Interview: Greg Esplin, Co-Director of Trainspotting Live

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Published by Glasgowist.

In 1993, Irvine Welsh’s ground-breaking debut novel Trainspotting was released. The book disgusted some, infuriated others, and kickstarted a phenomenon which is now a beloved franchise.

Now, over twenty years later, the story of Rents, Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie is still being picked up by every generation and reincarnated into new, exciting adaptations.

Based on Harry Gibson’s stage adaptation, the massively critically acclaimed Trainspotting Live has returned home to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this month after a hugely successful world tour. Created by In Your Face Theatre Company, specialising in immersive theatre, the show is back where it all began for the festival season.

Artistic director of the company Greg Esplin juggles the day-to-day running of operations with co-directing and starring in the show as lovable good guy Tommy.

I caught up with Greg in the midst this year’s festival madness to find out more about Trainspotting Live and if the show will be coming to Glasgow any time soon.

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SOPHIE: How are you enjoying playing at the Fringe so far?

GREG: Aw, it’s brilliant. It’s our fourth year in a row now. So, it’s good to have a change because we’re in a different venue for once. I absolutely love it. I love taking the show back home.

There’s always a bit of pressure because you tend to think Edinburgh think they own the show which they do a little bit. But the pressure is good in a way – not that we ever take it for granted or become lackadaisical – but it’s nice to be like, ‘Okay guys, let’s not fuck this up’.

S: How did Trainspotting Live come about?

G: We just always wanted to put Trainspotting on stage.

We took Harry Gibson’s play and, if you read it, it’s about two and a half hours long. We essentially just spoke to Irvine Welsh about adapting that into our own little take into a quick, I guess, punch in the gut. A quick 75 minutes. So, it really just came out of asking nicely and having a bit of passion about it.

S: How do you think this performance differs from other stage adaptations?

G: Well, a lot of stage productions, perhaps, and not that this is the wrong thing to do, but they try to put the movie on stage. Whereas we very much wanted to stay closer to the text and to the book and focus on the reality of these characters’ stories and situations, the truth behind it all as opposed to the glamorisation.

It’s definitely not a happy-go-lucky Trainspotting, it’s definitely darker. And there’s nothing wrong with either way, I don’t think, it was just that we, well speaking for myself personally, I absolutely love the book. There’s things in the book that aren’t in the film like Begbie and June, you get to see some of that relationship, and obviously Tommy’s downfall as well.

There’s a lot more behind that than just him going to Renton in the movie and buying some straight away and these are just things we wanted to hit on more rather than just putting the movie on.

S: So, what does your role as Artistic Director of In Your Face Theatre involve?

G: It’s basically the day-to-day running of In Your Face Theatre Company and keeping it afloat. Today, for example, I’m rehearsing with an understudy and we’ve been rehearsing him the last couple of days and then come Tuesday we’ll do a tech with Adam [Adam Spreadbury-Maher], the co-director, he’ll come in and I’ll just be Tommy that day, I won’t be co-director.

It’s important to have a balance and not take on too much. It’s too easy to be like ‘No, this is mine, I’m doing this,’ but actually the more you share something, it becomes a lot easier.

S: What’s the most enjoyable and challenging aspects of playing Tommy?

G: He’s just a nice guy, isn’t he? I love him. I love playing Tommy. His heart’s always in the right place. His backstory in the book is tough because he has a hard time with his mum and his family but he just loves his mates.

The most challenging part of playing Tommy in a 75-minute play is that it’s such a quick downfall. That’s quite difficult but I do love playing him because if you were playing Begbie, for example, a lot of people dislike him straight away whereas Tommy is easy to fall in love with.

It’s not that much of a challenge to get the audience to like Tommy. But maybe just switching to the other side when he takes drugs and having to fall to the ground naked 15 times a week, that bit can be quite difficult.

S: When the adaptation first started, did you think it would become as successful as it has?

G: No, not at all. We just did it because we really wanted to put this show on and it was something we absolutely loved. We started it as a bit of a passion project and I guess you never start anything thinking it’s going to become huge.

I think if you’re going into something expecting it to be massive then you’re probably doing it for the wrong reason. We did it because we love the story and we’re all passionate. Passionate about the book, passionate about the movie and I think that’s probably why it’s been so successful because everyone loves what they’re doing.

We just finished a play called The Hard Man about a Glaswegian gangster and it just went so well and I was working with all these guys and Trainspotting was just something we all wanted to do and that was three and a half years ago. We just toured Australia and the whole of the UK and it’s been absolutely humbling. It’s been brilliant.

S: So, will the show be coming to Glasgow?

G: I bloody hope so. I’m from Falkirk so I’m between the two [Edinburgh and Glasgow] and we want it to come to Glasgow. I think next year should be the year. We’re definitely planning another UK tour. So, I’m going to put down a hopeful ‘yes’. Nothing’s totally booked in yet but we’re definitely in talks.

I’d fucking love to bring the show to Glasgow. I think the response from the audience between Glasgow and Edinburgh would be about neck and neck. Glaswegians are great and I’d absolutely love to get the show there.

You can buy tickets for Trainspotting Live here.

Read my review of the show here.

 

In the Line of Duty: Building a Memorial to the Unsung Canine Heroes of WW1

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Published by Positively Scottish.

They are the forgotten heroes of the Great War, thousands of dedicated individuals who more than played their part on the front line.

But now a crowdfunding campaign is under way to provide a permanent memorial to the Airedale Terriers near the Scottish base where their training began, at East Haven in Angus.

During the First World War, the dogs were used by the British Red Cross and by the Army to locate injured soldiers on the battlefields, for sentry work, to carry messages through the trenches, and to carry first aid supplies and carrier pigeons on crates on their backs.

Wendy Turner, secretary of the Airedale Terrier Club of Scotland Breed Rescue, is leading the crowdfunding to raise £50,000 for a monument, ideally to be unveiled to coincide with the centenary of the end of the war in 2018.

Wendy says: ‘The crowdfunding campaign only started in April and it’s up to over £2000 already. Angus Council said they would match the figure when it reached £1,250 which helps give us a boost. In the meantime, I’m trying to get grants from here, there and everywhere.’

The story behind the campaign began in the early 1900s when Lieutenant Colonel Edwin Hautenville Richardson and his wife, Blanche Bannon, bought Panbride House, a manor house between Carnoustie and East Haven. Both were avid dog trainers.

Wendy says: ‘They looked at small terriers and collies and other breeds but they settled on the Airedale Terriers because of the temperament and the sheer tenacity of the breed.’

Originally, the couple trained four Airedales who were given to the Glasgow Police, two stationed at Maryhill and two at Queen’s Park. These Airedales become the first official police dogs in Scotland and the UK.

At the beginning of the First World War, when word began to spread about the Airedales’ intelligence, obedience and energetic nature, the British Red Cross approached Edwin and Blanche to ask if they could train dogs to locate wounded soldiers and to carry their medical supplies on the battlefield.

Wendy says: ‘Once they were trained for that, the British Army obviously had their eye on them, thinking that they could use these dogs, too. So they asked Lieutenant Richardson and his wife to start training Airedales to carry messages through the trenches, do sentry work, and to carry the carrier pigeons in cages on their backs because the pigeons were used to send messages back and forth during the war.’

The British Army were so pleased with the Airedales’ resourcefulness, aptitude and bravery in war zones that they opened a purpose-built war dog school in Shoeburyness in Essex. Edwin and Blanche then moved into the training school to continue their work.

Wendy says: ‘Our aim is to have a monument built where it all started in Angus because I think it’s a piece of history that’s kind of been forgotten about. When I started researching, I found some contacts in historical societies who I thought would know all about Airedales, but I couldn’t find anyone who knew much about it at all.’

When she began to dig into the history of the Airedales as war dogs, Wendy eventually sourced contact details for someone who pointed her in the direction of Panbride House and this piece of information set her on the right track.

Discovering the history of the Airedales and the sacrifices they made alongside soldiers, in the line of duty, Wendy was inspired to start the campaign to honour these tremendously loyal and intelligent dogs.

Wendy says: ‘I’ve applied for several grants. Our aim is £50,000 as it costs £40,000 alone just for the sculptor and the granite. And the rest of it goes to getting the 30 tonnes of granite moved, pathways put in, getting a plinth and other expenses. I feel like I’m spending my life on a computer at the moment trying to organise it all!’

‘We’re hoping to have sculptor Bruce Walker from Kirriemuir create the monument. It’s his artist’s impression on our website. He’s the only sculptor in Scotland who specialises in granite sculpture. And we really wanted Scottish granite from Aberdeen. We felt that was important because it’s a story that starts here in Scotland.’

You can find out more and donate to the Airedale Monument Fund, here.

What do you think of this story? Let me know in the comment section below.

Interview: Leah McFall

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Published by Glasgowist.

The Voice 2013 runner-up Leah McFall is back with a new independently released EP and UK tour called INK. The singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland who confesses that she ‘sings weird and dresses like a grandpa’ is coming to Glasgow on Monday, April 10 to play in Stereo Café in Renfield Lane.

With INK due to be released next month, Glasgowist caught up with Leah to talk about the new tour and EP, how she’s feeling about going on the road and playing Glasgow.

So, what have you been doing so far in 2017?

This year’s been really exciting and good so far. We’ve basically just been making the record. At the end of last year, we released a track called ‘Wolf Den’ which was the first release from the kind of mini album, the EP, called INK. So, this year we’ve really just been getting visuals together and booking the tour and getting ready for the release of the EP which is out on March 27.

Your new single ‘Happy Human’ is out now. Can you tell me a bit more about the song and the upcoming music video?

The video for ‘Happy Human’ is hopefully being released this week. It got shot over in LA with a director I worked with through Will. I saw the last edit of it a few days ago, and it looks great. I’m really looking forward to it coming out!

The INK tour starts in April. Are you looking forward to going on the road?

I’m really looking forward to it, actually! After the show [The Voice], I wasn’t really able to put on anything like this, just because of contracts and stuff. So, once I got free of them, we decided I was just going to do it independently. I’m really excited because I’ve never actually been able to meet the people supporting me, so that’s like the selfish reasons. But I’m really excited to start meeting people because the support has been so steady and faithful from the show and even a few fans from before the show which is really lovely.

I’m really looking forward to getting the EP out there and being able to translate it into a live show because, obviously, that’s part of my biggest passion is to sing live. And we’re doing it completely independently, so we’ve booked it ourselves and sorted out venues. And, now, we’re actually looking for support acts in each city. We’re looking for local bands who make a similar kind of style of music who are kind of R&B or singer-songwriters. So, if you know any good acts, let us know!

Have you played in Glasgow before? Are you looking forward to coming here?

No actually, I’ve not played in Glasgow, but I’ve been loads of times. My boyfriend and I were there about a month before Christmas and had the best weekend ever actually, it was absolutely hilarious. So, we were like: ‘We definitely have to come here!’ We’re playing in Stereo Café on April 10, which I’m quite excited about because I have a few friends in Glasgow and they were saying it’s a really cool venue. I heard it’s like a vegan café upstairs and a gig venue downstairs, so it should be great.

It’s one of my favourite cities, so I’m really looking forward to it. I mean I’m Northern Irish and I think Celtic people just gravitate towards each other and one of my best mates is Glaswegian and she actually is the funniest person I know. I think it’ll be great and it’s one of the shows I’m definitely looking forward to the most.

Your new EP INK is coming out soon. Can you tell me a bit more about it?

With the EP, there’s not like a singular story. Basically, the record I made with Will over in LA didn’t get released. You have to get a lot of yeses and we just didn’t get them all. So, I basically waited out the contract, so I was free from any kind of restriction, and I just thought, ‘Right, I’ll do this independently’.

I actually started working with the producer I started working with before The Voice, a guy called BeatFox in London. And he’s just this mental South African genius and his beats are just insane. So, we just started to work together and I went to a song writing camp actually in a church and was told when you sit down to write a song just write what your heart needs to hear because you’ll very often find that that real truth will resonate with other people.

So, in that place, I was just coming out of the record deal and realising I didn’t fit a particular mould, but I’m pretty happy with who I am. The whole record is basically about just being yourself and not trying to change into something you’re not. Even ‘Wolf Den’ was just about like going out on your own and ignoring people who say you can’t do it on your own. People said that to me and I just thought, ‘Well, I’m gonna try.’

The record is like a painted journey on what the past few years have been like and a few songs about meeting a couple of douchebags along the way and a couple of songs are about the nice guy that I met. It’s a real, honest record and something I really wanted to do.

Do you think making the EP independently allowed you more creative freedom?

100%, yeah. Most of the songs were actually written and recorded in one day. Part of that was because BeatFox is so quick and one of the quickest studio engineers as well as a producer. So, he would build the track and I would be writing the lyrics and the melody, and we’d just get in and record it while we were still in that fresh kind of vibe. So, there was so much freedom for me to just write about exactly where I was at and do exactly what we both wanted to do, so that was amazing.

It’s been a lot of hard work though, like I’ve had to sneak into a lot of meetings. I had to sneak into one meeting where security were actually like, ‘You need to leave. You’re not a record label. You’re an artist. We know you’re an artist. We recognise you.’ And I was like, ‘Great, well, thing is, I’m not gonna leave. So, I’m just gonna go straight into this meeting.’ And I ran in. So, there was a lot of crazy stuff where I was like, ‘I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.’ But we’re having fun with it and we’re just going to push it as far as it goes.

What can fans expect from the live shows? Will you be doing a mix of originals and covers?

The majority of it will be originals because we’re excited to get that new music out and the music that is ready to go after the EP. So, we’ll definitely be focussing on originals. I’ll probably do two or three covers. I’ll probably do ‘Loving You’ and ‘I Will Survive’ from the show and one other, but I will not be performing ‘Home’.

Actually, when I first got told they wanted me to do ‘I Will Survive’ on the show, I was like, ‘Noooo. What am I gonna do with this song?’ But we just spent time working on melodies and I was really excited to perform that one in the end, it was good fun.

After the tour, what’s do you have planned next?

I’d quite like to get on a support set for a bigger artist, that’d be cool. It’d be cool to learn from someone on that level. You know, if I could pick anyone it’d probably be Michael Jackson. If he could just come back that would be great.

Obviously, it’d be pretty cool to support another female artist, you know, like Rihanna. If she’s up for it, I am. I also really like Emeli Sandé and acts who are doing kind of pop and R&B stuff like we’re doing. And I’d also like to try out different audiences that maybe haven’t heard me before. Apart from that, it’s just going to be continuing to get music out there and hopefully festivals and stuff, if that’s an option. I’m sure I’ll just keep sneaking into meetings.

Leah McFall is playing in Stereo Café in Glasgow on Monday, April 10. Buy tickets here.

If you are an original musician or you’re in a band local to Glasgow with a similar sound to Leah’s music, get in touch for the chance to support her at Stereo Café: contactleahmcfall@gmail.com

Interview on Scran, Trainspotting and more with Pendora Magazine

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Earlier this month, I was approached by Pendora, an online literary magazine, to be interviewed about my little short story series, Scran, as well as Trainspotting, Scottish literature and more. A big thank you to Himanshu Goel for conducting the interview. Here is what we talked about:

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Q. Just going through your blog and social media, I noticed a lot of Trainspotting. Why do you like the book/movie and are you excited for T2: Trainspotting?

A: Trainspotting has been my favourite film and book for a long time. It’s hard to say exactly what about it is so appealing because they are, both the book and film, very bleak, dark, and disgusting at times. But there’s a lot of light in them, too, and they’re both really honest and authentic in their portrayal of mortality.

I love Irvine Welsh’s command over the Edinburgh dialect in the novel and his use of a rotating narrative through different characters who have their own unique idiosyncrasies, mannerisms, and turns of phrase. I love that I can start reading a chapter and if I see ‘likesay’, I know the narrator is Spud, and if I see a lot of profanity in capital letters, I know it’s Begbie. I also love Welsh’s unflinching depiction of drug addiction and of the culture and politics of Scotland in that era.

I think the unapologetically Scottishness of his writing is actually something quite niche and something that most writers shy away from in fear of stereotypical or cliché, but he does it brilliantly. I love his portrayal of decay and failure, and how he creates complex, flawed characters who should be detestable, yet somehow become lovable and characters that we root for. The structure of the novel is something I find interesting, too, because it is essentially just a very long series of linked prose as opposed to a novel format which makes it more digestible and accessible to readers with a lot of variety and colour in the narrative.

As for the film, I think it’s a work of art that really showcases the acting talent Scotland has. The casting is genius and I love everything from the costume design, use of setting, the soundtrack (!), the dialogue, the black humour, and the kind of candy coloured filter the whole film seems to have. Visually, I think it’s a spectacular film and even the set of Mother Superior’s flat looks like something Tracey Emin would create and call ‘art’.

I also love how Danny Boyle and John Hodge fine-combed through the novel to find parts to adapt, and created their own elements as well to piece together a plot that the novel kind of lacks. Both the book and film, and Welsh’s other works, have inspired a lot of my writing and I’m sure they’ll continue to do so. I could talk about it all day!

Q. Tell us about your favourite Scottish literature and folklore.

A: Well, Trainspotting, that goes without saying, and I love The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. Aside from Frankenstein (my favourite book before Trainspotting came along), I think it’s one of the best science fiction-gothic horror works ever written. It also evokes the notion of the Caledonian Antisyzygy which is something that has always fascinated me in literature. I’m a big fan of Kirsty Logan’s short stories, The Tin Kin by Eleanor Thom, and Scottish poetry by the likes of Tom Leonard and Alistair Reid.

As for folklore, I love Scottish myths and legends from the Loch Ness Monster to the more gruesome, unsavoury stories like the legend of Sawney Bean. There are countless ghost stories native to Scotland which is understandable considering the beautiful and haunting landscapes that are here, and we’re very much a nation of talkers and storytellers so folklore, even now, is something still deeply ingrained in Scottish culture.

Q. Your blog is called moonchild and you have published a short story collection titled Ivy Moon and other stories, what’s your connection with the celestial body?

A: I’m not sure where my fascination with the moon initially came from. I’ve always loved wolves and with the moon being synonymous with them, I started to look more into the symbolism of the moon in different cultural contexts.

I found a lot of old stories and poems about how the moon is in love with the sun, but they can never be together. And I love the mysticism and eerie magic that seems to surround and how it appears to change colour and size. The lunar effect (supposedly more crimes are committed and births occur on full moons) is something that has always interested me, too. I’m quite a fan of bizarre unproven theories that I like to think could be true, and there are loads of ideas like that surrounding the moon.

When I started my blog in October 2014, I was obsessed with the moon so the name just fit.

Q. Tell us about Scran.

A: Scran is a series of linked prose written in a Glaswegian/West Coast of Scotland dialect surrounding three 20-something girls – Kayleigh, Freya and Rebecca – who are approaching graduation, trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives, and trying to resolve issues they have buried in the past.

While the girls are friends, there is a lot of tension and secrets, and their friendships are tested at several points. But there are also a lot of light-hearted, sentimental, and comical moments, too. I used a rotating first-person narrative from the perspective of a different character in each story set in the week of the EU Referendum (around the time I wrote the stories). I like the idea of placing fiction in a very specific time period and I also included a playlist of songs to be listened to as an accompaniment to the stories and a glossary of Scottish words and phrases.

Each character features in some way in every story with the three girls coming together at the end. I wanted to refer to the millennial notion of the quarter-life-crisis, Scottish politics, and what the future holds for Scottish young people.

Here is a brief synopsis detailing the plot: ‘Following Kayleigh through an encounter with a stranger in a Glasgow pub, Freya’s surprisingly amusing trip home to attend a family funeral, and Rebecca’s traumatic experience of her first ever hangover, “Scran” is a series of stories exploring what it means to be an unsure 20 something living in Scotland in 2016.’

Scran was part of my creative writing project funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and the Research Interns at Strathclyde programme (you can read more about it here). For this project, I researched a variety of Scottish literature, wrote my own series of short stories along with a critical reflection and bibliography (in the same style as an undergraduate creative writing dissertation), and then self-published the collection into an A5 paperback book on Lulu.com. Scran is now available to buy on Lulu.com for £6.

(You can buy your own copy here.)

Q. You have written and published a lot of short stories and essays, do you have a plot brewing inside you for a novel/novella?

A: Well, right now, I don’t have any novella/novel plans per say, but I’m working on three stories for my final year creative writing dissertation. I imagine I will have a bash at writing a novel in the future, but that ‘big idea’ hasn’t come to me yet.

Q. What can readers expect from you in the future?

A: Hopefully, bigger and better fiction and more dynamic, complex characters and plots. I want to write more series of linked prose as it’s something I really enjoy and maybe a novella/novel in that kind of structure someday. I want to keep working hard to take on bigger creative writing projects and to keep pushing myself to be bolder and more inventive and experimental with my writing. And once I finish my creative writing dissertation, I’ll probably self-publish that, too.

What do you think of indie publishing, Trainspotting and Scottish literature? Let me know in the comment section below.

Review: The Gorbals Vampire at Citizens Theatre

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Published by Glasgowist.

Armed to the teeth with bats, pots, pans, sticks, and even whisks as makeshift chibs, hundreds of Gorbals kids take to the gothic Southern Necropolis to have a square-go with the beast plaguing their town and eating their classmates in Johnny McKnight’s new play, The Gorbals Vampire.

With a moody and atmospheric elongated stage and the backdrop of a dark clouded sky stained orange with the fumes from the local iron works, a cast of local amateur actors provide authenticity, grit and welly in their portrayal of the fearless Gorbals weans who sneak up to the graveyard after dinner time one cold September night to slay the ‘man with the iron teeth’.

Directed by Guy Holland and Neil Packham, the production opens with a cast of adults dressed as Gorbals weans, hiding their trepidations with brave faces, led by the school hard nut as they tip-toe from behind the stalls, beside the audience, and onto the stage to the ‘gravey’ with weapons shaking in their hands.

Based on real-life events, McKnight’s new play, running over two nights during the Halloween weekend at Glasgow’s famous Citizens Theatre, gives new found substance, fiction and gore to a story which emerged from the Gorbals playground rumour mill in 1954. Said to be fuelled by a combination of imported American horror comics, superstition, local ghost stories, religious influences and old wives’ tales about the bogey man used to scare children into behaving, McKnight’s stage play creates a new inventive narrative for the story that was once reported around the world as two twin brothers go missing, leaving behind ‘two wee empty chairs’ in the classroom one day.

As Chinese whispers start to infect the playground, the rumour of the twins’ disappearance grows from them being off sick to a supposed unsavoury incident with their alcoholic father to them being eaten alive by a bloodsucking vampire who is said to creep behind the gravestones in the Southern Necropolis.

McKnight’s shrewd mix of authentic colloquial Scots, frights, side-splitting comedy and real-life meets folk myth makes for perfect Halloween viewing. Visually, The Gorbals Vampire is a smoky, rustic and gothic spectacle of sullen vampirical red and chiaroscuro lighting by Stuart Jenkins. But what really brings the production to life is the unique, feisty and hilarious characters within the diverse community cast who transport the audience to the heart of 1950s Glasgow, voicing their frustrations of being abandoned by the authorities and by the state which led the children to believe that they had to fend for themselves and take on the wean-eating beast without help from the grownups.

As the night grows darker and colder with mist crawling along the tombs, the large group of ‘kids’ aged between 4 and 14-years-old dwindles in size until only a handful of brave wee souls are left on stage along with a quaking policeman armed with a torch. As bumps and creaks come from the gravestones and woodland around them, the kids soon invent and exaggerate their oral narrative even further by suggesting that there could be a whole nest of vampires hidden underneath one particular gravestone.

Interspersed with spine-tingling music by Michael John McCarthy, The Gorbals Vampire incites fear that builds in momentum throughout the production as the audience looks around anxiously waiting for the monster to appear from somewhere, maybe behind the stalls, in the dress circle, or projected on the makeshift Gorbals night sky (a genius element of the production by Kim Beveridge). Thankfully, the tension is routinely cut with false scares and dry Scots humour as the audience laughs a little louder to settle their jangly nerves.

With creative and awe-inspiring choreography by Brigid McCarthy which brings the large cast together to morph into the dark shape of trees blowing in the wind and dozens of hands bending up and down onto the fearful audience, the creative minds behind this production pull out all the stops to create a tense, hair-raising atmosphere that gives the audience a good scare while still being playful and comical.

Starting from real-life events and growing into a beast of its own, much as the Gorbals rumours did back in 1954, McKnight has created his own adaptation of the ‘Case of the Gorbals Vampire’ and has invented a dramatic, fictionalised, frightening and hilarious telling of one of the most bizarre horror stories to ever be told in the Gorbals. The Gorbals Vampire is a short and sweet work of genius that reinvents and modernises a largely untold story with humour, heart and good old blood and guts.

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Read my interview with playwright Johnny McKnight here.

What do you think of the Gorbals Vampire? Let me know in the comment section below.

Interview: The Gorbals Vampire Playwright Johnny McKnight

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Published by Glasgowist.

Over 60 years after the notorious Gorbals vampire was said to be creeping around ‘the gravy’ in the Southern Necropolis, a new play on the dramatic real-life events by Johnny McKnight is set to hit the Citizens Theatre this weekend.

In 1954, the rumour mill churned out the tale of a monster with iron teeth who had supposedly kidnapped and eaten two young Gorbals schoolboys.

As whispers infected the playgrounds in the area, hundreds of children aged between 4-14 took to the graveyard one September night, armed with makeshift chibs, to take down the wean-eating monster.

McKnight’s new play stars a local cast portraying the children who epitomised ‘Scotland the Brave’ and took to the graveyard on a mission to slay the beast.

I caught up with playwright Johnny McKnight to find out more about the comic horror story coming to the Citizens just in time for Halloween.

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SOPHIE: How did you first hear the story of The Gorbals Vampire? And what did you think of it when you first heard about it?

JOHNNY: The story was actually brought to me by Guy Holland (Associate Director at Citizens Theatre) and he told me they were working on this project, The Gorbals Vampire, and they were looking for somebody to write it and make an outline of it. And I said I’d need to do some research because I’d never heard of the story.

So, I went away home and did a wee bit of research on it. And growing up I was a mad Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. Anything about vampires, I was into it. So, I did my research and I thought, I absolutely love this! I mean, if I had been at school and there was a rumour going around that there was a vampire on the loose, I wouldn’t have left the house. I would’ve been terrified.

I loved that these kids in the Gorbals were like, ‘Right, lets grab our chibs and go take it on!’ That was the point when I thought I totally need to write this. I just loved the idea of the story and the fun I could have with it.

At the time, a lot of people blamed things like American horror comic books and local folk stories about vampires. But what do you think caused the hysteria that encouraged kids to go out with weapons to take on this monster?

I think it was a combination of things. It could’ve also been weans that were brought up with the Bible and the idea of a monster appearing. It could’ve been the American comics. Or it literally could’ve just been Chinese whispers.

I mean, I remember being at school and as soon as there was one wee whisper, the playground would become infected with it. It starts with a whisper and builds to a shout. And I think, particularly at that time, there was nothing else to do. It was all word of mouth. Everything was word of mouth. It could’ve been the comics but I also quite like the idea that it possibly could’ve all been true.

Maybe the government were just covering it up like in Stranger Things. For me, it was all about looking at all the different variations of what it could’ve been and not getting too bogged down in making it a historical piece. I wanted it to feel like it was set in that time but that it could still happen now. It’s the exact same thing with the killer clown thing going on just now. It just takes one or two wee voices and a craze can kick off or hysteria can kick off just as easy.

The story was reported around the world. What specifically do you think captured the public’s imagination so much so that people are still talking about it now?

It was such a phenomenon at the time that it got that many kids all assembled in the one place and I think also, what I love about it anyway, is that the kids are refusing to be victims. They just decide they’re going to take it on and stand up to it. And I think that’s quite enduring.

I mean, you’d usually expect parents to put the kids at ease and help them sleep better at night, usually the parents take control. But in this story, I think that’s a phenomenal thing that the kids decide that this is something that only they can take on. And also, everybody loves a good horror story.

Do you think the story is specific to a Scottish setting? Do you think kids in another part of the world would have reacted in the same way or is this just a typical Scottish response?

I don’t know. I mean, I love the idea that it happened. I think it sounds like a really Scottish thing that they went, ‘Right we’re away to get this bam.’ They went to take it on and they weren’t scared that it was a vampire or a monster. I suppose, it’s like years ago when there was the terror attack at Glasgow Airport and someone wrestled the terrorist to the ground and just thought, ‘I’m gonny take that bam doon.’

In some ways, it makes you think maybe it just is something in the Scottish psyche. We’re no feart to stand up for ourselves. I think that’s what makes it so enduring and it’s the reason the story’s lasted. But then I think as well when people’s backs are up against the wall and there’s fear there, it just brings out another side of instinct in people which is what I love about it.

What exactly was involved in writing the play? Did you talk to people who were actually involved when they were kids?

There were quite a few interviews online with people who’d been kids involved at the time. But I decided not to go and interview people because I wanted to make it up so it was still fictional rather than getting too bogged down in making it someone’s life story. I’m also really aware that the show’s going on just before Halloween so I still wanted to keep it scary rather than it becoming a historical piece.

Although it has that historical backdrop, I really loved the idea that maybe it was true and the kids weren’t wrong after all. And if I had started making specifically about someone’s life, I was thinking the story has got 200 kids and I’m very aware the production has a cast of 60, so I really wanted to put in as many different voices across the board as possible and not get too worried about whether that person existed in real life. I wanted it to still be a drama.

This is a big community based project with a local amateur cast. Do you think it was important to keep the spirit of the story very much local to the Gorbals?

Definitely! Definitely. It’s written in a really Scottish dialect and as well I think it’s a really Scottish piece. And I think the whole point of a project like this, well the point of theatre, is to tell stories that haven’t been told. Specifically, there’s not many stories from the Gorbals that get told that don’t involve gangs or gang warfare or extreme poverty. The bigger thing here is you’ve got this horror story right at your backdoor. You had this group of weans who are now grandparents or great-grandparents who genuinely believed there was a vampire stomping around their backdoor at night.

With the show starting this Friday, what specifically are you hoping to achieve with this production?

I think with any kind of production, you want the same thing. You want people to laugh. You want them to feel something. You want them to be transported for an hour into a different time, a different place and a different story. Theatre works brilliantly is when the audience and the cast on the stage all decide to transport each other away from the worries and anxieties or boredom and humdrum of their own lives, to be somewhere different for an hour.

As well, particularly because it’s Halloween, I hope they laugh and are thrilled. As scared as they are, I hope they’re laughing as well. I mean, I’m not going to lie, I was channelling Buffy the entire time. I wanted it to be funny and witty and thrilling and scary, and all that mixed up together.

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The Gorbals Vampire opens at Citizens Theatre at 7.30pm on Friday 28th October.

Featured image courtesy of Mark Rowe via Flickr.

What do you think about The Gorbals Vampire? Let me know in the comment section below.

News: More Than Half of LGBT Students Experience Homophobic or Transphobic Bullying

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Published by The Strathclyde Telegraph.

More than half of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) students have experienced homophobic or transphobic abuse in further and higher education, according to a new National Union of Students (NUS) study.

The Pride and Prejudice in Education research into the extent of bullying and harassment experienced by LGBT+ students and staff at colleges and universities found that out of 1,505 respondents, 60% had experienced abuse, with a further one in 10 witnessing intimidating behaviour every day.

Out of 930 students and 575 staff surveyed, 78% also said they did not know who to go to if they experienced bullying.

Robbiie Young and Fran Cowling, LGBT+ officers at NUS, said: “It is deeply concerning to see how widespread the bullying and harassment of LGBT+ students is. Every student should feel safe while at college or university. They shouldn’t have to face name-calling and other bullying, or have to consider dropping out of their course because of the way they are treated by other students.”

They added: “NUS will be working with students’ unions to implement the recommendations in this report to create learning environments that are inclusive and welcoming for all LGBT+ students.”

NUS said the survey findings suggest that homophobic and transphobic abuse directed at LGBT+ students also has an impact on their learning and retention levels, with gay/lesbian and non-binary learners more than twice as likely as average students to consider abandoning their course.

Seth Aitken, Forum for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Equality chair, said: “This report clearly shows there is much to be done to foster confidence amongst both staff and learners, which seems to be particularly lacking when it comes to reporting bullying and harassment.’

The report calls for colleges and universities to: do more to prevent LGBT+ students from dropping out as a result of bullying, improve training and support for staff, develop inclusive curriculum content, and adopt zero tolerance policies for harassment.

Helen Carr, Head of Equality at the University and College Union, said: ‘While much has been done to address bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation and gender identity in colleges and universities, there is no getting away from the fact that it is still a problem.’

Support for LGBT+ students at the University of Strathclyde is available through the Advice Hub and the Strathclyde LGBT+ Society. Information on how to report bullying and abuse based on sexual orientation or gender identity is available on the University of Strathclyde Students’ Association (USSA) website.

What do you think of this story? Let me know in the comment section below.

 

How Copyright Law is Failing Artists and Creatives

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Published by The Strathclyde Telegraph.

It’s no secret that having a career in the arts can be difficult and competitive work, especially when copyright law continually fails to protect creatives and their property. One artist who knows this all too well is Mark Wardel, who was astonished to see his photograph of one of his custom-made David Bowie masks on the cover of Shortlist magazine’s January 2016 issue as a tribute to the late musician.

hey @ShortList that’s my photograph of my mask you’ve used…looks great but it’s copyright infringement! pic.twitter.com/Is9DdQAOgp

— Mark Wardel (@TradeMarkArt) January 20, 2016

Wardel told me: ‘I was totally shocked to see a picture I had taken in my studio with my iPhone on a magazine cover.’

Wardel said that Splash PR Agency approached him last March to enquire if they could syndicate the story about David Bowie buying Wardel’s masks. But when the project didn’t go ahead, Wardel heard no more from the agency.

Wardel added: ‘Somehow, without me being aware, my images got passed on to Corbis Images, where Shortlist and others, including Glamour Italy, bought and published them without crediting me.’

‘I do think it is was genuine mistake, and that Corbis Images were unaware that I hadn’t given permission. However, after speaking with a copyright lawyer, it seems that things are weighted very much in favour of big companies who know that, if challenged, they can offer the artist the fee they would have received anyway, and that any legal action would be expensive for an artist. There needs to be some standard practice for artists who find themselves in these situations. The legal aspects seem uncertain to say the least.’

Shortlist are now taking steps to rectify this mistake, and plan to run a feature on Wardel’s work next issue.

Unfortunately, these type of situations seem to be becoming commonplace, as last year artist Danny Quirk found out that his medical illustrations were posted online by Madonna, with her face pasted onto his artwork. As Quirk hadn’t given permission for his work to be used by the popstar, he initiated legal proceedings. But, sadly, as Quirk’s work had been edited by collage artist BessNYC4, the art was considered ‘transformative’ under the Fair Use doctrine and, therefore, was legally allowed to be used without any recognition awarded to Quirk.

While large companies and media labels have teams of lawyers with expertise on copyright infringement, even established creatives largely work alone without extended legal knowledge or aid. And, sadly, it seems that many are willing to take advantage.

Ironically, the companies who use creative works without permission are in a comfortable position to pay for said property. Yet creatives – who have a much harder time making the money they deserve and usually have to do a lot of unpaid work – would most likely be happy to work with large enterprises if they were transparent with their intentions, recognised the artist, and gave them a fair fee.

While copyright law continues to fail artists, it seems that large organisations will continue to take advantage until those in the arts take steps to educate themselves, spread the word, and stand up to those who plagiarise the work created by talented and often underappreciated artists.

What do you think of cases like Wardel and Quirk’s? Let me know in the comment section below.

Interview: Rory James of Sunset Sons

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The new edition of The University Paper, Glasgow is now online! You can view the digital version: here.

One of my favourites pieces from this edition is my interview with Rory James of Sunset Sons who are supporting Imagine Dragons on their tour next month. You can read the interview in The University Paper here, or read my extended version below…

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Buff surfer dudes turned rockers Sunset Sons are set to take the UK by storm this winter after being snatched up as the support band to open for Imagine Dragons on their Smoke + Mirrors tour.

With their new EP ‘The Fall Line’ out now and being scheduled to play Glasgow at the SSE Hydro in November, I caught up with Sunset Sons lead singer Rory James to talk about what he thinks of the band’s success, Scottish crowds, those Kings of Leon comparisons and what’s next for the band in the New Year:

SOPHIE: So, Sunset Sons are supporting Imagine Dragons on their latest tour. How did this collaboration come about?

RORY: ‘I didn’t really hear much about it until we got it. Obviously, being quite a new band we weren’t expecting to even get close to being selected. We got into the top 15 which meant that the guys in Imagine Dragons were actually going to listen to us themselves and then they’d actually decide which I thought was really cool because then the band are choosing a band they really want. So, our manager got a phone call and he got all excited and I just remember thinking “Either something really amazing has happened or something bad has happened”.

Yeah, it was nice, it’s a pretty organic way to do it because the band actually chose us which is awesome. We knew they weren’t doing it as a favour or something like that but because they actually liked us. It’s always nice to know that you’re wanted. We haven’t actually met the guys yet but everyone who has met them have told us good things so I’m looking forward to it. I mean, if you don’t get on with someone, being on the road with them for two months would cause problems but everyone says they’re great guys so it’s exciting. I can’t wait!’

As part of the tour, you’re going to be playing at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow this November. Have you played in Scotland before and are you looking forward to this show?

‘Aw, words can describe. First of all, we’ve played maybe three or four shows in Scotland on our little tour before things really kicked off and it was amazing. I’ve got Scottish blood in me so going up there reminded me of my childhood.

The crowds are just unreal, that’s what Scotland is renowned for. I suppose if they didn’t like us, we’d definitely know about it.

We sold out King Tuts back in March and it’s such an iconic place to play, we were honoured to just be there in the first place. If you sell out, you get a bottle of whisky and your name or your set list or something written up on the wall which was a great feeling. Honestly, I love Scotland.

We went to T in the Park this year which I was really excited about. It was raining and stuff but we were playing in one of the tents and there’s this chant they do in Scotland that goes: “Here we, here we, here we fuckin’ go!” And we thought they were telling us to get off the stage because we couldn’t understand it. We figured it out half way through the set and they were going along with the beat and the rhythm of the song we were playing so I started shouting it into the mic and trying to amp the crowd up. And eventually, they were doing the chant along to every song, and honestly, it was such a moment in our festival season this year and I won’t forget that – it was brilliant.’

Throughout the whole process of making music, would you say you prefer song-writing, recording in the studio, or touring and playing music live?

‘Definitely getting on the road. I do enjoy being in the studio but, for me, it’s a rollercoaster of emotions. It can be the smallest thing that goes right, like when you’re getting your vocals down or the guitar track or something and then suddenly something just clicks and you come up with something new and that is really exciting. But on the hand, it can be the smallest thing that goes wrong, like say someone spills a cup of coffee or something and just because you’re in such an intense environment, and say there are maybe five or six of you in the studio for like five weeks at a time, and you can imagine what it’s like – it’s really intense. I do love that process but, for me, it’s all about being on the road.

To do the live stuff is great. It gets the adrenaline pumping and it’s the whole reason I do it. It’s amazing being able to interact with people. Sometimes you’ll get a cold crowd and you’ll need to warm them up or you’ll go on stage and everyone is already pissed up and super excited and start jumping about and it’s so much fun. Every gig is different, you really never know what you’re going to get and obviously now that the crowds are getting bigger, that is a bonus.’

What would you say is your favourite song to play live?

‘That’s a tough one. Well, okay, I’ll give you a little exclusive here. We’ve only played this song I think just once at the moment, we played it at Reading. We’d only just finished writing it. It’s a song called Tick Tock. It’s a brand new song and at the moment that’s my favourite one to play live. It’s really different. It starts off with me on drums for one thing which is unusual since I mostly play the piano so that’s cool. And new songs are always exciting so I can’t wait to play it more.’

When Sunset Sons were just starting out as a cover band, what were your favourite covers to play live?

‘There’s a couple. We used to play ‘TV on the Radio’ – Wolf Like Me. It’s just a crazy fun song to play live. ‘Stay With Me’ – Faces was another favourite. We used to play a bit of Queens of the Stone Age as well. The great thing was back then, we kind of went against everything that we were supposed to play. We steered away from what ‘people like’ and just played what we liked. We just thought that if we were having fun, people would either join in or they’d leave and then you’ll know where you stand. One time, we were in the car and ‘Bubbles’ – Biffy Clyro came on the radio and I was like “Aw man, I love this song!” We played ‘Bubbles’ and ‘Who’s Got a Match?’ They’re great songs.’

Many people have compared Sunset Sons to Kings of Leon and similar bands. Are you flattered by these comparisons or does it bother you?

‘Well, if you’re getting compared to people you don’t like and we have had those comparisons when someone said we were similar to Maroon 5 and I’m not a fan of them. I mean, people say “music is subjective” and people will say what they want, you can’t stop them.

As for the Kings of Leon comparisons, I’m a massive fan and I’ve listened to those guys for years, especially their early stuff. I don’t play the guitar, I’m learning at the moment, but their music made me want to pick up a guitar. That comparison does come up a lot, I’m not going to lie, but it’s not a bad comparison, it’s meant as a compliment. Another one, which I won’t agree or disagree with, is Tom Petty and the dude is a legend and if you’re getting compared to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, you’re doing something right. Growing up, I used to listen to a lot of Motown Gold, Ray Charles and Smokey Robinson and I always wanted to play and sing like those guys but obviously I don’t sound like that but, in my head, I’m trying.

People have been trying to pigeonhole us for a while and music is so confusing nowadays. Like years ago, pop used to mean whatever music was popular but now nobody wants to be called ‘pop’ anymore. But it means popular music so if you’re in that genre, I see it as a good thing. We listen to a lot of rock music and a lot of influences come from that style so I guess we could call ourselves a rock band. And then there’s indie. Indie just confuses me, I have no idea what’s what. I just kind of forget about all that and just focus on playing and making the kind of music that we enjoy. I don’t really know which ‘genre’ we are – that’s what you guys do, you call us whatever you want to call us.’

If you could collaborate with any artist or band in the world, past or present, who would you pick?

‘I’ll throw two out there. Present: I’d say Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age. That’d be cool. I listen to all their records and stuff and I love what he does. He’s an extremely talented musician. Past: I’m gonna chuck a weird one in there and say Biggie Smalls. I listen to a lot of his stuff. It would be probably the worst sounding music ever but he’s someone who I think was pretty special when he was about.’

After the tour with Imagine Dragons this winter, what’s next for Sunset Sons in the New Year?

‘So, we finish the tour and then we get Christmas off, I think. We were told in January that we wouldn’t get any time off until Christmas so we’ve obviously been looking forward to that. A bit of time off will be nice. In the New Year, I think we’re booked up until March. We haven’t done a headline tour in a while which we obviously want to do. So, after the New Year, I think we’ll be straight back on the road. We might be in the studio a little bit as well because we can’t seem to get enough of the studio. This year just gone kind of surpassed anything I was expecting and next year, if everything goes to plan with the record and stuff, it should be even more intense and a lot more fun to be had.’

Sunset Sons are supporting Imagine Dragons at the SSE Hyrdo in Glasgow on November 15. Tickets are available to buy from Ticketmaster.

You can follow Sunset Sons on Facebook and Twitter.

Interview: Jennifer Mcgregor on Crohn’s Disease and Adaptive Clothing

Earlier this month, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview 22-year-old Jennifer Mcgregor, an inspirational student who is carrying on the legacy of her late brother Duncan by building an adaptive fashion line for those with medical conditions which affect how they are able to wear clothing. Jennifer, originally from Clydebank, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in 2007 and hopes her clothing line will raise awareness and vital funds for the condition.

With this blog post, Jennifer and I hope to raise awareness for Crohn’s disease (a long-term condition that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system) and oesophageal cancer (an uncommon but serious type of cancer that affects the oesophagus).

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SOPHIE: So, you run a clothing company called CrohnieClothing. 
How did the fashion line start? And how did you come up with 
the name "CrohnieClothing"? 

JENNIFER: CrohnieClothing started out as a blog for people like myself with scars, burns and ostomies to be able to wear fashionable clothing while still wearing clothes which support them, and cover up whatever it is that they are uncomfortable with showing to the world.

The aim of the clothing line is to not only provide functional, fashionable clothing, but also to raise awareness for Crohn’s disease which I have, and talk about often on the blog.

I want to stop digestive issues from being a taboo subject as there are more and more people diagnosed everyday.

My aim is also to provide accessible male clothing for which all profits will go to a fund in memorial of my brother Duncan who helped me work on CrohnieClothing, but sadly died of oesophageal cancer in August this year after a year of fighting it.

The fund will be available for people who are needing to be diagnosed early with any kind of digestive issues and mainly in giving people struggling to eat or feeling their throat is blocked a fast pass endoscopy, as with oesophageal cancer early detection is key to having any chance of survival.

S: How did the project initially start? And what has motivated 
you to take CrohnieClothing to new heights?

J: The project started in 2013 when I was given the task of creating a business idea which I could make a reality if I left college or university and didn’t have a job. I started thinking of ideas for the potential business and I realised how much I struggled with finding suitable clothes that supported my tummy. I needed trousers that were high-waist as I’m quite tall, so I often needed my mum to alter my clothes which was great for me, but what about people in my position who don’t have a seamstress mum? So, I thought the clothing line was only going to come about due to my Crohn’s, I decided it had to be pivotal in the naming of the company.

The motivation to take it to new heights is mine and my brothers determination this last year to make something positive come from our struggles as Duncan was diagnosed in August 2014 with cancer, and I was in the process of getting my ileostomy (stoma similar to a colostomy) surgery planned and we both were finding getting clothes so much harder as we were in more pain and discomfort in our own everyday clothing.

We always spoke about continuing the clothing line if something happened to either one of us, and after my surgery when I ended up with sepsis, I could easily have been the one not here instead of Duncan. And if that happened, we promised we’d continue while not only making clothes that help others, but also raising awareness in particular for Crohn’s and oesophageal cancer.

And if there are any profits from the menswear collection, they will go into the fund in his name for people who need the early detection of his type of cancer since it is becoming more and more common in younger people, mainly boys, and it is still treated as an old persons disease.

S: What are the biggest challenges of working on 
CrohnieClothing? And what are the biggest highlights? 

J: The biggest challenges in working for CrohnieClothing are that there are so many days when I want to give up and just lie down to being unwell myself and sleep for weeks. It’s also hard to keep going through the grief of losing someone as close as I was to Duncan too, so it’s really just trying to not be swallowed up by the sadness when sometimes it feels like all I want to do.

But I know that this is our dream and that he’s not here to make it a reality, so I have to do it for both of us.

Some of the highlights were winning the Herald Scottish Digital Business Award in 2013 back when the project was just a blog and I was still in college. It was such an amazing feeling to be recognised for trying to help myself and others be more confident and comfortable.

To be able to share the award ceremony night with my family, even Duncan since this was less than a year before he was diagnosed, and the project was on in its infancy at the time. Another highlight was being featured in the local newspaper twice and hearing so much positive feedback from people about the idea.

I’ve also had amazing help from people through the GoFundMe page which has raised £1000 and allowed me to start sourcing materials, get some designs down on paper and pay for trademarking our idea. It’s also allowed me to buy materials to make LuckyCoin Bracelets and “Duncs” ribbons which will available online in the next few weeks. There are also “knitted hugs” in the making in the form of lovingly hand-made scarfs and blankets from members of our family.

I got the idea from Duncan. He left me a memory box which has a blanket inside with a note saying that if I’m ever sad, I should wrap the blanket around me and it’ll be like a hug from him.

Without the generosity of family and friends we wouldn’t be well on our way to selling these and hopefully making some more money to help fund the first run of clothes.

S: How did Duncan get involved in CrohnieClothing? Can you tell me a bit 
more about him?

J: Duncan was my 34-year-old brother who had oesophageal cancer and sadly passed away in August. He was my rock when I was unwell for the last 9 years, and he made sure that I was always taken care of, even after he got sick too.

In Duncan’s case, he had been suffering from some serious symptoms of his primary tumour in his oesophagus since 2013 when he felt like there was something in his throat and he struggled to eat meat. Looking back now, these things seem very obvious signs but we trusted our doctors to get him sorted. They didn’t do an endoscopy at that point which could have potentially saved his life and he could still be with us.

However, due to his age and fitness alongside being a non-smoker, the doctors didn’t think cancer was on their radar. Even when he asked for an endoscopy in 2014, they put it off to the point where he couldn’t eat and had lost two stone in weight while being at the GP regularly telling them something wasn’t right. But Duncan being Duncan, he didn’t want to cause a fuss and he let it go.

Finally in July 2014, he went to an out of hours doctor and the steps were taken towards diagnosis with an ultrasound, endoscopy and lots of other tests ordered for the same week. That was when we found out Duncan had cancer and that it was serious. He started chemo in the September, and he lost more weight and was getting really sore while wearing his normal clothes.

Jennifer and her brother Duncan.

He also had to carry around a chemo pump with him every day which pumped chemo and other meds into his body through a PICC line which he was very self-conscious about. This led to us talking about how good it would be to have pockets in jeans, joggers and pj’s which would have fitted his pump. He also wanted very stretchy tops that could stretch over his arm and not be painful or risk pulling out the line from his vein which happened on a few occasions late last year and left him without chemo for a few days at a time, not helping his situation.

From then on, we were both off with being unwell. I had to leave my job and he had to leave his too which left us lots of time to talk about clothes and how difficult we were finding it to wear our normal clothing, especially with us both having major surgeries coming up and knowing it would just get harder.

That’s when Duncan decided he wanted to join the CrohnieClothing project and design menswear. Once he was better, we decided we would both get it properly started. However, Duncan didn’t get that chance as in May this year, he went for the surgery to remove his tumour and we found that his cancer had spread to his liver and lungs too. We realised his condition was terminal and he don’t have long at all.

Through all of this, Duncan had been so brave and only ever wanted to make sure everyone else was okay. He was even determined to get married to his now wife and my amazing sister-in-law Caroline who made him happier than I ever thought possible and gave him a reason to smile even when he was in such a grim place. He even told me to continue with this and make sure people like us are not only able to feel more normal, but that we also have a voice and helped others get an early diagnosis because with any kind of digestive disease, early diagnosis is crucial.

S: What do you hope to achieve with CrohnieClothing in the future?

J: In the future, I would love CrohnieClothing to be selling to people all over the world, whether they have something they want to hide or not. I believe that there is such a gap in the market for clothes like this and

I think there needs to be more models on the catwalk with scars, burns, ostomies and stretch marks – anything else that challenges the idea that to be a model, you have to be societies idea of perfect. It’s wrong because everyone is perfect and their differences only make them more beautiful in my opinion. My ridiculously crazy idea is that we have some kind of catwalk show where all the models show us that beauty and fashion are not ‘one size fits all’ and that we all have differences, be it medical or otherwise.

I’d also love to help even just one person get diagnosed early with oesophageal cancer and help them get on their first steps to recovery; for someone to get the chances that Duncan didn’t have.

S: Does your degree relate to CrohnieClothing? If so, 
how does it help you with the business?

J: My degree does relate to running CrohnieClothing as I know just now that I am always learning how to run more and more of the business. I’m taking an entrepreneurship class this year which I’m hoping will help me learn how to get CrohnieClothing off the ground and help with funding. My business law class is helping me learn how to make sure everything I do through CrohnieClothing is legal and done in the correct way and marketing is helping me find where we fit in the world of products available as we are in the middle ground between the health sector and the fashion sector.

Alongside the other classes I’m taking, I hope to leave university with my degree and be a far more rounded business owner and director.

S: I saw on your blog that you want to raise awareness 
of Crohn's disease. What would you say to people 
who don't know much about the condition?

J: I’d say to people who don’t know much about Crohn’s disease that, first of all, it isn’t like IBS. IBD, which is the umbrella under which Crohn’s comes under, is an autoimmune disease which can affect you basically in any way from head to toe and not just mean I have to go to the toilet a lot. I’ve had loads of symptoms from: losing most of my hair as I don’t absorb nutrients well; abscesses that have popped up from my chest and my thighs down to my shins due to the Crohn’s manifesting in my skin; very weak crumbly bones and joints due to long-term use of corticosteroids (steroids) which made me gain a lot of weight on and off over the years; and now my large intestines being so scarred due to inflammation and ulcers that I had to have it removed and be given an ileosomy (similar to a colostomy).

I’d say if anyone had the symptoms of very painful tummy cramps, having to run to the bathroom, blood in their stool, lethargy or feeling or being sick often to definitely go get checked for IBD. As I’ve said before, early diagnosis is crucial and if I didn’t shrug off my symptoms for as long as I did, I may have held on to my large intestines longer than I did.

Also I’d like to add that not everyone with Crohn’s or IBD gets an ileostomy or colostomy, it’s more people like myself that don’t respond to the treatments.

S: Why is CrohnieClothing so important to you? What makes 
it so different from other clothing companies?

J: CrohnieClothing is so important to me because it’s my, and Duncan’s, legacy. It’s something positive that can come out of the biggest challenges in our lives and especially with having my ileosomy and wearing a bag for life, I don’t want it to be such a taboo thing.

I also don’t want other people being in pain just wearing clothes because it can be absolute agony having, for example, a t-shirt being stuck to the sticky part of my bag and ripping it off with just moving in bed and waking up covered in blood and feeling really sore.

There is also a gap in the market where people do not have easily accessible, affordable clothes that will cover their insecurities as I cannot find anyone doing anything similar online, especially no one having a charitable aspect like the Lucky Coin menswear having the fund for early diagnosis of oesophageal cancer.

S: I read your blog post addressed to lecturers and tutors 
in regards to Crohn's disease. Do you think university staff 
should do more to be inclusive and accommodating to students 
with health conditions? 

How do you think lecturers and tutors, and indeed fellow 
students too, should behave around those with Crohn's and 
other similar conditions?

J: I think they should. I don’t believe a student should have to worry about going to university in case they get pointed at for going to the bathroom because, looking at me from the outside, you’d never guess I was unwell. Chances are in every lecture, there is at least one person who has some kind of medical issue they cannot change, feel uncomfortable about and will probably need to leave or use the bathroom.

I don’t think that lecturers should ever comment on people leaving the room at all because I get very embarrassed by it and have sat for two hours in a double lecture with a bag leak because I was too scared to be pointed out and someone might notice that I’ve got a wet patch on my jeans. It’s unfair and university staff especially should be more sensitive. (To read Jennifer’s full blog post, click here.)

S: What's next for CrohnieClothing? Do you have any 
exciting plans coming up in the future?

J: The next steps are trying to find investment as this project is taking over and becoming far bigger than myself alone and I need help with it! I’ve toyed with the idea of Dragons Den and other enterprise competitions, but for the next few months, I’ll be focussing on getting the business plan finalised, and starting to do some sponsored events to try to reach the £5000 goal I have set, and ensuring the Lucky Coin bracelets and ribbons go online as soon as possible, along with the knitted hugs!

I’m also working closely with City of Glasgow College to potentially rebrand CrohnieClothing and make up a logo for Lucky Coin for CrohnieClothing and get the website up and running so I can blog, sell and receive donations all in one place.

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To get involved with the CrohnieClothing project, click the links below:

• CrohnieClothing blog.
• CrohnieClothing Facebook page.
• Lucky Coins bracelets are available to buy now!

For more blog posts and information on IBD (the umbrella term for Inflammatory Bowel Disease), visit Rebecca Crawford’s enlightening blog: Rebecca Crawford: Live in the Light and read her new blog post What I’ve Learned From Having An Incurable Illness.

More information can be found below:

• Crohn’s & Colitus UK
• Oesophageal cancer | Cancer Research UK

A huge thank you to Jennifer for sharing her incredible story.

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