Andy Tolson spent much of the 1980s as a drummer in London, playing both pubs and concert halls, though mostly pubs. He has been a boy magician, prop-maker, and writer. At the National Post and Maclean’s Magazine, Tolson was a photojournalist and editor. He now lives in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Noisemaker is his debut novel.

Q&A with Andy Tolson, author of the novel Noisemaker

Tell us about yourself

I am a Canadian writer, but spent many years as a photojournalist and photography director at Maclean’s Magazine and the National Post. But on mornings before work, I wrote fiction. No longer in the media, I live in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia where I write fiction and create visual content: www.andrewtolson.com. Noisemaker is my debut novel.

What’s Noisemaker about?

Set in 1979, Noisemaker is the story of seventeen-year-old Billy Stamp. Inspired by the sonic anarchy of punk rock, The Clash, and Sex Pistols, Billy flees a chaotic family life in Halifax, Nova Scotia to drum his way to superstardom in London, England. He’s woefully unprepared for a city populated with tattooed skinheads and thieves, rock wannabes, and worst of all, universal indifference to his burgeoning talent. As Billy stumbles through the music scene, playing punk clubs and dank pubs, his search for the perfect groove lands him on the losing side of the battle between art and commerce. Part ghost story, part fictionalized memoir, Noisemaker is a love letter to a moment in time when thrashing guitars, pounding drums, and the three minute pop song ruled the world.

Why did you write Noisemaker?

When I was 18, I moved to London, England to be a drummer and ended up spending most of the 1980s there. Years later when I wanted to write about my experience, it became apparent that fiction was far more interesting than fact. I approached the story as a fictionalized memoir. Creating the character of Billy Stamp allowed me to draw upon my own experiences. I worked at crappy office jobs, schlepped drums onto beer-soaked stages, dealt with egos and eccentrics, and experienced the joys of a great gig with a great audience. I was able to watch from the side of the stage as Billy was put through the wringer, rising to challenges and often failing. Unlike Billy’s family, my parents were surprisingly supportive of my move to another country.

Throughout the 1980s, I played in countless UK pubs and concert halls, a few stadiums, and toured Europe. One of the bands I was in was flown out to Los Angeles by John Hughes to be in his teen angst movie, Some Kind of Wonderful. Don’t blink in the bar scene with Mary Stuart Masterson and Erik Stoltz or you’ll miss me.

What did you want to say about music, and in particular drummers?

Q: What do you call someone who hangs around musicians?

A: A drummer.

Drummers are a surprisingly complex group, often out of the limelight, but the engine behind the band. When the beat falters, you’re pulled from the song. The same could be said of writing. If you notice the writer is ‘writing’ then you’re pulled from the story.

And music has the power to transform people’s lives. When I first picked up a pair of drumsticks I immediately knew it was the way I had to express myself. My first set of drums were pillows mounted on cardboard boxes. Dave Grohl, of Foo Foo Fighters, has a similar story, learning to play by hitting the crap out of the bedding. Like many young musicians, I imagined myself powering the groove behind my favourite bands. Pretty soon I was playing high school gigs with friends, and before I knew it, I was in London scouring the musician's wanted ads and auditioning for bands.

Favourite drummer?

C’mon, that’s like asking who’s your favourite child.

You write about a specific time in London’s recent history

London is the perfect place for a young person hungry to re-invent themselves. I first stepped out of the Underground station into Trafalgar Square in 1982 not knowing anyone and with the crazy dream of playing music. I was finally in the same city that birthed The Who and The Sex Pistols. I was both terrified and excited.

From the early drafts of Noisemaker, London was a character unto itself; it was noisy, it smoked and drank too much, and was cranky and cold on grey days. But how can you not love the city after a stroll through Portobello Road Market or a life changing gig at the Marquee Club or a quiet moment in a church four times as old as Canada? I missed the UK’s true punk era by a few years, but its cultural influence and attitude resonate to this day. Even by the mid 80s, when musicians such as myself were being replaced by software and drum machines, the punk DIY ethos still meant something for many of us. As Joe Strummer said, “Punk rock isn't something you grow out of. Punk rock is an attitude, and the essence of that attitude is, ‘give us some truth’.”

What novels influenced the writing of Noisemaker?

Roddy Doyle’s writing and characters have always had an impact on me, particularly his novel, The Commitments. His sparse yet powerful prose style was similar to the voice I heard in my head when it came to telling a story of my own. In Noisemaker, it was important for me to re-create the short punchiness of a perfect pop single, the story moving at the quick pace of a four on the floor bass drum beat.

What are the ethics of writing about historical figures?

Keith Moon, the late great drummer with The Who, was a significant influence on my musical life. Because he was such an outrageous character in his own right, anything I wrote about him would have paled in comparison to his real life antics. I wanted to give Billy a companion, maybe someone who was not that reliable but still acted as a conscience. So the ghost of the famous drummer grew from a shadowy figure in early drafts to someone who helped drive the story in unexpected ways.

What’s your soundtrack for writing?

For a book about ear-splitting drums and loud guitars, my choice of soundtrack for writing is either complete silence or the occasional Mozart piano concerto. Anything with a backbeat is a distraction. Plus, Mozart was a punk rocker of his day.

You can listen to a couple of songs from bands that I created for the novel here: www.andytolson.com/soundtrack

You have photographed for national and global publications. What were your career highlights?

Working at Maclean’s Magazine opened up so many possibilities, but the stories rooted in music meant the most to me. I was fortunate to spend time with Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip photographing them at their rehearsal studio in Bath, Ontario, and a couple of years later tagging along with them to Fort Albany First Nation for a Cree cultural event. Off stage, Gord was as down-to-earth as you’d hope, but one of the most exciting performers I’d ever seen. Photographing another hero, John Lydon (formerly Rotten), was quite different. He was on a press junket at the Toronto International Film Festival and I only had a few minutes to shoot his portrait. He was snarly, acerbic, and witty. I’d have been disappointed if he was any less so.