Around a year ago an old friend of mine got in touch. We hadn’t spoken in over fifteen years and it was as we caught up over coffee that a baton story started by Michael Moorcock in The Guardian came up. I’d written part four and it turns out that Steve had written part six.

Small fucking world.

When we knew each other as teenagers I guess we were both working on our escape routes. For Steve it was music. And it was always obvious he was gonna break out. My own path seemed a little more muddled. We were in a band together for the briefest of moments – I think it was Steve who forced me to buy a bass guitar. What I really remember about that time is that I was more intent on writing about the music than learning how to play it. My bass fell to another friend with a natural ability and that was that.

We won’t mention my singing for Iron Hell.

Steve’s done a lot of cool stuff in the intervening years – including finding a wife smarter than either of us. One of the many things he’s up to right now includes radio drama. And wouldn’t you know it they’re also blowing the doors off the process:

After many queries about just how one goes about making a drama from start to finish, I shall, as producer and director, along with the writer, Michelle Lipton sound designer/editor Eloise Whitmore and composer Stephen Kilpatrick share this process with you

So now you have something else to keep an eye on.

Now I’ve paid Steve back for the bass and shouting at me for messing up ‘Motorbreath’ by getting him on Twitter. And we’re talking about writing something together again.

Probably not with Michael Moorcock this time, but you never know.