Glasgow

by Alan Taylor

  ‘Glasgow’ from Poetic Gems Selected from the Works of William McGonagall, Poet and Tragedian with Biographical Sketch by the Author and Portrait by William McGonagall (Winter, Duncan and Co., Dundee, 1890)

  ‘A Minor Episode’, from Memory Hold-the-Door by John Buchan (Hodder & Stoughton, London 1940)

  ‘Steel Drops’, from I Remember by J.J. Bell (The Porpoise Press, Edinburgh, 1932)

  ‘Glasgow Boys’ (Francis ‘Fra’ Newbery), from The Glasgow School of Painting by David Martin (George Bell & Son, London, 1897)

  1901–1925 Fighting Women

  ‘The City Man’, from Glasgow in 1901 by James Hamilton Muir (W. Hodge, Glasgow, 1901)

  ‘George Square’, from Glasgow in 1901 by James Hamilton Muir (W. Hodge, Glasgow, 1901)

  ‘The Bone Factory’, from An Autobiography by Edwin Muir (Hogarth Press, London 1954)

  ‘Kate Cranstonish’, from The Brave Days: A Chronicle of the North by Neil Munro (Porpoise Press, London, 1931)

  ‘Baird Remembers Reith’, from Television and Me, by John Logie Baird, edited by Malcolm Baird. Copyright © Malcolm Baird. Reprinted by permission of Birlinn Ltd.

  ‘At the Pickshers’, from The Name’s Phelan by Jim Phelan (Blackstaff Press, Dublin, 1948)

  ‘A Room and Kitchen in Springburn’, (Marian Smith) quoted in Up Oor Close: Memories of Domestic Life in Glasgow Tenements, 1910–1945 by Jean Faley (White Cockade, in association with Springburn Museum Trust, Wendlebury, Oxon, 1990)

  ‘Suffragettes at War’, by Helen Crawfurd, from an unpublished memoir made available through the Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School

  ‘Bearded Like a Man’, from Children of the Dead End: The Autobiography of a Navvy by Patrick MacGill. Copyright © the Estate of Patrick MacGill. Reprinted by permission of Knight Features on behalf of the Estate of Patrick MacGill

  ‘Rent Strike’, from In the Rapids of Revolution: Essays, Articles and Letters by John Maclean, ed. Nan Milton (Allison and Busby, London, 1978)

  ‘Doctoring in the Gorbals’, from Gorbals Doctor by George Gladstone Robertson (Jarrolds, London, 1970)

  ‘Close Encounters’, from Dance of the Apprentices by Edward Gaitens. Copyright © the Estate of Edward Gaitens, 1948. Reprinted by permission of Canongate Books Ltd

  1926–1950 Canoodling

  ‘Built by the Picts’, from Dancing in the Streets by Clifford Hanley (Hutchinson, London, 1958)

  ‘Springburn Sinners’, from Shoes Were for Sundays by Molly Weir (Penguin Books, 2012). Copyright © Molly Weir, 1970. Reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd

  ‘A Crate of Apples’, from Thank You for Having Me by Maurice Lindsay. Copyright © The Literary Executor of Maurice Lindsay. Reprinted by permission of the family of Maurice Lindsay

  ‘A Razor Attack on Mosley’, from Harold Nicolson’s Diaries and Letters by Harold Nicolson (William Collins, Glasgow, 1966–68)

  ‘Not Even a Scottish Slum’ (Lewis Grassic Gibbon) from Scottish Scene by Hugh MacDiarmid and James Leslie Mitchell (Jarrolds, London, 1934)

  ‘Naming the Yards’, from The Shipbuilders by George Blake. Copyright and permission for use courtesy of Black & White Publishing Ltd

  ‘A Tree in Argyle Street’, from Glasgow’s Treasure Chest: A Miscellany of History, personalities and Places by James Cowan (Craig Wilson Ltd, Glasgow, 1951)

  ‘An Anti-Social Neighbour’, (Agnes Muirhead) quoted in The Hidden History of Glasgow’s Women by Elspeth King (Mainstream, Edinburgh, 1993)

  ‘A Cocktail Bar at Ibrox’, from Born up a Close: Memoirs of a Brigton Boy by Hugh Savage. Copyright © Capercaillie Books. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Capercaillie Books

  ‘More a Dummy Than a Mummy’, from A Postilion Struck By Lightning by Dirk Bogarde. Copyright © by the Estate of Dirk Bogarde. Reprinted by permission of United Agents on behalf of the Estate of Dirk Bogarde

  ‘Coupling’, from Growing up in the Gorbals by Ralph Glasser. Copyright and permission for use courtesy of Black & White Publishing Ltd

  ‘You Say “Polis”; I Say “Police”’, from Report on Glasgow Speech: common errors in language usage in elementary schools by the Educational Institute of Scotland (Educational Institute of Scotland, Glasgow Local Association, 1934)

  ‘The Art of Tapping Lifts’, from Always a Little Further by Alastair Borthwick. Copyright © the Estate of Alastair Borthwick. Reprinted by permission of the Estate of Alastair Borthwick

  ‘Swastikas in Sauchiehall Street’, from The Jewish Echo, November 1939

  ‘A Mongrel among the Dustbins’, from Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh. (Penguin Books, 2002). Copyright © Evelyn Waugh, 1965. Reproduced by permission of Penguin Books Ltd

  ‘Mob Rule’, from The Scots Italians by Joe Pieri. Copyright © the Estate of Joe Pieri. Reprinted by permission of Birlinn Ltd

  ‘The Clydebank Blitz’, from The Glasgow Herald, 13 March 1941

  ‘An Old-style Amputation’, from Wisdom, Madness & Folly: The Making of a Psychiatrist, 1927–57 by R.D. Laing (Macmillan, London, 1985)

  ‘Riveting Stuff’, from Build the Ships by V.S. Pritchett. Copyright © the Estate of V.S. Pritchett Reprinted by permission of Peters Fraser & Dunlop (www.petersfraserdunlop.com) on behalf of the Estate of V.S. Pritchett

  ‘The Lowest of the Low on The Glasgow Herald’, from Tricks of Memory by Peregrine Worsthorne (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1993)

  ‘The Quest for Woodbines’, from The Winer Sparrow: A Glasgow Childhood by Mary Rose Liverani (Michael Joseph, London, 1976)

  ‘Horsing Around’, from Music Hall Memories by Jack House. Copyright © the Estate of Jack House. Reprinted by permission of Derek House

  ‘The Citizens’ Theatre’ (James Bridie (O.H. Mavor)) from A Conspectus To Mark the Citizens’ 21st Anniversary as a Living Theatre in Gorbals Street, Glasgow (Citizens’ Theatre Limited, Glasgow, 1964)

  1951–1975 Hello, Dali

  ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, from The Scots by Moray McLaren (Penguin, London, 1951)

  ‘The Dali Story’, from Art and Audacity by T.J. Honeyman (Collins, London, 1971)

  ‘The Dour Drinkers of Glasgow’, from Selected Prose by Hugh MacDiarmid (edited by Alan Raich). Copyright © Carcanet Press Ltd. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Carcanet Press Ltd

  ‘Armageddon in George Square’, from Curious Scotland: Tales from a Hidden History by George Rosie. Copyright © Granta Books. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Granta Books

  ‘Learning about Colours’, from Its Colours They Are Fine by Alan Spence (William Collins & Co. Ltd, Glasgow, 1977). Reprinted by permission of the Author

  ‘Rite of Passage’, from Apprentice by Tom Gallacher (Sceptre, London, 1983)

  ‘Paraffin Dressing’, from No Mean City by Alexander McArthur and H. Kingsley Long (Longmans, Green & Co., London, 1935)

  ‘Are Ye Dancing?’, from Music Hall Memories by Jack House (Richard Drew Publishing, Glasgow, 1986). Copyright © the Estate of Jack House. Reprinted by permission of Derek House

  ‘North and South of the River’, from The Heart of Glasgow by Jack House (Hutchinson, London, 1978). Copyright © the Estate of Jack House. Reprinted by permission of Derek House

  ‘Bud Neill’, from Dancing in the Streets by Clifford Hanley (Hutchinson, London, 1958)

  ‘A Cupboard for Coal and Marmalade’, from Betjeman’s Britain by John Betjeman. Copyright © Candida Lycett Green. Reprinted by permission of United Agents on behalf of Candida Lycett Green

  ‘Glasgow, 1960’ from Selected Poetry by Hugh MacDiarmid (edited by Alan Riach). Copyright © Carcanet Press Ltd. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Carcanet Press Ltd

  ‘The Art of Stabbing’, from A Sense of Freedom by Jimmy Boyle (Canongate, Edinburgh, 1977). Copyright © Jimmy Boyle. Reprinted by permission of the author c/o Peters Fraser and Dunlop

  ‘King Billy’ from Collected Poems by Edwin Morgan. Copyright © Carcanet Press Ltd. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Carcane
t Press Ltd

  ‘Teeth to Teeth’, from Music Hall Memories by Jack House (Richard Drew Publishing, Glasgow, 1986). Copyright © the Estate of Jack House. Reprinted by permission of Derek House

  ‘Where is the Glasgow?’ by Adam McNaughtan. Copyright ©Adam McNaughtan. Reprinted by permission of the author

  ‘Sunday Blues’, from Travels in the Drifting Dawn by Kenneth White (Mainstream, Edinburgh, 1989). Copyright © Kenneth White. Reprinted by permission of the author

  ‘The Road to Wembley’, From Surviving the Shipwreck by William McIlvanney (Mainstream, Edinburgh, 1991). Copyright © the Literary Estate of William McIlvanney. Reprinted by permission of Jenny Brown Associates on behalf of the Literary Estate of William McIlvanney

  ‘“John, You’re Immortal”’, from McIlvanney on Football by Hugh McIlvanney (Mainstream, Edinburgh, 1994)

  ‘Wee Tam’s Breakfast’, from The Bedside Urban Voltaire by Jack Mclean (Lochar, Moffat, 1990)

  ‘A Super Yo-yo’, from Homes in High Flats by Pearl Jephcott with Hilary Robinson (Oliver & Boyd, Edinburgh, 1971)

  ‘City of Razors’ by Eddie Linden. Copyright © Eddie Linden. Reprinted by permission of the author

  ‘Cholesterol’ by Adam McNaughton. Copyright ©Adam McNaughtan. Reprinted by permission of the author

  ‘Stairway 13’ (Andy Ewan) quoted in Stairway 13: The Story of the 1971 Ibrox Disaster by Paul Collier (Bluecoat Press, Liverpool, 2007)

  ‘Gorbals Memories’, from Glasgow News, 1972

  ‘Never Sit with Your Back to a Door’, from Indictment: Trial by Fire by T.C. Campbell and Reg McKay. Copyright © T. C. Campbell and the Estate of Reg McKay, 2001. Reprinted by permission of Canongate Books Ltd

  ‘The Most Foreign Town Britain’, from The Highland Jaunt by George Gale and Paul Johnson (Collins, London, 1978)

  ‘Connollymania’, from No Mean Glasgow: Revelations of a Gorbals Guy by Colin MacFarlane (Mainstream, Edinburgh, 2008)

  ‘The Biggest Housing Scheme in Europe’, from The Wee Yellow Butterfly by Cathy McCormack (with Marian Pallister). Copyright © Capercaillie Books. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Capercaillie Books

  ‘The Only Sane Man in Glasgow’, from McGinn of the Calton: The Life and Works of Matt McGinn by Matt McGinn. Copyright © the Literary Executor of Matt McGinn, Janette McGinn. Reprinted by permission of Janette McGinn

  1976–2000 Deserts wi’ Windaes

  ‘An Indian Sunday’, from Indian Takeaway: A Very British Story by Hardeep Singh Kholi. Copyright © Hardeep Singh Kholi, 2008. Reprinted by permission of Canongate Books Ltd

  ‘The Bargain’ from Dreaming Frankenstein and Collected Poems 1967–1984 by Liz Lochhead. Copyright © Liz Lochhead. Reprinted by permission of Polygon

  ‘Latin or French?’, from Lanark: A Life in Four Books by Alasdair Gray. Copyright © Alasdair Gray, 1981. Reprinted by permission of Canongate Books Ltd

  ‘A Strangled Peevish Hiccup’, from The Kingdom by the Sea: A Journey Round the Coast of Great Britain by Paul Theroux. Copyright © Paul Theroux. Reprinted by permission of the Wylie Agency on behalf of the author, Paul Theroux

  ‘Lingua Glesca’, from Parliamo Glasgow by Stanley Baxter. Copyright © Jayne Maxwell. Reprinted by permission of Birlinn Ltd

  ‘The Woman in Govan Library’, from As I Please by Jimmy Reid. Copyright © the Estate of Jimmy Reid. Reprinted by permission of Eileen Reid

  ‘Miles Better – Than Where?’, from Can You Get My Name in the Papers? by Harry Diamond. Copyright © Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd, 1996. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd

  ‘Pure Mince’, from The Busconductor Hines by James Kelman. Copyright © James Kelman. Reprinted by permission of the author c/o Rogers, Coleridge & White Ltd., 20 Powis Mews, London W11 1JN

  ‘Alasdair Gray’s Lanark’, from Ninety-nine Novels: The Best in English Since 1939 (Allison and Burgess, 1984) by Anthony Burgess. Reprinted by permission of David Higham Associates Ltd on behalf of The International Anthony Burgess Foundation

  ‘Come and See Ma Blue Hoose’, from Before the Oil Ran Out by Ian Jack (Vintage, London, 1977)

  ‘Jock Stein’, from Managing My Life: My Autobiography by Alex Ferguson. Copyright © Hodder and Stoughton. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Hodder and Stoughton

  ‘The Patter’, from The Patter: A Guide to Current Glasgow Usage by Michael Munro. Copyright © Michael Munro. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, Birlinn Ltd

  ‘The Matter of Shirt Tails’ (Anne Simpson), from The Glasgow Herald Book of Glasgow (Mainstream, Edinburgh, 1989)

  ‘Glasgow’s Miles Davis’ (David Belcher), from The Glasgow Herald Book of Glasgow (Mainstream, Edinburgh, 1989)

  ‘Diary of a Shop Assistant’ (Ajay Close), from The Best of Scotland on Sunday ed. Kenneth Roy (Carrick Publishing, Ayr, 1990)

  ‘À La Mode’, from Portraits and Miniatures by Roy Jenkins (Macmillan, London, 1993). Reprinted by permission of Peters Fraser & Dunlop on behalf of the Estate of Roy Jenkins

  ‘A Pint of Tennents’, from Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson. Copyright © Bill Bryson. Reprinted by permission of the author, Bill Bryson

  ‘“Willie Lynch is No’ a Grass”’, from Danziger’s Britain by Nick Danziger. Reprinted by permission of the publishers, HarperCollins Publishers LLC

  2001– Blow Up

  ‘Smeaton as Superman’ (Lawrence Donegan), The Guardian, 5 July 2007

  ‘Early Closing Time’, Sunday Herald, 4 December 2013

  ‘Glasgow School of Art’ (Alan Taylor), The Times Literary Supplement, May 2014

  ‘Let the Games Begin’ (Hugh MacDonald), The Herald, 24 July 2014

  ‘The Glasgow Effect’ (Kevin McKenna), The Observer, 26 July 2015. Reprinted by permission of the author

  ‘End of an Era’ (Alison Irvine), The Guardian, 15 October 2015. Reprinted by permission of Guardian News & Media Ltd. 2016.

  INDEX

  Note: Page numbers in bold refer to complete extracts by the author listed.

  Abbotsford ref1

  Abbotsford Place ref1, ref2, ref3

  A-Bomb ref1

  Airdrie ref1

  Albion Street ref1

  Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire ref1

  Allan, Hugh, ref1

  Allen, E.C. ref1

  Alston, John ref1

  Always a Little Further (Alastair Borthwick) ref1

  amputation ref1

  Anderson, Dr ref1

  Anderson, John ref1

  Anderston Cross ref1

  Anniesland Cross ref1

  Anonymous ref1, ref2

  anti-social neighbours ref1

  Apprentice (Tom Gallacher) ref1

  Aquarius ref1

  Arandora Star ref1

  Archibald, Duke of Argyle ref1

  Argyle Street ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Armageddon ref1

  Arran ref1, ref2

  Arrochar ref1

  asylum seekers ref1

  Athenaeum ref1, ref2

  Athole Gardens ref1

  Atkins, Margaret, aka ‘the great witch of Balwearie’ ref1

  A Tour Through the Whole of Britain (Daniel Defoe) ref1

  Auchinleck, Lord ref1

  Auld, Bertie ref1

  An Autobiography (Edwin Muir) ref1

  Babylon, Hanging Gardens of ref1

  Baird John Logie ref1

  The Baillie ref1

  Bara, Theda ref1, ref2

  Barclay, John ref1

  Barga, Italy ref1

  ‘The Bargain’ (Liz Lochhead) ref1

  Barker, Sebastian ref1

  Barlinnie Special Unit ref1

  The Barras ref1

  Barrowland Dance Hall ref1

  Barrowman, John ref1

  Barr, Matt ref1

  Bath Street ref1

  Baxter, Stanley ref1, ref2

  Bayern Munich ref1

  Bearsden ref1, ref2

  Beardsley, Aubrey ref1


  Beardsmore’s ref1

  Belcher, David ref1

  Bell, David ref1

  Bell, J. J. ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Benedetti, Nicola ref1

  Benny, Jack ref1

  Best Foot Forward (Molly Weir) ref1

  Betjeman, John ref1

  Biographic and Descriptive Sketches of Glasgow Necropolis (George Blair) ref1

  Blackburn, Tony ref1

  Blackfriars (André Derain) ref1

  bladder problems ref1

  Blair, George ref1

  Blake, George ref1

  bleaching ref1, ref2

  Blue Nile ref1

  Blythswood Square ref1

  Bogarde, Dirk ref1

  Bollywood ref1

  bone factory ref1

  Bone, James ref1

  Bone, Muirhead ref1

  Bone, Stephen ref1

  Border Troops ref1

  Borthwick, Alastair ref1

  Boswell, James ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Botanic Gardens ref1

  Boyle, Danny ref1

  Boyle, Jimmy ref1

  Boyle, Susan ref1

  Boyne, Battle of ref1

  breakfast ref1

  Brentford ref1

  Brereton, Sir William ref1

  The Bride of Frankenstein ref1

  Brideshead Revisted (Evelyn Waugh) ref1

  Bridgeton ref1, ref2

  Bridgeton Cross ref1, ref2

  Bridie, James see Mavor, O.H.

  Briggait ref1

  Brodick Castle ref1

  Brodie, Jean ref1

  Broomielaw ref1

  Brown, George ref1

  Bruce, Lenny ref1

  Brueghel, Peter ref1

  Bryson, Bill ref1

  Buchan, John ref1

  Buchanan Street ref1, ref2

  The Builder ref1

  The Buildings of Scotland ref1

  Build the Ships (HMSO) ref1

  Bunton, Sam ref1

  Burgess, Anthony ref1

  Burns Clubs ref1

  Burns, Robert ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4, ref5

  Burnside ref1

  Burrell Collection ref1, ref2, ref3, ref4

  Burrell, George ref1

  Burrell, Sir William ref1, ref2, ref3

  Burroughs, William ref1

  Byres Road ref1, ref2

  Byron, Lord ref1

  Calton ref1

  Cambell, Margrett ref1

  Cameron, Dugald ref1