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You've
got lots of other things going on haven't you - it strikes me that
you're one of those creative people that nobody can quite tie down.
You're writing a screenplay of Vurt, is that right?
Yes,
my first novel. It's on my computer as I'm speaking now and that's
really a big job, it's a very difficult job.
It's
one of the most difficult jobs I've ever done, I'm tackling it now
and I'm just starting to break the back of it really. I've had to
do a lot of rethinking of it.
If I were slightly more talented, or slightly better looking
I'd most probably not be a writer but a musician.  |
| Jeff
Noon |
But
yes, I like to keep myself going in a lot of different ways. Music
has always been a big thing for me in terms of subject matter.
Again
that's another connection between the Modernists and my other work.
The
play is looking at how music affects people - because they are a
band, called The Now. They're just starting to make a name for themselves
around London, it's set in Soho.
That's
the other thing, they think "okay we are true to the Modernist
ideals, but we've got the opportunity to go out and be incredibly
popular".
Again
you get the idea that the faultlines in their way of life are starting
to appear. How much are they willing to give up, how much are they
willing to dilute their intensity to become more popular?
You
mentioned that you've moved down to Brighton - and you're from Manchester.
Has the change of location inspired you in any way?
Yes,
there is a kind of undercurrent about the place. It was walking
in this shop called 'Jump the Gun', which is a Mod shop, that started
it all off.
I think
the sign says something like 'fine clothing for the the Modernist
gentlemen'. And I just came out of the shop and I had this vision
of 'The Modernists by Jeff Noon'.
That's
how ideas start, just with mad things like that. I thought it was
a novel then, it became a play later.
You
started out writing plays but then became successful writing novels.
Is this full-circle for you?
Yes,
very much so. Very much just falling back in love with my first
love really.
I want
to really carry on doing it. I really do love theatre.
It's
quite clear that you really love to experiment, have you ever thought
about digital fiction?
I do
have a site actually, it's called mappalujo.com. I did it with another
writer in Brighton called Steve Beard - it's an experimental fiction
site.
Although
The Modernists is quite a commercial subjects, another side of me
really does like to do really mad 'solo albums' as I call them.
I love
all that. So I do these mad experimental things and the internet's
really good for that.
You
keep coming back to the music analogy. Your four young men are musicians
and you're working with Brian Eno at the moment too aren't you?
Yeah,
he's doing a track based on a piece of writing that I did. I have
a very strong relationship with music.
If
I were slightly more talented, or slightly better looking I'd most
probably not be a writer but a musician.
When
I write it's very much in a musical style I think, I'm very strong
on rhythm and all that.
The
Modernists is at the Crucible from Wednesday 11 June to Saturday
21 June 2003.
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