So I left Jonny to his own devices here for a while. Before deciding that, although I’m not going to write any more as him, I still need a website and this is as good a place as any.

The design and all that is a bit of a work in progress, and reflects the fact that I don’t spend nearly as much time these days fiddling about learning web skills when I should be doing something constructive.

The original JonnyB’s Private Secret Diary is now archived in its own section on here, lest anybody should wish to revisit it. The weirdest thing I found when doing this was that it had simply never occurred to me that I’d find it interesting in retrospect as an actual diary. So suddenly I’ve found myself looking back on so many memories from that decade or so, from meeting new friends to the birth of my children. Even if as a personal document of my life it’s a little… unusual.

Thanks if you read ‘Sex and Bowls and Rock and Roll’ – I’m proud of it, and I hope that it surmounted a somewhat guileless lack of artificial peril (or even just peril) through the simple medium of good comic lines (I read a LOT of memoirs when I was writing it, and it was striking how many true-story autobiographical works are framed around terribly neat storylines. That’s not knocking anybody – it probably makes for better books in the long run). If you haven’t read it then – drum roll – copies are still available.

One of the ‘occasional’ characters in the blog and the book took his own life last year. He’d been so supportive of this thing, and so encouraging in other aspects of my life, and I looked up to him immensely whilst also despairing of the bloody stupid loveable twat. Anyway, life is shit sometimes; I very much enjoyed creating something in that little style of writing that could only ever acknowledge the comedy in life’s minutiae, but that doesn’t work all the time and I’m going to do something else now. Although it’s occasionally been tempting to dig Jonny out from the cupboard, especially following the whole debacle with Narcoleptic Dave at the punk revival gig.

Anyway. I will post occasional news and stuff here. After all, who knows what might happen next year? *taps side of nose*

Onwards.

Alex.

7 thoughts on “Archived.

  1. Andy Bell (Ajb1605) says:

    It’s good to see a new post here. You’d be surprised how often your – Jonny’s – blog brightened up the start of another dreary day in the office – although obviously not on this occasion! What sad news – I won’t pry as to which character.
    It’s not just been you I missed, either, but the whole gang of commentators too. Hopefully you’ll lay yourself open to fresh insults in the coming year. Merry Xmas.

  2. Thank you! And yes. It was always nice to be part of peoples’ days. In whatever capacity. Erm. For good or for ill.

    Just realised that I’ve logged in here via twitter, which means this reply will appear as ‘JonnyB’. So that didn’t last long, did it…?!?

  3. ~~Silk says:

    I bought and read the book, and I do hope you’ll be back occasionally to tell me another story.

  4. rustylily says:

    I always loved reading this and am glad to see this update. Hopefully will hear more.

  5. Good to see a post here. I’ve missed your blog.

  6. GrumpyRN says:

    Nice to see you back ‘Jonny’. I also bought and read the book – very enjoyable. Continue to keep us updated as to life in rural Norfolk.

  7. Alex Marsh says:

    Testing 123, testing… this might appear as ‘Alex’…

    This has a bit of a school reunion air about it – (OMG! It’s YOU!!!) – albeit with several ex-classmates participating via video link (well, Twitter). It’s really nice to see old faces like yours. I’ve promised myself that I’ll write the occasional post that’s over and above ‘buy my book!’ But mainly it’ll probably be that, cos I’m not much of a ‘head above the parapet’ blog sort of person.

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