Who is Stuart Vallantine?

Stuart Vallantine is a performance poet and visual artist. Born in 1979, Stuart’s drawings and poetry offers its readers and viewers unique perspective. Most of his drawings are a marriage of the mathematical and artistic form, heavily influenced by post 1945 architecture, hellish town planning and the architectural styles of Womersley and Wilson, G. Noel Hill and Lord Foster.

Regarded as “autistic” and “hyperactive” in his very early years, Stuart was diagnosed in 1986 with Semantic Pragmatic Language Disorder. Within that period, he gained an interest in public transport, which persists to this today. His specialist areas are ‘Greater Manchester Transport 1974 – 86’, post deregulation bus operators and post Beeching era British Rail.

January 2006 saw the opening of the Stuart Vallantine web experience. This website, in the 1974 – 80 Greater Manchester Transport livery is a showcase for his poetry, drawings and longer articles.

He has also contributed to Asperger Syndrome and Employment: Adults Speak Out About Asperger Syndrome, released in March 2008 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

The Stuart Vallantine web experience address is http://www.stuartvallantine.co.uk

Favourite song (all time): Take the Long Way Home, Supertramp (1979).

Favourite LPs (all time):

1. Crime of the Century, Supertramp (1974);
2. Images, Boarshurst Silver Band (2017);
3. Architecture and Morality, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1981);
4. Breakfast in America, Supertramp (1979);
5. Out of the Blue, Electric Light Orchestra (1977);
6. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Genesis (1974);
7. Urge For Offal, Half Man Half Biscuit (2014);
8. Then There Were Three, Genesis (1978);
9. Red Mecca, Cabaret Voltaire (1981);
10. Open The Door, Roger Hodgson (2000).

Likes:

• Post-1945 architecture;
• Real ale and real pubs with character;
• Anything with Peter Kay in;
• Greater Manchester Transport, its predecessors and forerunners;
• Stalybridge Celtic A.F.C.;
• The Guardian and the Daily Mirror newspapers;
• Single malt whiskies (Islay malts especially);
• Maps, especially Ordnance Survey ones and Goad plans;
• A good mug of Yorkshire Tea.

Dislikes:

• Delayed public transport services;
• All forms of privatisation and unnecessary contraction of the public sector;
• The Trafford Centre;
• The Daily Mail or any other right-wing newspaper;
• The X Factor;
• Plastic pubs serving only keg lagers;
• The M6 motorway on a bad day (especially between Knutsford and Keele services).

First record: The Holiday Tape (a cheesy compilation album from 1987).

Last record purchased: The Very Best of the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, Grimethorpe Colliery Band (© 1977 Decca Records) – a charity shop purchase featuring the South Yorkshire band, conducted by Elgar Howarth.

Favourite colour: orange (Greater Manchester Transport of course). Especially with brown and white.

Favourite quote: ‘You know where you are with a Hi-Viz jacket’.

Worst quote: the price of an off-peak return from Stalybridge to Huddersfield.

Worst nightmare: post-Brexit Britain with a permanent Tory government (“We’re already there…” – Ed) and every train being replaced by bus replacement services.

Rule of Six Compliant Dinner Party Guests:

My five Dinner Party guests (“Well, once we get into Tier One, of course…” – Ed).

1. Les Sutton: always great for any anecdotes on local non-league football of a Tameside nature.
2. Joe Biden: at one time, Barack Obama’s running mate. Now the present-day President of the United States.
3. Roger Hodgson: founder member of Supertramp (1969 – 1983), and a fantastic solo artiste in his own right.
4. Maxine Peake: great actor (as seen in Dinnerladies and Mike Leigh’s Peterloo), politically similar to yours truly.
5. Jane McDonald: for a bit of Yorkshire charm, some great travel stories and (possibly) entertainment. Mum would be pleased.

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