Author | Lightnews

Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · 3d

Rightly lauded from Poland to Brazil. If you want vital new Scottish music, support vital new Scottish music.

New album from Gutterblood* 👇
gutterbloodband.bandcamp.com/album/good-dog…

*I don’t know the band, I’m not involved in anyway; just a fan who wants vital new Scottish music.

Album cover of Good Dogs Never Die by Gutterblood

Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · 3d

Very much hoping his 8yo son tied him up in the trunk and went looking for Sissy Spacek, a Lee Jean jacket, and a mansion to knock over.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/m...

I Tried to Toughen Up My Son. Things Didn’t Go as Planned.

www.nytimes.com

Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · 4d

Just submitted my votes for Richard Shaw’s poll for the best 5 debut albums of 1980-84:

1. Lloyd Cole & The Commotions: Rattlesnakes (1984)
2. Billy Bragg: Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy (1983)
3. Violent Femmes: Violent Femmes (1983)
4. The Smiths: The Smiths (1984)
5. R.E.M.: Murmur (1983)

Album cover of Rattlesnakes by Lloyd Cole and The Commotions

Album cover of Life’s A Riot With Spy vs Spy by Billy Bragg

Album cover of Violent Femmes by Violent Femmes

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · 24d

My nominations for Richard Shaw’s poll of the best best debut album of 2000 to 2004 are:

1. Gravenhurst: Internal Travels (2001)
2. The Strokes: Is This It (2001)
3. Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand (2004)
4. The Libertines: Up The Bracket (2002)
5. Röyksopp: Melody A.M. (2001)

Album cover of Internal Travels by Gravenhurst

Album cover of Is This It by The Strokes

Album cover of Franz Ferdinand by Franz Ferdinand

Album cover of Up The Bracket by The Libertines

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Sep 27

You wait ages for an RMB reading... (sic)

Come! Offer moral support! Enjoy writing by people who aren’t me!

274 Miles launch: Grosvenor Cafe, Glasgow, 1 Oct at 6pm; Poetry on the Links premiere, Les Bijou (on the Links) Bistro, Leith, 3 Oct at 6:30pm

Cover of flash fiction collection 274 Miles: A Scottish Anthology from Tantallon Tìr

Flyer giving details of the first edition of LEs Bijoux: Poetry on the Links

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Sep 13

Via new Scottish publisher Tantallon Tìr:

“Book launch:

We’ll be having our 274 Miles book launch on the 1st of October at The Grosvenor Café on Ashton Lane in their Mezzanine area. We’ll have author readings and books available to buy.

18:00-20:00.”

I’m one of the contributors. Do come along.

A copy of the flash fiction collection 274 Miles, the debut publication from Tantallon Tìr

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Sep 12

I’ve posted my selections for the final of Richard Shaw’s polls for the best 5 albums of the 50s and 60s:

1. Scott Walker – Scott 4
2. Scott Walker – Scott
3. Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
4. Townes Van Zandt – Townes Van Zandt
5. Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds Of Silence

Album cover of Bringing It All Back Home by Bob Dylan

Album cover of Townes Van Zandt by Townes Van Zandt

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Sep 5

Melvyn Bragg’s In Our Time has been a towering achievement in British broadcasting. Right now, it’s hard to imagine someone steeping into his shoes.

Might have to make a regular Thursday appt to dip into the archives…

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 26

☝️ @lizzie4.bsky.social

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Reposted by Ricky Monahan Brown

Scottish PEN @scottishpen.bsky.social · Aug 26

Scottish PEN has issued a statement regarding the arrest of award-winning Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty and calling on the authorities to respect the legitimate right of people to protest in support of the ideal of one humanity living in peace in one world 👇
scottishpen.org/statement-on...

Paul Laverty, Ken Loach and activists protesting at the Edinburgh Film Festival. (Photo credit: Ken Loach and Sixteen Films)

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 22

My picks for SF5 of Richard Shaw’s 50s-60s albums polls:

1. Bob Dylan – Bringing It All Back Home
2. Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
3. Leonard Cohen – The Songs Of Leonard Cohen
4. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Willy And The Poor Boys
5. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band – Trout Mask Replica

Album cover of Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin

Album cover of Songs Of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen

Album cover of Willy And The Poor Boys by Creedence Clearwater Revival

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 20

Je parle un peu français seulement, mais La Promesse Brel avec Arnaud Askoy et ses partenaires musicaux à l'Institut Français Écosse, c'était magnifique

Armand Askoy and his musical partners accept the applause of the audience at the end of a performance of The Brel Promise at the French institute Scotland

Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 18

Thanks, June 🙏

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 18

Via new Scottish publisher Tantallon Tìr for 274 Miles, a collection of work by some of the most exciting contemporary writers in Scotland (and me):

‘Finish something. Stare at its imperfections, fix them, expunge them, do whatever you need to do, but finish it.’

tantallontir.com/author-spotl...

Exploring the Works and Writing of Ricky Monahan Brown

Explore the literary world of Ricky Monahan Brown, a Scottish writer inspired by Stevenson and known for his captivating stories and poetry.

tantallontir.com

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 17

The legal people have insisted that Morrissey will now have to stand in for Terence Stamp

Alternate cover art of The Smiths single What Difference Does It Make. On left, Morrissey posing as Terence Stamp. On right, Terence Stamp

Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 13

Reread Teasure Island recently with the Wee Man, and Silver is a remarkably charismatic character.

It’s remarkable how RLS conveys his ability to influence and persuade directly to the reader!

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 13

👆 @scottishpen.bsky.social

Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 13

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Peter Hain says UK government ‘digging itself into hole’ over Palestine Action

Peer opposed banning group and says fellow Labour peers and MPs are regretting proscription

www.theguardian.com

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 11

Today marks the 133rd anniversary of the birth of Scottish PEN / @scottishpen.bsky.social founder Hugh MacDiarmid.

The film linked below was made to mark his 80th birthday in 1972, and features MacDiarmid in conversation with his son Michael & fellow poet Norman MacCaig.

tinyurl.com/2r2w6pr3

tinyurl.com

Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Aug 1

Just posted my picks for the 4th semifinal of Richard Shaw’s Albums Of The 50s & 60s polls:

1. Bob Dylan – Highway 61…(1965)
2. Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds Of Silence (1966)
3. Bob Dylan – Freewheelin’ Bob…(1963)
4. Kinks – Are The VGPS (1968)
5. Ennio Morricone – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966)

Album cover of Bob Dylan – Highway 61… (1965)

Album cover of Simon & Garfunkel – Sounds Of Silence (1966)

Album cover of Bob Dylan – Freewheelin’ Bob… (1963)

Album cover of Kinks – Are The VGPS (1968)

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Jul 29

Look what just dropped through the door!

Looking forward to getting into this @plumeriapics.bsky.social 50th anniversary edition of Alan Sharp’s novelisation of his screenplay for Night Moves, inc an introduction from Matthew Asprey Gear and an afterword by David Manderson.

A hand holds a copy of the book mentioned in the post, in front of a letterbox.

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Jul 24

Very pleased to be included in this collection of short pieces featuring what Tantallon Tìr is describing as ‘the very best writers from, or living in, Scotland’ 😲

Looking forward to reading the 274 Miles anthology! tantallontir.com/product/274-...

Post by publisher Tantallon Tìr: “Ricky Monahan Brown author of Terminal is one of our writers in the 274 Miles anthology with The Working Breakfast.

His outstanding memoir, ‘Stroke: A 5% chance of survival’ was one of The Scotsman’s Scottish Nonfiction Books of 2019.

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Jul 21

Via the good folks at Tantallon Tìr, “[a] nice mention for the [274 Miles] anthology in the Kirkcudbright Book Week.”

I particularly liked this bit: “Tantallon Tìr says that the collection features ‘the very best writers from, or living in, Scotland’.”

kirkcudbrightbookweek.org/2025/07/18/a...

Anthology celebrates the best of Scottish writing

Advanced orders are being taken for an anthology of short stories produced by a new Scottish publisher working with a highly inventive format. 274 Miles features forty stories, none more than 274 w…

kirkcudbrightbookweek.org

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Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Jul 15

Just got word from the good people at sincere corkscrew that Housmans Books/@housmansbookshop.bsky.social in London have taken a couple of copies of TERMINAL.

I'll be happy to provide a custom bookplate of my own design to anyone who can prove that they've managed to acquire one of those copies...

Blurb for Terminal by Ricky Monahan Brown from Maria Sledmere: "Terminal lives up to its titular promise of hurtling towards many different senses of ‘end’. Smart, trippy and irreverent, Monahan Brown’s narrative style is just as confident crawling under the bonnet of sci-fi as it is doing Celtic realism, moshing or luring us, fable-like, close to the wood wide web. What use is there for existentialism in an accelerated world of sex dolls, conceptual thanatos, object-oriented ontology and perpetual technical difficulty? Drift on to find out."

Ricky Monahan Brown @rickyballboy.bsky.social · Jul 15

Chuffed to have my homage to the enigmatic Fables of RLS included with the work of any number of great contemporary Scottish writers in the debut book from Tantallon Tìr.

I hope you’ll check it out at @waterstones.bsky.social or wherever you get yr books 👇

www.waterstones.com/book/274-mil...

274 Miles | Waterstones

Buy 274 Miles from Waterstones today! Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over £25.

www.waterstones.com

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