Spike Magazine

Spike | 15 YEARS OF BOOKS, MUSIC, ART, IDEAS | www.spikemagazine.com
surreal for me by being stuck on the last leg in the
train from Euston to Brighton in the next carriage to
our glorious leader Anthony Blair, a month before
his phyrric election victory, who graciously smirks
over when I take a snap of him. I can’t stand the guy
but little plebby me feels like Alice In Famousland.
Weird, weird. I get to wander for too short a time
round the rather beautiful town of Brighton (never
before visited) with its poignantly derelict pier, until
finally getting the cab round to her spacious detached
home on the Hove border. Quick fag, deep breath,
down the huge garden into the valley of whatsits.
Julie answers the door with an imperious handshake
as she invites me to the lair. “You’re Ben? You must
come in,” intones the famous high-pitched quickfire yet
lilting Bristol burr. She’s half the size she was two years
back and looks lovely in her black and white ensemble.
I’d heard she was a nervy character around strangers,
but whilst her initial demeanour is slightly distant, she
is clearly at pains to put me at ease, even introducing me
to her fellow guests with the unnervingly gallant “This
is Ben Granger, the great writer from Spike Magazine.”
(Fuckin ‘ell!)
The guests are Gary Mulholland, music journalist
and author of This Is Uncool, Zoe Williams from The
Guardian (both in capacity of friends rather than interviewers),
her teenage son Jack, and her cleaner (and
bestest friend the world) Nadia. The Burchill abode
BUY Julie Burchill books online from and
has a brash décor of pink walls and tiger skin couches
which mirrors its owner exquisitely, as does the louche
sprinkling of bottles, ash-trays and smoke. Oh yes, and
the small Israeli flag atop the mantelpiece, given her
oft-avowed Zionism. Whilst I get my MP3 recorder
complete with my son’s kiddies mike together, I mention
my fellow train traveller which gets the surprising
response: “God, he’s sexy, innee? You’re a man, you
wouldn’t understand.” I also mention how attractive
I found Brighton’s bohemian Trafalgar Street. “God
I never go there. Full of dossers.” I mention a couple
of pubs I’ve stopped in (not mentioning I was there to
steady my awe-struck nerves) “I don’t really go to pubs
much to be honest with you. I don’t want to be the mad
woman sitting in the corner!”
Generous host to a fault, Julie even sends Zoe and
Nadia to the offie when I mention I’d like red wine
which isn’t on offer. When I finally fidgetilly set up she
directs myself and Gary to the house gym- now disused
and decorated by a large Cuban flag representing the
other great love of her ideological life, Communism
– to conduct the interview. Sitting cross legged on the
floor we embark.
So , how was writing for teenagers different from
writing her novels for adults?
“Well, I’ll be honest with you, the first novel I wrote
for adults was very successful but the other two went
right down the toilet. So it wasn’t like a choice to write
123
More
Spike
email
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z