Viral banned list which featured 'flat cap coke fiend' inspires a book
The list from the Half Moon pub in Herne Hill has been viewed thousands of times due to its unconventional collection of unwelcome customers, including ‘one armed Kieth’, ‘Mickey Two Suits’, ‘Crazy Linda’ and ‘flat cap coke fiend.’
John Mitchinson, co-founder of crowdfunding publisher Unbound announced on Twitter he wanted to publish a collection of stories, set to be called Still Barred, based on the list and has since recruited 24 authors for the project, some of whom have written best-selling books.
I want @unbounders to turn the Half Moon barred list into a book of short stories. Volunteers? No time wasters. pic.twitter.com/tNkpaGVti8
— John Mitchinson (@johnmitchinson) April 15, 2016
Beautiful idea - new @Unbounders book of short stories inspired by the recently viral barred list from the Half Moon https://t.co/Nxh5r0qJ3x
— Pete Brown (@PeteBrownBeer) April 21, 2016
On its Unbound page the campaign said: “Some of the contributing writers are well known; others are less well known. What unites them is that they were all on Twitter that Friday afternoon, and they were all inspired by one remarkable sheet of paper. Surely this must be a first: a whole book commissioned in an afternoon?
“And now you can help make the book become a reality and get your name in the back. It will contain 25 stories, each one inspired by the names on the list. The collection will be introduced by Rumer, the singer songwriter and regular at the Half Moon, who first shared the list and inadvertently provoked a sensation.”
If the book is successfully funded, Mitchinson has pledged to hold the launch party at the Half Moon, which has been closed for over two years but was recently bought by Fuller’s.
Fuller’s plans to replace the pub’s live music area with a larger kitchen were given the go-ahead earlier this month despite some opposition from locals who argued it should be reopened as a music pub.
The pub company said it was ‘delighted’ about returning the Half Moon to its former glory and said it was expected to re-open by early autumn 2016.
