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Disco Days #1
The Last Days of Disco
Early in the decade that taste forgot, Fat Franny Duncan is on top of the world. He is the undoubted King of the Ayrshire Mobile Disco scene, controlling and ruling the competition with an iron fist. From birthdays to barn dances, Franny is the man to call. He has even played 'My Boy Lollipop' at a funeral and got away with it. But the future is uncertain. A new partnership is coming and is threatening to destroy the big man's Empire ...
Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller have been best mates since primary school. Joey is an idealist; Bobby just wants to get laid and avoid following his brother Gary to the Falklands. A partnership in their new mobile disco venture seems like the best way for Bobby to do both at the same time. With compensation from an accident at work, Bobby's dad Harry invests in the fledgling business. His marriage to Ethel is coming apart at the seams and the disco has given him something to focus on. Tragic news from the other side of the world brings all three strands together in a way that no one could have predicted.
The Last Days of Disco is a eulogy to the beauty and power of the 45rpm vinyl record and the small but significant part it played in a small town Ayrshire community in 1982. Witty, energetic and entirely authentic, it's also heartbreakingly honest, weaving tragedy together with comedy with uncanny and unsettling elegance.
Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller have been best mates since primary school. Joey is an idealist; Bobby just wants to get laid and avoid following his brother Gary to the Falklands. A partnership in their new mobile disco venture seems like the best way for Bobby to do both at the same time. With compensation from an accident at work, Bobby's dad Harry invests in the fledgling business. His marriage to Ethel is coming apart at the seams and the disco has given him something to focus on. Tragic news from the other side of the world brings all three strands together in a way that no one could have predicted.
The Last Days of Disco is a eulogy to the beauty and power of the 45rpm vinyl record and the small but significant part it played in a small town Ayrshire community in 1982. Witty, energetic and entirely authentic, it's also heartbreakingly honest, weaving tragedy together with comedy with uncanny and unsettling elegance.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 15, 2014
21 people are currently reading
198 people want to read
About the author
David F. Ross
29 books34 followersDavid F. Ross is a Scottish author, best known for the Disco Days trilogy of novels.
He resides in Kilmarnock with his wife and their two children.
He resides in Kilmarnock with his wife and their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
March 14, 2015
I adore a good retro story – especially when it is set firmly in my era, as a child of the 80’s for me this was funny, sometimes sad, always heart warming and I spent the entire reading experience in a daze of nostalgic innocence.
The Cassidy family are a delight, Mr Ross managing to weave around them a tale that is at turns hilarious and tragic, capturing the sense of the era perfectly – a homage to the music of the time embedded into the tale in a beautifully elegant way which gives the whole thing a depth and emotion that moves it beyond a simply family drama, evoking an emotional response in the reader that will stay with you long after reading it.
Set as it is in the Thatcher era, war looming with the Falklands, a time I remember well although from a teenagers point of view, we follow Bobby as he sets up his Disco venture, attempting to rival that of “Fat Franny” – a marvel of a character who kind of grounded the story for me – the writing is witty, ironic, perfectly paced and will drag you into that place and time in very short order. Gary’s story is compelling as we see him through army training and hovering over all this is the very real threat the Falklands war. It is amazingly well drawn, authentic and it is actually quite difficult to review in the sense that nothing I say can quite capture the ambience of it.
It is a tale of consequences, with heart and soul, a coming of age tale set in difficult times, David Ross has written a terrific terrific story that will have you laughing out loud one moment and sobbing into your pillow the next. Once I had gotten my head round the Scottish flavour of it all (brilliantly real unsurprisingly) there was no stopping me and I read it fast – the musical imagery at the core will have you putting your dancing shoes on, I challenge anyone to read this book and not end up having a boogie – but the heart of it is emotionally resonant and absolutely unforgettable.
Highly Recommended. Get your dancing shoes on!
The Cassidy family are a delight, Mr Ross managing to weave around them a tale that is at turns hilarious and tragic, capturing the sense of the era perfectly – a homage to the music of the time embedded into the tale in a beautifully elegant way which gives the whole thing a depth and emotion that moves it beyond a simply family drama, evoking an emotional response in the reader that will stay with you long after reading it.
Set as it is in the Thatcher era, war looming with the Falklands, a time I remember well although from a teenagers point of view, we follow Bobby as he sets up his Disco venture, attempting to rival that of “Fat Franny” – a marvel of a character who kind of grounded the story for me – the writing is witty, ironic, perfectly paced and will drag you into that place and time in very short order. Gary’s story is compelling as we see him through army training and hovering over all this is the very real threat the Falklands war. It is amazingly well drawn, authentic and it is actually quite difficult to review in the sense that nothing I say can quite capture the ambience of it.
It is a tale of consequences, with heart and soul, a coming of age tale set in difficult times, David Ross has written a terrific terrific story that will have you laughing out loud one moment and sobbing into your pillow the next. Once I had gotten my head round the Scottish flavour of it all (brilliantly real unsurprisingly) there was no stopping me and I read it fast – the musical imagery at the core will have you putting your dancing shoes on, I challenge anyone to read this book and not end up having a boogie – but the heart of it is emotionally resonant and absolutely unforgettable.
Highly Recommended. Get your dancing shoes on!
November 29, 2023
The Last Days of Disco has been lingering on my Kindle for years.
It's set in 1982 against the background of Thatcher, the Falklands, unemployment, and Scotland at the World Cup
School leavers Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller decide they will start a mobile disco called Heatwave.
It's an easy, enjoyable and heart warming coming of age story with, alongside the humour and larks, more darkness, tragedy and violence than I was expecting.
4/5
It's set in 1982 against the background of Thatcher, the Falklands, unemployment, and Scotland at the World Cup
School leavers Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller decide they will start a mobile disco called Heatwave.
It's an easy, enjoyable and heart warming coming of age story with, alongside the humour and larks, more darkness, tragedy and violence than I was expecting.
4/5
March 19, 2015
The Last Days of Disco – The Decade Fashion Forgot But Music Loved
‘When Heatwave gets goin’, ther’ll be nae middle-o-the-road pish getting played. That’s got tae be rule number one.’
‘Right. Got it.’ Said Bobby. ‘Nae Christy Burgh. Nae Goombay Dance Band. Nae Flocks o’ Fuckin’ Seagulls.’
The Last Days of Disco set in 1982 with the background of the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher, 3 million and Scotland at the World Cup, unemployed Bobby Cassidy and best friend Joey Miller are about to leave school in Kilmarnock and launch themselves on to an unsuspecting world. With ideas in their heads they decide they will launch themselves in to the world of the mobile disco, playing various gigs and competing against Fat Franny and his gang to bring music to the masses.
Waking up after a lost weekend of drink and more drink for his 18th and gaining a tattoo Bobby Cassidy wakes up in bed top n tailed with his visiting brother Gary. Without any idea what has passed for the weekend that has gone he is planning for the future, and comes up with the mobile disco plan to be named after The Jam’s The Heatwave, they want to be at the cutting edge and also represent The Mods in disco form.
From the outset what makes this book so funny is the lack of planning and life events that gets in the way of them having a great time and their responses to it, and you can just hear them saying it too even back then. Even though they do end up out of pocket, and one of their friends electrocutes and knocks himself out on the microphone at the first gig mere side shows to the laughs in the book.
At 18 Bobby is not very experienced with the ladies he is very much Like A Virgin and the description of Booby and his girl in the shed when he is on the vinegar strokes made me laugh out loud as we all have a story similar.
‘Bobby jerked as a blast of cold smoke came between his legs from the box. Lizzie’s arse cheeks were slapping against the box, flicking the switch of the Heatwave Disco dry-ice canister machine on and off, blowing smoke literally – up Bobby’s arsehole; not a totally unpleasant experience.’
When you read it all in context you cannot help but laugh and there are laughs throughout the book mixed with the heady tunes of the 1980s that had me walking 500 miles to go back in time. Either Bobby or Joey wants to be a Smalltown Boy but they love doing the disco and watching people Dancing In the Dark.
We also discover that Gary has left home and is no Goody Two Shoes but has joined the Army and is in the Scots Guards which with the Falkland Conflict kicking off theirs is no House of Fun as they wait for news. When the two army padres come calling they know the worst has happened at Tumbledown in the Falklands, and the final breakup of Bobby’s family is about to take place.
We discover that Kilmarnock is not a Town Called Malice even if Fat Freddy attempts to run them out of town and spoils a gig at the Tory Club with the Milk Snatcher staring down at them. What they do discover is that The Telephone Always Rings when you are popular and their fame goes before them as they become the undisputed kings of the disco.
At the same time as being given laugh out loud moments we also get great moments of pathos and some really dark moments. This is a warm, evocative story which took me back to tunes I had forgotten and as such it took me longer to read as I set up an 80s playlist for background music to the time of Ra Ra skirts big hair and dynasty. This may have struck a chord with me as I was a teen in the 80s but you can never take the music away and I am sorry I have dropped a few tunes from 82 in the review too. In 1982 there were 3 million unemployed, men died in the Falklands and the north and Scotland were irrelevant all we had left was the music and to keep us going we had Come on Eileen as the best selling hit of the year. The Eurovision winner was Nicole with A Little Peace, and Scotland got knocked out of the World Cup.
This is an excellent book well worth reading and the music will always bring a smile and a memory of the book and even in Bobby and Joey’s experiences we have all been there. Last Days of Disco is the new Trainspotting, brilliant writing and Irvine Welsh you have a new jock on the block and thank you David F. Ross for a fantastic read and music set to go with it.
P.S. I am sorry to Karen at Orenda Books (the publisher) and David F Ross for filling your twitter time lines with all the 80s tunes – kidding not really!
‘When Heatwave gets goin’, ther’ll be nae middle-o-the-road pish getting played. That’s got tae be rule number one.’
‘Right. Got it.’ Said Bobby. ‘Nae Christy Burgh. Nae Goombay Dance Band. Nae Flocks o’ Fuckin’ Seagulls.’
The Last Days of Disco set in 1982 with the background of the Falklands War, Margaret Thatcher, 3 million and Scotland at the World Cup, unemployed Bobby Cassidy and best friend Joey Miller are about to leave school in Kilmarnock and launch themselves on to an unsuspecting world. With ideas in their heads they decide they will launch themselves in to the world of the mobile disco, playing various gigs and competing against Fat Franny and his gang to bring music to the masses.
Waking up after a lost weekend of drink and more drink for his 18th and gaining a tattoo Bobby Cassidy wakes up in bed top n tailed with his visiting brother Gary. Without any idea what has passed for the weekend that has gone he is planning for the future, and comes up with the mobile disco plan to be named after The Jam’s The Heatwave, they want to be at the cutting edge and also represent The Mods in disco form.
From the outset what makes this book so funny is the lack of planning and life events that gets in the way of them having a great time and their responses to it, and you can just hear them saying it too even back then. Even though they do end up out of pocket, and one of their friends electrocutes and knocks himself out on the microphone at the first gig mere side shows to the laughs in the book.
At 18 Bobby is not very experienced with the ladies he is very much Like A Virgin and the description of Booby and his girl in the shed when he is on the vinegar strokes made me laugh out loud as we all have a story similar.
‘Bobby jerked as a blast of cold smoke came between his legs from the box. Lizzie’s arse cheeks were slapping against the box, flicking the switch of the Heatwave Disco dry-ice canister machine on and off, blowing smoke literally – up Bobby’s arsehole; not a totally unpleasant experience.’
When you read it all in context you cannot help but laugh and there are laughs throughout the book mixed with the heady tunes of the 1980s that had me walking 500 miles to go back in time. Either Bobby or Joey wants to be a Smalltown Boy but they love doing the disco and watching people Dancing In the Dark.
We also discover that Gary has left home and is no Goody Two Shoes but has joined the Army and is in the Scots Guards which with the Falkland Conflict kicking off theirs is no House of Fun as they wait for news. When the two army padres come calling they know the worst has happened at Tumbledown in the Falklands, and the final breakup of Bobby’s family is about to take place.
We discover that Kilmarnock is not a Town Called Malice even if Fat Freddy attempts to run them out of town and spoils a gig at the Tory Club with the Milk Snatcher staring down at them. What they do discover is that The Telephone Always Rings when you are popular and their fame goes before them as they become the undisputed kings of the disco.
At the same time as being given laugh out loud moments we also get great moments of pathos and some really dark moments. This is a warm, evocative story which took me back to tunes I had forgotten and as such it took me longer to read as I set up an 80s playlist for background music to the time of Ra Ra skirts big hair and dynasty. This may have struck a chord with me as I was a teen in the 80s but you can never take the music away and I am sorry I have dropped a few tunes from 82 in the review too. In 1982 there were 3 million unemployed, men died in the Falklands and the north and Scotland were irrelevant all we had left was the music and to keep us going we had Come on Eileen as the best selling hit of the year. The Eurovision winner was Nicole with A Little Peace, and Scotland got knocked out of the World Cup.
This is an excellent book well worth reading and the music will always bring a smile and a memory of the book and even in Bobby and Joey’s experiences we have all been there. Last Days of Disco is the new Trainspotting, brilliant writing and Irvine Welsh you have a new jock on the block and thank you David F. Ross for a fantastic read and music set to go with it.
P.S. I am sorry to Karen at Orenda Books (the publisher) and David F Ross for filling your twitter time lines with all the 80s tunes – kidding not really!
December 8, 2015
This is one of these books I've had for ages, and of course I've ended up kicking myself for not reading it earlier! I'd like to give it a 5*, but I couldn't possibly have it overtaking The Abrupt Physics Of Dying, or Snowblind - two other corkers from Orenda Books. I think the only one I haven't got is the Louise Beech one. Karen Sullivan can spot a quality book at 100 paces.
I'm WAY behind on my reviews, but I'll move heaven and earth to get one up ASAP. Meanwhile, buy this book! Ostensibly it's about two boys who start a mobile disco service for a wee earner, but it's really about a working-class Kilmarnock family. One page you'll be laughing, the next crying. Scots especially will enjoy the patter, but don't worry, the slang isn't intimidating. Dive in - you'll love it.
Highly recommended.
I'm WAY behind on my reviews, but I'll move heaven and earth to get one up ASAP. Meanwhile, buy this book! Ostensibly it's about two boys who start a mobile disco service for a wee earner, but it's really about a working-class Kilmarnock family. One page you'll be laughing, the next crying. Scots especially will enjoy the patter, but don't worry, the slang isn't intimidating. Dive in - you'll love it.
Highly recommended.
March 10, 2015
A cracking debut. Extremely funny, but with an amazing storyline to accompany it. Heart-warming, sad, but very warming. 80's discos, eh. I can't recommend it enough. :-)
July 20, 2025
Highly entertaining Doyle/Welsh mix
February 13, 2015
Loved this book and have finally got a review up on my blog:
https://livemanylives.wordpress.com/2...
https://livemanylives.wordpress.com/2...
March 23, 2015
Powerful things, dreams. David F. Ross’ The Last Days of Disco is bookended by two – the teenage fantasy of Bobby Cassidy racing around Monaco and the disturbed nightmares suffered by older brother Gary following his time in the Falklands War.
Quite the juxtaposition, but then an awful lot happens between the two points as we follow the lives (and dreams) of the Cassidy boys in early-80s Kilmarnock. Bobby – don’t ask to see his tattoos – and his best mate Joey Miller aim at avoiding the dole, school and the army by setting themselves up as the new kings of the mobile disco scene, becoming caught up in conflict with the local party-entertainment-mafia kingpin. Gary, meanwhile, pursues a career in the Army (in an attempt to make his father proud), eventually being caught up in the Falklands Conflict.
Along with plenty of references to ‘proper’ music, Ross evokes a vivid portrait of urban blight under Thatcher rule: a family of seven (soon to be eight) “all living in a three-bedroomed, mid-block council flat….. the only flat in a block of six that didn’t have the windows boarded up”, interspersed with transcripts from TV interviews and newspaper reports for increased context.
But context is really all that such ‘grey’ is for as this is no sad-sack, misery-guts, woe-is-life under the Tory Battle-Axe read. Far from it.
The Last Days of Disco is a thoroughly enjoyable, uplifting and bloody hilarious book that’s shot through with a clear and knowledgeable devotion to music (“the beauty and power of the 45rpm” as the PR summary so succinctly puts it) and a wicked, wicked sense of humour.
I come close to choking on my coffee when Hamish picked up the microphone to speak only for “a bang. A blue flash. A high-pitched shriek. And then the still unamplified but now perfectly audible ‘Ah! Ya fuckin’ bastart hoor, ye!’” Not to mention his abduction-at-urinal-point (seriously; poor Hamish comes in for such a drumming I did start to wonder if the author had something against him at times). Nor to mention the laughs I had imagining Mr King’s repeated rants of barely-repressed anger at each play of Shakin’ Stevens… “Ah’m fuckin’ agreein‘ wi’ him an’ he calls me “a cheeky wee cunt”.'”
Throughout, Ross demonstrates a real skill when it comes to rendering situations life-like, be it the brilliantly-funny first encounter with Hairy Doug and the disarray he and his ‘python’ live in to the disturbing nightmares that haunt Gary following his experience in the Falklands –
"…he saw the crudely shaped limbs of what appeared to be tailors’ dummies sticking out of the marshes and the mud as he advanced – bayonet out – towards them.
As he got to them, they weren’t mannequins but real people; kids barely out of their teens just like him, crying for their mums. It was Gary’s job to silence them. As he stabbed at them they didn’t just fall and die like they did in The Longest Day. They grabbed desperately at the blade…. it took ten thrusts to silence the desperate screams of the third. All of them were so close to Gary he could feel their hot breath on his face."
A real talent with words is at work in these pages.
Location is a key character in many a novel and The Last Days of Disco is no exception. Small-town life in Ayrshire is wonderfully described with dialogue delivered in Kilmarnock vernacular adding to both sense of place and the general hilarity: “Ah’m Franny fuckin’ Duncan. Noo whit dae ye want. Ah’m in ma fuckin’ scratcher.'”
The main story arc is beautifully bolstered by a strong cast of supporting characters. From dubious party entertainers making phallic balloon animals and hapless van drivers to local gangsters (Fat Franny Duncan is one of those woefully unaware self-styled master villains so comedically-inept as to almost warrant his own novel), each with any number of laugh-out-loud moments.
Seemingly minor plot lines intersperse into one and eventually meet that of the main in a thoroughly unexpected and compelling way with Ross deftly blending together the build up of conflict in the Falklands with that of the Ayrshire mobile disco scene.
In all honesty, I did not expect a novel that started out with young Bobby Cassidy dreaming of Sally McLoy’s “tits jiggling away like jellies in an earthquake” to slowly and surely become such a multi-layered social / political-commentary with so many plot twists and turns nor for it to do so with such skill and depth, but bugger me if that’s not what it did.
In his first novel, David F. Ross has given us a heady blend of social realism, tragedy, humour and Paul Weller. There’s not a dull moment in these pages and I wholeheartedly recommend getting your hands on a copy pronto.
Quite the juxtaposition, but then an awful lot happens between the two points as we follow the lives (and dreams) of the Cassidy boys in early-80s Kilmarnock. Bobby – don’t ask to see his tattoos – and his best mate Joey Miller aim at avoiding the dole, school and the army by setting themselves up as the new kings of the mobile disco scene, becoming caught up in conflict with the local party-entertainment-mafia kingpin. Gary, meanwhile, pursues a career in the Army (in an attempt to make his father proud), eventually being caught up in the Falklands Conflict.
Along with plenty of references to ‘proper’ music, Ross evokes a vivid portrait of urban blight under Thatcher rule: a family of seven (soon to be eight) “all living in a three-bedroomed, mid-block council flat….. the only flat in a block of six that didn’t have the windows boarded up”, interspersed with transcripts from TV interviews and newspaper reports for increased context.
But context is really all that such ‘grey’ is for as this is no sad-sack, misery-guts, woe-is-life under the Tory Battle-Axe read. Far from it.
The Last Days of Disco is a thoroughly enjoyable, uplifting and bloody hilarious book that’s shot through with a clear and knowledgeable devotion to music (“the beauty and power of the 45rpm” as the PR summary so succinctly puts it) and a wicked, wicked sense of humour.
I come close to choking on my coffee when Hamish picked up the microphone to speak only for “a bang. A blue flash. A high-pitched shriek. And then the still unamplified but now perfectly audible ‘Ah! Ya fuckin’ bastart hoor, ye!’” Not to mention his abduction-at-urinal-point (seriously; poor Hamish comes in for such a drumming I did start to wonder if the author had something against him at times). Nor to mention the laughs I had imagining Mr King’s repeated rants of barely-repressed anger at each play of Shakin’ Stevens… “Ah’m fuckin’ agreein‘ wi’ him an’ he calls me “a cheeky wee cunt”.'”
Throughout, Ross demonstrates a real skill when it comes to rendering situations life-like, be it the brilliantly-funny first encounter with Hairy Doug and the disarray he and his ‘python’ live in to the disturbing nightmares that haunt Gary following his experience in the Falklands –
"…he saw the crudely shaped limbs of what appeared to be tailors’ dummies sticking out of the marshes and the mud as he advanced – bayonet out – towards them.
As he got to them, they weren’t mannequins but real people; kids barely out of their teens just like him, crying for their mums. It was Gary’s job to silence them. As he stabbed at them they didn’t just fall and die like they did in The Longest Day. They grabbed desperately at the blade…. it took ten thrusts to silence the desperate screams of the third. All of them were so close to Gary he could feel their hot breath on his face."
A real talent with words is at work in these pages.
Location is a key character in many a novel and The Last Days of Disco is no exception. Small-town life in Ayrshire is wonderfully described with dialogue delivered in Kilmarnock vernacular adding to both sense of place and the general hilarity: “Ah’m Franny fuckin’ Duncan. Noo whit dae ye want. Ah’m in ma fuckin’ scratcher.'”
The main story arc is beautifully bolstered by a strong cast of supporting characters. From dubious party entertainers making phallic balloon animals and hapless van drivers to local gangsters (Fat Franny Duncan is one of those woefully unaware self-styled master villains so comedically-inept as to almost warrant his own novel), each with any number of laugh-out-loud moments.
Seemingly minor plot lines intersperse into one and eventually meet that of the main in a thoroughly unexpected and compelling way with Ross deftly blending together the build up of conflict in the Falklands with that of the Ayrshire mobile disco scene.
In all honesty, I did not expect a novel that started out with young Bobby Cassidy dreaming of Sally McLoy’s “tits jiggling away like jellies in an earthquake” to slowly and surely become such a multi-layered social / political-commentary with so many plot twists and turns nor for it to do so with such skill and depth, but bugger me if that’s not what it did.
In his first novel, David F. Ross has given us a heady blend of social realism, tragedy, humour and Paul Weller. There’s not a dull moment in these pages and I wholeheartedly recommend getting your hands on a copy pronto.
April 12, 2015
The Last Days of Disco, by David F. Ross, is a nostalgic romp through a town in working class Scotland in 1982. Margaret Thatcher is in power and unemployment is high but for the small time crooks, the long time residents and the emerging youth, life remains largely introverted. Fashion sense may have lost its way but in the pubs and clubs around which local society revolves family, friends and music reign supreme.
The protagonists of this tale are Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller; best mates, about to finish school and with little idea what to do with their lives. They decide to try their hands as mobile DJs, thereby invoking the wrath of a local mobster, Fat Franny Duncan, who sees their endeavour as a threat to his own tiny empire. A motley crew of characters are drawn in to the turf wars that develop, each adding humour and pathos to the plot.
The comedy is schoolboy level with much being made of cock size, farts and the titillation created by female body parts. All of this is in keeping with the times.
The pathos is more thought provoking. Bobby’s brother Gary has recently joined the army and is called to serve in the Falkland’s conflict, bringing home the reality of war. Decades old family secrets bubble to the surface. The young people may dream but few have managed to move on from the lives expected of them.
The author has created a big hearted story which pulls no punches in the evocation of the times. The soundtrack keeps it upbeat as do the descriptions of clothes, place and attitudes; we really did dress like that. Despite many of the characters shortcomings it is hard not to wish them well.
I read the book in a day, the narrative bringing back memories, a realisation of what is lost and how far we have come. I will dig out my vinyls and re-listen to those songs. The hairstyles and outfits are best forgotten.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Orenda Books.
The protagonists of this tale are Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller; best mates, about to finish school and with little idea what to do with their lives. They decide to try their hands as mobile DJs, thereby invoking the wrath of a local mobster, Fat Franny Duncan, who sees their endeavour as a threat to his own tiny empire. A motley crew of characters are drawn in to the turf wars that develop, each adding humour and pathos to the plot.
The comedy is schoolboy level with much being made of cock size, farts and the titillation created by female body parts. All of this is in keeping with the times.
The pathos is more thought provoking. Bobby’s brother Gary has recently joined the army and is called to serve in the Falkland’s conflict, bringing home the reality of war. Decades old family secrets bubble to the surface. The young people may dream but few have managed to move on from the lives expected of them.
The author has created a big hearted story which pulls no punches in the evocation of the times. The soundtrack keeps it upbeat as do the descriptions of clothes, place and attitudes; we really did dress like that. Despite many of the characters shortcomings it is hard not to wish them well.
I read the book in a day, the narrative bringing back memories, a realisation of what is lost and how far we have come. I will dig out my vinyls and re-listen to those songs. The hairstyles and outfits are best forgotten.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Orenda Books.
February 8, 2016
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This book was not to my taste but I cannot deny the authors talent. This was too coarse and masculine for my liking, nonetheless it is a masterpiece in its own right.
The setting is brilliant. The Falklands War is highlighted along with government excerpts dispersed throughout. This really gives you a sense of the time and tension of country and people. Politics pepper the narrative just enough to add as opposed to take away from the overall plot and players. Another strength, I felt immersed in Kilmarnock - the dialogue, the slang, the people. The area felt too familiar which isn't a surprise since Ross is more than familiar with the area, he manages to pull the reader into this colorful hamlet. At times the accent was a challenge to read, however, it made the reading experience totally authentic.
The characters are a motley bunch. There are numerous players a few stronger than others, some bit players with a known presence, as the story unfolds you become more familiar with their roles, and each one fits into the narrative with great surprise.
Ross captures the Cassidy family perfectly. Each member is sketched with great emotional detail. There are a few moments displaying such feeling and emotional clarity you will be moved. The family endures much yet despite their many fractures and dysfunctionality they pull together.
The music references will jar your memory to the sounds of the 80's. The 80's vibe is clearly felt, lots of nostalgia claiming your memories.
Despite this not being my cup of tea, it is well crafted and quite a showpiece. I look forward to more from Ross, his gift cannot be denied. Stirring debut.
This book was not to my taste but I cannot deny the authors talent. This was too coarse and masculine for my liking, nonetheless it is a masterpiece in its own right.
The setting is brilliant. The Falklands War is highlighted along with government excerpts dispersed throughout. This really gives you a sense of the time and tension of country and people. Politics pepper the narrative just enough to add as opposed to take away from the overall plot and players. Another strength, I felt immersed in Kilmarnock - the dialogue, the slang, the people. The area felt too familiar which isn't a surprise since Ross is more than familiar with the area, he manages to pull the reader into this colorful hamlet. At times the accent was a challenge to read, however, it made the reading experience totally authentic.
The characters are a motley bunch. There are numerous players a few stronger than others, some bit players with a known presence, as the story unfolds you become more familiar with their roles, and each one fits into the narrative with great surprise.
Ross captures the Cassidy family perfectly. Each member is sketched with great emotional detail. There are a few moments displaying such feeling and emotional clarity you will be moved. The family endures much yet despite their many fractures and dysfunctionality they pull together.
The music references will jar your memory to the sounds of the 80's. The 80's vibe is clearly felt, lots of nostalgia claiming your memories.
Despite this not being my cup of tea, it is well crafted and quite a showpiece. I look forward to more from Ross, his gift cannot be denied. Stirring debut.
December 14, 2016
There was much to admire in this book about small-town shenanigans in Ayrshire, Scotland. Interesting and well-drawn characters, some funny dialogue, a few well-worked slapstick scenarios, and some nicely observed social commentary. It's set in the early 1980's, with the backdrop of the Falklands War and, as someone who was there, it is evocative and captures the mood of the time well - particularly in Scotland. It's not unremittingly bleak, but it is tough, and it deals with some pretty dark subject matter. The humour helps lighten this load but a lot of the characters are going through some pretty harrowing experiences.
The only thing that took the edge off it for me was the ending. I appreciate that stories like this are, by their nature, open-ended, so reaching a clean cut-off point is never easy or even necessary. However, I just felt it kind of stumbled into its conclusion rather abruptly, and with much less depth than the preceding chapters. Things that maybe would have merited three or four separate chapters earlier in the book appeared crammed into one and, as a result, it felt a bit flat and superficial - despite the gravity of the subject matter.
It's still a good read and, despite my slight disappointment at the ending, I enjoyed it.
The only thing that took the edge off it for me was the ending. I appreciate that stories like this are, by their nature, open-ended, so reaching a clean cut-off point is never easy or even necessary. However, I just felt it kind of stumbled into its conclusion rather abruptly, and with much less depth than the preceding chapters. Things that maybe would have merited three or four separate chapters earlier in the book appeared crammed into one and, as a result, it felt a bit flat and superficial - despite the gravity of the subject matter.
It's still a good read and, despite my slight disappointment at the ending, I enjoyed it.
June 19, 2015
As I started this book I wasn't sure it was for me and I almost gave up. I am very thankful that I didn't as it brought back many happy memories of music I used to listen to, of people I once knew and of many happy times and memories from a long time ago.
It is a bittersweet story of being a teenager and thinking the whole world was out of sync with you and what what was really important in life, of the emotional hurdles common to working class men in the west of Scotland and of the terrible toll that emotional guilt can have. The book was funny at times, sad at times and a very good read for the most part.
I'm not sure that much of the content would successfully translate outside of central Scotland or that much of it would be understood by those who hadn't spent many of their formative years surrounded by working class folk that area.
For anyone interested in early mod music such as that of Paul Weller and the Jam, there would likely be a few good memories encased in this little book.
As we once again find ourselves in a worsening jobs market and under a conservative govt, this was possibly the best book I could have read. Here's to the next one.
It is a bittersweet story of being a teenager and thinking the whole world was out of sync with you and what what was really important in life, of the emotional hurdles common to working class men in the west of Scotland and of the terrible toll that emotional guilt can have. The book was funny at times, sad at times and a very good read for the most part.
I'm not sure that much of the content would successfully translate outside of central Scotland or that much of it would be understood by those who hadn't spent many of their formative years surrounded by working class folk that area.
For anyone interested in early mod music such as that of Paul Weller and the Jam, there would likely be a few good memories encased in this little book.
As we once again find ourselves in a worsening jobs market and under a conservative govt, this was possibly the best book I could have read. Here's to the next one.
May 15, 2017
Horrible dialogue, stock characters, and the change in tone from comedic to serious is so immediate and so jarring that it feels like the second half of the book was written by a different author entirely.
February 11, 2020
You know what? I'm not sure that there is a hard thing for a blogger to do than review a book that they're really enjoyed. And I've really, really enjoyed reading The Last Days of Disco. So much so that I've had to give myself a mental kicking for allowing it to languish on my TBR for so long. It's one of those book that as you start to read you know you've got something special in your hands, a book that will (and did) have you chortling along into your coffee. But it is so much more than just a comedic look back at what passed for pop culture in 1980's Ayrshire.
This book follows the fortunes of two boys, Bobby and Joey, as they set about trying to create a mobile disco business. They have the sponsorship (Bobby's dad), they have the records (mostly) and they have access to the equipment. All they need is some luck and a few good gigs behind them ... Easier said than done when you are faced with the prospect of taking work away from loan shark and mobile entertainment entrepreneur (?) Fat Franny ... Of course Bobby and Joey's disco, Heatwave, is of great concern to old Franny and this is what leads us into the lion's share of the first part of the story as a very testy Franny tries to gain the upper hand over these young upstarts ..
There is so much about this book that shouldn't be funny but it really is. The story is littered with so many darkly humorous, often almost slapstick scenes of comedy and mayhem that you cannot help but laugh. Although much of Franny's attempt to derail the new disco is driven by exploring his inclination towards threat and violence, nothing ever really goes quite to plan and the aftermath of various incidents is often as funny as it is chilling. Then there are young Bobby's attempts to woo his new girlfriend,one who he met, bizarrely, at one of his ill fated gigs. There is one scene in particular involving a smoke machine that had me hooting but which seemed totally fitting for the story.
But beyond the mirth, of which there is much, there is a deeply emotional core too. This story is set against the backdrop of early eighties Thatcher Britain. Where unemployment is on the rise and prospects grim. Where the only thing that can draw attention away from the growing turmoil at home is the increasing hostility and forcible invasion of the Falkland's by Argentina.
Now this may seem a very strange leap to make, from Mod rock tunes to armed conflict in the southern hemisphere, and yet it works beautifully. Bobby's older brother, Gary, is a soldier, and he is stationed with one of the troops to be sent to the Falklands. The scenes in which we are privy to his letters home will stifle that laughter for a moment, and it is Gary's story which brings the calm and the quiet to the midst of riotous laughter.
As I read through that part of the book, a little over 2/3 of the way through, I could feel that genuine emotion build. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that within a space of a few pages I went from scenes that had me spitting my coffee out, moving from tears of laughter straight through to genuine tears of sorrow. Because just as surely as David F. Ross has been able to capture that eighties spirit and tie up the whole essence of Ayrshire through a canny use of the vernacular and comedy, he has managed to convey such genuine, heartfelt, emotion on the page, that I could not stop the tears. Hell I started to tell Mandie about the scenes over lunch at work today and could feel the tears welling - that's how absolutely perfectly this is written. Just the simple contradiction of the letters Gary writes to his mum and his sister, compared to his letters to Bobby, or even the truly heartfelt letter to his father, is pitch perfect and a truly beautiful thing to read.
So yes - if you want book that will take you down memory lane with a vast array of musical escapism and will make you laugh out loud at the absurdity of the battle between Fat Franny and Heatwave, the The Last Days of Disco is definitely one for you. But be warned - it is the truly hard of heart reader that will walk away from the book remembering only the comedy. The emotional elements are every bit as powerful and effective and made me fall in love with this book, totally and utterly. Absolutely brilliant.
This book follows the fortunes of two boys, Bobby and Joey, as they set about trying to create a mobile disco business. They have the sponsorship (Bobby's dad), they have the records (mostly) and they have access to the equipment. All they need is some luck and a few good gigs behind them ... Easier said than done when you are faced with the prospect of taking work away from loan shark and mobile entertainment entrepreneur (?) Fat Franny ... Of course Bobby and Joey's disco, Heatwave, is of great concern to old Franny and this is what leads us into the lion's share of the first part of the story as a very testy Franny tries to gain the upper hand over these young upstarts ..
There is so much about this book that shouldn't be funny but it really is. The story is littered with so many darkly humorous, often almost slapstick scenes of comedy and mayhem that you cannot help but laugh. Although much of Franny's attempt to derail the new disco is driven by exploring his inclination towards threat and violence, nothing ever really goes quite to plan and the aftermath of various incidents is often as funny as it is chilling. Then there are young Bobby's attempts to woo his new girlfriend,one who he met, bizarrely, at one of his ill fated gigs. There is one scene in particular involving a smoke machine that had me hooting but which seemed totally fitting for the story.
But beyond the mirth, of which there is much, there is a deeply emotional core too. This story is set against the backdrop of early eighties Thatcher Britain. Where unemployment is on the rise and prospects grim. Where the only thing that can draw attention away from the growing turmoil at home is the increasing hostility and forcible invasion of the Falkland's by Argentina.
Now this may seem a very strange leap to make, from Mod rock tunes to armed conflict in the southern hemisphere, and yet it works beautifully. Bobby's older brother, Gary, is a soldier, and he is stationed with one of the troops to be sent to the Falklands. The scenes in which we are privy to his letters home will stifle that laughter for a moment, and it is Gary's story which brings the calm and the quiet to the midst of riotous laughter.
As I read through that part of the book, a little over 2/3 of the way through, I could feel that genuine emotion build. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that within a space of a few pages I went from scenes that had me spitting my coffee out, moving from tears of laughter straight through to genuine tears of sorrow. Because just as surely as David F. Ross has been able to capture that eighties spirit and tie up the whole essence of Ayrshire through a canny use of the vernacular and comedy, he has managed to convey such genuine, heartfelt, emotion on the page, that I could not stop the tears. Hell I started to tell Mandie about the scenes over lunch at work today and could feel the tears welling - that's how absolutely perfectly this is written. Just the simple contradiction of the letters Gary writes to his mum and his sister, compared to his letters to Bobby, or even the truly heartfelt letter to his father, is pitch perfect and a truly beautiful thing to read.
So yes - if you want book that will take you down memory lane with a vast array of musical escapism and will make you laugh out loud at the absurdity of the battle between Fat Franny and Heatwave, the The Last Days of Disco is definitely one for you. But be warned - it is the truly hard of heart reader that will walk away from the book remembering only the comedy. The emotional elements are every bit as powerful and effective and made me fall in love with this book, totally and utterly. Absolutely brilliant.
May 24, 2023
Not to mention the number of days it took me to read it, being slow going with my Cyclops Syndrome (sounds so much more exotic than Detached Retina!). However, despite how late to the table I am to get this read, I have enjoyed it in small chunks, mostly. It's a rare treat to read fiction that takes place in a location you're entirely familiar with, and to know that Killie has cemented it's place in the literary world is gratifying.
I reached this book through reading There's Only One Danny Garvey and Dashboard Elvis Is Dead, both quite stunning works, and with nowhere else to go started at the beginning, the first of the Disco Days trilogy. I think, in a way, that locale familiarisation may have been distracting to the actual story, and I found myself asking if I'd enjoy it as much if it was set somewhere else. Yes, probably, but I also thought that if this was the first David F. Ross book i'd encountered, would I have read further? Mibbe naw, but mibbe aye, with hopes of more complete reading to come. Well, I know that's what happened, but I will continue on the strength of the above two books.
I found this perhaps a little fractured, with some characters and their build being entirely effective (pretty sure I know who Fat Franny is!), and others less convincing or glossed over. The story itself is an entertaining one, but gets bogged down in parts, despite how entertaining and true to life some of the scenarios are. The language used is very Kilmarnock, as is the humour in certain laugh out loud passages, but I felt on the whole it was just not quite 'there', and the ending left me a little unsatisfied, but perhaps a set up for book 2?
All in all, I'm happy to have read it, but it really isn't as monumental as his last two books (as above), which are works of a more accomplished form, There's Only One Danny Garvey ranks as the best fiction ever written about Ayrshire Juniors fitba'!
I reached this book through reading There's Only One Danny Garvey and Dashboard Elvis Is Dead, both quite stunning works, and with nowhere else to go started at the beginning, the first of the Disco Days trilogy. I think, in a way, that locale familiarisation may have been distracting to the actual story, and I found myself asking if I'd enjoy it as much if it was set somewhere else. Yes, probably, but I also thought that if this was the first David F. Ross book i'd encountered, would I have read further? Mibbe naw, but mibbe aye, with hopes of more complete reading to come. Well, I know that's what happened, but I will continue on the strength of the above two books.
I found this perhaps a little fractured, with some characters and their build being entirely effective (pretty sure I know who Fat Franny is!), and others less convincing or glossed over. The story itself is an entertaining one, but gets bogged down in parts, despite how entertaining and true to life some of the scenarios are. The language used is very Kilmarnock, as is the humour in certain laugh out loud passages, but I felt on the whole it was just not quite 'there', and the ending left me a little unsatisfied, but perhaps a set up for book 2?
All in all, I'm happy to have read it, but it really isn't as monumental as his last two books (as above), which are works of a more accomplished form, There's Only One Danny Garvey ranks as the best fiction ever written about Ayrshire Juniors fitba'!
July 4, 2021
Having read and thoroughly enjoyed Welcome to the Heady Heights I was really looking forward to getting stuck into The Last Days of Disco and once again being delighted by David Ross’s brand of humour mixed in with the realities of life.
Bobby Cassidy and Joey Millar have decided to set up their own mobile disco as a way to make money once they leave school. The only issue with this is that they will be in direct competition with Fat Franny a local loan shark/entertainment man who most sane people in the area know better than to cross. There is a totally innocent lack of planning to their new venture that you have to wonder how they will ever make a success of it and at times it is definitely a case of luck more than judgement. Some of the situations he gets himself into are just too hilarious. In stark contrast to the life of Bobby, you get the harsh reality of war from the viewpoint of his elder brother Gary as he is sent to the Falkland Islands to fight. When they were both younger it was always Gary who got into trouble and led Bobby astray (something you get a glimpse of in the opening chapter of the book). In his letters back home, you can see how he has changed in part due to the army but also from the situation he now finds himself in. What he witnesses and endures will surely change him forever.
The Last Days of Disco is a book that well and truly took me back to my youth, set in a time when I was just hitting the start of my teenage years. It brought back memories of how things were back then and gave me a real laugh along the way. There are scenes that will stick in my memory for quite some time purely for the genius way that David Ross describes situations and the characters he has created. I am not going to lie when I say that it took me a little while to settle into reading “Scottish” but it’s the local turn of phrase that just adds to the comedy of events.
Set in the early 80’s with unemployment rife and the threat of war in the Falklands it’s a walk in the past that pulls no punches but does it with such style that will leave you hunting for the tunes of old and remembering a time when things certainly seemed a lot simpler (not necessarily easier)
Bobby Cassidy and Joey Millar have decided to set up their own mobile disco as a way to make money once they leave school. The only issue with this is that they will be in direct competition with Fat Franny a local loan shark/entertainment man who most sane people in the area know better than to cross. There is a totally innocent lack of planning to their new venture that you have to wonder how they will ever make a success of it and at times it is definitely a case of luck more than judgement. Some of the situations he gets himself into are just too hilarious. In stark contrast to the life of Bobby, you get the harsh reality of war from the viewpoint of his elder brother Gary as he is sent to the Falkland Islands to fight. When they were both younger it was always Gary who got into trouble and led Bobby astray (something you get a glimpse of in the opening chapter of the book). In his letters back home, you can see how he has changed in part due to the army but also from the situation he now finds himself in. What he witnesses and endures will surely change him forever.
The Last Days of Disco is a book that well and truly took me back to my youth, set in a time when I was just hitting the start of my teenage years. It brought back memories of how things were back then and gave me a real laugh along the way. There are scenes that will stick in my memory for quite some time purely for the genius way that David Ross describes situations and the characters he has created. I am not going to lie when I say that it took me a little while to settle into reading “Scottish” but it’s the local turn of phrase that just adds to the comedy of events.
Set in the early 80’s with unemployment rife and the threat of war in the Falklands it’s a walk in the past that pulls no punches but does it with such style that will leave you hunting for the tunes of old and remembering a time when things certainly seemed a lot simpler (not necessarily easier)
October 25, 2022
This novel has been on my radar for a few years now since seeing it in a bookshop. I finally picked up a copy a couple of months ago and got round to reading!
As debut novels go it was pretty solid. I enjoyed the setting (Kilmarnock is just down the road from me) and found it to be very authentic. However at times I felt the author was trying too hard to paint the picture of working class Scots during the Thatcher years.
The second half of the novel worked a lot better for me - I found the first half began to drag and plod along but the pace picked up about halfway through.
There were some really genuinely funny moments and dialogue and I enjoyed the novel overall - improvements could be made but I have picked up another one of the author’s books to give him another go. The main issue for me with this book was the plot and pacing.
A solid debut, enjoyable read and I will definitely read more from the author.
As debut novels go it was pretty solid. I enjoyed the setting (Kilmarnock is just down the road from me) and found it to be very authentic. However at times I felt the author was trying too hard to paint the picture of working class Scots during the Thatcher years.
The second half of the novel worked a lot better for me - I found the first half began to drag and plod along but the pace picked up about halfway through.
There were some really genuinely funny moments and dialogue and I enjoyed the novel overall - improvements could be made but I have picked up another one of the author’s books to give him another go. The main issue for me with this book was the plot and pacing.
A solid debut, enjoyable read and I will definitely read more from the author.
August 10, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyed this and can’t wait to get stuck into the other two books in the trilogy. The characters really got under my skin. Stand out scene for me was the Masons. Hilarious! I loved the humour, the 80s cultural references, the insight into the Falklands (was slightly too young at the time to understand what was going on). As much as the novel lifted my spirits, it also broke my heart. That’s skillful writing. Well done David F Ross. He tickles you, drops you from a great height then lifts you right back up again. What a talent!
October 7, 2020
Finished reading my rather weather-beaten copy of The Last Days of Disco by David F Ross - great book.
Funny, gripping and heartbreaking.
It taught me more about a war I knew shockingly little, and entertained me with characters I could bump into walking down the street.
Hilarious all the way through.
Funny, gripping and heartbreaking.
It taught me more about a war I knew shockingly little, and entertained me with characters I could bump into walking down the street.
Hilarious all the way through.
August 27, 2018
Great 80's Disco-Disco thing, really funny (especially this egg- and the "Christy Burgh"-part :D), heart warming and really, really nostalgic, even if I'm a mid-80's kid with a blank 80's mind :).
Reminded me of David Sedaris or SPUN :).
Reminded me of David Sedaris or SPUN :).
August 24, 2021
Having enjoyed There’s Only One Danny Garvey by the same author, I downloaded this book as well. However, despite a few lovely bits of detailed description that had me chuckling, I found this to be nowhere near as good. It was mostly bland and the only ‘twist’ was no great surprise. Sorry.
May 30, 2019
Seemed to be more an advert for the authors dislike of the Conservative Party.
March 3, 2023
Top notch tale
January 12, 2024
Very funny with brilliant characters.
Absolute carnage on the Ayrshire DJ scene in 1982! Tales of young love, family tragedy and the Falklands War, David Ross packs a lot in.
Absolute carnage on the Ayrshire DJ scene in 1982! Tales of young love, family tragedy and the Falklands War, David Ross packs a lot in.
March 21, 2015
I'm grateful to the publisher for giving me a review copy of this book.
Set in at the unfashionable end of the 1980s (which, I hear you ask is that? The beginning, of course, when 1984 hadn't happened and we all thought that if we just closed our eyes the 70s would be back) the action takes place in South West Scotland, mainly following the lives of a couple of schoolboys trying to make it as mobile DJs for local discos.
Unfortunately for Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller, the Ayrshire disco scene (as well as several others) is already owned by "Fat" Franny Duncan, a small time gangster who doesn't want any competition. As the boys innocently(?) try to muscle in on his turf, while coping with girls, family problems and schoolwork, events threaten to get out of control.
Meantime, at the other event of the world, events definitely HAVE got out of control as Britain and Argentina fight the most unexpected war of the last century for possession of the Falkland Islands (which nobody in the UK had heard of beforehand: I can remember the sense of surprise on learning of their existence, let alone that they had been invaded). Bobby is directly affected: his beloved elder brother, Gary, recently joined the Army and is soon on his way south.
It's a strong premise and Ross handles the two threads skilfully, stepping backwards and forwards to follow the disco conflict through the local corridors of power. Strings are pulled, favours - desired or not - delivered and, after a particularly hilarious (and disastrous) evening at the local Conservative Club, Bobby, Joey and their roadie are left at the mercy of a (slightly bent) local police chief, who has history with Bobby's father. I enjoyed the way that the author steps back or sideways, as it were, to sketch in some family history or point the significance of a passing character: perhaps in places this could have been a bit more show, a bit less tell, but these episodes (for example, the story of how Bobby's parents met at a Hogmanay dance 20 years before) add depth and humanity to his characters
And always, always there is the music, a stream in which Bobby and Joey live, move and have their being. Rather as Jonathan Coe does with the 70s in "The Rotters' Club", Ross celebrates the music of the early 80s through the commitment and passion of Bobby and Joey to their favoured bands. I think there's always a risk in writing about someone who has such passion - will it leave the non-believers cold? - but Ross easily brings it off.
Is the book perfect? No. There are moments where we only ever hear half the story - for example, Bobby and Gary wake from an almighty drinking session at the start of the book during which Bobby has picked up Fat Franny's phone number, and something else. Given subsequent events this seems pretty important, but we never hear exactly what happened, or all the consequences. Maybe this is something that Ross is saving for a sequel? I do hope so, because I'm sure there's a lot more to be said about these characters...
Set in at the unfashionable end of the 1980s (which, I hear you ask is that? The beginning, of course, when 1984 hadn't happened and we all thought that if we just closed our eyes the 70s would be back) the action takes place in South West Scotland, mainly following the lives of a couple of schoolboys trying to make it as mobile DJs for local discos.
Unfortunately for Bobby Cassidy and Joey Miller, the Ayrshire disco scene (as well as several others) is already owned by "Fat" Franny Duncan, a small time gangster who doesn't want any competition. As the boys innocently(?) try to muscle in on his turf, while coping with girls, family problems and schoolwork, events threaten to get out of control.
Meantime, at the other event of the world, events definitely HAVE got out of control as Britain and Argentina fight the most unexpected war of the last century for possession of the Falkland Islands (which nobody in the UK had heard of beforehand: I can remember the sense of surprise on learning of their existence, let alone that they had been invaded). Bobby is directly affected: his beloved elder brother, Gary, recently joined the Army and is soon on his way south.
It's a strong premise and Ross handles the two threads skilfully, stepping backwards and forwards to follow the disco conflict through the local corridors of power. Strings are pulled, favours - desired or not - delivered and, after a particularly hilarious (and disastrous) evening at the local Conservative Club, Bobby, Joey and their roadie are left at the mercy of a (slightly bent) local police chief, who has history with Bobby's father. I enjoyed the way that the author steps back or sideways, as it were, to sketch in some family history or point the significance of a passing character: perhaps in places this could have been a bit more show, a bit less tell, but these episodes (for example, the story of how Bobby's parents met at a Hogmanay dance 20 years before) add depth and humanity to his characters
And always, always there is the music, a stream in which Bobby and Joey live, move and have their being. Rather as Jonathan Coe does with the 70s in "The Rotters' Club", Ross celebrates the music of the early 80s through the commitment and passion of Bobby and Joey to their favoured bands. I think there's always a risk in writing about someone who has such passion - will it leave the non-believers cold? - but Ross easily brings it off.
Is the book perfect? No. There are moments where we only ever hear half the story - for example, Bobby and Gary wake from an almighty drinking session at the start of the book during which Bobby has picked up Fat Franny's phone number, and something else. Given subsequent events this seems pretty important, but we never hear exactly what happened, or all the consequences. Maybe this is something that Ross is saving for a sequel? I do hope so, because I'm sure there's a lot more to be said about these characters...
August 26, 2015
"Whit time is it?”
“Dunno. Half-eleven, mibbe,” said Joey, eyes now closed and giving the impression that only an earthquake with a north-east Kilmarnock postcode as its epicentre would move him”
Kilmarnock: one of my favourite towns. The only place I have ever been where people go out of their way to offer me half-used parking tickets: “Are you only staying for a wee while? I’ve paid up till 11, can you use it?” At least once a week, I go there for work, I’m there with the children at various activities, I’m there to sing in a choir. The car very nearly travels there itself.
It is also the location of my current favourite café complete with wooden floors, proper coffee, vast selection of cakes and the best cheese scones ever tasted. It was there I saw for sale signed copies of “The Last Days of Disco” a debut novel by local author, David F Ross. Researching it quickly online, I spotted some good reviews and decided to take a punt on it.
And I have loved it.
Set in Kilmarnock in the early 1980s, it’s the tale of a family with friends and foes, with dreams and secrets. The backdrop is the run-up to the Falklands Conflict, the early days of Thatcher, with unemployment topping three million. One of the sons joins the Army and one sets up a mobile disco, threatening the local monopoly of Fat Franny Duncan, a small-time gangster. There are many references to music of that time and the characters are vividly depicted with great dialogue, albeit peppered with expletives. In that sense, it reminded me a bit of Trainspotting.
“Hobnail was astonished at the cost of sending a recorded delivery parcel. He’d never really posted anything before – apart from a severed big toe – but still £10.98 was daylight f****** robbery.”
I particularly enjoyed the back story to one of the outlying characters, Jeff McGarry, who rents them out the mobile disco in the first place. Here's his story which is probably false, but has that ring of being so incredible that it might just be based on a genuine newspaper clipping:
Four men steal a cow from a farm near Kilmaurs. They walk it the three miles back home to the housing estate, into a bathroom in a Council house with the plan of killing it and selling the meat. When the moment comes to kill the beast with the electric hedgecutters they had looked out for the job, they take cold feet and despite trying to rustle up some Dutch courage, flee the scene, leaving the cow behind. It takes two days for “a neighbouring Columbo” to track down the source of the moo-ing and the gang of four are later caught by the police ….on account of having left an incriminating piece of paper with the cow in the bathroom headed up “Jeff’s Coo Meat.”
Don’t read it if swearing offends you. I didn’t expect to like it after the first couple of pages, but it reeled me in and I think deserves a wide audience. I have passed my copy on, but you can track it down online, in ebook or paper copy.
Or if you’re lucky you may just find it for sale in your local café.
“Dunno. Half-eleven, mibbe,” said Joey, eyes now closed and giving the impression that only an earthquake with a north-east Kilmarnock postcode as its epicentre would move him”
Kilmarnock: one of my favourite towns. The only place I have ever been where people go out of their way to offer me half-used parking tickets: “Are you only staying for a wee while? I’ve paid up till 11, can you use it?” At least once a week, I go there for work, I’m there with the children at various activities, I’m there to sing in a choir. The car very nearly travels there itself.
It is also the location of my current favourite café complete with wooden floors, proper coffee, vast selection of cakes and the best cheese scones ever tasted. It was there I saw for sale signed copies of “The Last Days of Disco” a debut novel by local author, David F Ross. Researching it quickly online, I spotted some good reviews and decided to take a punt on it.
And I have loved it.
Set in Kilmarnock in the early 1980s, it’s the tale of a family with friends and foes, with dreams and secrets. The backdrop is the run-up to the Falklands Conflict, the early days of Thatcher, with unemployment topping three million. One of the sons joins the Army and one sets up a mobile disco, threatening the local monopoly of Fat Franny Duncan, a small-time gangster. There are many references to music of that time and the characters are vividly depicted with great dialogue, albeit peppered with expletives. In that sense, it reminded me a bit of Trainspotting.
“Hobnail was astonished at the cost of sending a recorded delivery parcel. He’d never really posted anything before – apart from a severed big toe – but still £10.98 was daylight f****** robbery.”
I particularly enjoyed the back story to one of the outlying characters, Jeff McGarry, who rents them out the mobile disco in the first place. Here's his story which is probably false, but has that ring of being so incredible that it might just be based on a genuine newspaper clipping:
Four men steal a cow from a farm near Kilmaurs. They walk it the three miles back home to the housing estate, into a bathroom in a Council house with the plan of killing it and selling the meat. When the moment comes to kill the beast with the electric hedgecutters they had looked out for the job, they take cold feet and despite trying to rustle up some Dutch courage, flee the scene, leaving the cow behind. It takes two days for “a neighbouring Columbo” to track down the source of the moo-ing and the gang of four are later caught by the police ….on account of having left an incriminating piece of paper with the cow in the bathroom headed up “Jeff’s Coo Meat.”
Don’t read it if swearing offends you. I didn’t expect to like it after the first couple of pages, but it reeled me in and I think deserves a wide audience. I have passed my copy on, but you can track it down online, in ebook or paper copy.
Or if you’re lucky you may just find it for sale in your local café.
September 7, 2016
Wer „The Commitments“ liebt, diesen genialen Musikfilm nach der Romanvorlage des irischen Schriftstellers Roddy Doyle, wird auch „Schottendisco“ mögen, den Debütroman des schottischen Autors David F. Ross. In beiden Fällen geht es um junge Erwachsene, die ihrem perspektivlosen Leben mit Hilfe von Musik eine Wendung geben möchten.
Anfang der achtziger Jahre. Eine Kleinstadt in Ayrshire, der Grafschaft im schottischen Südwesten. Der Falklandkrieg beherrscht die Medien in Großbritannien und verunsichert die jungen Wehrtauglichen, die jederzeit damit rechnen müssen, eingezogen und in das Krisengebiet gebracht zu werden. So wie Gary, der Bruder von Bobby Cassidy, der nun gezwungenermaßen für etwas kämpfen muss, das keine Bedeutung für ihn hat. Das haben weder Bobby, noch sein Kumpel Joey, auf der Liste. Sie wollen ihre Jugend genießen, locker, frei und ohne Verpflichtungen. Ganz entspannt nach dem Motto „Sex and drugs and Rock ‚n‘ Roll“. Die beiden sind seit ihrer frühen Schulzeit befreundet und haben einen Plan, sie wollen mit einer „mobilen Disco“ ins Veranstaltungsgeschäft einsteigen. Denn im ländlichen Ayrshire ist das oftmals die einzige Abwechslung, die den jungen Leuten geboten wird. Nur zu dumm, dass sie damit Fat Franny Duncans Kreise stören, der die Szene fest in der Hand hat. Und dieser hat nicht vor, sich von den beiden Newcomern aus dem Geschäft drängen zu lassen…
„Schottendisco“ ist ein nostalgisches Buch, an dem speziell die älteren Leser ihre Freunde haben werden, katapultiert es sie doch zurück in ihre wilden Jugendjahre. Gleichzeitig ist es eine Hommage sowohl an die 45er Vinylscheiben auf den Plattentellern als auch an die Popkultur der Achtziger, der der Autor mit zahlreichen Hinweisen im Text seine Referenz erweist.
Doch das Leben ist keine immerwährende Party, und so mischt sich auch dann und wann eine Prise Melancholie in die Story. Die leisen Töne werden in den Briefen angeschlagen, die Gary seinem Bruder von den Falklandinseln schreibt. Hier schildert der Autor sehr eindrucksvoll die Auswirkungen, die dessen Kriegseinsatz auf die Familie und die nächsten Angehörigen hat.
Spritzig geschrieben, voll mit schräger Situationskomik und warmherzigen Beschreibungen der Personen – die dazu passenden Bilder entstehen fast von selbst im Kopf.
Am Ende des Buches findet man eine Auflistung der Musiktitel, die den Autor beim Schreiben inspiriert haben, viele kenne und schätze ich, andere habe ich noch nie gehört. Und dann gibt es noch ein wunderbares Goodie, nämlich einen QR-Code zum kostenlosen Song-Download des exklusiven Songs zum Buch, Interpreten sind „Die Liga der gewöhnlichen Gentlemen“.
Wenn ihr wissen wollt, wie eine Jugend in den Achtzigern auf dem Land - nicht nur in Schottland, sondern auch hier bei uns - ausgesehen hat, wenn ihr in das Flair der Achtziger eintauchen wollt, oder wenn ihr einfach nur in Erinnerungen schwelgen wollt – lest „Schottendisco“ von David F. Ross.
Anfang der achtziger Jahre. Eine Kleinstadt in Ayrshire, der Grafschaft im schottischen Südwesten. Der Falklandkrieg beherrscht die Medien in Großbritannien und verunsichert die jungen Wehrtauglichen, die jederzeit damit rechnen müssen, eingezogen und in das Krisengebiet gebracht zu werden. So wie Gary, der Bruder von Bobby Cassidy, der nun gezwungenermaßen für etwas kämpfen muss, das keine Bedeutung für ihn hat. Das haben weder Bobby, noch sein Kumpel Joey, auf der Liste. Sie wollen ihre Jugend genießen, locker, frei und ohne Verpflichtungen. Ganz entspannt nach dem Motto „Sex and drugs and Rock ‚n‘ Roll“. Die beiden sind seit ihrer frühen Schulzeit befreundet und haben einen Plan, sie wollen mit einer „mobilen Disco“ ins Veranstaltungsgeschäft einsteigen. Denn im ländlichen Ayrshire ist das oftmals die einzige Abwechslung, die den jungen Leuten geboten wird. Nur zu dumm, dass sie damit Fat Franny Duncans Kreise stören, der die Szene fest in der Hand hat. Und dieser hat nicht vor, sich von den beiden Newcomern aus dem Geschäft drängen zu lassen…
„Schottendisco“ ist ein nostalgisches Buch, an dem speziell die älteren Leser ihre Freunde haben werden, katapultiert es sie doch zurück in ihre wilden Jugendjahre. Gleichzeitig ist es eine Hommage sowohl an die 45er Vinylscheiben auf den Plattentellern als auch an die Popkultur der Achtziger, der der Autor mit zahlreichen Hinweisen im Text seine Referenz erweist.
Doch das Leben ist keine immerwährende Party, und so mischt sich auch dann und wann eine Prise Melancholie in die Story. Die leisen Töne werden in den Briefen angeschlagen, die Gary seinem Bruder von den Falklandinseln schreibt. Hier schildert der Autor sehr eindrucksvoll die Auswirkungen, die dessen Kriegseinsatz auf die Familie und die nächsten Angehörigen hat.
Spritzig geschrieben, voll mit schräger Situationskomik und warmherzigen Beschreibungen der Personen – die dazu passenden Bilder entstehen fast von selbst im Kopf.
Am Ende des Buches findet man eine Auflistung der Musiktitel, die den Autor beim Schreiben inspiriert haben, viele kenne und schätze ich, andere habe ich noch nie gehört. Und dann gibt es noch ein wunderbares Goodie, nämlich einen QR-Code zum kostenlosen Song-Download des exklusiven Songs zum Buch, Interpreten sind „Die Liga der gewöhnlichen Gentlemen“.
Wenn ihr wissen wollt, wie eine Jugend in den Achtzigern auf dem Land - nicht nur in Schottland, sondern auch hier bei uns - ausgesehen hat, wenn ihr in das Flair der Achtziger eintauchen wollt, oder wenn ihr einfach nur in Erinnerungen schwelgen wollt – lest „Schottendisco“ von David F. Ross.
March 16, 2015
(actual rating 4.5)
Posted originally http://www.reviewedthebook.co.uk/2015...
The Last Days of Disco is a nostalgic, heart-warming tale of music and gritty real-life set in Scotland in the 1980s. This is the author’s debut novel and the writing style is fresh and witty, packed with inviting Scottish charm and a fantastic set of characters. I did at times think I was a bit too young to understand all the references and the odd moment went a bit over my head but that didn’t stop me from really bloody enjoying the book and guiltily or not-so-guiltily singing along to a bit of Shakin’ Stevens whilst reading.
My favourite part of this novel was the chaos brought by Heatwave Disco, Bobby Cassidy and best friend Joey’s mobile disco. Emergency Services should have been part of the disco party they were needed that often and I loved all the drama brought by bitter Fat Franny Duncan and the rivalling mobile disco. I loved the moments when it all went wrong, when sex was more on the agenda than music, when they’re playing the poorest soundtrack possible and when things kicked off, practically every time Bobby and Joey were working. It was messy and chaotic and very, very funny. I liked the friendship between Bobby and Joey, with the often crude language and banter, but actually the entire Cassidy family brought something special to this book.
Bobby’s brother Gary has joined the army and is heading to Falklands, something Bobby himself is keen to avoid. The scenes from the army and the break-up of chapters with quotes from Thatcher proves that The Last Days of Disco is not just good for its humour. There is a more serious outlook in this book at times and Gary’s involvement is very moving, to say the least. A part of this book is told through Gary’s letters and they were written with great warmth and emotion. It’s so easy to see the strong impact war takes on a family through this book and the underlying nerves and tension from the Cassidy family. It makes for touching reading.
The Last Days of Disco has an effervescent soundtrack which I loved. It reminded me of the kind of music my parents brought me up to and taste in music is kind of a personal thing, bringing back memories and putting smiles on faces. Aside from the novel itself, I found the list at the back of the book of songs that brought about the novel to be interesting too and there were a lot of familiar names in there. I found The Last Days of Disco to be a wonderful book. The author David F. Ross excels in his weaving of humour and sadness into a novel which will have you feeling a range of emotions but ultimately marvelling at the signs of a great new author to follow.
*Book received in exchange for an honest review.
August 10, 2015
There's an old piano and it's playing hot…
There is something endearing about this debut. It starts out as a raucous black comedy full of oddly dysfunctional characters but develops into a poignant tale about family and growing up in a small town in Northern Britain. It's a novel that oozes both the desperation and foolhardiness of youth. Bobby Cassidy and his mates start 'Heatwave' disco because there's bugger all else for them to do and just as they're getting somewhere with the idea they lose interest because it's too much trouble.
The opposite happened with me and this book.
Characterisation is the author's strongpoint so if the likes of Fat Franny Duncan and Wullie the Painter don't entice you, perhaps Hobnail and Tony Palomino (curiously there are various characters with this name on Google…) will.
There are some genuine 'laugh out loud' moments, not least in the pathetic antics of Fat Franny and his gang. Scottish dialect is handled convincingly and does not hinder the telling of the story at all.
Ross levers the various plot-twists and turns effectively. He also knows his music and the numerous references give the book authenticity. You will be thumbing through old records (or the modern day equivalent) as a result of reading this novel.
Various interspersed statements from members of the Thatcher Government and other speeches combine with news items to further anchor the story in its time whilst also demonstrating how far removed that political world is from goings on in Kilmarnock, until it comes to selecting the men who have to put the actions of politicians into words…
It's good stuff.
Who would have believed this much could happen in a place like Kilmarnock?
Shakin' Stevens anybody?
There is something endearing about this debut. It starts out as a raucous black comedy full of oddly dysfunctional characters but develops into a poignant tale about family and growing up in a small town in Northern Britain. It's a novel that oozes both the desperation and foolhardiness of youth. Bobby Cassidy and his mates start 'Heatwave' disco because there's bugger all else for them to do and just as they're getting somewhere with the idea they lose interest because it's too much trouble.
The opposite happened with me and this book.
Characterisation is the author's strongpoint so if the likes of Fat Franny Duncan and Wullie the Painter don't entice you, perhaps Hobnail and Tony Palomino (curiously there are various characters with this name on Google…) will.
There are some genuine 'laugh out loud' moments, not least in the pathetic antics of Fat Franny and his gang. Scottish dialect is handled convincingly and does not hinder the telling of the story at all.
Ross levers the various plot-twists and turns effectively. He also knows his music and the numerous references give the book authenticity. You will be thumbing through old records (or the modern day equivalent) as a result of reading this novel.
Various interspersed statements from members of the Thatcher Government and other speeches combine with news items to further anchor the story in its time whilst also demonstrating how far removed that political world is from goings on in Kilmarnock, until it comes to selecting the men who have to put the actions of politicians into words…
It's good stuff.
Who would have believed this much could happen in a place like Kilmarnock?
Shakin' Stevens anybody?
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