Chucking Putty At The Queen
reviews
As compelling as watching one’s favourite soap opera.
by Max Beeken
For a biography to be enjoyable, it must resonate with one’s own experiences or stir empathy within the reader for the things that the writer has endured. On both counts, Simon Smalley’s ‘Chucking Putty at the Queen’ achieves this in spades.
The author suffers the traumatic loss of his mother as a young child, and this hangs like a long shadow throughout the length of the book. Despite the deep anguish of this experience, the author never falls into excessive sentiment but describes how this affects his life in calm, measured detail without ever succumbing to maudlin sentiment.
Similarly, with the experience of prolonged bullying, the facts are delivered almost matter-of-factly, even though this bullying apparently continued for many years. The author describes himself in a wig made of crepe paper and wearing a pair of women’s boots, then stepping into a working men’s boys’ club and, unsurprisingly, is immediately set upon. Although some might consider the behaviour foolish, it reminded me of Quentin Crisp’s strategy for dealing with bullies, and I couldn’t help but be impressed by his sheer nerve. The author’s experience clearly has attained a resilience within him that many of us would envy.
Little is said about the author’s coming out. The issue is glossed over in a few lines. A heterosexual reader might find this odd, but as a gay man, I personally found this refreshing. Too often, descriptions of gay life seem to treat coming out as some sort of apotheosis. Something to be fretted and agonised over rather than as the natural beginning it is. For others, like myself, coming out was something of a given, at least in my own head. Something we know and accept as soon as our balls have dropped, if not sooner. Perhaps as a consequence of this, in Chucking Putty at the Queen, the author’s sexuality is equally accepted and not dwelt on by those closest to him. It’s treated as an already accepted fact of life. The author is then able to move on to the more interesting topic of what he’s going to do about it.
Like Simon, I remember well the gay scene in Nottingham in the 1980s, and his descriptions struck a chord with me. The author uses song names as chapter titles. Songs that we were familiar with at the time and these are good at creating a sense of period feel. This was the early eighties and was the time when we were just starting to wake up to the HIV and AIDS crisis that was happening around us, and Simon describes the anxieties we all felt at the time.
Although the book is very evocative of the clubs and bars of the period, it never degenerates into a ‘kiss and tell’, ‘here’s who I shagged in the eightiess’ sort of thing, but quickly moves onto more current times.
The author’s memory is extraordinary and recounts events in detail that few of us would be capable of. This creates a narrative that is clear and easily visualised. His gift for recounting dialogue makes many related events feel as easily accessible and compelling as watching one’s favourite soap opera. A style that is easy to read and hard to put down.
The first volume of his memoirs ends with something of a cliffhanger ending, which I was pleased to find Chucking Putty at the Queen avoids. Simon ends the book with a brief summary of where he is now, which I personally found much more satisfying.
I strongly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next instalment.
Simon's exquisite command of the English language makes this a fulfilling journey to take.
by Kevin Cooper
Here it is, the long awaited sequel to “That Boy of Yours Wants Looking At”, and once again we are provided with an almost forensic account of the next stage in Simon’s life, as he tentatively steps out into the world of adulthood, embarking on his quest to find love in the daunting atmosphere of Nottingham nightlife in the late 70s and early 80s.
The book begins with a flashback to Simon’s first birthday without his mum, and a vivid description of a summer vacation to the strict environs of Aunty Ann’s house in Kent, made bearable by the chance to see Marc Bolan in colour for the first time on Top Of The Pops.
The ability to recall past events as if they happened yesterday (hyperthymesia, if I’m not mistaken) once again allows us to follow Simon’s life as if we were with him for the (often bumpy) ride, and Simon’s exquisite command of the English language makes this a fulfilling journey to take. The highs, the lows, the anguish – we feel it all.
The final chapters of the book chronicle Simon’s decision that the new decade will mark the beginning of a new phase in his life, and we accompany him as he makes new friends (and enemies, in the despicable Vernon), eventually finding a sense of belonging and true freedom in the vibrant gay scene of Nottingham.
Once again, Simon has delivered a masterpiece – an emotionally tumultuous work highlighting the difficulties faced by those of us who are ostracised for choosing to live our own life rather than that which others might expect us to follow.
Much of what I admired in the first volume still holds true:
Simon’s writing luxuriates in his attention to detail.
by Matthew Bright
When the first seasons of Heartstopper came out a few years ago, many queer people of a certain age had a particular reaction: a complicated, bittersweet mix of joy and longing. Oh, that queer teenage lives can be like this now. Oh, that ours were not. ‘That Boy of Yours Wants Looking At’, Simon Smalley’s first volume of memoirs, doesn’t really share many superficial similarities with Heartstopper, but it did evoke something of a similar response from many of its readers—myself included.
While ‘That Boy’ didn’t soften any of the adversity and hostility that young Simon faced from many of those around him, it’s central light was the unwavering love and loyalty that he received from his father, a man who—on paper at least—might have seemed unlikey to offer such unconditional support. The misery-lit memoir is a well-trodden (though still relevant) path in queer literature, but ‘That Boy’ was the antithesis of this and it was this quiet, powerful inversion that sparked the ‘Heartstopper effect’ for many readers; perhaps, like me, they found themselves reflecting on how their own lives might have felt had their own parents stood by them with such unshakeable devotion.
The second volume of Simon’s memoirs, ‘Chucking Putty at the Queen’, traces Simon’s story from his early teens to his early twenties—from the tensions of life amongst his siblings and schoolmates, to his first forays in the gay scene, and finally to the moment he meets the man who will become his lifelong partner. Much of what I admired in the first volume still holds true: Simon’s writing luxuriates in his attention to detail, conjuring each story with such clarity that a keen sense of time and place arises vividly from every chapter.
With the narrative now firmly journeying into the choppy seas of adolescence, ‘Chucking Putty’ has to walk the difficult tightrope of capturing the excesses and absurdities of teenage passions and fashions (particularly for someone as determinedly maximalist in everything as Simon) without ever slipping into retrospective trivialising or bashfulness. Writer Simon leans into the intensity of those years with both honesty and delight, especially as Young Simon leaps boot-first into punk, the first real point of friction between him and his father.
This still isn’t a conventional coming-out story—Simon is, in many ways, ‘out’ before he even fully understands that himself—but as the narrative shifts to this early experiences in gay bars and clubs then perhaps it could be described as a different kind of coming-out: a debutante’s arrival. The turned heads, the feathers ruffled, the eyes caught: and here begins the dizzying journey of discovering that the world of queer adulthood offers both myriad exciting freedoms but also many of the same old familiar disappointments. Simon captures with sharp humour and emotional precision the complex blend of community and competition that often defines gay male social life—observations I found both painfully and hilariously familiar.
It was this constant sense of specificity, of many of the small details of Simon’s experiences rhyming with my own, that made me truly love the first volume, and that continued just as strong in ‘Chucking Putty’. I found myself again and again hooked by small, resonant details. Part of this resonance is circumstantially geographical—I spent several of my formative years orbiting the same streets a decade or two removed from Simon—but more striking were the parallels in Simon’s romantic and sexual tastes in men.
I could write a whole other essay exploring these themes—queer literature is still pretty thin (pun unintended) on this sort of thing, either omitting it entirely or codifying stories through the lens of bear culture, but a ‘debutante’ doesn’t meets the gay world with the terrain fully mapped like this. Put simply: Simon and me have the same type. Maybe I’ll write that full essay sometime, but for now I’ll just quote the line that made me laugh the loudest with recognition. When Simon’s straight (and slim) friend is asked whether he ever worries Simon might fancy him, he replies without hesitation: “Of course he won’t. I’m not a twenty-five stone, hairy-faced slob.”
If there’s any critique to be made of this second memoir it’s that—unlike the first volume, which had a clear-cut concept in its ‘extravagant queer kid whose dad never wavers’ elevator pitch—volume two cannot naturally cohere quite as neatly as one narrative. In reality it is two halves that are the next chapters in a serialised melodrama of Simon’s life, but this hardly matters because if you’re here it’s likely because, like me, you fell in love with Simon’s story in volume one. Like me, you’re here because you don’t want the stories to stop. You simply want to know what happened next.
And thankfully, there’s more to come. Clearly Simon has many more tales to tell, and I eagerly look forward to hearing them.
Simon is so much more fearless, endures so much more bullying as a consequence of daring to simply exist.
by ‘Nathan Burgoine
When I read That Boy of Yours Wants Looking At, I struggled to explain some of the emotional reactions I had to the book, but ultimately, I think I can file it under a word I’ve coined that’s a portmanteau: Agnostalgia.
Simon’s family—especially his mum and dad—seemed to react from step one aware that their child was born fabulous and queer, and created a supportive, caring environment so far ahead of its time I cannot overstate it. There was this oddly healing sense of time-travel to reading about his youth—which is further back than mine, but of a similar place as where I was born—and seeing his parents stand by him, stand up for him, and even fight for him? It reminded me of the insistence of queer history I’m always trying to explain: we’ve always been here, and there have always been people like us, and there have always been people who loved us.
The world around Simon was definitely not a wonderful, accepting place, but that core central strength of his family seemed to give him what he needed to navigate the world with a fearlessness I didn’t manage to evolve until my mid-to-late twenties.
That Boy of Yours Wants Looking At ends when Simon is still a teenager, with the death of his mother when he was eight casting a lingering shadow, and with his struggles with body image and desire reaching a kind of early détente (again, mostly due to his father’s tireless fighting for him against a medical system determined to be the worst). At a conference in Nottingham, I learned there’d be a sequel—and that his editor had forbidden him from any sort of cliffhanger/to-be-continued ending—and I couldn’t wait. (I feel like at this point I should note it turned out not to be the case: this book, too, doesn’t tell the rest of Simon’s life, and I believe there will be more, this book doesn’t land on a cliffhanger, but gently offers a kind of précis of where Simon is now that has a satisfying feel.)
In almost every way, this book was harder for me. Simon’s detailed memory spares you no scent or touch or sound—Oh, the music—but Simon’s journey in these young-queer-man years is harsher even when there are upturns. That’s not surprising to anyone aware of the era. And for those who aren’t—this is important.
Another oft repeated theme of mine is how as queerlings especially, since we’re not born to people like us, there’s no continuance of history.
No inheritance of narrative or culture. We have to go find each other, and often we don’t even know what we don’t know. Books like Chucking Putty at the Queen: A Memoir are how we learn about what we don’t know, and how we can know it.
When I say the book was harder for me, I think what it comes down to is this: I spent the entire book waiting for the blows to land. Simon is so much more fearless, endures so much more bullying as a consequence of daring to simply exist, and this is an age I remember far too well in ways both good and bad. I was braced for impact—and Simon didn’t shy away from noting those impacts did indeed come and when and how—and with the looming spectre of the 80s inbound, every song title a visceral spark of time-travel.
Punk, fighting back, tension between him and his father (though still never breaking that relationship of support), his consistently bemused-brothers, and I still can’t get over the courage (and inevitable results) of the crepe-paper-wig and high-heeled boots. This isn’t a coming out story—despite a few lines, I’m not sure Simon was ever in the position to have been in—but it is a story of being queer, courageously, unapologetically so, even when feeling betrayed by your own body, when you have to go find places and people like you in a sea of voices telling you you shouldn’t be.
I don’t know that I’ve done this justice. I should have written this review ages ago, but every time I sat down and tried I got tangled up all over again. But in as few words as possible, how about this?
I’m so glad this book exists. I’m even gladder Simon does.
A happiness hitherto only imagined.
by Martin Barden
If you’ve read the first volume of Simon Smalley’s memoirs, That Boy Of Yours Wants Looking At, then you’ll know all about his childhood in Nottingham, his loving parents, the tragic loss of his mother, and that he was born gay, destined to be an outsider searching for his place in the world – but always celebrating his creativity and difference.
That first volume left us at the threshold of Simon’s first gay group meeting, at the dawn of his adult life, doing that thing he had so yearned for – to be amongst other gay men.
In volume two, Simon frames the story for new readers and to give us all greater insight into those formative years, taking us back via his extraordinary ability to recall conversations and events from decades ago.
As a peer of Simon’s, many of his memories feel like shared experiences – not because I was subject to violence and blatant discrimination – I was fortunate in that respect – but because we grew up in the same age with the same cultural reference points.
Which brings us to The Night. (Spoiler alert – it did not go as hoped.) Was it inevitable that there would be a ghastly ghoul, screaming and lisping and picking on Simon at that first gay men’s evening? Yes, it probably was. Did he manage to defeat our hero? No, of course he didn’t. We’ve all met him. Learning a new language was difficult, but Simon kept going. And Hallelujah that he did. Because there were kind people, real people, people who didn’t rush to judge or belittle, people who were people, not caricatures: our people.
A little later, we’re with Simon as he finally climbs into a taxi with his first pick-up, goes back to his place, and… his gay life begins in earnest. He found something new, a happiness hitherto only imagined, even if at that stage it was fleeting. At last Simon is on the road he’d sought so long, a road that led to true love and happiness. What more could a young man wish for?
Transported back to the times and places Simon so eloquently describes.
by Kim Mian
I have eagerly awaited this book and was not disappointed. Again I was transported back to the times and places Simon so eloquently describes. He is a master wordsmith, which I’m sure is due to his voracious love of literature, instilled in him by his parents.
This memoir is immersive, prompting a whole range of emotions, from rage at his primary school teacher and the ever present bullies, to pure joy for him finding love and validation beyond his wonderful dad. Simon Smalley’s journey is one I want to continue on and therefore cannot wait for the next instalment.
Guts, glamour, and grace.
by Henry Crun
Chucking Putty at the Queen is a courageous, heart-moving memoir: funny, raw, sometimes brutal, always beautiful. Simon Smalley invites us into a journey of self-discovery with compassion and wit, crafting a world that will break your heart and lift your spirits.
What sets Simon apart is his richly detailed storytelling. Chapter titles from song names, carefully curated playlists, the texture of Nottingham streets and demolished homes all conjure a deeply immersive time-travel. His dialogue is crisp, real, and intimately vivid; the characters – family, punks, drag queens – come alive with laughter, pathos, and resonance.
Simon’s father, a former RAF tail-gunner, emerges as a tender anchor—a steadfast presence when the world felt most hostile. His unwavering love and acceptance provide a poignant counterpoint to the harrowing experiences of youth, grounding the memoir in warmth and humanity.
From Simon’s crepe-paper wig to the audacious boots at a boys’ club, his fearless individuality makes you root for him – wincing at the violence, cheering at the small victories… and when he finally steps into the underground gay club scene it’s a moment of liberation and belonging so beautifully described it’s as if you were there with him.
A page-turner to the end, it leaves you wanting to know what happens next. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can read volume three.
Even more impressed with Simon’s skill and mastery of the written word.
by Hatty and Ian Copus
How wonderful it was to again be transported back in time to Simon’s world. Although we had long anticipated this continuation of his memoir, we didn’t realize quite how much we had missed being in Simon’s company since finishing the first volume. Yet, a few pages into this second instalment, and we were immersed once more into his vividly recalled memories, reliving his past experiences, and it was as if we had never left his side. Simon’s musical recollections mesmerized us again, drawing us back in time to places and occasions that defined those years for all of us who were privileged to experience them.
We relished in the sparkling prose, the vivid portrayal of family and friends (and adversaries too) and the intense imagery of every vignette. The poignancy of Simon’s vulnerability and his ability to convey his fragility without any self-
The opening of one chapter particularly resonated with us. Simon has always been a loyal and constant friend, and here he talks about how friendships are akin to trains travelling on parallel tracks, which diverge now and again, but that joyously “come to ride side by side again, despite the passing of miles and years”. We treasure our friendship with Simon and John and hope that, despite the miles between us, very soon our trains will align once more and we will be able to share a few precious moments together.
We were carried away in a wave of love in the final chapters –
No pressure, Simon, but needless to say, we await volume three!
An incredible memory which serves him well. I highly recommend this and his first book.
by N.S. Ford
This brilliant second volume of memoirs sees Simon discover punk music in the 70s and try to find his tribe in the 80s. It is quite sad and painful reading at times with everything that he went through, but has a humour and narrative flair which keeps you reading. Simon has an incredible memory which serves him well for writing this. I think the book could have been a little shorter as sometimes sentences were repetitive, however only a small criticism. I highly recommend this and his first book.
Heartfelt and painful to read but beautiful and well written.
by Gemma Cayce
Enthralled by the glimpse of an ordinary boy born decades before me who I’ve met as an adult and found to be kind and fascinating I was excited to read this second memoir by Simon Smalley. With descriptions that share the intensity of his emotions and the way the world looks through his eyes, this memoir is a brilliant education into how singular and unavailable society can be. This memoir is heartfelt and painful to read but beautiful and well written.
Gracefully expressive, and full of colour and vibrancy. Chucking Putty at The Queen is a treasure trove.
by Laura Uttley
A striking and passionate observation of history borne by the extensive memories retained by Simon, of his childhood and subsequent journey into early adulthood.
Gracefully expressive, and full of colour and vibrancy, Simon’s way with the written word traces a path through not only his personal chronicles, but that of the music scene, and lgbtq experiences of yesteryear.
I firmly believe that we not only should, but need to document lgbtq history, whether via personal memoirs such as Simon’s or by other means. At the Summer ’24 Queer the Shelves literary event an author said “How do you know, what you don’t know?”. It was in reference to growing up outside of a queer space, without a group of queer friends, or found family, and the question spoke to the fact that for many of us in those categories how do we learn or find out about queer history and culture?
When you’re outside looking in, how do you know to seek out, or ask about something that you don’t know exists? It’s this sentiment which makes memoirs like Simon’s all the more important in my opinion. They provide a gateway to the unknown, through which many of us who were previously lacking a queer education due to inaccessibility, are finally able to garner a glimpse of our community’s collective history and those shared individual experiences.
I did prefer the latter half of Book One – Before, and the whole of Book Two – After, as these focus more on Simon’s years as a teenager and young adult which adds a different dimension to the childhood which was first explored in ‘That Boy of Yours Wants Looking At’. Whilst I love Simon’s ability to evoke emotional engagement via his words, I did at times struggle with some overly descriptive passages. Occasionally finding myself skipping text so as to not to lose the focus nor the flow of what was being conveyed.
As with Simon’s first memoir his father, Sid, continues to play a pivotal role in Simon’s upbringing and subsequent experiences. Sid’s the epitome of everything a father should be, and it’s still a wonderful gift as a reader to follow their loving and support relationship throughout the pages of Simon’s life.
Chucking Putty at The Queen is a treasure trove; we need such stories to be told, penned, and documented within our community. If we don’t write, publish, and root for our own collective history, our shared experiences, who else will? Simon’s is an inspirational story, one that deserves to be heard, and shared over and over, until the sun sets for the very last time.
Simon's writing is poetic, engaging and unapologetically raw.
by Peter Dabinett
Biographies and autobiographies are two a penny, especially those about celebrities. As a nation we are obsessed. Generally, they sell well. We want to know more about our ‘idols’. I suppose we’re just plain nosey. I read at least one of these kind of biographies every few weeks. I devour them, and some, not all it’s true, are very good. But something they all have in common, well for me anyway, is that once the story reaches the part where this ‘ordinary nobody’ becomes a ‘famous somebody’ it becomes a little boring because, well, I kind of already know what happens next. Which is why I also read biographies or memoirs by those who, having not lived their lives in the spotlight, still have a story that they want, and in many cases need, to be heard. One such author is Simon Smalley.
This is Simon’s second memoir, the first being the excellent ‘That Boy of Yours Wants Looking At’. Firstly you’ll want to know if you need to read that first, does this second memoir stand alone? Yes and no. ‘Throwing Putty at the Queen’ could stand alone but why would you want to do that? I can guarantee that if you read this you’ll want to read its predecessor, so be sure to pop both in your basket now.
Having read ‘That Boy of Yours Wants Looking At’ I was expecting this to start where the first memoir ended and it doesn’t, not quite. Initially that threw me a little. The trials and tribulations of the first book left us with a cliffhanger. Was that a light at the end of the tunnel or was that light just an oncoming train? I was impatient to find out. After a childhood and early adolescence of ‘outsiderdom’, ostracisation, bullying and trauma, I wanted a happy ending and I wanted it right now! ‘Throwing Putty at the Queen’ doesn’t do that. It makes you wait, keeps you guessing, hoping.
‘That Boy of Yours Wants Looking At’ left us on a precipice. Simon had found the courage to knock at the door of his local gay group. Surely that meant he had found his tribe, his very own ‘happy ever after’? Well, that’s the stuff of fairy tales. Life’s not always like that.
Rather than pick up exactly where book one leaves us, somewhat cleverly, the author goes further back. He’s not done telling us how he got here. From then on the time frame seamlessly switches back and forth between early childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Simon’s writing is poetic, engaging and unapologetically raw. You feel the pain of rejection from those who only see his ‘difference’, you feel the comfort from the unconditional acceptance from those who love him, particularly his father.
This memoir will probably be lumped in with all the other LGBT+ ‘growing up and coming out’ novels and that’s fine but this isn’t just a coming out story. This is a story of ‘outsiderdom’, prejudice, grief, music, passion, creativity and, most of all, love, the unconditional love between a father and his son. Buy it, and, if you haven’t already, buy ‘That Boy of Yours Wants Looking At’ too.
When people say, you don’t know what someone else’s life is like until you’ve tried walking a mile in their shoes, in this case those ‘shoes’ are hand crafted and modified ill-fitting platform boots. You know it’s not going to be easy but at least you’ll feel fabulous while wearing them.
Fantabulous!
by P. Pitstop
This memoir of a young, gay, boy coming to terms with his sexuality, and as he becomes a man, is so beautifully written. Simon is a wordsmith at his best! Totally honest, evocative, sad, upsetting, funny, hilarious….there are so many adjectives to describe my feelings on reading this, his second, book. Along with “That Boy” this book needs to be in public libraries everywhere.
Simon provides a glorious snapshot into a forgotten world.
by C. J. DeBarra
Simon is an incredible storyteller. He has the ability to make you feel as if you have travelled back in time and also, you are standing right beside him in the room. His family members and friends burst out from the pages in hilarious yet poignant stories that help to ultimately shape Simon’s own development through the years.
You can’t help but feel envious of the decadent clubs of Nottingham’s olden-
For anyone interested in history, this book gives an intense insight into the effects of the demolition of St.Ann’s in the 1960s and 70s. While the physical effects of the changing landscape are often documented, Simon’s book shows the emotional upheaval of the quest for modernity at any cost.
Simon provides a glorious snapshot into a forgotten world –
I find myself waiting for volume three as I have to know the next chapter and the next….
As a side note, the book is also a wonderful way to build a banging playlist such is Simon’s attention to detail with the music. Make sure you grab a copy and have your Spotify open at the same time!
Such a detailed amazingly written book.
by Kevin Sawka
I just finished Simon Smalley’s new Memoir, Volume Two…Chucking Putty At The Queen…and Simon, you’ve done it again. What a fun, sad, unbelievably detailed book…literally full of surprises.
The fact that Simon grew up in Nottingham in the 70’s and 80’s with such family support around him is quite astonishing.
Chapter after chapter was such a fun read…learning in detail his life’s journeys as well as getting a history lesson on growing up in Nottingham…I was surprised to learn so many things about the times Simon grew up in. Such a detailed, amazingly written book…it’s one you definitely don’t want to end and are hoping for the next journey in his life.
The way Simon writes about his childhood and being able to recall so many memories is quite unique and makes for a one of a kind book to read. So glad that that the book ended on a happy note after all of the hardship Simon went through growing up.
We shared Volume One with our friends and family and will also share Volume Two…but we want the hard copies back for our home collection of books you never want to let go.
Looking forward to Volume Three…just wish Simon was like a lot of other successful writers who can put out their books so quickly…it’ll be difficult waiting for the next Volume.
I definitely recommend this book to everyone, but especially to us who grew up in the same era as Simon and his family….just WOW!!!
Simon stood up for who he was.
by Madeleine Sundström
What better spring Sunday than finishing “Chucking Putty At The Queen”.
It has been a real journey to follow Simon Smalley and for example find out how to survive when he grew up losing his mother but who fortunately had the most amazing father who was his greatest comfort and always by his side. It has been tearful many times but also laughter and admiration.
Simon stood up for who he was and what was right in his opinions regardless of bullies and horrible people who tried to bring him down. Finishing this book with a big smile on my face was what I really wanted from when I started reading “That Boy Of Yours Wants Looking At”.
Thank you Simon for sharing your life so openly and so truthfully, it has been absolutely amazing to have read both books.
Simon writes with such detail you are there with him.
by Marc Regan
Chucking Putty at the Queen the second book by Simon Smalley was my promised read when we were back in Belize.
The first book was a journey of Simon finding his way through childhood looking forward to his unknown future. Chucking Putty is much more adult looking back on his childhood. More introverted without the bullies and teachers but still with his supportive father who as you will discover had already fashioned friendships with gay couples. A man way ahead of his time and yet still in the era of a twinkling eye and a twisted mustache. Most often I found he was my favorite part of the book I hope to aspire to such love.
Simon writes his memories with such detail you are there with him in the house, the clubs, the shops, being English myself I understood the Chucking Putty title and it made me smile as did the latter half of the book as Simons grows stronger and more independent you feel it in his writing, the passages have a very different feel to them.
Grab a copy of both books and follow the journey of Simon and learn the trials and tribulations of growing up gay in 70s UK a grey place covered in glitter…
Redemption!!!! For Simon my favorite old tart, one day we will meet in the UK of that I am sure as we now wait for volume three!! Love ya!!
Explosively written and easy to read.
by Margery
I thought his first book ‘That Boy Of Yours Wants Looking At’ was a cracker of a read however Simon has excelled himself with this second book.
Explosively written and easy to read it took me through a whole raft of emotions. Laugh, cry, anger and much more. His ability to overcome adversity is truely phenomenal and his Dad shines out like a star. He describes the characters he meets along this path of his life in such rich detail that in my minds eyes I felt I was there with him.
I look forward eagerly to the next book.
Determination to be true to oneself despite great opposition.
by Chris Buck
I started my review to Simon’s first book by saying what a treat it was to have a memoir written by a working class gay boy like myself. Sequels to such memoirs must be as rare as hen’s teeth and I congratulate Simon on his determination to produce a whole sequence of books reflecting his life. I look forward to reading each one over the coming years.
This second volume overlaps with his formative years portrayed in the first installment. The content, however, is fresh and very readable. We hear more of his struggles following his mother’s early death, his body dysmorphia and the constant bullying. Added to this mix, as if things weren’t bad enough, Simon makes his way through life with a disability which was entirely avoidable had he had better medical treatment when younger.
Many from the LGBTQ+ community will identify with the bullying Simon receives from his peers, strangers and even his family. But the central relationship that enables him to soldier on is that which he has with his father. It is beautiful to see and I for one was very touched to witness it through Simon’s vivid pages.
The chapter about “Chucking Putty At The Queen” is particularly poignant as it is the only time we see father & son at odds with one another. Though disappointed, the father is very calm and forgiving, how I wish my own father had been more like that!
Other chapters I particularly enjoyed involved a holiday with well-
In the second part of this volume we hear of Simon’s liberation once he phones the local Gay Switchboard. This will resonate with many gay men from those times as every city back then had its own switchboard and associated social group.
On my own part I was a contemporary of Simon having contacted Nottingham Switchboard at a similar time and having joined the group that became known as “NoGSoG”, Nottingham Gay Social Group! I’m the Chris who congratulates Simon on becoming legal (albeit partially) via a 21st birthday card!
Because of this I probably get more out of the passages about life out on the Nottingham Gay Scene back then. I found it uncanny, the details Simon includes sparking off many of my own memories, reforming gradually as I read. But I always enjoy Simon’s descriptive passages even about the most insignificant little things, they evoke the times many will recall.
But this is not only a book for the Gay Men of back then, it’s of interest to all in my view. Simon’s new life is far from plain sailing and he has his peaks and troughs like anyone else. The book ends very positively, father and son as strong as ever and a promising new relationship.
People will enjoy this book if they like to see people triumph over adversity. Determination to be true to oneself despite great opposition. Unconditional love from father to son, and son to father. Each carried out actions to protect the other or to ease the life of the other. There’s also the message to not settle for second best!
It would be an easy book to put a soundtrack to as Simon refers to the music of the time throughout. The way the book is written pays homage to the literature Simon has read throughout his life. I like that it’s not about “kiss and tell” or “bump and grind” but it is about relationships. Those that blot our lives v. those that bring us the joy!
A look through the dedications at the front of the book reveals some of the influences on the author’s life. The gratitude expressed to nearest and dearest shows a thankful person appreciative of those who gave him so much.
We all need such steadfast support and we all should offer it.
Another thrilling instalment.
by Sarah Blake
A courageous, heroic tale of survival.
by Paul Johnstone
This book is the second instalment of Simon Smalley’s memoirs which cover his experiences of growing up in a tough working class Nottinghamshire neighbourhood with all its attendant deprivations and hardships made easier by the wonderful nurturing unconditional love of a fabulous father.
Without giving away too many “spoilers” Simon’s memoirs will make you laugh and cry and get angry and disgusted at the way some people in his life have behaved towards him. But that didn’t stop Simon from becoming the man he was destined to be.
My take on the two instalments of Simon’s memoirs is essentially that they constitute a courageous, heroic tale of survival. And, they are a memoir of love – the tragic loss of a beloved mother, the fabulous open hearted generosity and patience of a loving father and Simon’s own quest for true love in the sometimes cruel, hostile but also hilariously fun-filled thrilling world he navigated as a gay teenage boy in Nottingham. All of this accompanied by an amazing recollection of factual details set to an inspirational musical soundtrack.
I really hope that the books are soon transferred to our TV screens because Simon’s young life had more than its fair share of tragedy but was also filled with yearning, pathos, courage, ambition and love: the essential ingredients in any engaging dramatic representation of a person’s struggle through life. This is certainly a tale to be told akin to Quentin Crisp’s magnificently poignant The Naked Civil Servant but this time from the point of view of a rather more butch and masculine provincial working class gay perspective.
And, there are also moments of genuine fun and hilarity – I thought the “Chucking Putty at the Queen” title would be a reference to a cruel childhood incident with Simon being on the receiving end of some homophobic bully but I was so very wrong about that in the best possible way!
And, as with all great heroic tales, there is a love story at the heart of Simon’s journey which is a bright beacon of hope determinedly shining through the darker years of endurance until he meets his tall, dark handsome soulmate. If you want to know more buy the book – you won’t be disappointed. I’m certainly looking forward to reading episode number three.
Simon has done it again.
by Finn
His memoirs should be serialised on TV.
by Howardy
An anthem to being different.
by Mark Wallis
Author Simon Smalley never really comes out of the closet – a character this colourful could never be contained by social convention. From his sanctuary of glam rock and punk music, he plots his escape from his teenage loneliness and blossoms onto the Nottingham scene.
Simon’s early years are an immersive, high-definition rollercoaster of rich detail, but total recall can be a curse as well as a blessing. Bullying is always shocking, and all the more disturbing when the victim is a vulnerable person, but the drama peaks with the title scene. Thrilling and hilarious, the tension snaps and our hero commits an actual act of treason!
The all-encompassing memory is real, and I personally melted when the humble paper flags from seaside gift shops in the 1970s are pictured alongside the plastic ribbon-tails of kites and red metal spades. All those details which were lost in the blur of the past are pulled into sharp focus, making this memoir a formidable time machine.
Grief and loss weave through the pages, but resilience and a strong spirit triumph as Simon hacks a path through bigotry and intolerance with the help of his fantastic father and the memories of his beloved mother. It’s a bumpy ride, balanced by an unexpected ending, and I’m waiting for book three!
An anthem to being different.
Finding his tribe.
by Sinéad Beverland
Simon’s vivid recollection of his youth is astonishing and in this second volume of his memoirs, he yet again tells his story with such rich description and emotion that you can’t help but be swept along for the ride. Painful and heartfelt in equal measure. From youthful self-discovery to his first tentative steps into adulthood and finding his tribe, you’re urging him on to success and keen to discover what awaits around the next corner!