Meet Joe Stretch

JOE STRETCH is a man who wears many hats. You have to be these days to get published in an industry that rewards book deals only to celebrities, people who have sex with celebrities, or those who cook for celebrities.

It isn’t enough that Stretch is a young and talented writer, because you can’t hear about his writing without the next sentence being about his role as singer/songwriter in (We Are) Performance. When that wears off, you need look no further than the jacket of his first novel Friction and watch the accolades roll in. Some have called Stretch the re-incarnation of Burgess, as well as the lovechild of Martin Amis and Angela Carter who was left on Houellebecq’s doorstep.

Such hype and praise for such a young and multi-talented man also brings with it an instant dislike from a minority of people, but Stretch doesn’t mind that either. He’s already moved on. As his first novel is being introduced in bookshops all over the country, Stretch is already putting the finishing touches to his next novel in what has become a backlog of works ready for the next lines of praise or panning. The great thing about Stretch is that his evolution and maturity as a writer has no dependence on what the rest of us think of him. It’s the work that means the most to him.

The one problem with talking to someone who moves and matures so quickly is that when his book comes out at age twenty-five, having written it at 21, there is that immediate cringe factor at the possible juvenility of one’s work. “I’m pleased to have put down a piece of reckless juvenile fiction,” Stretch says, “but I won’t be doing that again!” he follows with confidence. For Stretch it has, and always will be, about putting down great work that he is proud of, and that is to be admired coming from someone so young. “I feel extremely lucky this [being published] happened early to give one a perspective on publication. It has hardened my ambition to just create great work. The temporary winds [of praise and hype] that blow rubbish around our heads will blow away and settle, and what’s left will be body of work.”

Stretch has never really left Manchester since coming to study here eight years ago. He was an undergraduate at The University of Manchester and studied for his Masters in Politics and Cultural theory until suspending his studies after his band received a recording contract. He now works with young writers here at the University as a writing Fellow.

Manchester is important to Stretch’s life but it is also an important character in Friction. “I think [Friction] is relevant to now, and is relevant to young people. People in Fallowfield, it should be mandatory that they read it,” Stretch states. “You shouldn’t be allowed to come to The University of Manchester without reading Friction.” At first it’s a shock to hear these words and you may quickly think that Stretch’s cocksureness has turned to egomania, but once you’ve started into the book, you’ll quickly see that this is a book written for the young citizens of Manchester. The raw energy will keep them reading and the black satire will not be lost on them. The outrageous youths that inhabit the novel won’t seem so far fetched to the student population that the book is aimed at.

At 25 Stretch already has what many studying on the Creative Writing MA course may spend their whole lives searching for, but it hasn’t made him complacent. He’s recording albums, finishing up second, third, and fourth novels, and making himself available to young writers; offering advice and a unique perspective on the industry considering his age. His career will be one to follow in the coming years, if we can keep up.