I often travel into the city by train and have almost an hour to fill in. When the trains are busy during peak hour I usually read a book but when it is quieter I sometimes make a book.
This is my most recent. I had already made the small blank concertina book at home, knowing I wanted to use the loudspeaker messages that are part of the train experience. I used some pianola paper to join the pages together as they too had a stake in making sound.
The concertina book gives the feeling of a continuous journey and was written and drawn on during the trip. The blue bumpy lines are the result of the movement of the train and the text deals with the "train voices". Being a quiet time in the quiet carriage I had a seat to myself and not many curious on-lookers.
Most of the messages are pre-recorded and mechanical safety reminders but some involve the driver himself. These are usually boring, mumbled monotones but occasionally a driver puts a bit of expression and change of tone into his delivery - a bit of a showman.
This little book is a light-hearted look at some of these interruptions we have to listen to, in the quiet carriage.
Still, it's much better than many simultaneous mobile phone conversations you are likely to hear in a regular carriage. Bring on the DJ train driver!
