Durden's magnum opus echoes the real world

1367855 — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 08:47:00 GMT

One of the fun things about reading media legend Jonathan Durden's first novel is trying to work out which bits are fact and which bits are fiction.

The same applies to some of the characters in the book, which are often thinly veiled caricatures of people who may or may not exist in the real world.

Durden's magnum opus, Essex, Drugs & Rock'n'Roll, is out at the start of July. The lead character, Mark Cohen, is a 40-year-old advertising executive with "a lifestyle to die for and enough designer trappings to pass any Essex bling audit". Remind you of anyone?

I have only read the first few chapters so far, but I was particularly taken with another character, called "Derek Peterson", who is introduced to the reader early in the piece. I couldn't help thinking this guy might bear some resemblance to a certain well-known agency colleague of Jonathan's in his days at PHD, but then I read the description of "Derek":"If Danny DeVito had ever successfully mated with a Bee Gee, Derek would have been the result. Short, fat and bald, he wore white suits and high-neck shirts with vast, brightly coloured lapels. His belt buckle was custom-made and had 'Bite Me' inscribed on it in giant gold letters, while his underpants bore the legend 'Beware, long vehicle'."

Hmm, maybe not. Or maybe it's a private joke between the two of them. Either way, the book looks like a lot of fun and I will report back with any other interesting echoes of the real media world as I read on.

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Durden's magnum opus echoes the real world