It's that time of year again.
The time when hacks pick apart the latest releases and attempt to forecast musical developments for the week ahead. It's a necessary evil, albeit one which is fraught with difficulties and contradictions. Case in point? Little Green Cars. The Irish group have rapidly built up their profile of late, with their Marcus Dravs produced debut album 'Absolute Zero' set to drop next year.
Yet their sudden success masks a substantial period of hard graft. Little Green Cars have been working towards this moment for five years, meaning that they are both complete newcomers and – to an extent – old hands at this music caper. Intrigued, we asked the band's Stevie Appleby to enter Their Library.
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What is your favourite book and why?
I remember it was one of the first books that really got me into reading. Every aspect of the story was so creative, I couldn't believe what I was reading. I was telling my dad why i couldn't understand why Vonnegut wasn't praised as one of the smartest men who has ever lived, he told me to read some more books before I made statements like that so I did.
What other authors do you like?
I love Charles Bukowski, he is some one I always come back to. I suppose it would be a strange list. You look for different things in different authors and now I've learned where to look. To me the most talented writer is John Steinbeck, I've always thought of him as sort of a master craftsmen, like a carpenter or something. you know you'll always get the perfect story with him.
What draws you to certain books?
It has to be recommendations. I'm such a slow reader that the thought of trudging through something I won't enjoy is very daunting, I know it's not a very good attitude but its the truth.
Have you ever discovered a real lost classic? What is it and why?
I started reading so late in my life I worry about the ones I've missed and the ones I may miss, as far as lost classics are concerned I'm still working on the ones that have already been discovered.
Do your literary influences have a direct impact on your songwriting?
Definitely, and in a big way. Reading books showed me that while you have to keep things loose so the words come out of you unafraid of criticism and are true to how you really feel, you also have to be struck with it. You have to be able to take a big ugly part of yourself and chisel away the fat until it's something everyone can understand and relate to.
What are you reading at the moment?
I just finished reading 'The Catcher In The Rye' last night for the first time. I'm now battling a book hangover. I've just picked up 'Howl' now by Allen Ginsberg. What is the first book you remember reading as a child? I remember the first book I read was just a kids book of bible story. I remember it because the other kids made fun of me because the size of the font was so big compared to what they were reading at the time. You see I've got dyslexia so reading has always been difficult for me. That's why I didn't really start reading until i was about 17 or so. I didn't mind the other kids though, I liked the book.
Did you make good use of your library card as a child / teenager?
Not really, because of my dyslexia I just found books scary and I was frustrated about the things I knew I was missing. I just forgot about books and watched lots of television.
Have you ever found a book that you simply couldnít finish?
Yeah, 'On The Road' …I've tried and tried and tried, not that I didn't enjoy it, something always got in the way, once I put down a book I never really pick it up again. My copy of 'On The Road' looks about 100 years old I've flicked through it so many times.
Do you read book reviews?
I have done before, but i like to go into a book with a fresh mind. If someone says one bad thing about it just stays in my head the whole time.
Would you ever re-read the same book?
I'll read short story again and again. I love Oscar Wilde, and Hans Christian Anderson. I recently read a book of short stories by Raymond Carver which I've been going back to quite a lot. It takes me a long time to read a page, I get confused and sometimes have to go back and get names of people or places, or sometimes I just drift off and read the same line again and again. By the end I've already read the book about eight times.
Have you ever identified with a character in a book? Which one and why?
I suppose one of the things I love about books is that you can always nearly relate in a little way to every character, good or bad. Anyone from Peter Pan to the pigs on Animal Farm.
Do you read one book at a time or more than one?
One at a time, if I did anymore I think my head would explode. Is there an author / poet you would like to collaborate with? Unfortunately most of my heroes are dead and by the time I finish reading those the ones that are all alive now will be dead. But I think me and Edger Alan Poe could have been friends, I don't know why I just do. I'd call him Edger Alan Potato and he would call me Stevie Apple of my eye. God I'm such a fuckin' weirdo. Ha…
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Little Green Cars are set to release their debut album 'Absolute Zero' in 2013.
