Take a Long Hard Look at Your Shelf: Stanley Odd's Dave Hook

What's the most precious book on your shelf?

The weird thing is that I don’t have a set answer that’s unlikely to change over time. What I’ve found is that I’ve definitely got a type of book. A book that’s been a big inspiration and I think about a lot is Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel from the 1950s. I first read it in my teens and I’ve read it a couple of times since. It’s got drama and in terms of action and engaging with the characters from a purely storytelling level you’re engrossed. But then it's also got the alternative reality, which looks more now like a prophecy. That kind of writing – 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Iain Banks and Douglas Copeland – I feel really inspired by. I used the line '451 Fahrenheit' in Day 3 [the final track on Stanley Odd’s Reject album].

That type of metaphorical title is something I think about sometimes for songs. You can form titles just from something you sing in the chorus, but at times you want something else, so people have to think ‘what does that mean? How is it related?’

What’s the best book on your shelf to be given to you by someone else? 

A lot of my favourite books have been given to me or recommended by other people. One recently was Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, given to me by my friend Jenny, [Stanley Odd guitarist] Rune’s wife, because we were asked to write something about Mandela for a book festival, and I didn’t have a real knowledge of him as a man; obviously you know the headlines. That along with Brian Filling’s book about Glasgow’s anti-Apartheid movement (The End of a Regime), those two books were core to the piece we wrote. It’s awe inspiring stuff.

Which book on your shelf would you most like to give to others? For what reason?

Although I’ve never given it to anyone I think The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is a book I probably do recommend to people. I’d never really realised how much of an influence it would have on me and then I’m amazed how many times it pops up in things we do. It’s a really important story but it's a really unassuming way of explaining capitalism and socialism, the whole thing that working class people don’t necessarily think they deserve any more than they get.

Which book has been most inspirational to you, both personally and professionally? 

I keep coming back to the dystopian novel but I love stories that parody society and also create an awareness of how bizarre real life is. Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams are two of my favourite authors. It’s a vehicle to point out the ridiculous stuff that happens in the real world. But I’m also just a sucker for a really good story.

Are ebooks a threat to your bookshelf?

I don’t think so, no. Looking from a musical perspective, music’s been digitised for even longer and people's physical music collections are disappearing but I think what happens is that you still collect your favourite records and limited editions and stuff. I’ve got a Kindle on my phone and I read books on that, but I also still buy books. It’s a two tier system I suppose.

What book is missing from your shelf which you know you need to add?

I was reading about Emile Zola’s Germinal. It might be about the brutality of coal mining in France in the 1800s but there’s a hell of a lot of commonalities across European countries, so that’s somebody I’ve never read but would like to.