My name is Iain CM Gray and I am a writer (Amazon author page -relinks.me/IainCMGray) I am also known as The Broadband Busker (find me on YouTube @TheBroadbandBusker). I was born in Greenock, Scotland in 1968, and I started the process of moving away from my home town in my early 20’s.
My relationship to Greenock has been somewhat of a rollercoaster, and this is explored, in part, in my book, Zombies Wha Hae (the book is set there in the mid 80’s). I finally ended up staying in London, full time, in 1996ish. I shall be returning to Scotland when I can finally afford to retire.
In terms of the creative arts, my first love was music. The foundations of my tastes in music were set by my father and my Uncle Dougie (Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Who and various others) but when I was 16, after hearing Never Mind the Bollocks, I turned punk. Also when I was 16, I bought Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (mostly to try to impress the pretty cashier in the bookshop) and my love of literature was born (it didn’t work with the cashier BTW).
Drug and alcohol addictions during the 90’s really messed about with my creative output. I spent a few years busking while indulging with substances. I thoroughly enjoyed busking, but eventually my addictions took over, became all consuming, and killed and creativity I had. I ended up selling my guitar to fund my addictions,. Life for me, and those around me, got pretty dark.
I found recovery in 1998 and immersed myself in various 12 step fellowships. I no longer attend meetings but 12 step philosophy remains a cornerstone of my life. I dabbled with writing at varying times throughout my recovery, but due to the busyness of life my creative pursuits often ended up on the back burner. What I lacked was a definite motivation, a reason to create. This changed when I read Lonely Boy by Steve Jones. There is a passage in the narrative where Steve talks about his career, his recovery, and his mental health. He was trying to achieve success and critical acclaim after The Sex Pistols, and it was a massive struggle for him. Steve ended up concluding that doing something creative was an end in and of itself. Put simply, being involved in a creative process made him a happier person. This for me was a light bulb moment, and I took to creating again with a passion.
So, I started writing seriously in 2017. In 2023 I got myself a nice new guitar and started making music again. I will admit, I’m not 100% sure why I decided to share my work with the world, I guess I just wanted to see if I could. Earning a bit of pocket money from my work is but a side benefit, but it is of course all very much appreciated.
