\nthe lines.<\/p>\n

To choose a different path to others, through deliberation or circumstance, takes effort, dedication and often courage; strength of character to continue doing what you want to do despite negativity, abuse or ridicule from those who would never understand.\u00a0This was a long lesson I learnt from those who I hung out with as a teenager and all through in to my adulthood.<\/p>\n

Many of the most creative people I have met have interesting and often chaotic stories to tell about their formative teenage years. They were those
\ncurious explorers.<\/p>\n

07. What was it like to be involved in \u201880s Street Cultures, what were your pointers and outlook?<\/h3>\n

Tribalism; and it was great. The lines were drawn and obvious unlike nowadays. It made the world an interesting and often violent place.\u00a0I have been a rudeboy, casual, mod and skinhead. I loved them all.<\/p>\n

The most important thing to remember is that the fashions and movements I got involved in were without question created and promoted on the street. Wearing the wrong or inferior item could create hell for you. We had no internet to guide us. Specialist shops were exactly that. We watched the older lads and learnt. Word of mouth was the key.<\/p>\n

It was innovative, even the casuals; a happening that surprisingly seems to be so fondly remembered by many nowadays, were creating and evolving all the time.\u00a0I have a memory of two lads with the same size feet buying Adidas Gazelles in different colours then swapping one over so they could wear one burgundy and one ultra-blue at the same time!<\/p>\n

As far as my mod influences went: the East London and Essex mods were top (I know others will dispute this).\u00a0I liked the fact they dressed smart but weren\u2019t prissy. They weren\u2019t scared to fight back and I liked that. They also promoted R&B sounds rather than the glut of Northern Soul that was doing the rounds at clubs. R&B felt so much more authentic to me, so much more mod.<\/p>\n

I was lucky to have a cousin Jim Watson who edited a fanzine called \u2018Right Track\u2019, another London-centric \u2018zine, with Garry Moore.\u00a0He used to send me copies which I initially found confusing as I was a Who\/Jam mod at the time. What I read though influenced me greatly. I have loved hard, sharp styling, dark well-fitting mohair, great shoes and the blues ever since.\u00a0My mates used to joke that I was a skinhead in mod clothing.<\/p>\n

I loved the mod scene but jumped ship when it became too \u2018Austin Powers\u2019 for me. I had always admired the smart and sussed skinhead styling of the Camden crew and this just seemed a natural progression for me as I was already mixing with them. This was the period that had the biggest impact on me without a doubt. Collecting reggae records, wearing good gear, great friendships, drinking hard and having a rep: it was the best and most influential time for me.<\/p>\n

08. What was that 80s period in London like for you as a young man (outside of the Music world)?<\/h3>\n

Despite high unemployment in Britain at the time I never felt the impact. I lived in London. I left school and got a job the next day.\u00a0It was a busy time. Most of my mates and me were well employed and flush. And we spent it like water.\u00a0London was evolving as it always has done from the beginning of time, not always for the better (I worked on the Docklands developments) and as always it was a hive of activity.\u00a0It was easy to take it for granted.<\/p>\n

What we also took for granted was the gradual degradation of the estates, areas and community that we grew up in. Funding was squeezed, leaving maintenance and repair short. Thatcher\u2019s reign seemed intent on destroying the working class and our environment. I\u2019m not entirely convinced that she didn\u2019t succeed in this.\u00a0Violence was a regular occurrence. I witnessed a murder of a youth I knew in my home road and lost a couple of school mates through the \u201880s, stabbed and hacked to death.<\/p>\n

I was partial to a scrap myself, never spiteful or malicious but it became a habit. I found myself in serious trouble in the late \u201880s, three court appearances in one year. I narrowly avoided imprisonment. It was a big turning point for me. I knew I was not kitted out to do bird.\u00a0My favourite place to hang out in the mid to late \u201880s was Camden Town. It\u2019s hard to explain how youth-driven, how creative a place Camden was. There were punks, rockabillies, skinheads, metalheads, blacks, whites, French, Italian, Spanish; all sharing the same space and it was okay.\u00a0Fights happened as they did everywhere folk happened to drink but the next weekend we went back.\u00a0In the \u201880s I worked to live. Now I often wonder if I am living to work.<\/p>\n

09. How did the Media distort what was going on with youth culture at that time?<\/h3>\n

Mods were seen as a joke by anyone but mods. Even scooter boys took the piss out of us.\u00a0When the media cottoned on to something we were doing they always made it look like a boy scouts movement, too soft, insipid, twee.\u00a0Being \u2018revivalists\u2019 allowed the implication that we were rehashing something that had died a natural death. What they could never see was how any cult can be reinvented and
\nenjoyed further.<\/p>\n

You only have to look at the second generation skinheads in the late \u201870s to see how far any re-shape can go and though it is not everyone\u2019s idea of progress or improvement, politics aside; it was their own creation and their right to do it.\u00a0Any exposure of youth culture through the media was usually poorly researched and\/or edited. It was always trivialised and made to appear quirky or presented as idiotic and anti-social.<\/p>\n

Those I knew who were part of any youth cult, whatever that may be, took it very seriously and tended to demonstrate a distrust of the media. Football violence was harder to distort. It was real, in their faces, and after the \u201870s skinhead crews, came the \u201880s casual firms but the media never really caught on to this movement. Casuals are probably the least documented youth cult of all times.<\/p>\n

10. What music, films and books helped you to the pathway of all things alternative?<\/h3>\n

I love my sounds deep, dark, heavy and gritty; organic and real.\u00a0As a young teenager I was surrounded by reggae, 2 Tone, new wave and punk. I was immediately aware that you could dress in a way that told those in the know where your allegiances lay. Madness and The Specials were without any doubt my earliest fashion influences. Those brogue shoes the Nutty Boys wore! The MA1 flight jackets, Fred Perry\u2019s and sta prest trousers!\u00a02 Tone introduced me to early reggae; Trojan, Pama, Studio 1. This was an almighty revelation leading on to further exploration of roots, dub and version galore.<\/p>\n

The Clash, Ian Dury, The Jam and Joy Division among others set me up for alternative sounds in turn leading me on to heavier sounds; American \u2018hardcore\u2019 (read punk) bands such as Fugazi, Bad Religion and Jesus Lizard.\u00a0Proper, original blues and R&B continue to season my senses; Howlin\u2019 Wolf, Elmore James, Freddie King are favourites and get regular spins in my home. I\u2019m also listening to a lot of R.L.Burnside and Junior Kimbrough at the moment. It\u2019s all strands of the same web.<\/p>\n

Image-wise I have always had an affinity with outlaws, oddballs and the hip whether in film or music.\u00a0Quadrophenia was the film. Not the most original influence I know but the most honest. Although to be fair I was already exploring pastures alternate by the time I saw the film.\u00a0Remember we did not have the vast media that youngsters can access nowadays.\u00a0Richard Barnes \u2018Mods\u2019 and Nick Knights \u2018Skinhead\u2019 were books I stole from the library.<\/p>\n

At the time these provided the best, if not, the only reference to the original styles we sought. I was surprised when I met Richard recently that he was quite unaware of the impact his book had on second-generation mods and if you check out the pencil drawings in Nick\u2019s book too, you will get it.\u00a0Dicken\u2019s Christmas Carol and MacInnes \u2018Absolute Beginners\u2019 \u2018City of Spades\u2019 are books close to my London heart. If you read them you will understand why.<\/p>\n

11. What other books do you wish you had written?<\/h3>\n

The one\u2019s still in my head! I have something in the pipeline which I am hoping those Old Dogs will like!\u00a0Watching the first Rambo film \u2018First Blood\u2019 lead me to read the novel of the same name by David Morrell. This read highlighted the power of descriptive writing for me. The novel is a darker and more claustrophobic tale; more dangerous, more tangible than the film it inspired.<\/p>\n

12. How has the internet changed what you do?<\/h3>\n

It hasn\u2019t much to be honest. I am still quite a novice regarding formatting, promoting and things like that but I have a lot of support. What I have found the net invaluable for is research. When I proof read \u2018Too Much Too Young\u2019 I was able to cross check and ensure that details were kept as accurate as humanly possible. The instant accessibility is something we all take for granted. Before the \u2018chip it was a trod to the local library for referencing.<\/p>\n

13. Do you have any advice for wannabe authors?<\/h3>\n

Find your own style and be confident in presenting it. There are many copyists and only one you. If the writing works the right person will notice it. It happened to me.<\/p>\n

14. What projects are you planning for the future and please feel free to plug your latest book?<\/h3>\n

\u2018Too Much Too Young\u2019 is a fictional story set in East London of a friendship between two very different lads who are brought together through a love of 2 Tone music and the associated fashion of rudeboy. Set in the early \u201880s it explores their coming of age in parallel with Thatcher\u2019s first term in office. It\u2019s a good mix of teenage naivety and gritty realism; a strong blend of dark and light; black
\nand white.<\/p>\n

The aim is for the first press to be released in December all things being equal then I am looking to get out and about promoting it with plans to get to Brighton, Bristol and hopefully the Midlands.<\/p>\n

Following this I intend to get my head down and complete a novel I am in the process of writing; a crime caper set in the \u201880s that provides an intimate insight into that elusive cult; the casual. It\u2019s going well and I hope it will be a well-received follow-up to \u2018Too Much Too Young\u2019.<\/p>\n

I am also thinking of approaching a well-known \u201880s band member with a view to co-writing his biography. I cannot exaggerate the stories he can tell. This chap has lived a life!<\/p>\n

I am also writing articles for publication. One of which will be in the next edition of \u2018Street sounds\u2019.<\/p>\n

15. What has been the re-action so far to your first book?<\/h3>\n

Paul Hallam at Old Dog Books has shown belief since I first presented him with the proposal for \u2018Too Much Too Young\u2019. His enthusiasm is an antidote for any doubt or lack of motivation one can experience. My favourite email from him (of which there are many) is the one where he said that a scene in \u2018Too Much Too Young\u2019 gave him vertigo!<\/p>\n

We have already received interest from the 2 Tone museum in Coventry and shops have already put in advance orders.\u00a0I can\u2019t give too much away as Paul would feed my knackers to the old dogs but \u2018Two Much Too Young\u2019 has already got the stamp of approval from very special quarters.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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This entry is part 3 of 9 in the series Old Dog Books<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Good question. All I do know is that I was born in the glorious year of \u201969 among the royal hunting grounds of Epping. Born an accident but thankfully loved enough by one. The other only seemed to love himself. A sister soon followed me and then he upped and followed his own dream soon after, leaving us with our mum, nanny and grandad. Mum did well and I remember being a happy child. Mum met Al, a real diamond with a \u201870s moustache. We all moved in together on Chingford Hall estate, Mum, me and Jo; Al, Adrian and Elaine. A ready-made Waltons! If only things were that simple. Always having to play catch up throughout my childhood was exhausting. Money was hard to come by but somehow I blagged it. I was a tearaway, ripping around the estate, vandalising, setting fires.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":7599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,128,73,69],"tags":[1240,1221,1222,1239],"series":[1219],"class_list":["post-7595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-hot-plugs","category-interviews","category-literature","tag-2-tone","tag-old-dog-books","tag-paul-hallam","tag-steve-piper","series-old-dog-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7595"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7630,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7595\/revisions\/7630"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7595"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eyeplug.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=7595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}