SPIKE MAGAZINE

Declan Tan’s second ‘Letter from La Paz’ is a fictional account of a visit to Bolivia’s San Pedro prison “A pint a-Carling yeah and whatever you’re havin’,” a white-spit mouth, mine, chums out familiar to the bar girl. I’m pointing

In the first of two ‘Letters from La Paz’, Declan Tan straightens a few myths about Bolivia’s Route 36, “the world’s first cocaine lounge” “Take it out of the bag,” one of them whispers, as a small mountain of Bolivian marching

Real-life drug-busting narc Sonny Grosso was the inspiration for The French Connection, advised Coppola on The Godfather and cruised gay bars with Pacino. Story by Tina Bexson A dozen or so shiny, black suits and their flashy women were enjoying the

Like many of his generation Peter Weissman recalls the ‘60s as a halcyon period of his life and, like his peers, came of age during this revolutionary era marked by social, cultural and political change, relayed in the memoir, I Think, Therefore Who

A review by Dolly Delightly I have a penchant for esoteric Russian literature of the kind that’s mostly found in frowsy second-hand bookshops which, I am unashamed to say, I frequent with steadfast regularity. About a week ago, during one such visit,

Gonzo scribbler, internet entrepreneur and backing vocalist for Eliza Carthy, Ralph Steadman spills the beans on being ripped off and Hunter S. Thompson’s mother. Chris Wood listens. “I felt savaged a bit by the whole thing… Hunter was in the middle

Kenn Taylor Wreckage – Niall Griffiths See all books by Niall Griffiths at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com Liverpool, often noted as a city of poets, songwriters and playwrights, has produced surprisingly few novelists. One

Ben Granger Lunar Park – Bret Easton Ellis See all books by Bret Easton Ellis at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com Lunar Park presents itself as the straightforward first-person narrative of “Bret Easton Ellis”, spoiled, self-obsessed,

Emma Garman One night, twenty-four-year old recent Minnesota transplant Diablo Cody was walking home from her dull ad agency job when the words “Amateur Night” on a topless bar’s marquee beckoned irresistibly. Even though Cody had

Chris Mitchell 4 Play – Irvine Welsh [collected scripts of plays based on Welsh's work] See all books by Irvine Welsh at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com [Note: this is the complete text of a syndicated interview with Harry

Nick Mitchell Psychoraag – Suhayl Saadi See all books by Suhayl Saadi at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com Psychoraag is Suhayl Saadi’s first novel and possibly the first ever novel of Scottish-Asian identity. It

Craig Johnson talks to Ralph Steadman about the death of Hunter S. Thompson, paranoid flashes and the “terrible betrayal” of modern politics “One of the reasons he’s fun to work with – he has a really fine, raw sense of

Craig Johnson talks to Trash DJ pioneer Erol Alkan, feted by Face magazine as the new Fat Boy Slim Anarchic, eclectic and unique are some of the words used to describe dee-jay Erol Alkan, who’s been injecting his imagination and energies into his

Craig Johnson hears Factory Records supremo Tony Wilson on the rebirth of his record label, the upcoming Joy Division film, how he accidentally created Frankie Goes To Hollywood and why photographer Kevin Cummings is a miserable twat. ‘Wilson

Chris Mitchell on why Hunter S. Thompson was one of the most important figures in American letters I love my friends. Away from email for a few days, log in this morning to 5 different people telling me Hunter S. Thompson is dead. Distraught isn’t

Ben Granger Saint Morrissey – Mark Simpson See all books by Mark Simpson at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com This book is not for people who’ve never, even briefly, fallen under Morrissey’s spell. Don’t bother; it’ll only

Jerome Deg Basement Jaxx are back, bigger and badder and rougher and tougher…their new album, Kish Kash, features trademark party tunes, punky attitude and a selection of new, innovative, funky tracks designed to burn up

CJ Wood on the transformation of Nicholas Pileggi’s book Wiseguy into Martin Scorcese’s film epic Goodfellas Goodfellas is a film which lives and breathes life, a criminal life set in a world unfolded

Jerome Deg The Man Who Walks – Alan Warner See all books by Alan Warner at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com It is difficult to know where to start with a writer as good as Warner and a novel as diverse and brilliant as The Man Who Walks.

Chris Mitchell Out Of It – Stuart Walton See all books by Stuart Walton at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com Given the jacket cover emblazoned with dayglo euphemisms for getting altered and the obligatory chortling review quotes from

Edmund Hardy Pass Thru Fire: Collected Lyrics – Lou Reed See all books by Lou Reed at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com Lou Reed is the craggy man in black leather, a permanent member of rock’s avant-garde without trying. Popular

Chris Hall serves up a slice of Will Self with the publication of his second collection of journalism, Feeding Frenzy Chris Hall: First off, congratulations on the birth of your new son, Luther. Will Self: Yeah, little baby Luther. He

Dorothy Johnson Born Free – Laura Hird See all books by Laura Hird at Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com Although Laura Hird’s Born Free is quite different in style, it is hard not to think “Trainspotting” when reading it thanks

Even though he’s been dead for seven years, the savage political satire of Bill Hicks makes more sense than ever. Chris Hall spreads the word. If you mention to any intelligent individual under the age of 25 that you saw Nirvana and The Pixies

Chris Wiegand on George Pelecanos’ contemporary hardboiled Washington DC novels With his critically acclaimed Washington DC Quartet, comprising The Big Blowdown, King Suckerman, The Sweet Forever and Shame the Devil,