Harry Whitewolf's Blog - Posts Tagged "harry-whitewolf"

Harry Whitewolf: The Interviews.

Wanna know more about what makes a Whitewolf tick? Then check out these two interviews I did recently, with the lovely people of both Book Reader Magazine and Awesomegang.com.

http://bookreadermagazine.com/feature...

http://awesomegang.com/harry-whitewolf/
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The Whitewolf Interviews

"When do you understand if an interview is good or not? In my experience when you finish it with a smile on your face and your mind starts to think about some of the answers, it’s definitely a quality one."
So says journalist and writer Ognian Georgiev about the interview I recently did with him. Check it out here:

http://ogigeorgiev.wordpress.com/tag/...

You can also read 20 Questions With Harry Whitewolf here:

http://pegamoose-g.livejournal.com/64...

and another interview with author Mary Harner, here:

https://mary-harner.squarespace.com/h...

Thanks for your interest!
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Whitewolf Exclusives!

My latest interview (with the fabulous Limelight Literature) focuses much more on my debut book Route Number 11 than it does on me. How it should be! The interview even includes an exclusive: the blurb for my forthcoming book: The Road To Purification.

Not only that- but Limelight Literature are also exclusively posting a short chapter from Route Number 11, entitled: Ciudad Del Este or Claustrophobic Electronics.

Scroll down to September 25th for the interview, and September 22nd for the exclusive chapter.

https://limelightliterature.wordpress...

And remember, you can always read the first two chapters of Route Number 11 on Goodreads. Just find the book and click on READ EXCERPT below the cover image.

Thanks to everyone's great support, reviews and kindness.

Harry.
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YOUR OWN PERSONAL MEDICINE - A Snippet Story by Harry Whitewolf.

Hazzy haggardly hops off the bus. Half an hour to wait at bloody Eastleigh bus station.

An already made rollie hits his lips and he flips his Zippo into action. Puff puff again. Nothing to do again. Just fill the time with thought and smoke. Hazzy knows he doesn't even really want this thin, bent rollie betwixt his lips, but he sucks on it anyway, trying to ease his f**ked up head, solely brought on from the sleeping pill he took last night.

He doesn't take them often for this very reason. The reason that is the way he feels now. Like he's been smacked in the face by a doped up slab of concrete wired into a wayward Wilko Johnson guitar groove.

The thing is, anyone who doesn't suffer from insomnia and lives their nice, well slept, fresh for the day, down to the gym lives, can't have a clue what the sleepless walker goes through. Man, if you've never slept right, trust me, you can see, feel and think a lot of crazy shit. Now, if you're a non-pot smoker as well as a well-sleeper, it may appear that adding dope into the pot wouldn't help things one iota. (Why I?) But you'd be wrong. At least, for Hazzy. That's the thing- why do we have this crazy notion that things are either good or bad for us? Sure, for some things sure, but I'm talking about a bit of wine being good being bad for ya, a kick o' caffeine being good being bad for ya, a little sweet sugar... It's all so goddamn relative. Is Ecstasy good or bad? Are magic mushrooms good or bad? Is marijuana good or bad? ask the intellectuals over their sixth pint of bitter.

So, back to Hazzy at the bus station. Yep, he's a stoner. And, he feels, a much misunderstood by society stoner too. He's an insomniac, yep. That's why he's adorning such a dragged down face of depression right now, as he automatically rolls, licks and lights again. He knows it's the effect of the sleeping pill, but that doesn't matter one jot. The effect of the pill will pull its own way. Leading him astray into dark cornered days, making him worry about money and a million other things, racing round strange, downward spiral thoughts, feeling black and blue and stuck like glue. It's the pill. It's the pill. Remember, Hazzy. Remember. It always makes you feel like this. Remember? That's why you don't take 'em often. They make you sleep. That's good. They help you get up in the morning when you have to. That's good. Then, around five hours later, the depression'll set in, tiredness will hit and maybe you'll find yourself stood here, wanting your bed or a joint to smoke, feeling fucked, waiting at bloody Eastleigh bus station.
Hazzy took the pill last night, 'cos he'd needed to get up this morning, but he's managed for months without. You see, for Hazzy- because everybody is affected differently by different things- when he has a smoke of weed, it helps him sleep easier. Which is why he smokes it most every night. It doesn't completely conk him out, and often he'll still find the insomniac beast infallibly lurking, but it certainly helps. The pot certainly helps. Now, another thing you should know is that Hazzy has always been anxious and uptight in his head full of thoughts that never cease, that never pause, won't seize, keep rattling around, chattering from somewhere sounds, what's that song playing in the background? How many mental lists to go around? He knows he doesn't think like other people. And sometimes the loneliness of his super speeding brainwaves can start to drive him insane. But the pot helps. For Hazzy- just for Hazzy- the pot really helps. It calms his racing head and helps him rest in bed.

Some say, “Dude, marijuana is my medicine!” meaning eff all by it, other than it makes 'em feel high and happy. They ain't tried living in the insomniac, mad fuelled head of Hazzy. For Hazzy, he's quite serious, as many others are, that marijuana is his medicine.

Which is why he took that pill last night and is currently smoking a fag he doesn't really want in bleeding Eastleigh bus station. Because he's out. Hazzy's dry. Big sigh.

His dealer's phone ain't been answered in two weeks. Something's wrong. Very wrong. Shit mate. Don't know anything other than your first name, your mobile number and the car you drive, but I hope you're alright mate. They've got ya, ain't they?

It never used to be a problem. Sure, there'd be dry times. (The non-pot smoker has no idea of the tales that can be told of waitin' for the man or trying to find one. But those are stories for another time.) But things would always sort 'emselves out in two or three weeks max, and there was always someone Hazzy knew to bug for a bit of blow if he was desperate. But that was back in the city. Back in his youth. Back in the days when his mates still smoked, and had introduced him to it, before they'd all gotten health conscious or married or whatever being thirty something with kids does to ya. Shit, Hazzy doesn't know anyone round here any more for that sort of thing. The only people that Hazzy knows that smoke always score through him. They're wanting as well. Hell, can you imagine, after a stress filled, killing, worst day of your life at work or whatever, at the end of it you were told you can't have a drink? Whaddaya think you'd think? Come on, most people like a drink to relax, surely? Imagine it. Prohibition over night, and nowhere to get it. Or whatever your fix to get your kicks is. Can you imagine? They ban shopping, T.V, video games, Facebook, the gym, Valium, Viagra, McDonalds, gambling, whatever. We're all addicted to something.

“Oh, but marijuana stinks something awful,” says an imaginary old upstart in Hazzy's hazy head. “Yeah?” replies Hazzy inwardly. “Well, listen lady- I don't like the stink that comes out of all these cars and HGVs, but what can I do about it?” Hazzy always has that thought- about ciggies alone; how is it people can point the finger at him, a non-driver, for secondary cigarette smoke, when they're polluting the Earth's air with all sorts of shit all around Hazzy all the goddamn time, and he's not ever allowed to go up to some guy in his Audi waiting at the traffic lights and say, “Hey! Turn off your engine you moron!” and so on?

He needs a spliff. He's out. And last night's sleeping pill's now knocking him out. Always in an endless cycle of awkward sleeping habits.

Hazzy stubs out his fag as he's approached by a snazzy cap wearing teenager. Wanting Hazzy to buy cigs for him, 'cos he's only seventeen. Sure. Any younger and he wouldn't. But Hazzy had been allowed to legally buy ciggies at sixteen, before the law had changed, so why shouldn't this guy be entitled? He's after twenty five grammes of Golden Virginia after all. That's an experienced smoker asking.
“Sure,” Hazzy says, as the guy takes ages pouring out his change into his cupped hands, trying to scramble together nine quid, Hazzy looking at the fumbled youth action of it all and rolling his eyes. (Jeez, nine quid for twenty five grammes these days!)
Once he's returned from his errand, and given the young guy a couple of filters too, and just as the guy's beginning to disappear, Hazzy, in his sleeping pill hungover state, says quietly, “Err... Don't s'pose you know anyone to get weed off do ya?”
The youth dumbly smiles, replying, “Nah mate.” Ah well. It was worth a stab. But, jeez, he's resorted to this. It's taking the piss. Asking a spotty youth half his age for an effing contact. Jeez. Still no dope then. Just the one: Hazzy. Who hopefully you may have a little sympathy for, and as a non-pot smoker reader, maybe you'll see the law is crazy. 'Cos Hazzy won't grow his own 'cos he don't wanna get caught, and yet he buys from people who buy from people from the back street back trade, and if Hazzy wants his medicine, then he's gotta contribute to the illegal, criminal drug operation of which he doesn't wanna have a part. All because gardening is against the law. Because you can't tax it.

And the one difference between green and other drugs that any commentators always seem to overlook is that it's the only illegal drug that can be had in the same way as a drink. You can have a beer, feel it, but not get drunk. You can have a spliff to just take the edge off. You can drink more and get merry. You can smoke more and get high. You can get messy and wasted. You can get messy and wasted.

It's about how you use something, why you're using it, and how it affects you. Hazzy needs his medication.

He boards the bus, knowing what he has in his pocket'll have to suffice for tonight. Shittin', effin', Herbal Haze. Whassat? I hear you say. Oh, didn't you know? You can get all sorts of legal drugs these days, which aren't the real McCoy, but work anyway, getting to the consumers through legal loop holes, when god knows what is in 'em. Sold as 'incense' and 'plant food' and 'not for human consumption test chemicals' with a million nasty words on the packet about being harmful if swallowed and numbers for POISON CENTERS- in large letters. What the hell's a poison centre anyway? Herbal Haze. It ain't marijuana. But he's just bought it nevertheless.
Hazzy just has his Haze for taking the edge off when he's dry. This ain't stuff to get addicted to. Man, this knocks the shit outta any marijuana Hazzy's ever known in terms of just getting you fucked, and not in a good way. Two drags down and you're out of it. Pot impersonator legal highs: stronger, uglier and worse than nature's crop. What a backwards world it is. Stop.

As Hazzy boards the bus, in mad, chaotic, sleeping pill and pot-less thoughts, wondering if he really does want to smoke that stinking legal shit tonight after all, he decides to pick up a few beers later, so at least he's got a choice.
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Published on October 23, 2014 15:13 Tags: dope, harry-whitewolf, marijuana, medicine, pot, short, smoking, story, writing

THE ROAD TO PURIFICATION: Hustlers, Hassles & Hash.

COMING VERY SOON: THE NEW BOOK BY HARRY WHITEWOLF.

A post-modern, pot smoking Egyptian pilgrimage. The true story of a backpacking journey like no other!

THE ROAD TO PURIFICATION: Hustlers, Hassles & Hash.

When Mad Harry spontaneously books a flight for Egypt, he doesn't know that he's about to embark on a fate given pilgrimage.
In fact, he's not even sure why he's going, or what he's going to do when he gets there.
All he knows is he's got to get away.

Guided by signs in numbers, names and otherworldly encounters, Mad Harry's trip often seems to be a magical manifestation of his mind.

A crazy headed, hassle driven, sleep deprived, dope smoking journey with non-stop tests of trust and temptation.

A holiday this is not.

This good humoured true story is told in a frank, rhythmic and playful voice. Set in 2010, shortly before the revolution, it's a backpacking odyssey through tremendous temples, towering pyramids, chaotic cities, small villages and dirty beaches, with a backdrop of ancient spiritual gnosis!


In real life, the story of this book took place seven months before the tale told in my debut: Route Number 11. But The Road To Purification is more of a sister book than a prequel and it can most certainly be read in its own right.
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Interviewing A Whitewolf...

What three words come to your mind for each? – Technology, Life, God, Humanity, Terrorism, Racism, Childhood Abuse, Love, Parenting, Old age:

Technology: 21st century shopping.

Life: Good. Bad. Illusion.

God: Misunderstood. Us. Love.

Humanity: Creates and destroys.

Terrorism: Misunderstood. Orwell Newspeak.

Racism: Humanity's one race.

Childhood Abuse: Disturbing. Often organised.

Love: All you need.

Parenting: Friends' kids, fine.

Old Age: Comes too soon.

See more of this interview I did with Pebble In The Still Waters here:

http://pebbleinthestillwaters.blogspo...
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Published on December 07, 2014 07:03 Tags: author-interview, harry-whitewolf

The Invasion Of Web Into Heads' Webs and other verse vids

Here are my three latest short videos of contemporary performance beat poetry for your viewing and listening pleasure (or other emotion, depending on your point of view).

SICK OF POLITICS

This was a staple favourite to perform back in the day when I actually performed my poetry live!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR55L...


FRACK OFF

An anti-fracking poem with looping fracking beats!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuWnE...


THE INVASION OF WEB INTO HEADS' WEBS

Wanna see the Whitewolf perform poetry whilst head-wrapped in cables?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSFjB...
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Interview with a Whitewolf.

Paul Howsley, author of The Year of the Badgers and blogger of social justice issues was kind enough to recently offer me an interview.

You can read it here:

https://paulhowsley.wordpress.com/201...

Cheers!

And thanks to Paul and Rupert Dreyfus for making it happen.
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Published on July 15, 2015 07:43 Tags: author, harry-whitewolf, interview, new-beat-newbie, paul-howsley, social-justice

PROPAGANDA MONKEYS - The New Book Out Now!

Propaganda Monkeys - Twenty Poems From My Twenties 1996 - 2006 by Harry Whitewolf

My new book of old poems:Propaganda Monkeys - Twenty Poems From My Twenties: 1996 - 2006 is now available on Kindle, and the paperback will be out in the next few weeks.

Here's the promo vid; a cut-up poetry performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g3vE...

Here are the first nine poems:

https://www.goodreads.com/reader/7080...

And here's the blurb:

Propaganda Monkeys: Twenty Poems From My Twenties is a short collection of punch packing prose pieces bursting with youthful vision, confusion and yearning. Amongst its pages, you’ll discover: vivid political anger, reflections on love, scepticism towards the plugged-in Capitalist world, a little bit of no-nonsense nonsense, personal moments of coping with depression, a sprinkle of wry humour, and a contemporary dose of boundary pushing, beat pumping verse, from when author Harry Whitewolf was just a cub.


If anyone wants a free pdf or epub copy, please send me a message.

Or you could (Eek!) consider buying a copy. It's only 99p on amazon.co.uk

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PROPAGANDA-MO...

and $1.56 on amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/PROPAGANDA-MONK...

Thank you to everyone who has supported me and my work. You know who you are!
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Published on August 29, 2015 04:58 Tags: beat, beats, harry-whitewolf, performance, poem, poems, poet, poetry, poltical, propaganda-monkeys

Farquhar the Phoenix: a taste of ReejecttIIon.

Finding an idea for a story isn’t too difficult. Finding a really good story idea, however, is harder than a skinhead Rottweiler from Glasgow named Reggie Kray wielding a machete.

Some ideas just come, and as much as they plead with me to be written, they seem unable to evolve beyond that simple germ of an idea. So it is with this short piece entitled Farquhar the Phoenix, which was rejected from the final edit of the upcoming book ReejecttIIon: A Number Two, the sequel to that marvellous writer and all-round good bloke Daniel Clausen’s Reejecttion – which you can read for absolutely free here:

http://issuu.com/danielclausen/docs/t...

Reejecttion by Daniel Clausen

(Hell, if I can write for a sequel when I had nothing to do with the original, I might make it as a Hollywood script writer yet!)

The short tale of Farquhar the Phoenix may not have made the cut for ReejecttIIon, but as is the habit of that particular breed of birds, it has now risen from the dead…



FARQUHAR THE PHOENIX
by Harry Whitewolf


“Oi mate! Are you a phoenix?” a spotty adolescent yelled aggressively.

“Er… no,” lied Farquhar the phoenix, as he began to quicken his step down the dark side street and ignore the bunch of youngsters who were striding towards him. “I’m a pigeon,” he said, pulling his coat collar up.

“He is!” said one of the youths. “He’s a phoenix all right!” And they began to circle Farquhar.

“Oh, won’t you just leave me alone?” Farquhar shouted. “Do you have any idea how hard it is for an old bird like me to survive in such a depressingly divisive and aggravating modern world of bigotry?”

As Farquhar said those words, one of the kids lunged forwards with a rather large knife. He stuck it deep into Farquhar’s jugular and blood cartoonly spluttered out, as the other kids all jeered and cheered their mate on. The phoenix instantly died and dispersed into ash before WHOOSH! – great flames quickly rose up and Farquhar came back to life; as was the habit of phoenices.

The teenager who had stabbed Farquhar leant in to the last of the flames with a cigarette. “Thanks mate,” he said. “I needed a light.”

“Do you mind?” asked Farquhar, very unhappily. The kids just laughed, shouted and called him names before running off.

“Oh… dear….” sighed Farquhar. “Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…” It was the fourth time he’d been killed this week and Farquhar was fed up with it. There would always be some joker who would spot that Farquhar was a phoenix and spontaneously decide to murder him. Just for a laugh. There were plenty of YouTube videos showing Farquhar being shot, kicked, drowned, trampled on, decapitated, exploded… and any number of other ways you can kill a bird. All done to just see the phoenix rise from the dead in flames of glory; for damn entertainment. “Why can’t people just leave me alone?” asked Farquhar. “I’m not some goddamn toy!” He was fed up. Indeed, Farquhar was more than fed up. In fact, he was way past clinical depression. Actually, Farquhar the phoenix was completely suicidal.

*

As Farquhar walked down the street, he lit up a cigarette of his own. Some old woman ambled past saying, “You shouldn’t smoke you know! It’s bad for your health.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” replied Farquhar, before crossing the road and disappearing into the corner shop to buy two bottles of whisky and a twelve pack of beer that would accompany his solitary evening alone in his smelly basement flat. Like every night.

Farquhar had had enough of living. He was stuck. Completely trapped. There was no way out.

So if you ever think you’ve had it bad, remember it could be worse. You could be a suicidal phoenix.
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Published on October 03, 2015 09:35 Tags: daniel-clausen, fiction, harry-whitewolf, humor, humour, reejecttiion, reejecttion, short-stories, short-story