​COFFINMAKER’S BLUES BY STEPHEN VOLK - BOOK REVIEW

Review based on the ARC text of the book

Stephen Volk has proven to be a dream interview subject - honest, open, and never afraid of ‘going deep’ in terms of talking both process and subject matter. It’s been a huge perk of writing for this site that I’ve been able to ‘discuss’, via written questions and answers, so much of Volk’s recent prose and TV output. Click through any of the links above and I think you’ll immediately get a sense of what I mean; the sheer generosity of the man with both his time and thoughts.

I mention all this because Coffinmaker’s Blues in many ways exemplifies that same generosity of spirit and ruthless dedication to honesty. Fifteen years of non-fiction, writing  columns for Black Static (and featuring a brand new, utterly essential essay on the state of play in 2019), represented by over fifty pieces that cover an incredible range of topics, from the state of the pop culture landscape (Hannibal and The Walking Dead become recurring reference points, as the essays proceed, as do musings on the present and future of the horror TV series as a format), to personal and professional influences (Dennis Wheately, Ken Russell, and Hitchcock all get their own essays), to real nuts and bolts stuff about process and career writing. 

It’s an intensely personal journey, with the above elements often interwoven as Volk describes his own writing journey through struggles with writer's block, crisis of confidence, the sinking dread caused by production notes… and, from time to time, the triumphs that make it all worthwhile. It’s intensely personal and autobiographical, with Volk frequently laying bare his own vulnerabilities and insecurities; at the same time, he’s not afraid to voice an opinion, or take a stand on issues he feels strongly about. One strand I found particularly interesting throughout was Volk wrestling with the tension between artistic freedom of expression and inclusivity; he has a strong, instinctive dislike of what he perceives as censorious attitudes, but also powerfully strong liberal instincts towards equality, inclusiveness, and combating prejudice. These are incendiary topics, and Volk navigates them with care, but more importantly with a questioning honesty that asks as much as it answers. His discussion of his occasional battles with confidence and writers block are also incredibly moving, at points; he disdains any kind of self pity, allowing instead the honest portrayal of his feelings to speak for themselves, and the essays are all the more powerful for that.

It’s far from all doom and gloom, though; Volk is a man clearly still passionate about and in love with movies and TV writing, and that passion is present throughout, whether railing against the lack of ambition in commissioning teams across the industry (alas, a constant bugbear), or falling in love with some sublime new film or show. And the essays where he revisits past masters for wisdom or inspiration are joys; Volk never ignores the flaws of his subjects, but nor does he allow them to be defined by them, or have them overwhelm the work as a whole. In doing so, he demonstrates again and again how flawed artists (and who among us is not etc.?) are still capable of making good, even great art, that speaks directly to the human condition. It should come as no surprise that the quality Volk seems to most admire in others work is the quality this book itself exemplifies; a warts-and-all, unvarnished commitment to honesty.

I found Coffinmaker's Blues to be essential reading; both as a book on writing craft and psychology, and, as a fan of Volk’s work, an opportunity to spend some quality time with the thoughts of a writer I respect and admire enormously. Highly recommended.

KP
30/6/19

Note: I will be interviewing Stephen Volk about Coffinmaker’s Blues in person at EdgeLit 8 in Derby, on 13th July. Tickets for the event are still available here: https://www.derbyquad.co.uk/whats-on/events/edge-lit-8