Yesterday I interviewed Tom Hingley who is a musician, author and university lecturer. Most people will recognise him from The Inspiral Carpets, a hugely popular indie band in the nineties. The interview was to discuss his new book ‘Carpet Burns’ which is a book of memoirs written about his time with the group.
The book is a brutally honest and open account of the Inspirals journey through the nineties. It does not just concentrate on the success and the highs, it is also a very candid recollection of the band’s fall from stardom. This is what makes this book so very special. Most memoirs or autobiographies written by musicians, often highlight the success and achievements only. This book is different. It takes you on a worded tour of the rise and subsequent fall of the band right from the very begining to the end.
It is a colourful narrative of the good, the bad and the wild times (believe me, eye-opening in parts). Reading the book takes you back to when not only a music genre was being carved from an amalgamation of other styles and attitudes, but also to a time when a new culture was being created. Not many people can say that they were part of a wave of new music, new socialising, new ideas and new fashion, but hey thats what the indie scene was.
The interview was great, Tom is a fantastic man and was happy to talk to me. What is remarkable about Tom is his lack of bitterness. Although he is no longer with the band, he bears no grudge to the other members. He is a successful musician in his own right and often plays solo and also with his band, The Lovers, notching up an impressive 140 gigs a year.
Tom also teaches students about the music industry. He works at both The Manchester College and Salford University. He has a great passion for education and devotes his time to passing on his wealth of knowledge to young people wanting to work in the industry. Now I don’t know about you, but when somebody is in a position to help others and decides to go into the world of teaching to pass on their experiences and share their wisdom, that’s what I call ‘Rock n’ Roll.’
A posting on Kerry Voellner’s blog about an interview she conducted with Tom for Old Trafford News.
Kerry Voellner is writer, film-maker, photographer and social media addict. I currently work as a volunteer in community media and am the ‘Web Editor’ and ‘Social Media Editor’ for Old Trafford News.
Carpet Burns 