SHORT STORY REVIEW NICHOLAS HOGG – GIMME DANGER 2009 PUNK FICTION Portico Press
Hogg’s story is one of the most obviously fictional takes on the post punk World created in this collection of reflections on Britain in the early 80’s. It also touches on bases similar to those of the movie, This Is England.
This is the story of a troubled young lad, a pre-teen with a bitter relationship with a brutal, indifferent father. The boy takes his frustrations out in acts of petty arson-vandalism, including setting fire to local garden sheds.
His antics draw the attention of spiteful aggressive bullies, with one thug in particular, sadistically setting his dog on the boy.
Fleeing from such an attack, the kid meets a group of punks who hang out by a riverbank. His maverick indifference gains him their respect – they have been through that and emerged more jaded now, but his spirited anger inspires them.
They take him to an old abandoned, condemned and derelict warehouse, where they play around with fireworks. Their antics attract the bully and his dog, and the boy seizes a chance for revenge though he knows it could bring him a great deal of trouble later.
A caring story about understanding between harsh aggressive people in a dog eats dog, survival of the fittest community.
The title is taken from an Iggy Pop song, a pun on the Rolling Stones title, Gimme Shelter – the punks sought no escape from the storm and danger – they embraced it.
Arthur Chappell