Books worth reading #24 - 'The sing-along-a-Wicker-Man Scrapbook' by David Bramwell

I've known David now for quite a few years and every single one of his books has been a real treat. David likes to delve into the esoteric and the curious, particularly how it relates to local traditions and folklore. He's fascinated by ancient beliefs, but equally delighted to hear about modern eccentricities and what many would see as follies. 

He's travelled te world in search of Utopia, he's gone on a quest to discover the origins of a haunted moustache, he's co-created a podcast tracing the ancient route of Watling Street, and he created the Catalyst Club in Brighton where people can deliver talks on any subject of their choosing - from werewolf porn to urban camping on roundabouts to the debt that the history of rock and pop has to pay to the humble cowbell. 

I've featured his books here and here.

And now I have my hands on his latest, The sing-along-a-Wicker-Man Scrapbook: In search of the Pagan heart of Britain.

Here's the blurb: 

'Since 2010 David Bramwell has been performing as Lord Summerisle in Sing-Along-A-Wicker-Man, a show that attracts more than its fair share of pagans, despite the film's portrayal of them as a homicidal cult. Across history and culture in the West, pagans have invariably been portrayed as purveyors of the dark arts. But what is it that has led us to demonise a way of life that honours nature and gave us such beloved festivals as May Day, Halloween and Yuletide? 

In this entertaining and thought-provoking 'scrapbook', Bramwell unravels the history of The Wicker Man and its irreverent and popular sing-along and charts how, despite an unpromising start, the film's current status as an iconic cult means that it has been referenced everywhere from comedy shows and a Radiohead video to a homespun Muppets comic book remake. Undertaking a quest to understand our relationship with paganism in contemporary culture, Bramwell hangs out with druids at Glastonbury, rewrites the 'unholy trinity' of folk horror, participates in May Day rituals and meets The Wicker Man's Robin Hardy and musician Julian Cope, revealing an island still alive with rituals and traditions that the author himself will come to fully embrace.'

It's a great read, charming funny and informative. Plus, of course, it does revolve around a favourite film of mine.

Highly recommended.