The joy of having a passion that weaves through his life like a golden thread is at the heart of a Perth man’s first book.
Family, friends and every aspect of Calum Bruce’s life has been touched by his dedication to the band the Pogues over the past 28 years.
“It’s not a history of the band, that’s already been well documented before,” said Calum, 47, about The Pogues, The Best Night Out In Town.
“My intention was to portray life from the other side of the stage and indeed to release a frustration, to tell the band themselves what it’s been like for me.
“Their music has been a huge part of my life. Through the good and the bad times, they are always there, providing the soundtrack.”
A veteran of more than 100 concerts by the different incarnations of the band, they have never been far away from the milestones of Calum’s life.
As he concedes, a night at a Pogues concert is not for the faint-hearted and on one occasion he even came within a whisker of losing his life after a drunken encounter with a speeding car on his way home.
Band member James Fearnley provides the foreword to the book and describes it as “a work of dedication, a chronicle of penury, injury, devotion, death, marriage, self-denial, stupidity, the vaulting of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, dare-devilry, drunkenness, comradeship and random acts of kindness.”
Calum’s devotion to the band, and particularly singer Shane MacGowan, is clear and their respect for his unwavering enthusiasm has been reciprocated and he recently presented the Pogues with copies of the book.
The reception has been positive.
“Shane reading it and loving it,” the singer’s girlfriend Victoria Mary Clarke told Calum, who lives in Struan Road in Perth.
The book is much more than a fan’s view of his life following the band. Calum writes about his career as a chef in Perthshire and down south, his enduring love of Hibs and the power of friendship.
The death of his beloved mother and his father’s dementia one of the few pleasures left to his father is enjoying the music of the Pogues are recounted.
“My book is a real account of the bittersweet experiences that life throws at us,” he said.
“It is coarse in places, but there’s always a bit of humour just around the corner.”
The book has been well received and among those to welcome the efforts of the first-time author is his old history teacher at Perth Academy.
“This is a rich, full tale with characters abounding and escapades recounted with bawdy humour and a sensitive eye,” said Phil Thomson.
“I hope all of the individuals involved get as much pleasure from this book as I did.”
The book is available at Amazon and Waterstones and Calum can be contacted at burc1349@aol.com.