LXX
Van Morrison and I were born two months and two days apart in the same year. He shares his birthday with my wife.
Van and I are getting on a bit; this was brought home to me this morning when I saw that he has resorted to the device of all great but ageing male vocalists, by recording a ‘Duets’ album. Of course, I’ve ordered it, but it occurs to me that I’ve missed a trick; I should be bringing out a volume of ‘Duets’ stories, co-written with my favourite authors. Maybe it’s not too late.
Categories: General
Quintin Jardine's blog 
Please don’t. We are all very happy with your own unadulterated work. Co-authored works never seem to have the zing of inspiration that comes across from one single pen. You know what they say about a camel – a horse designed by a committee!
It’s worked pretty well for EastEnders, Corrie, The Wire, 24, House of Cards, and many, many other dramas. If it’s okay on screen, why not on the page?
But please, please don’t always take me seriously.
It hasn’t always worked in Coronation Street. Uusally a new writer arrives & all of a sudden some of the characters have a personality transplant.
Van the Man has always been a bit different, which is what makes him great; some of his greatest live appearances were with the Caledonia Soul Orchestra, put that together if you can and make it work and then tour it, he did. Not all ageing male “vocalists” resort to duets, some, as Bob Dylan has just done revisit other people’s music and give it another spin, good or bad, who knows? The listener decides, BD seems to have got it right again, many others haven’t, no reason why VM shouldn’t do likewise. Screenplays are a different story and the minute Clancy and Cussler, for example, started co-writing….well, no comment.
Do we ever take you seriously? Nawwww, but sometimes yes.
A bit late to this one – writers, Anne McCaffrey did it and as mentioned above, the pzazz went. Singers? Leonard Cohen sometimes duets, but still manages exceptionally well on his own.
As I recall Francis Albert Sinatra started the fashion. Today the queue of women waiting to duet with Dolly Parton must stretch round many corners.