Author Steven Bell talks about 'From Triumph to Tragedy: The Chapecoense Story' and 'Dynamite and Davey: The Explosive Lives of the British Bulldogs'
I sat down with Bell to learn more about his highly-praised books in an all-new Drew FC interview
Steven Bell is the author of three incredible sports books, and his work covers a diverse range of topics from football to pro wrestling to rugby. In all three books, Bell uses his fantastic writing ability to dig deep within complex stories to tell remarkable tales.
In 2019, Bell’s debut book, From Triumph to Tragedy: The Chapecoense Story was published by Pitch Publishing to rave reviews. A year later, Bell’s second release, The Man of All Talents: The Extraordinary Life of Douglas 'Duggy' Clark hit bookshelves everywhere. It told the slightly obscure tale of rugby player turned pro wrestler Douglas Clark.
More recently, in 2022, Pitch Publishing launched Bell’s third book, Dynamite and Davey: The Explosive Lives of the British Bulldogs. The biography focused on the lives and wrestling careers of two of Britain’s greatest exports, The Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith.
Since the publication of Dynamite and Davey, Bell has seen his profile in the world of sports literature grow, leading to guest appearances on Talk is Jericho along with universal praise from the wrestling world.
I recently had the chance to speak to Bell about his books, the writing process, and gaining a fanbase in the wrestling community.
Drew: Steven, you have written three highly praised sports books covering football, professional wrestling, and rugby. Please start by telling us about the three books and what led you into writing.
Steven: It dawned on me in my mid-20s that I’d perhaps ‘missed my calling’ in terms of career choice. I was, and still am, an electrical engineer. I like my job and it provides me with a good standard of living and work-life balance. But I was sport obsessed at school and got As in my English GCSEs. Yet sports writing/journalism never crossed my – or my careers advisor’s – minds.
I went to Brazil for the World Cup in 2014. By then I’d grown to believe sports writing may have been for me, I was an avid reader and had been inspired by Joe McGinniss’ Miracle of Castel di Sangro and Paul McGrath’s autobiography, amongst others. I went to Brazil with two friends for the whole six weeks – although England were only there for two! I came home with an affinity for the country, the people, and its football. I tried to keep a diary while there, hoping there may be enough in there to produce a book. In truth, there wasn’t. We had a wonderful time, but nothing on-or-off the pitch would create the story a publisher or wider audience may want. I would have to wait for another inspiration.
Due to our apartment’s locality to their training base, I gave myself Flamengo as my Brazilian team to follow. Within a month of getting home, Flamengo lost 1 -0 at home to a team I’d never heard of – Chapecoense. I investigated their amazing rise from non-league to the top division and suddenly, I had two Brazilian clubs!
Two years later, their rise to the top reached its climax, as they qualified for the Copa Sudamericana final. Their plane crashed. I was stunned as the story unfolded. It soon disappeared from the British press, yet I continued to follow it. My friend in Brazil, Sergio, kept me abreast with translated news articles and bulletins. I was blown away by the heartbreaking story. I had my inspiration.
Drew: How was From Triumph to Tragedy: The Chapecoense Story received by readers? It was published not long after the plane crash that took 71 lives. Did you receive any feedback from fans in Brazil or the club?
Steven: It was received brilliantly. I had no frame of reference to know if it was good or not, so when the reviews began coming in, it was a combination of relief, joy, and amazement.
Around the same time, there was still much litigation going on regarding the crash. There were also a couple of documentaries done. This seemed to limit how much anyone directly involved could say to me, due to non-disclosure type agreements. I was delighted when one of the managers of the club in the years immediately leading up to the disaster, Vinícius Eutropio, contributed heavily, including some exclusive content at the time.
But the book was always designed to tell the story to the English-speaking audience that had been robbed of it. So, it made very little impact in Brazil or South America, but I never expected it to. I did name my son, born in 2019, after star striker and crash victim Bruno Rangel – whose story is particularly inspiring and heartbreaking and chronicled heavily in the book. Sergio was kind enough to reach out on social media through his widow with this news, and she sent me a wonderful video message, clearly emotional and grateful for the tribute.
Drew: What was the writing experience like for From Triumph to Tragedy: The Chapecoense Story?
Steven: The truth was – I had no idea what I was doing! All I wanted to do was write a book that I’d want to read. So, I worked hard to implement elements of the writing I love into the work. My main resource materials were all written in Portuguese, so the constant translating was a real grind. My drive was waning a little as I approached the halfway stage with no publisher in place, so I sent in what I had so far to Pitch Publishing. When they agreed to publish it, the motivation came back!
Drew: Which of your three books was the most difficult to write?
Steven: The one I can instantly discount from this is The Man of All Talents. The research and writing process for that one was a pleasure from start to finish. It provided me with the perfect platform to be creative with elements of Douglas Clark’s unbelievable life story – particularly in his pro-wrestling career, which was so little known due to ‘kayfabe’ (presenting pro-wrestling as fully legitimate) being so adhered to in those days.
From Triumph to Tragedy had its challenges, mostly my naivety and the translation issues detailed earlier. But overall, Dynamite & Davey was the most difficult to complete. The complexities of both men at the heart of the story, coupled with so many family members and fans worldwide, each seemingly with a different opinion and expectation on how the book should be pitched, ranging from the hit-job to the puff piece, meant I had a tightrope to walk that I really struggled to negotiate. I think I did the best job possible in the end, but that came with some strong external pressures and, unfortunately, sleepless nights.
Drew: I grew up in the late-80s and through the 1990s, and along with football, wrestling had a massive impact on my life. You have written two books on wrestling. Your book, Dynamite and Davey: The Explosive Lives of the British Bulldogs, may be your most popular work. Tell me about writing Dynamite and Davey.
Steven: As with all three of my books, it was a work driven by a passion for the story and the feeling that it needed to be out there. We are clearly of a similar age! I remembered cheering for Davey, as well as Bret Hart when I was 7 or 8 years old. Then when the ‘Attitude Era’ came in, I was a teenager and once again, Vince McMahon’s target market! I began absorbing everything wrestling – the ‘dirt sheets’ and the autobiographies that were coming out – Mick Foley’s first book is still in my top-10 all-time books. My brother and I went back and watched every WWF PPV from Wrestlemania 1. This is where I was introduced to ‘The Dynamite Kid’ and the ‘The British Bulldogs’. When I found out they were first cousins and from a northern mining town just like myself, I fell in love with their story. As more autobiographies, articles around their deaths, ‘shoot’ interviews and other material came out, I realized what a rollercoaster story their lives and careers really were. It had never been done – and suddenly I was a multiple-time published sports author in a position to attempt it.
Speaking to and even becoming friends with members of the Billington and Hart families has been a real pleasure, and often surreal. So many of them even thanked me for my work and my diligence in writing such a balanced and positive context for the story overall. The feedback from fans has been mountainous and unanimously positive. Walking the tightrope and getting to the other side in that manner is one of the proudest achievements of my life.
Drew: I know Mick Foley gave his thoughts on Dynamite and Davey. Did you receive any feedback from other professional wrestlers or promoters?
Steven: Oh yes. I am now in semi-regular contact with Bret Hart. He gave wonderful feedback, and even an extremely positive and kind review to show his full endorsement. That was special. I was invited to appear on Talk is Jericho only after Chris read the book and liked it so much, which he spoke of heavily on the podcast we recorded. Dave Meltzer and a host of other pro-wrestling writers gave it brilliant reviews.
I also recently bumped into The Warlord at a convention and gave him a copy – he has since given it a wonderful review, complimenting it for its accuracy as he remembers those times. He was a good friend of Davey Boy’s and I was pleased he enjoyed it so much.
Drew: Did you receive any contact with the families of Davey or Dynamite?
Actually, the day before conducting this interview, I was sadly attending the funeral of Mark Billington – the Dynamite Kid’s younger brother. He was kind to me in contributing towards the book and pleased with the result. His premature death is very sad and has left the family bereaved. They continue to be in my thoughts.
Ross Hart and Bronwyne Billington – the Foreword and Afterword writers respectively – have become friends. They were so supportive and knew from the outset that my intentions were good. Delivering for them became an added incentive.
Bruce, Bret, and other Hart family members kindly contributed. Bret invited me for a drink with him in his hotel when he was visiting the UK last year. We stayed up until 1 am chatting and were also joined by Harry Smith, which was very nice and unexpected.
Drew: As both Davey Boy Smith and Dynamite Kid are deceased, was it difficult to get a lot of first-hand information about their lives and careers?
Steven: It was difficult to start with, but once I gained the trust of Bruce Hart, he passed that on to various family members and it really snowballed from there.
I believe the book can only have been done once both men had sadly passed away. The ill-will between them at the end was so fierce, that getting one side of the story wouldn’t have been fair. But interviewing so many immediate family members, and having such brilliant resources at hand, enabled me to really dig deep and create a fully-rounded biography of both men and their unique and tragic stories.
Drew: Do you have a favourite British Bulldogs match or a favourite from either Davey or Dynamite?
Steven: With Davey, it’s easy to say Summerslam ’92 at Wembley versus Bret. But there are so many more. A particular favourite of mine is against Owen in 1997 to become the first-ever European champion. The match and tournament final took place in Germany, and they put on an exhibition of styles they knew the fans would appreciate, and told a brilliant story of brothers-in-law, friends, and tag team champions in a battle of one-up-manship.
Drew: Writing is more of a hobby for you rather than a full-time job. How do you find the time to produce such compelling work?
Steven: The fact I don’t need to ‘churn out’ copy to put food on the table is a huge advantage. I don’t have to write about anything I’m not passionate about, and when I do get sat down to write I am keen and enthused, not weary or tired of it. I am fully responsible for my own deadlines, so I take as long as I need to tell the story exactly as I want to.
I have a supportive wife and I set three or four weekly slots aside in the diary to work with. The weeks certainly fly by.
Drew: Steven, what can fans expect from you in the future? Is there another football or wrestling book on the way?
Steven: I am working on a manuscript as we speak! It is, though, a bit of a change of direction. Once again it’s a story that desperately needs telling in full form, but it is of a 1980s serial killer from my home county of Yorkshire! Stay tuned!
You can learn more about Steven Bell and his three books by visiting Amazon or the Pitch Publishing website. You can also purchase Bell’s books from fine booksellers everywhere.
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