In true Leadbelly fashion, I woke up this morning convinced that the blues had got me; it must have been the impact of too much noir in books and on television over the weekend. What is it in human nature that always pushes us towards ever-darker stimulation? I am reminded of the fashion for gothic in the late eighteenth century, when there was plenty of noir about to titillate readers ever more hungry for the gruesome, the erotic and the oneiric. Fortunately for sanity, there is always an antidote to this and parodies of noir inevitably follow too great an emphasis on the nastier, seamier side of life. Jane Austen’s splendid satire on the gothic novel, Northanger Abbey, must have been very refreshing to readers suffering too much of a bad thing.
When I have had enough of the mean streets of the gritty city and the jaundiced and jaded detective soured by too much corruption amongst criminals and police superiors, I start looking for something lighter to compensate. Too much Philip Kerr? Perhaps I’ll come up with some Birmingham Blanc. Nothing like a bit of fun when the blues get you.
Christina James, crime novelist 
Christina – Sorry to hear that the blues have come a’callin’ (I really admire Leadbelly’s music by the way 🙂 ). I think that when you write crime fiction – at least this is true of me – it’s easy to get caught up in the darker side of human nature. After all, we write about some very troubling things. But it can be cathartic too. Here’s what Ian Rankin said about it:
‘I can’t think of anything better than that, and it keeps you well balanced because all the s*** inside your head goes on paper. I think we’d be troublesome individuals if we didn’t get all that s***t out our systems.’
I like your idea of finding something light to step away from that side of ourselves…
Margot, thank you. I’d like to think that I laugh too much ever to let the blues really get me down! However, it’s true, what Ian Rankin said – better out than in!