Hopping from screen to screen
A real mean word machine.
Hello,
As you might already know, I am a huge David Bowie fan, so when I found out about Bowiecon2024, I could not help but go.
It was a manic four-day weekend in which my semi-final outfit got a smile and a thumbs up from Carlos Alomar (I had cosplayed as the black hole from the Blackstar music video) and I made new friends on a pilgrimage across pretty much every cocktail bar the city had to offer.
A full blog about my experience will come in a few weeks, this post is mainly about the very cool thing which happened at the end.
I miss Liverpool a lot. I studied Creative Writing there from 2013 to 2017, creating multiple collections of poetry, fiction, and writing the first draft to The Stephanie Glitch (Stephanie herself is a Bowie fan).
The Bowie-inspired poetry I wrote there is coming out in 2025 in my own self-published books (like with WBTH, I am in a situation where I think to best retain my voice, I might need to be the person putting it in print).
About that. When I was at Bowiecon, I found out about a series of interviews by a certain Bernd Pick, who was talking to everyone from fans to Bowie’s bandmates and close friends. I was immediately drawn to this, and when I found out I could be interviewed if I found my way to the secret room in time, I began my fourth-day stroll across the oak-filled corridors of St George’s Hall.
Turns out the room wasn’t a secret, there was a massive sign pointing it out.
In my defence, whenever I hear Bowie music echoing through a corridor, I go into autopilot and my entire body tries to fold itself into the speakers.
So, I got an interview, and in the process I learned more about myself as an artist and as a Bowie fan.
I will start with my favourite quote from Bernd Pick, my interviewer, which I am definitely using in adverts.
“Phillip Carter, or ‘Realphillipcarter’ as he calls himself on Facebook, is a brand.
I like Phillip. I like his voice and his English, which is easy to understand, even though he's from Manchester.”
This is a great compliment, especially to an aspiring audiobook narrator. People have asked me since 2020 to narrate my stories, and I think I am getting very close to it now, but that’s a story for another day.
Today, I bring you this.
My thoughts on David Bowie, and how he inspired me to be the writer I am today. Also, a high-speed rant about how brilliant Labyrinth was.
What did you think?
Even more stuff
Whilst this interview was posted on Bernd’s own channel, I have my own. I post comedy content, writing tips, podcast episodes, and Minecraft stories.
I am on the verge of either hiring an editor or teaching myself editing again (another bit of lore, I once made stopmotions in the mid 2000s, and have since forgotten how to edit videos). So I can promise if you subscribe the content will improve over time. I want to use Minecraft as a backdrop to my storytelling and comedy, mixing things together in a way nobody else has tried before.
You can click the button below to find my linktree, from which you can find my youtube, as well as any and all of my books, media appearances, Minecraft videos, and stuff like that.
Future content:
News about MACABRE MULTIVERSE, Halfplanet Press’ upcoming sci-fi horror anthology (release date Halloween)
My dark comedy poem on a government over-reaching with Medical Assistance in Dying, brought back and reposted to coincide with UK news
A full blog about Bowiecon2024
An email linking off to my Wise Guys standup show, which is now public (thanks again to everyone who bought early access in May)
News about WHO KILLED THE HUMANS including an early discount for anyone who pre-orders the book on Amazon (and potentially other retailers)
News about my books being in Waterstones, physically (this one is taking a while, but I am about half way through the request process)
News about an upcoming mini book tour
Bonus stuff
If you’re not subscribed to my other newsletter, Halfplanet Press, you may have missed this week’s Kindle Unlimited book swap on Halfplanet’s Free Fiction Friday.
