Subvert And Be More Rick

 

It’s been a while since I’ve blogged because I’ve been swimming lengthy edits through my novel (and still going), but on a rare day of coming up for air and doom scrolling through Facebook, a video popped up of Rick Astley talking about the making of the video for his smash track, Never Gonna Give You Up. It transpires it was a bit of a Heath Robinson affair with buying his own clothes for the shoot, self-choreographed dance moves driven by fear and locals shouting to turn the music down. He said the whole experience was ‘ridiculous’.

However, I loved that video back in 1987 and would watch it at any opportunity when it was on Top of the Pops. I even had a poster of Rick from Jackie magazine in my room at South Bank Polytechnic. But he was a more than that.

I admired the carefully styled quiffs for Rick, and even the actor Rupert Graves. This androgynous mix of cream macs, roll necks and wide leg jeans that cinched in at the ankle, was my staple in my first year as a degree student. Along with my own quiff I had homed. I even added a big chunky cardigan and dyed my hair henna red. I adopted a style of which I thought at the time, was individual. However, it had been influenced by 1980’s pop culture, but with my own twist: handmade trousers patterned with polka dots, swirls of purple and black, and floral pinks.

In creative writing, we respect and love stand out genre styles by our favourite authors. Yet don’t forget that they too have been influenced by other pop culture writers, and films. So, it’s how they, and we, subvert these styles that makes our work stand out from the crowd and reflect our individual personalities. Just like Rick Astley did in buying and wearing what was to become his hallmark attire copied by millions … and my handmade trousers (I still have the blue polka dot ones).

So, subvert … and be more Rick.

                                                (Photo © Paula Gilfillan. All Rights Reserved)