Diary - 6th Jan 2010

Had meet with Baxter yesterday in Bar Italia, in course of it he tells me that electronic books - Kindles - are taking off in America,, on course to replace the book. My stomach sinks at this news. I am not against technology. Love computers, internet etc. However, don't buy the if-it-is-new-it-is-better line. CD's, for example. Biggest con of the 20th century. Not better than a vinyl album, in any way whatsoever. Feel the same way about Kindle. No jacket cover, no intimacy, the book reduced to page after page of impersonal type. Bax tells me, forget books get into documentaries. Today get e mail from TV company we gave our Fashion of Football book to for possible documentary. E mail a tale of woe about the TV industry, no money, no this, no that. The fight continues. Watched Somers Town, last night, Shane Meadows film. Liked it a lot. Two kids very good - even though story slightly implausible. Today writing sleeve notes for 1988 Madness album called The Madness. Four of the band - no Woody or Bedders - made the album after Madness split. They sound like everyone -except Madness. Quite intriguing.Also finished off wring a film treatment for my Marriott biography which I sent to an actor / writer called Malcolm Ridley. I met Malcolm four years ago on a Soho street. He stopped me and then dragged me into a pub and said he had to make a film of my Marriott book. I smiled a lot and got out of there quick as I could. A year ago, through a mutual friend, we re-connected. He still wanted to make a film of my Marriott book. Over Xmas we have been bouncing back versions of treatments. (film proposals that go to film companies and tell them to give you loads and loads of money) The one I sent him today I think is the strongest. I read it this morning and thought, I would pay a lot of money to see that film. Which is a testament to Steve Marriott not my writing. During all this time the pop biog film - Control, Telstar, Nowhere Boy, Sex and Drugs - seems to have taken off. Not just saying it, but I can not think of a better life to film than Marriott's. Just to add the spookiness, last night Baxter sent over an MP3 of the man doing a version of Think which has just surfaced. I listened to it and thought, Steve you should have just stuck to r'n'b mate, it is where you shone like no other. Also - Des e mailed me. Attached loads of photos from our time in the Children's Home. Really brought a smile to my face looking at them. Loads of us smiling and playing around. And quiet a few which could make a striking book cover.Bless all those children I grew up with, they were great. And bless you as well. x