Having now finished Jonathan Durden's first novel I can report back on more echoes of the real world within its pages, which I have to admit were very easy to turn.
First of all, don't read on if you don't want to know some of the details of what happens in the book.
Only two real-world media characters appear under their own names in Essex, Drugs and Rock'n'Roll as far as I can tell: Tom Toumazis of Disney, and Mirror Group Newspapers and Media Week's own David Emin. They appear fleetingly as fellow diners lunching at media haunt St Alban. Durden's good friend Emin is described rather unflatteringly as, "a short man resembling Morocco Mole from the 60s Secret Squirrel cartoon"...
More characters that might have echoes of real-life people work at lead character Mark Cohen's ad agency BC (shortened from Bond Craze, named after the founders Andrew Bond - "God" - and Patrick Craze - "the Devil"). They include S&M-loving head of global account management Julia Hardy-Roberts, who agency deputy chairman Cohen has a torrid affair with and who ultimately negotiates the acquisition of BC having moved to Interpublic Group. Then there's Cohen's glamorous PA Ellie, who dispenses favours out on the fire escape, and sexy, middle-aged receptionist Cherry.
I previously reported on a character called "Derek Peterson", which apparently was the in-house nickname of one of Durden's fellow founders of media agency PHD. Later in the book, it transpires that wide boy Peterson resides in a mansion called "Wattapenis Palace"... There is no sign in the book of characters called Julian Dorking or Neil Hunter, however.
I will leave any analysis of possible self-redemption in the novel to others, but for anyone interested in advertising and media, or black comedies, I would recommend it as a fun read - especially the description of a pitch for Primo bleach.
