Interview With Author Denis Lipman
The following is an interview with Denis Lipman, author of A Yank Back to England: The Prodigal Tourist Returns.
Hello Melissa,
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to gab away with you on your smashing site, Smitten by Britain.
Welcome Denis! So what brought you to the States and how did you find the transition?
I’ve been living here almost 25 years now. Became a Yank, joined the club. Actually, I first came here in the Seventies, as a kid magician. I toured around the country, performing at various venues, and appeared at magicians’ conventions. I traveled on Greyhound, saw the country, met the people—loved both! And made oodles of money, too! Transitions? Don’t remember any transition issues, we speak the same language (kind of) and I grew up on American TV, movies, pop culture etc. Always amazed that someone in a movie could walk out of a house just wearing a tee-shirt, not having to put on a pullover or coat! So weather was quite something for me! At first, I was amazed by the heat, and loved the sunny days that lingered into the fall.
I came back in the Eighties for more opportunities, more options, better jobs, all of which I found in the Washington DC area. I had been based in DC as a magician, so I was familiar with the area. Also, I found the Source Theatre and the Arts Clubs of Washington, wonderful artistic outlets for my playwriting endeavors, the non-commercial stuff I wrote in the evenings.
Where did you meet your wife Frances?
In a bar! My production manager at the ad agency where I worked introduced us. I was coming from a rehearsal of one of my plays, actually, and almost didn’t go. As far as cultural differences go there were no problems, we connected pretty quickly. I was very impressed by what she had read, her world view, we both liked history and she didn’t like sports. And she must have liked me even though she refused to return to my lair for coffee and armagnac that evening….curses!
Did you always want to be a writer and do you have any formal training?
No. Formal training? None. I wanted to get a job in the movies. Very tough in Britain, as you can imagine. Anyway, through magic, I met an American filmmaker living in England, Cy Endfield, who made a very popular film in Britain called “Zulu.” He was a keen amateur magician and an inventor of card tricks. I wasn’t interested in the tricks but I was fascinated by film. Even then I was mentally “moving on” from the magic game. I asked Cy if he could get me a job, nothing grand, just making tea, sweeping up…anything to get me on a movie set. Impossible, he said, the unions have every job sewn up, can’t get it. The only way to get in, he said, was to “write a screenplay, build a project around that…get it produced…” He said this with a slight smile. Of course, he was being rather sarcastic, but I was nineteen and a bit naïve, so I took him at his word. I wrote a screenplay. And I sent it to him. A month later, he called me where I worked at the magic shop…told me the script had a lot of flaws but I had an ear for dialogue and the script was exciting and showed promise. Promise!
Dissolve a few years later, I had quit the magic game and was working for Cy. I started as his assistant then graduated to full-fledged writing partner. We had fun. We tried. Got close to that brass ring, but ultimately…I learnt enough to get out of movies. Fortunately other things were bubbling along. I wrote song lyrics, even ended up with a song on the Benny Hill Show. In fact, I lived on the royalty of one TV song for almost two years! Then I wrote a play, which was accepted by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Had a showcase in Stratford, became a member of the RSC writer’s workshop in London, I had another play seriously considered by the Royal Court. I also wrote and produced a kids’ album with Frankie Howard, Jack Wild, Derek Jacobi, and Victor Spinetti. I was on the cusp, as they say, had a lot of artistic irons in the fire. But sadly, they all fizzled out for one reason or another. Time to move on. Start again. And so ––America!
Where did you get the idea for a Yank Back to England?
Well, about six years ago, after a crushing blow on the theatre front here in the States, Frances said I should take a break from writing plays. How wise she is! My prescient wife suggested I should write up our travels to England in book form. Never written a book before. But I grudgingly wrote a bit, then Frances gave me the thumbs up, and bags of encouragement. And so, reluctantly at first, I ploughed on. Of course she is a marvelous line editor and saved me from all the grammatical stuff as well my own excesses and literary inadequacies. Then, quite unexpectedly, the story seemed to take over, as these things do, and to my surprise (or horror) the stars of the show became my funny folks and eccentric extended family. Who knew?
How does your family feel about the book?
Well it took so long (three years) to write, then two years to get published. In fact, it all took so long, I think my family forgot about it. Or thought it would never happen!
So, is it true you can take the boy out of Dagenham but you can’t take Daggers out of the boy?
Well, that old working class grit rises up on occasion, when I’m angry (not happy) or have a few too many (quite happy). Also I still have that working class fear of authority, the police, government officials, etc. Other than that, Dagenham stays in my past and I’m quite happy about that.
Is this your first book and how did you find the experience? Will you be writing another?
Yes, this is my first book. The experience has been quite exciting!
Another book? Yes! Well, I’ve been at work on a kids book. I’m writing it for our daughter Kate. She’s thirteen now, so it’s a young adult-type novel, an adventure thriller. So marvelous to invent and create and not just remember and recall! I’m having fun with it, hope Kate likes it, too! With luck it’ll be finished next year. I’ve been at working on it for about a year now, in between Yank Back things and trying to earn a living!
When and where will A Yank Back to England be available?
A Yank Back to England is in bookstores in DC and Maryland now, and Amazon and Politics & Prose are fulfilling orders just in time for Christmas (hint, hint!). As an added bonus P&P has autographed copies. And it should be in your favorite bookstore by the new year.
Thank you Denis for taking the time out of your busy promotion schedule to visit with my readers.
I would like to add that you can purchase Denis’ book now through my British Shoppe on the sidebar or by clicking on the link below.
Tomorrow, we’ll be hearing from Denis’ lovely wife Frances. In the meantime, watch Denis read another excerpt from his splendid book A Yank Back To England.
