can i borrow your toilet?

yes, it’s gareth “van” brookes’ new book, a 64 page expose of life working in a loading bay, dealing with the last bastion of white british maleness, the transit van driver. expertly drawn with a lovely turn of phrase, and highly recommended. available for just £5.00 from appallingnonsense.co.uk

2 thoughts on “can i borrow your toilet?”

  1. melvin_m_melvin says:
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    I wouldn’t have read this, had I not been standing behind Gareth Brookes when he was leaving a few copies with Gosh! comics on 29/11/2008. I thought I recognised the name, but could have been thinking about the US geezer in a cowboy hat who sings religious songs (a “quip” you must hear only 3 or 4 times a day).
    I told the Gosh man I would buy a copy if he would agree to back-fill by taking a further copy off GB; but he seemed not to take to that idea, so I bought one anyway.
    On the train back to Peterborough (you can’t win ’em all) I was visibly laughing at some of the stuff (not that anyone was looking) in this almost-not-a-comic.
    If this is not a straight slice of Gareth’s life, then it’s well perceived in both text and the photographic realism of the drawings which look — well, photographic.
    I’m assuming this takes place somewhere in the Home Counties, as GB sums up London in one phrase “some pigeons were eating a puddle of sick”.
    The piece about calling one of the directors a “fat bitch” is also interesting, as it implies that — had she worked on the loading bay — this would have been OK.
    If Gareth could mend the odd lapses in spelling and punctuation (e-mail dr_work_99@hotmail.com if you want to know what I think they are) this approach would suit a novel, so long as he could inject a strong narrative (not that anyone can get a novel published these days).
    Buy this book, everyone!
    Dave R
    (I’ve done a bit myself, mostly for British MAD: an an example (unpublished) is at http://www.madmumblings.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3972. I currently write for an on-line craft magazine linked to shopping TV, and draw the kids’ section.)

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