Scarred For Life will comprise of two books, one each for the 70's and 80's, written by myself and my co-author Dave Lawrence, with each volume taking an in-depth look at the inappropriate, shocking and just plain scary popular culture from each decade.
Yes, we'll be taking a look at just about everything you'd expect - Public Information Films, scary Kid's TV, the Rabies scare of the 70's, and so on - and hopefully a fair few things you wouldn't - horror-themed food and drink, inappropriate board games, sordid sitcoms, Ron Mael from Sparks and the novelty records of the 70's, to name but a few.
Yes, we'll be taking a look at just about everything you'd expect - Public Information Films, scary Kid's TV, the Rabies scare of the 70's, and so on - and hopefully a fair few things you wouldn't - horror-themed food and drink, inappropriate board games, sordid sitcoms, Ron Mael from Sparks and the novelty records of the 70's, to name but a few.
Don't be fooled by the title: Scarred For Life isn't all about horror and scares. We'll be taking a look at every aspect of the popular culture we grew up with, and which defined a generation. So, you'll find The Tomorrow People and Sky rubbing shoulders with On The Buses and Indoor League. Those BBC2 horror double bills will share page-space with Watership Down. And we'll talk about how we lived with the threat of Rabies as well as those ever-present power cuts. The Spirit Of Dark And Lonely Water will loom over Joe And Petunia. And Action weekly (home to Hook Jaw the shark), 2000AD and Misty will sit on the same newsagent's shelf as Fungus The Bogeyman, Shiver And Shake and the Pan Book Of Horror Stories .
We'd like your comments, memories and anecdotes, too - the best ones will end up in the books, so don't be shy!
As well as updates on the book's progress, we'll mainly be using this blog to post pictures and YouTube videos to illustrate some of the stuff we're talking about in each tome.
Oh yes, progress: well, we're currently around 130 pages into Book One (The 70's), and we're currently planning at least 400 pages; if all goes well, the finished book should be around 600 pages long! We'll be letting you know things like prices, formats and a publication date further down the line. For now, sit back and wallow in some vaguely unsettling nostalgia...
