Matthew Clayton – I Was A Teenage Bell Ringer
Edgar Allan Poe, P.T. Barnum, Napoleon Bonaparte, Bishop of Nola, Kiki Dee, Hermann von Hemholtz, Buddy Holly, Elton John, Timmy Mallett, Jeff Mills, Henry Thoreau, Marquis Yi and a mysterious German musician called Wolfgang all feature in Mathew Clayton’s fascinating exploration of the interface between handbell ringing and acid house.
Mathew suggests reading this pamphlet under the influence of:
Music – Sweet Thunder by Yello
Drink – Ovomaltine
Food – Le Gruyère
Film – Echoes of Home
He is the also the author of two books Lundy, Rockall, Dogger and Fair Isle: a celebration of the islands round Britain (Ebury) and The Nation’s Favourite (Quercus). He has contributed essays to the nature writing anthologies Caught by the River (Cassell Illustrated) and On Nature: Unexpected ramblings about the British countryside (Collins).
Mathew works as the Head of Publishing at Unbound and runs a literary tent at the Glastonbury Festival – the Free University. Previously he worked as the literature programmer for the Brighton Festival, as a co-director of the Port Eliot Festival and for Channel 4, The Guardian and Random House.