MJKE WOOD
Science Fiction &
Fantasy Writer
M u s i c
Mjke spends his non-writing time playing saxophone and clarinet, and has appeared in several local bands, including several years as lead alto sax with the Merseyside Big Band. He is pictured on the right (arm raised) during filming for a BBC drama production, a series called Moving On. This episode was called The Test, and starred Corin Redgrave (in one of his last rolls) and Hannah Gordon.
Mike also plays in pit orchestras from time to time, backing shows such as West Side Story, Copacabana, Singing in the Rain, Anything Goes and many many others.
Several of Mjke's stories feature music and musicians.
Read Dead Man's Shoes in the March 2012 edition of New Myths.com.
Also, in Abyss and Apex, the collision of music, faith and mathematics in The Third Attractor
How do the two disciplines of music and writing fit together?
"It is surprising how many writers are musicians and vice versa. The two activities complement one another perfectly. Writing is lonely, and feedback (if any) is delayed by many months. But writing endures. What I write today might still be read and enjoyed for many years.
Music, on the other hand, is ephemeral. When I play an improvised solo it is out there for just a fleeting moment then gone, forever, never to be repeated. But the feedback is immediate. There is either applause or there isn't. You can sense if it is going down well as soon as you start to blow."