The Tall Short Stories of…

By James Endeacott

James Endeacott is the teller of many tales. The Tall Short Stories of James Endeacott range from psychedelic experiences when he was in the band Loop to making dreams come true as a judge on The X Factor, or looking after The Libertines at the beginning of their musical career and hanging out with Robert De Niro lookalikes in New York with The Strokes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rough Trade Books
• Release date: Jun 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781912722525

James Endeacott

JAMES ENDEACOTT was born and raised in Halifax on St Patrick’s Day in 1965. He wanted to be a comedian but he couldn’t make people laugh so he ended up working in various different roles in the music industry from A&R for Rough Trade Records to managing bands including Tindersticks. Playing guitar in the band Loop to setting up his own label 1965 Records. He has an obsession with David Bowie and often goes under the name the Fat White Duke. He’s been telling people for over 30 years that he’s not Mick Hucknall. His hair is the colour of Viking Gold and he prides himself in showing no weakness in his lust for life. James also presents Morning Glory, a radio show on Soho Radio.

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1.

The Day The World Turned Day-Glo

The summer of 1976 was hot. I mean it was really hot… it was also a summer that started in a hospital in Halifax and ended up in a small boarding school in the Malvern Hills.

I was 11 years old and getting ready to leave junior school and start a new life in big school—I think I was ready—it was a big deal but I needed to move on. About 3 or 4 weeks before the end of term I spent a weekend in agony. My stomach had decided to fuck with me. I could hardly walk, couldn’t eat and generally just wanted to crawl into a corner and cry. My mum, who was a district nurse, told me it was wind and that I should buck my ideas up and get on with it. I went to school on the Monday morning and the teacher knew I wasn’t right, he sent me to the school nurse and within 4 hours I was having my appendix out. It was horrible—the hospital was falling apart and the heat was unbearable. I missed the last few weeks of school, missed all the goodbyes and the parties. No need to fret—I’ll see most of my friends next term and at least I was alive.

My Mum and Dad had split up about 4 or 5 years earlier. It was all cool—my brother and I would spend some weekends with my Dad and his new wife and my Mum would work and party. It’s only now I realise how tough it was for her, bringing up two kids on her own. She had two jobs to make ends meet and from a very young age I was cooking meals for the three of us, doing the ironing and generally taking it all in my stride. My Mum also introduced me to a few ‘Uncles’ I never knew we had. Sometimes they’d stay for the weekend. It was a fun time and I was happy. I’d discovered music so I was just listening to The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and a Dory Previn album my Mum had called Mythical Kings and Iguanas and generally getting lost in my own world whilst my brother collected mercury and blew up frogs in the local wood. Anyway Mum had a boyfriend called Nick who she began to see regularly and who also seemed very nice—always spoiling me and Chris and he made my Mum happy. After coming out of hospital Mum and Nick sat me down and said we were moving to Malvern in Worcestershire to live in a really big house. Nick, it seemed was very rich, he had loads of cars and was always flashing the cash. We had been skint as a family for years so this sudden influx of money was greeted with open pockets. The two of them then explained to