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Perth, |
Welshing on his past
David Franklin. Photo by Paul
McGovern. West Perth author David Franklin was so happy in
fact, that he took off all his clothes - except for
the socks -- to promote his self-published book,
Looking for Sarah Jane Smith. Wales and the search for the ideal woman are the
main ingredients in this bitter, crude but funny
book. Doctor Who fans will know Sarah Jane as one of
the most popular of the time-travelling doctor's
assistants. Her liquid-brown eyes and pretty face,
her feminine clothes, her air of vulnerability
disguised an inner strength and drew legions of
fans through the '70s. David is one of Sarah Jane's many devoted fans
and for him she has become the icon of the perfect
woman. Or is it Marty who is the fan? Even David
finds it hard to separate his character, Marty,
from himself. "I think it's safe to say I haven't found my
Sarah Jane yet," said David. So who is he looking for? "Someone who makes me feel like I could wrestle
a cyberman or tackle a dalek," David said. In the book Marty believes that ".if the street
suddenly filled up with daleks right now,
exterminating everything in sight and doing their
level best to take over the earth, he'd save her.
He really would." Like his alter ego, David was born and raised in
Newport in Wales and emigrated to Perth. He uses
the book to vent his spleen on Wales and poke
gentle fun at the Australia of every British Home
and Away/Neighbours-fed immigrant. Head shaved to avoid any association with the
"worst haircut in the world" the mullet ("So where
do you stand in the mullet debate?" he demands) and
sinking into an oversized checked flannel shirt,
David is a quietly spoken man with an intense and
sharp mind that he uses to wreak havoc on his old
home and his new. "It's healthy to take the piss," he said,
although he admitted he hadn't sent the book to the
Wales tourist board which might not appreciate his
vitriolic attack on Newport. "It's depressing, it's violent, it's got awful
weather and there's a really depressing fatalistic
attitude about the people that this is their lot
and life won't ever get any better." In Looking for Sarah Jane, Marty is equally
disillusioned: "As a people we've got no sense of
national identity and an obscure language that's
dying on its feet.shitty, soulless towns and
clogged up roads, out of work miners and weather
that would piss off a polar bear." Marty is a young man searching for something. He
has difficulty in relating to women, a fear of
responsibility and an inability to find meaning in
his life. Migrating to Perth is his only
option. His friends fare no better. Wasp Boy is a man dedicated to violence. He
lacks any sense of self-awareness but, as David
points out, he is gloriously consistent. He starts
out fighting and will no doubt end his life the
same way. Based on a real life friend still buzzing around
Wales, David is secure in the knowledge that Wasp
Boy will never buy a copy of the book "because that
would involve giving me money". Mike is the only friend open to change, albeit
in small doses. He is ironical, philosophical and
depressingly perceptive. The three friends depend on each other. Their
language is crude, rude and aggressive but it masks
what David describes as "blokey love". "Blokes can't show affection towards each other
the way women can," explained David. "It becomes
inverted, twisted and comes out as brutal
comedy." The book is ultimately an affectionate portrayal
of friendship. These boys are not particularly
likeable, but their story is raw, honest,
unsophisticated and deeply rooted in bittersweet
reality. David is a part-time journalist - like Marty he
says he's regressing too far to hold down a
full-time job -- but has become almost a full-time
writer. " I've got to carry on writing really," he says
almost as a complaint. "I can't walk away from it even if I wanted
to." Bored with people saying no all the time,
perhaps too reminiscent of the negativity of his
home town, he is determined to publish and promote
his own work. And he can always threaten to send
Wasp Boy around to "sort you out" if you don't read
it. Looking for Sarah Jane is published by Baby Ice
Dog Press and is available through Dymocks in
Subiaco and Claremont, and Ramsay's in Subiaco. Copyright © 1999 - 2006 Post Newspapers Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
"I was happy, and coming from Wales that was an
alien emotion."
-Sarah McNeill
In Post Impressions this week:
Theatre:
Cinema:
Le Mis does a full revolution
Like lantant, deceit spreads like a weed