Julie Myerson: the broadsheets' Jade Goody
Posh author Julie Myerson has talked in graphic detail of her anguish about the decision to help publicise her own book. In an interview about her previous interview, Myerson says she had no regrets about giving interviews about her son's five-year battle with cannabis which can soon be read about in her novel, The Lost Child, a book which ordinarily nobody would be writing about before its publication. She adds, in another interview: "I don't regret helping to publicise the book ..." Myerson, 48, has been accused of being "available for interview", while others have said that she is using the forthcoming publication of her book for commercial gain.In response to the controversy, her son Jake last week did his own interview and claimed his mother was "an author". In an interview in The Sunday Times, Myerson admits her decision to do broadsheet interviews to help advertise the book before its publication is controversial. "If you allow your book to come out without publicising it, you will get flak," she says. "But I don't care what people say about me in the press, as long as they're saying something about me in the press."
Myerson reveals she spoke to her publicist several times last week after months of silence. "He called me to say, 'Have you seen what you've done?'," she says. "He was delighted." Myerson adds: "Obviously I love my son. He had this plan to talk to the tabloids and get as much money as possible. I said, 'Darling, this will backfire. The tabloids have literally no idea who I am. They don't even watch Newsnight Review.'"
The Lost Child is being rushed out two months early by its publisher in order to cash in on the fact that Julie Myerson's nice face has been all over the grown-up newspapers. The novel, which her publisher, Bloomsbury, had originally intended to bring out in May without anybody even noticing, is now coming out "in a few days" before the storm in a teacup dies down. "Given this week's extensive speculation about Julie Myerson's The Lost Child, we felt that it was right to bring forward publication to allow everyone the opportunity to buy her brilliant book and consider the complicated questions it raises," it said in a statement. "The least complicated of these is: should the publicity department get the rest of the week off?"
posted by Andrew Collins @ 12:54 PM
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"In response to the controversy, her son Jake last week did his own interview and claimed his mother was "an author"."
That's a brilliant line, sir!!!
personally, I think, that as a writer and foppishly self-regarding Newsnight Review contributer Myerson is an empty vessel, a talent vacuum. I don't normally loathe 3rd rate novelists like her but she has such a high profile with such a lack of ability or empathy. Grrggghhh.
Here she is looking for a gimmick to fill her bank account and her dreary attempt at misery-lit. Mr Collins, sir, you wrote the anti-dote to proper misery-lit - and now what is this? 'My son got a bit stoned. He's a bit of a waster.' Ummm. Is this drama? Tough love? Or a story so unremarkable that the only 'interesting' aspect of it is that she is trying to overestimate her problems. Next she'll be informing us that she used to play for Glasgow Rangers until she got injured. I know her type.
File under: ignore. Bah and extra humbug. Grrrrggghhh.
self-obsessed, exploitative parents - enough to drive children to drugs. Still, at least the money from the book should come in handy to pay for family therapy sessions.
Claire
*lost for words*
interesting article by Myerson - talking about her son and her book - just been published at http://www.wbqonline.com
ps love the podcast!
Worthy of Private Eye!
Luckily I've managed to avoid all the interviews and articles. Thanks for the warning.
Word verification: wimpinge
I do love that photo, though. Whoever thought to place her in front of that statue of the OTHER well-known saintly mother with the lost son should be promoted.
Fantastic. I thought the opening line was going to be tough to top, but the last one easily matches it.
As someone currently involved in a publishing project which we are deliberately not publicising (for all sorts of reasons, and probably none of them the ones you all think!), these sorts of crap PR incidents end up just making life harder for everyone else.
I'm sure she'll sell lots of copies of her book. I wish I could find it within myself to feel happy for her. I can't.
-- David
V. funny. It's a total non-story, which of course is not the same as saying the book itself won't be any good.
Of course, as well as being an author, she's a newspaper person (columnist? critic? don't know), which means journalists automatically think we'll be interested in her (or that we won't notice they're plugging her book for her). The trouble with this kind of publicity is that it's hard to imagine there's much left that the book itself can say that hasn't been said already. And those of us who aren't interested will know that we're really not interested before the book is out. But I suppose it'll still sell more than it would have done without this nonsense. So job done.
For me, the bottom line is writing about someone who is still living, and who can be hurt. On a rather lower level, on my own blog,I have written about very personal issues, but nothing in which anyone else could be identified (unless they know who they are), and I've written about personal matters in publications, and the same rule applies.
Myerson must have known all this would have happened; the cynic in me thinks she hopes that a bit of celebrity and some money from tabloid interviews will make her son feel better disposed towards her and it'll be all happy families in a nice cosy broadsheet when they're reunited in a scene not unlike a Boden catalogue.
She was interviewed this afternoon by Simon Mayo, which is now available as today's "Daily Mayo" Podcast. I shall be burning it onto a 100 cds, and then I will take up Clay Pigeon Shooting.
I don't think I would enjoy being in her company.
Bless her cotton socks.
Today's word is expersus
Your title sums up exactly how I feel about the whole thing in a few words.
Perfect.
Paxman is ripping her a new one on Newsnight at the moment - very entertaining.
I'm just watching Jeremy Paxman rip her to shreds on BBC2. She looks about to burst into tears.
And it looks like her son has gone to the Daily Mail with his story - oh dear - driven to such desperate measures! definitely a few therapy bills to pay :-(
I don't get the point of this post - somebody wrote a book and they are doing interviews to promote it?
Such a depressing story. A sane world would turn its back on her but she'll probably make a mint.
My heart bleeds. I know lots of people who could write books entitled "Where did it all go Shite?" which would end up in the 'Tradgic Lives' (deliberate mispelling..thats how it should be pronounced in the manner of Smashie & Nicey) section of WHSmiths who have had to deal with far far worse than a son who smokes pot for f**ks sake. I don't know if I have a particularly unlucky group of friends but we can play Tragedy Top Trumps! Not that any of us expect to be seen as special or begging for sympathy but let me see, between us we have several dead suicidal parents, one abused ex-Crack addict, one widowed with two young children, one with a Downs syndrome child, one dead partner, one child with Cancer etc etc. I presume this is all part of growing old! We could all write about our "tradgic lives" but we choose not to because we are getting on with our lives and no matter what crap has been bestowed upon us, we wouldn't be so crass as to profit from their bad luck in some trashy book & mini-media circus...maybe we should just all line up outside Julie Mysterons house (see what I did there?) and play tiny little violins and shout "BOO HOO F**KING HOO..." all night, with her son skinning up and keeping us all entertained!
Commentor: it does rather spoil the parody, but this is the original article in the Observer that moved me to write this blog entry. The facts are: Julie Myerson has written a novel based on the fact that she threw her skunk-addicted son out of the house for his own good, and now she's banging on about it in interviews, and her son has joined the chorus, and the publishers have moved the publication date forward, rubbing their hands with glee.
And now Dad has got in on the act:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/mar/10/cannabis-drug-abuse
God we love giving famous people a kicking in this country don't we. Nobody round here seems to have made a mistake ever or have any problems with their family. As far as I can see the story broke when the usual publishers prelaunch information got picked up and made into a bigger story by the observer followed by all the other jolly papers.
But this obviously a bit boring compared to giving someone a kicking. And of course skunk is completely harmless so no problem there then.
I don't know about anyone else, BLTP, but if I'm "giving a kicking" to anyone, it's the liberal media whipping up a storm out of not that much.
I think it's because everyone has made mistakes and don't consider themselves perfect that this has blown up in her face. I am sure there are many other people going through similar situations but they don't deliberately decide to expose their children's problems for financial gain.
Also, as a journalist did she really have no idea that things could be whipped up by the media like this?
Claire
These internet-fuelled debates seem to be a regular thing and should have a name (can only come up with 'netsquall' - a play on 'netball'). On this my cynicism is for the papers mostly. I get the impression that the parents think they're writing primarily about drugs and that they're certain that cannabis alone is to blame and therefore have an understandable desire to raise the issue loudly. Seems naive all round. I suppose some parents can forget that the world doesn't necessarily love their kids and isn't always kind and understanding. Re the 'issue' I can't help feeling that the whole idea of living within boundaries is basically unnatural for many, particularly young blokes, and surrendering freedoms is harder than never having them.
Who'd have thunk the humble doobie could wreak so much havoc on a family, eh? When I used to secretly smoke a fat one in my bedroom, the worst my mother had to put up with was a gradual increase in volume of Atom Heart Mother.
It was all about the Paxman interview for me. He out-did himself with leg-crossing and un-crossing and red-faced,Cadbury advert levels of eyebrow raising.
Myerson was repeatedly imploring him to "let her finish" as he squirmed ,off camera,the director showing restraint,in not cutting to Paxman. It was a masterclass in controlled incredulity.
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