I left school at 18 with one A-level, good typing and shorthand speeds, and few ambitions beyond earning a decent salary. Two years earlier, my dad had suffered a stroke that left him partly paralysed and unable to return to his managerial job. All I could think about was financial independence. I knew I couldn’t rely on my parents to support me in that way. I’d worked hard for my … [Read more...] about Dear Alan, you changed my life. I hope I can be the Alan in someone else’s life
music journalism
Rest In Purple: My long-term love affair with Prince
It seems that these days the only time I feel inspired to write a blog is when a musical hero dies. I paid a personal tribute to Bowie earlier this year, but now I have lost Prince... In many ways he impacted me more directly than Bowie. This is what I wrote about him in my (still unpublished) memoir Hit Girl: My Bizarre Double Life in the Pop World of the Eighties: "In 1981, another unique … [Read more...] about Rest In Purple: My long-term love affair with Prince
A “spesh” time when I played fast and loose with the English language
When I was a music journalist back in the Eighties I thought nothing of casually mangling the English language. In those days it was "hip" to use in-jokes, amusing abbreviations, shorthand, wordplay and made-up words to create a vernacular of belonging for the readers. I wince when I read some of the reviews I wrote because the way in which I expressed myself was very much of its time and seems … [Read more...] about A “spesh” time when I played fast and loose with the English language
The thrill of appearing outside yourself
There’s no getting away from the fact that I was a shy child. All through my school years my reports praised my conscientiousness and good standard of work but repeatedly criticised me for not speaking up. A typical comment was: “Beverley is a quiet girl who would benefit from participating more in class discussions.” My teachers didn’t seem to consider my shyness might be a factor in this, or … [Read more...] about The thrill of appearing outside yourself
My bizarre double life in the pop world of the Eighties
After a small ripple of public demand, I'm going to start posting a series of extracts from my unpublished memoir Hit Girl: My Bizarre Double Life in the Pop World of the Eighties - which may be undergoing a title change to avoid confusion with the character Hit-Girl in the Kick-Ass movies. The first extract is from chapter three - Betty Page Is Born Again, which tells the story of my … [Read more...] about My bizarre double life in the pop world of the Eighties