George Melly: Scouse Mouse

[Sybarite]

Scouse Mouse by George Melly

The first volume of George Melly's memoirs, set between the wars in Liverpool, makes for fascinating and highly entertaining reading – not for any great infant escapades on the part of this late lamented jazz musician, but because he creates such a vivid picture of life at that time, in that place, in his slightly Bohemian and middle-class family, that there are moments when you can almost smell it all.

Evocative indeed and I look forward to reading further columes.

 

[jaybe]

I read a bio-type book by George Melly in the early sixties. It had a big impact on me, I found it fascinating. Can't remember why now though.

Would that be the same one?

 

[Sybarite]

I read a bio-type book by George Melly in the early sixties. It had a big impact on me, I found it fascinating. Can't remember why now though.

Would that be the same one?

I'd have imagined so, but I've just looked this up on Wikipedia (so treat with slight caution) and it seems that his first published book was Revolt into Style; Pop Arts in Britain (1971) and his first published volume of memoirs was Rum, Bum and Concertina from 1977. It appears that, although chronologically the first volume of autobiography, Scouse Mouse wasn't published until 1984.

Fascinating man though, in a great tradition of British dissidents and Bohemians. I've felt for a while that that's the kind of Englishness that I can identify with.

 

[jaybe]

You got me wondering, so I looked on Amazon. 'Owning-up' published 1965 may be the one I read. I'm not sure.
Another mark against Wikipedia!