Music Journalist: Chris Morley

I’m doing something a little bit different today. Instead of a Hot New Author, I’m pleased to welcome music journalist and aspiring author, Chris Morley to the blog. Hi Chris! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

OK. here goes, my name's Chris Morley, I'm a 24 year old cerebral palsy sufferer and music journalist also trying his hand at writing, I have a part time job too but that's not so rock and roll, is it?

Have you always been a writer?

I can't say I've always been a writer, I've always enjoyed reading but its only really at college and university that I actually seriously thought about it, I started out writing for the music section of my university's student newspaper, and now write for MintSouth and I also had a brief spell as a scriptwriter/actor on a local radio soap opera ' Conway Street' with Express FM in Portsmouth for a few months after graduating, having also had some experience on hospital radio during my college years. But I guess as a serious writer I am but a novice, although I'm not really all that serious!

What inspires you?

What inspires me? Ooh, now there's a good question! I suppose in my work as a music journalist the music itself is what drives me on, I guess I've always felt a very strong attachment to it for some reason, I'm still trying to work out just how it got to that point but its always played a big part in my life, from my early days being introduced to the Beatles by my parents to my present state dabbling in pretty much anything, as a recent example I've been listening to a lot of the Velvet Underground and by extension Lou Reed, but I'll listen to pretty much anything, my taste is eclectic, my last album purchase being the Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi album ' Rome' ( think of it as the soundtrack to an imaginary spaghetti Western film) and thus far its my album of this year, coincidentally I'm listening to it now, although its impossible to imagine myself as some kind of Sergio Leone anti-hero in suburbia on a Sunday night! So obviously I have to cite music as a big inspiration.

Also film ( my degree is in Film Studies), I don't get to the cinema as much as I'd like purely because there's not much on these days that catches my interest, but should things pick up you'll more than likely find me angling for a trip, I record a lot of different films from the television which all have some influence on me, whether good or bad. Television in itself inspires me, if I find a good series that I can get into I'll gladly give over a few hours to it, I like comedy and science fiction in particular if they're done well.

I was pretty much hooked on the present series of ' Doctor Who' ( they've just had the mid-season cliffhanger prior to a two month break) and Steven Moffatt, who's the head writer, has done a great job of reinvigorating my interest in what was getting quite stale before the introduction of the Eleventh Doctor. Incidentally if Steven is reading this you could do worse for a possible future Doctor.......I guess I'm very much an audiovisual person, I'd say my sense of humour influences me, I hope my slight sense of eccentricity is coming through!

There’s a glimmer shining through, Chris. I’m a massive Doctor Who fan myself. Do you have any new projects in the pipeline?

New projects, you say....well, I intend to keep up my music journalism and continue with my entries to Paragraphs Of Power under the watchful eye of Suzanna Burke. Actually while I'm here can I thank her and certain members of the Night Publishing family- Catherine Chisnall, Samantha Towle, Paige Pendleton, Diane Nelson....they've tolerated me crashing their party, for now I am but a mere journalist, I am not worthy! And I'm not going to turn this into one of those rambling acceptance speeches they do at the Oscars, I promised myself I wouldn't cry!

Also if I were better at guitar I would consider a more practical music project, having had some experience in producing thanks to a university project in which I made a radio documentary on the local alternative music scene, in retrospect I can sort of see how Phil Spector went mad, not that I went as far into the abyss as he did! But it was quite enjoyable exploring that side of things, I guess the finished product came out sounding like a Public Enemy album, as I'd been listening to a lot of that kind of thing at the time and so wanted to meld music and speech together. Who knows, maybe if I do make a success of it as a writer that may open a few more doors.

Do you have a favourite place to write?

Most of my writing is done in my bedroom, to be honest! Mind you, I suppose there are worse places to do so, my reckoning is if Brian Wilson can manage to give the seemingly humdrum a new lease of life then so can I. Or maybe I'm just a little bitter that I couldn't come up with ' In My Room' first! Never mind. It's not much of a view, I can look out of the window and see people and cars passing by but it’s nothing too glamorous as it goes. Otherwise I have a notepad in which to write my ideas for various projects, unless I happen to be doing something else and then have a brainwave, in which case I do my best to store it until I can get my hands on anything with which to write.

Who are your favourite writers?

My favourite writer at the moment is Tolkien- I read the Lord of the Rings books a few years back, as well as The Hobbit, and have yet to make inroads into the Silmarillion and Children of Hurin, though I do at least now have copies of them after a recent spree in Waterstone's, I just admired the fact that here was a man who took so much care and attention in creating Middle Earth and really bringing it to life. I guess I just admire any writer who can put a lot into their work, whether it be fiction or whatever. I must also confess to a liking for Stephen Fry in anything he does, including his books, both fictional and otherwise, he's a bit of a national treasure. Best book ever written is too hard to answer as I've read so many so I shall move on! If I'm allowed to include musicians in the writing category I must include Lennon & McCartney, among oh so many others.......

Tell us something about yourself that not many people know.

There's such a lot that people don't know or haven't cared to find out about me, I shall have to rack my brains as to something interesting. Oh, here's one. I've met royalty, though I was only two so can't remember a lot of it, I presented Princess Anne with flowers when I was a member at a wonderful place called the Rainbow Centre. They taught me to walk so I owe them a lot, even if I had not a clue who Princess Anne was at the time and amused the parents present by asking if every woman in the room plus those who later walked in was her, I guess I was fonder of any kind of limelight back then. Either that or a great big show-off. I'd like to think though that even at that tender age I kept my cool.

Thanks for such a great interview, Chris! I really appreciate you taking the time to share your likes, loves and writing habits. Before you go, could you just tell us where we can find some of your writing?

My music reviews are to be found at MintSouth and a Google search for Paragraphs of Power should guide you to my other writing efforts, I can't remember the exact link at this precise moment!

Thanks again, and may I also congratulate you on having such an interesting name!

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