dead air

dead air is the buzzword for any time not filled with noise
something to be avoided at all costs apparantly
when you are an announcer on a commercial radio station
which is the job of kenneth nutt the subject of this iain banks novel
told in the first person it covers a year or so of his life
starting at a wedding party in london on september the 11th, 2001
this book is on a 1001 books you must read list i have been referring to
is written by an author whose name i see often in book shops
and the synopsis on the back cover was quite tantalising...
a novel about politics, trust, paranoia and perhaps - redemption
dead air is iain banks at his coruscating best
coruscate - 'be lively or brilliant or exhibit virtuosity'
so i took the plunge and committed myself to this 400 page book
it didn't take too long before i formed a dislike for the man
he is a well-known radio announcer with a very loud ego
lives on a barge on the thames but mostly out partying
alcohol, drugs, sex on demand and devoured feverishly
has few close friends and even those he has cheated on
sleeping with their partners at different times
or close to bedding the young daughter of one of them
conversations he has with friends and acquaintances
are used as the basis for comment or discussion on air
his producer phil and he have a great rapport
there are some quite funny pages of dialogue in the book
as these 2 bounce off each other during the radio show
invariably belittling or insulting some caller or another
about half-way through the book i had just about had enough
it's a very london-centric read with a lot of local references
music companies and dj's are mixed in the plot
but beyond that the promise of an in-depth story was lacking
it's a sure sign of boredom when constantly checking the page count
admittedly though the second half as a crime novel was better
not that i am a huge fan of that genre but something was needed
so through another secret affair things get rather messy
his latest conquest is the wife of a ruthless crime boss
in parallel with this he oversteps the mark on air
his long-term partner dumps him for a band's lead singer
and his best friend finds out about the affair with his wife
so life gets rather complicated and even lonely for him
he makes one big mistake too many and places his life in danger
desperate times call for desperate measures it seems
which also allows the author to have a lot of fun
in the final chapters of the book as our man escapes his fate
...and lives happily every after with the love of his life
all in all not such a satisfying read lacking any substance
i couldn't help thinking throughout there's a film in here
the cad could be played to perfection by hugh grant
it's that kind of book - ok - but....