The Background
At the time of the global financial crisis in 2008, I had been working as a freelance commercial designer for well over a decade. The banks had always been regular clients and virtually overnight that seam of work dried up. Not only that, the knock-on effects of the crash made other businesses tighten their belts. I went from having a steady supply of work to having none at all. So I started writing.
I found the stories behind the reckless and unscrupulous practices of the bankers, typified in Britain by RBS's Fred Goodwin, as well as the massive fraud committed by American financier Bernard Madoff, to be excellent material for satire and I followed the revelations closely in the news. These outrageous acts of greed and mismanagement, combined with the rise of the right-wing Tea Party movement in the US, a supposedly grassroots campaign that was actually driven by a hidden, powerful elite, are what inspired me to write 'The Unbearable Stupidity Of Being'.
The novel took me three years to complete and by the time I did, the characters I'd invented were so clear in my head that I wrote a second novel, 'Six Degrees Of Stupidity' (published in 2021), in half that time using the same central figures.
Why did it take me so long to publish the first book? I had to return to commercial design and I also became hugely distracted by the Scottish independence movement with its referendum in 2014. You may be familiar with my weekly cartoons which were published in The National from 2014 until 2020, when covid-19 took its toll on newspaper sales. The cartoons continue and I've never missed a week since 2012, but for the last four years I've self-published. (See gregmoodie.com)
So this fundraiser is not just about getting a book out, it's about helping me continue my ongoing - and unique - contribution to the independence movement. The parties may be down, but the movement is still alive and well.
The Story
It’s midwinter and chronic underachiever Tony Boaks becomes involved with a group of disgraced bankers who, following the financial crash, have decided to operate underground. They persuade Tony and his unrequited love, LaFlamme, to front their arm’s-length political party, duping them into believing their self-serving, world-dominating ideology would be beneficial for all.
At the same time, Tony is trying to unravel the mystery surrounding ‘The Order Of The Absolute Self,’ a secret brotherhood of supremely selfish individuals whose insignia he has been commissioned, but is struggling, to rework.
A biting satire on politics and greed, The Unbearable Stupidity Of Being charts one hopeless man’s search for meaning in a world that seems determined not to reveal one.
The Funding
A lot of work has gone into this project. As well as being the book's author, I'm also the publisher, editor, typesetter and designer. But I'm not asking you to fund the time it took to produce; only the costs associated with printing, along with a little support for the weekly cartoons. I believe the best - and it seems the only - way to fund my projects is to do it independently. That means asking you directly.
The Perks
In return, you can expect a signed first edition copy of the 256-page paperback book (197mm x 132mm, approximately 8" x 5"), printed in Scotland by Bell & Bain Ltd. Additional perks include T-shirts, hand painted prints and full-size screenprinted acrylic painted canvases, all based on my front cover artwork. (See images above and click on the individual perks on the right for details.)
The Impact
According to the publisher of my 2018 book 'Cool Scots', satire is a rare breed in Scottish literature. It may be that some books never see the light of day or get the attention they deserve due to the ongoing difficulty artists face trying to fund their work. Your support is vital. Every contribution will help bring this odd little gem to life and show that Scotland can produce genuinely funny satirical fiction.
Other Ways You Can Help
Please share this campaign widely. Satire and fantasy are both essential for the world's mental health, especially in these trying political times. Thank you, as always, for your contributions.