James Mellan on his hometown - incest capital of Europe, his ex-band ‘Neo Cavemen’ and his obsession with conspiracy theories

An interview with fellow journalism student James Mellan.

When asked to name any appealing features about the place he has lived in for the past 19 years, James thinks for a moment and then puts forward his most interesting fact - the small town possesses the highest proportion of incest births in Europe. 

James also confesses that St Helens has a high crime rate. He recalls that it used to be known for its glass industry and mining but today, is renowned for being home to St Helens Rugby team and having an ongoing rivalry with Wigan Warriors. However, he assures none of St Helens’ characteristics feature in his own life.

by SPW/

James changes subject matter to discuss his love of music. He boasts of how he used only his passion for music to learn how to play the guitar, being influenced by his friends and his favourite bands, of which ‘Pink Floyd’ comes top. 

In 2008 ‘Neo Cavemen’ was born, a punk band formed of four best mates, in which James played lead guitar. After 18 months of playing covers in local bars and landing a gig at Red Festival, the band finally split over “musical differences”.

Only have I just received my first copy of the Prestonian, have I opened the page to find that it is the last edition to be produced in printed format and in future it will be produced online instead. But how will my Grandad know when the annual Egg Rolling fair is being held? Not to worry, on page 6, there's an advertisement for "Free Computer Tuition For Beginners".

Internet 1. Magazine 0.

What's next for Journalism?

I think print journalism will continue to decline and to be honest, I can’t see it being around for much longer. And for my fellow students who say they still enjoy a good old paper, well, you ought to, you study journalism. For every other student, who isn’t interested in becoming a journalist, this type of news consumption just doesn’t happen. I’ve worked in many young social places like pubs and gyms, and your average conversation covers topics such as “pakis” are taking our jobs and Blackpool F.C is scum. These are not the opinions of people who read The Times every morning.

Therefore, journalism needs to continue to progress with the generation and we need to stop trying to cling on to old traditions. UK journalism often puts people into two groups: old and dull or young and stupid. Although a young chap from work thought Gaddafi was the monkey from Lion King, I do believe proper news should be made more accessible to young people and they can't just be fed sensationalised nonsense. If making BBC Breakfast into Brunch will cater for the lazy, or if having Harry Potter-esque newspapers with moving images will attract the dreamers, that’s where we should be heading.

I’m excited about the future of journalism. With each new technological advance, we’re making news “cool”, and opening it out to a wider audience. I yearn for the day, where I can talk about the popularity of Barack Obama without having to add, you know, the hot black president…