WoW
WoW are celebrating the success of our latest publication, Reflections of a Mudman by Brian Mooney.
After the book launch, we sat down with Brian for an exclusive interview for some extra details about his debut work.
How long did Reflections of a Mudman take to complete, from the first idea to publication?
The death of my dad in 1979 started an interest in my family background. He was a private man and said little of his life, but l knew he had fought fascism in Spain. I knew his father to be interesting also, having been a decorated soldier and that all his five sons had seen military service. I needed to find out more. Where they came from, who they were, and why they came to Liverpool. The same applied to my mother’s forbears. It took many years, and there were long pauses in between due to work and family. Forty years in actual fact.
Were there any particular challenges in writing such a personal story?
I never contemplated getting my findings printed, but as I commenced I began to write of my childhood and the reasons my family departed from Liverpool. From there onwards it became a semi-autobiography of a life lived in London and Jersey, whilst always returning on every occasion to my home city. My writings included dark parts, so I had to wait for certain characters to pass on.
Did the process of writing change the way you remembered your life? Such as, did you unlock any lost memories when writing or found you remembered things differently?
I was blessed with a good memory and the memoir was all there, as clear as clear could be.
What was your favourite part about growing up in Garston?
Some would suggest that post-war Garston was a hard place to be born. Possibly, but no kid ever had a better start in life. Kids had the complete freedom to play in streets almost devoid of traffic. They used their creativity to make something out of nothing, swings from lamp posts, push karts from old prams, and dens from planks of wood. With no adults around Garston kids also had a shoreline between Garston and Speke that was made up of woods, ponds, streams, and fields. Kids became conversant with nature, climbed trees, used thick ropes to create dangerous swings, sometimes in the hulks of ships awaiting the scrap metal men.
Are there particular moments of joy or humour that stand out most vividly from your childhood?
My happiest memory was of the late Queen’s Coronation. Every front door in our dockland street had a trellis frame that was garlanded with flowers (probably paper), and small Union Jacks were hung on strings above the street. All the kids were treated on benches to jellies, cakes, and jam butties. The mothers came around with large urns filled with tea. Then the kids had a group photo taken followed by a bus trip around the city.
Your father is such a significant part of the book, can you say more about his story and how he influenced you throughout your life?
My dad was educated at Liverpool Collegiate College. He joined Western Union as a messenger on leaving school, as both his father and grandfather had done before him. Trained later as a telegrapher he was sent to Edinburgh as he advanced in the company. The worldwide depression caused him to be made redundant and he returned to a Liverpool without jobs. He was very affected by the hardships he saw in his city, and there was much unrest throughout the country. He had been raised by a man who was an active Liberal, but gradually on seeing the rise of fascism, my dad veered sharply to the left. He was unemployed, had time on his hands, and went to meetings of the Communist Party. Whether he joined I’m not certain, but l would think he did. The scenes in the newsreels of civilians being bombed in Spain by German bombers had a great effect in him, so much so that he and a friend went first to France, then across the Pyrenees on foot to join fellow young men from all over the world to fight fascism in The International Brigade. That was in 1938. He was hospitalised due to a shrapnel wound and later when defeat was almost certain, the Brigade was disbanded and the men were placed in camps in southern France, then shipped home covered in lice to a country that had remained neutral. When war broke out he was turned down by the military due to his leg wound. He worked throughout the war for the admiralty. He barely mentioned Spain to his children. He was a proud quiet man, and I am very proud of him.
Are there any stories that didn’t make it into the book but still stick with you?
As a teenager living in London, I would return to Liverpool at every given opportunity. I would get the overnight train from Euston ,and l always took my guitar. Nine times out if ten l would be asked to play and sing in what were then closed compartments. I obliged. It was the time when Liverpool groups covered the charts all over the world.
What makes Liverpool such a unique place for storytelling?
Having spent my teenage years down south made me realise how different scousers and their city were, especially music wise. I think in large part this was due to its being so influenced by its large Irish background and the merchant seamen who made the city more cosmopolitan. Also the majority of its people are affable and friendly. I always say you can go in a pub and sit next to someone and come out knowing his life story. The river, its buildings and its love if football also make it unique, and very different from other northern cities. The city of culture award brought investment, and money from the EEC helped restore Liverpool back to its former glory. Rightly so.
What do you hope readers — especially younger ones — will take away from your memoir?
My main desire from my writings is that my children, and grandchildren will have a knowledge of why I am the man I am, and of the unique characters whose blood they derive from. If others find my tales interesting, so much the better.
