With Just A Hint Of Mayhem

Music reviews, gig reviews, fun trivia and extra added random stuff!

‘Dark Luminosity: Memoirs of a Geezer, the expanded edition’ – Jah Wobble May 6, 2024

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:29 pm
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The original publication of Jah Wobble’s memoirs, ‘Confessions Of A Geezer’ was in 2009. Sadly that release passed me by. But I am pleased to say that Mr Wobble a.k.a. John Wardle has extensively updated his work and retitled the book ‘Dark Luminosity: Memoirs of a Geezer, the expanded edition’. It is a fascinating tale of the life of a true Geezer. Wobble speaks extensively of growing up in the melting pot of east London, football, family, friends, and of course, music. I believe he is 100% honest throughout, sometimes brutally so, particularly with respect to his alcohol addiction. There is a kind of classic diarist element in how the book flows, like maybe a 21st-century Samuel Pepys. It strikes me that Wobble is incredibly loyal to people that he cares about and that is highly apparent when speaking of his wife Zin Lan and his children, and Tyson his sadly departed beloved Staffie. He is not afraid to reveal his emotions, particularly about his first marriage and the loss of many close friends. He also shows a blinding loyalty, like many long-suffering football fans, to his team, Tottenham.

The mythology around the four Johns (Wardle, Lydon, Ritchie, and Grey) is nicely put to bed, particularly in the lead-up to Wardle’s music career kicking off with the advent of PiL. The first time I ever heard Wobble’s monumental bass sound was in the opening to the iconic debut single from Public Image Ltd, the almost eponymously named “Public Image”. Wobble’s bass line explodes at the start of the track and provides the perfect bed to Levene’s tasty guitar work and Lydon’s angry, sneering vocal. One thing that is abundantly clear is that Wobble was never content to stick with that post-punk sound that he is so good at, he has branched out into almost every style of music imaginable; jazz, techno, trance, folk, classical, spoken-word, and world music styles that include input from China, Africa, Thailand, and Europe to name just a few. He has many influences and has been lucky enough to work with a huge number of musicians that he has respected and admired. I have trawled across his prolific output while reading the book, and while sometimes quantity doesn’t mean quality, it certainly does with the Jah Wobble back catalogue.

Wardle is an absolute master of sarcasm, mild cynicism, and wit and seems to be someone who really enjoys his life and knows his place on this ball of rock we all inhabit. He also sounds like a master wind-up merchant! His take on his experience with the suits and the business side of the music industry should be essential reading for any aspiring musician. Having moved to my adopted city, York, in the cold and desolate north from West London back in 2007 I can relate to Wardle’s move to the North West of the UK from East London. It feels like a wrong move until you actually do it and then it really couldn’t be more right. It is hard to pick out particular moments that are great, it is just a great read all the way. I do love the expanded elements though, that kind of update after 14 years is really interesting. One thing I learned that I never knew was that his son Charlie once played for my adopted home city’s football team York City! He signed for them back in 2016. Wobble is definitely one of my generation, born less than 5 months before me, and perhaps that is why I love his music and this book so much! Is there anyone who plays bass like Jah Wobble? Probably not. Is there anyone who has written such a wonderful, all-encompassing memoir? Again, possibly not. If you love an autobiography or memoir with honesty, compassion, humour, fabulous tales, and social history and you love music then you will love ‘Dark Luminosity: Memoirs of a Geezer, the expanded edition’

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‘David Bowie, Enid Blyton and the sun machine’ – Nicholas Royle March 29, 2024

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 10:35 pm
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I haven’t actually counted for a while, but I believe that I own around 120 books about David Bowie. Thanks to Nicholas Royle I now own 121, or at least thereabouts. I was completely unaware that Royle’s book ‘David Bowie, Enid Blyton and the sun machine’ existed until I took a look at the schedule for the 2024 York Literature Festival and saw the title. As a Bowie fan, I therefore had to be there for Nicholas Royle’s session at York St. John University to talk about his new book on Tuesday 12th March. Royle, who is the Emeritus Professor (English) at Sussex University, opened the session by playing Bowie’s older song “Memory Of A Free Festival” as this was the song that provided part of the book title with its repeated refrain “The sun machine is coming down and we’re gonna have a party”. Then he read from the book. But the most interesting part was the interview with Nick by Dr. Sam Reese originally from Aotearoa New Zealand, and now a senior lecturer at the Centre for Writing at York St. John University. Reese asked some insightful questions about how the book came about and what it actually is. In essence, the book came about thanks to Covid, well at least that was probably the catalyst and it is largely a memoir, or is it? Anyway, that whole evening saw me buy the book and get Nick to sign my copy and now, while on holiday in Cornwall (I am not sure why I said that, is it even remotely relevant?) I have got around to reading it.

I think that my fear was that this would be a very academic and deep tome that I might find difficult to read. It is academic at times but Royle writes in a style that even a bloke with one English O Level from 1974 can read and devour easily. One of the first things that intrigued me was the title. How can you write about Blyton and Bowie in the same book? Sure they are both associated with Beckenham and were great artists in their own spheres. Well, what Royle focuses on is their ability to access the undermind or the subconscious mind or self. I think from this book it is clear that both Bowie and Blyton were able to work in their own undermind with natural and unknowing skill. The memoir thread of the book takes the reader through Royle’s personal experience of Covid and lockdowns and his reacquaintance with both Bowie who he kind of lost touch with in the 1980s, and Enid Blyton. The book is written as a series of “ghost lectures” from a university lecturer who has opted for voluntary severance. The lectures flow together beautifully and are all anchored with a specific piece of music or song. Mostly Bowie songs but also some classical pieces.

I have not read anything by Enid Blyton since I was in junior school, but I am encouraged to go back and reread some of my favourites. The Famous Five, which features strongly in Nicholas Royle’s book and my personal memories of loving the Secret Seven series. Some of the insights into Blyton are drawn from biographies and also her own autobiography and perhaps something that is personal to Nicholas Royle’s family. His paternal grandmother and artist and illustrator had an affair with Enid Blyton sometime in the 1920s. There are many things that I love about this book, perhaps the biggest thing is the continued discussion about what a sun machine is. Maybe a time machine, maybe a way that an idea dawns on an artist, or something that might be different for every artist. Do I have an undermind? I hope so. Can I access my undermind? I hope so. If you are a fan of David Bowie, Enid Blyton, or indeed sun machines you need to read this book. It is eye-opening. I loved it! And finally, I was going to put together a playlist of all the music used in the book, but someone on Spotify has already done that! Thank you tommymackay1959, click here to play it.

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Silhouettes And Shadows – The Secret History Of David Bowie’s Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) – Adam Steiner August 23, 2023

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 3:26 pm
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Just over a year ago, I read and reviewed Adam Steiner’s intriguing, in-depth, and fabulous tome, ‘Into The Never – Nine Inch Nails And The Creation Of The Downward Spiral‘. It remains one of the best books examining a musician’s creative process and all the external influences that fed into that work. So obviously, as a massive Bowie fan, I was excited to hear that his next book would explore the creation of David Bowie’s ‘Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)’ album. That book is out in the USA and will be published in the UK in September 2023. In my head, I don’t recall ever seeing ‘Scary Monsters’ being the number one album in any online or magazine listings of Bowie’s greatest albums. To check that thought I did a little online research and discovered that it often featured at number 7, 8, 9, or 10 in most polls and listings. The exception to that was the Rough Trade blog from January 2022 where it hit the heady heights of number one!

Steiner writes in a really academic but very readable style and I love how he draws on the influences of Bowie’s experience and environment. This album was Bowie’s first real post-punk release, given that most people will see 1979’s ‘Lodger’ as the final part of the acclaimed Berlin Trilogy. ‘It’Scary Monsters’ was also an album that included Bowie’s first UK number-one single that wasn’t a rerelease. (“Space Oddity” went to number one after being reissued in 1975). This was also an album that came into the world just as Thatcher and Reagan were beginning the pomp of their right-wing takeover of the West. Was this album also the harbinger of the new romantics? Probably not, but as Steiner suggests, without Bowie there probably would not have been a new romantic movement, despite what a young Tony Hadley said, in the full flush of youthful arrogance. The major events in Bowie’s life following this album are also covered. In particular, his performance as John Merrick on Broadway in ‘The Elephant Man’ and the assassination of his friend John Lennon by Mark David Chapman.

Adam Steiner tackles the album one song at a time and covers each one with the same level of detail and enthusiasm rather than focusing on the most popular tracks. He includes some great insights and his thoughts have encouraged me to listen to the album with fresh ears. Given that I have heard the record so many times over the years that is no mean feat! I love the rather strange writing fragments that preceded each section which are often weird, often jarring, and all of them most definitely “turn and face the strange”. The book is seasoned nicely with comments and stories about the creation of the album from those who were there, including Tony Visconti and Robert Fripp to name just two. Steiner considers the primal scream aspects of Bowie’s vocal on “It’s No Game” which soars in an almost frightening style when set against the angular, industrial Fripp guitar tones.

Adam Steiner uses some odd, yet perfect reference points throughout. This includes the 1969 self-help book, “I’m OK—You’re OK” by Thomas Anthony Harris when discussing the lyrics to “Up The Hill Backwards”. He brings in the 1932 Tod Browning film “Freaks” when analysing the title track and adds parallels with Bowie’s 1980 Broadway performance in Elephant Man. The piece on John Lennon’s murderer is chilling but so in time with the dawn of the new decade. The description of how the music for “Ashes To Ashes” was created actually revealed something that I never knew before, and I am somewhat of a Bowie fanatic! I won’t tell you what I learned, you need to read the book. Obviously, Bowie fans will love this book, but if you’re not a fan do not be put off. It is a worthwhile read for all rock music fans and for anyone who likes a large dose of social history too! I don’t normally give a star rating, but if I did this would be a five stars out of five book.

It is out now in the US and will be out in the UK in September. Click here to order from Amazon in the US and here to order from Amazon UK. It is published by Rowman and Littlefield.

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Life in the Fast Lane: The Eagles’ Reckless Ride Down the Rock & Roll Highway – by Mick Wall July 28, 2023

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 12:42 pm
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There have been enough books written about the Eagles to populate a small library and I have read quite a few of them. But this new one from prolific music writer, biographer and skilled journalist Mick Wall is something special indeed. For me, it is possibly the best Eagles tome written by anyone to date. The only way I can ever see this being topped is if Don Henley gets off his arse (that’ll be his ass to my American readers) and writes an autobiography. But even then, even a Henley memoir would never reach the same objective levels that Mick Wall hits. I should point out here that I have reviewed the US version of the book, which is exactly the same as the UK version, apart from the cover and the title. In the UK it was published in May this year and is called ‘Eagles – Dark Desert Highway: How America’s Dream Band Turned Into A Nightmare’

The Eagles deserve their place in the rock pantheon, and it would be fair to say that they were a veritable soft rock juggernaut in the 70s. In their career, they have sold more records than both Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones combined. But individually they were probably never as well known as Jagger, Richards, Plant and Page et al. That might have been one factor that drove the internecine fractions and jealousies that ultimately lead to their breakup, well their first big breakup at least, let’s not forget that Hell froze over in 1994.

Mick’s book is more than just a simple chronological history of the band though, it delves into how they came about, examining the whole 60s and 70s US West Coast music scene and the social history of the era. He draws on a wealth of existing material including reviews, interviews and other books and then overlays that with his own incisive and intelligent perceptions and thoughts. Obviously, there are some great insights into relationships within the band, but also some prosaic pieces on the Eagles’ interactions with everyone and everything from Linda Ronstadt, Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Browne, the Troubador, Patti Reagan and David Geffen. The opening chapter of the book is titled ‘Fast Forward – Don Henley Does Not Like Books About The Eagles’ and from Mick’s research that much is clear. He quotes Marc Eliot who published ‘To The Limit: The Untold Story Of The Eagles’ in 1998 in which Eliot details his attempts to communicate with Henley and Eagles manager Irving Azoff and seek their involvement. After some protracted efforts, Henley and Azoff told Eliot that he could go fuck himself!

The best parts of the book for me are where Mick delves into gorgeous descriptive detail, early on he writes of Linda Ronstadt “cute cut-off denim shorts and sweet brown doll’s eyes, the Troubador girl with the sunny small-town smile and the voice of a cactus mountain goddess, the super groovy chick that all the would-be groovy guys want the most”. In those few words, Mick shows how he can write from a US perspective, let’s be fair not many Brits are able to do that with such panache.

The Eagles’ early albums are given some acerbic depth when, thanks to Mick, you start to understand the relationship the band had with Glyn Johns when recording with him in the UK. They hated him and probably the UK too at that time. Although how much of that was related to Glyn Johns’ not allowing them access to drugs, groupies and late nights we may never know. Johns’ says of “Best Of My Love” “That was the record that really put them on the map after they turned themselves into what they thought was a rock ‘n’ roll band” Just to make it clear though, Johns then adds the punch line “a pretty lame one in my view!” 

Obviously, the album that defined the band for many, ‘Hotel California’ plays a big part in the book. By this time Joe Walsh had joined the band and in any other parallel universe that would have given them the kudos and cred that they desired, but in this one, it didn’t, although Walsh did add a new meatier dimension to their sound. As Mick states, the Eagles were never anybody’s favourite band even if they released songs that found their way into many people’s lists of favourite songs of all time. Mick delves into the stranger rumours that still persist about the subject of the title song. Was it about satanic worship, cannibalism or heroin addiction? I suspect that addiction might have been the main theme, but lyrically there are obvious pointers to the prime fallen angel himself, Lucifer. Especially the reference to the beast. Did the ‘steely knives’ refer to a human sacrifice? Was the song a cryptic description of the band selling their soul to the devil via Anton LaVey the head of his own Church of Satan? As Mick says this was not the first time satanic influence had been thrown at rock ‘n’ roll. Personally, I don’t believe the satanic stuff in relation to the song, but everyone has a different interpretation, right?

Ultimately the ‘Hotel California’ became somewhat of a millstone for the band, not a bad millstone to be fair, but how the fuck do you follow something like that! Well ultimately, they followed it with 1979’s ‘The Long Run’ and the first Eagles implosion. Mick describes both really well especially the apparent lack of quality control that demeaned the album. “The Greeks Don’t Want No Freaks”? Seriously? Just reading this book it becomes somewhat obvious that the Eagles would never stay together forever, and Mick handles the whole slow death of a mega globe-straddling band with impeccable style and skill. Clearly, the band didn’t stay in the coffin for long and there have now been numerous reunion tours. The epilogue covers a relatively recent Hyde Park show from what remains of the band now that Glenn Frey and now Randy Meisner are no longer with us and country star Vince Gill is a part of the band.

As I said earlier this is probably the best book about the Eagles ever written and you should read it whether you like the band or not on reflection they almost certainly aren’t your favourite band. So do something that Don Henley definitely won’t do, buy and read this book, you won’t regret it!

Click here to order it in the USA and here to order it in the UK.

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‘Song Noir – Tom Waits And The Spirit Of Los Angeles’ – Alex Harvey August 27, 2022

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 11:56 pm
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Earlier this month I visited one of York’s unique and kind of niche music establishments, the Vinyl Cafe on Micklegate. You can pop in any day for coffee, food, alcohol, and browse and most likely buy some decent vinyl records. However, on the 6th of August, the venue played host to what I felt sounded like an intriguing and interesting book talk by author Alex Harvey. The book, ‘Song Noir – Tom Waits And The Spirit Of Los Angeles’ was a project that Alex started during the lockdown. His day job is a film and TV director who has worked on the Late Show and Panorama to name just a couple. But he is also a huge and obsessive fan of Tom Waits. Being an obsessive Bowie fan I completely understand that! Alex read a number of passages from the book and expanded them with his knowledge, anecdotes, and some of Waits’ songs. The book covers Waits’ life in Los Angeles and the albums he recorded there, from debut ‘Closing Time’ (1973) to ‘Swordfishtrombones’ (1983). It was a turbulent period for LA and Tom Waits. The first album was a little folksy and borders on country rock, which may be how the Eagles came to record Wait’s “Ol’ 55”. I hadn’t really thought about it before but the iconic Waits growl didn’t really appear until the ‘Small Change’ album. That album contains the wonderful “Tom Traubert’s Blues (Four Sheets To The Wind In Copenhagen)” which Alex used to illustrate that part of the book. I also discovered that this is Alex’s favourite Tom Waits song. I always felt that Rod Stewart did quite a creditable version of that song.

The story behind “Burma Shave” is fascinating, in that it came out of Tom Waits’ memory of car journeys as a child and seeing the regular advertising hoardings for Burma Shave, a brand of shaving cream. In the song, Waits uses the name as a destination and therefore reimagines it as a town. ‘Blue Valentine’ from 1978 was the first Tom Waits album that I ever owned, it was given to me as part of a bundle of maybe 40 albums from an old guy (he was perhaps only 45, but I was just 19) that I bought my first mobile DJ rig from. I listened to it and my first thought was that this is absolutely bloody awful. However, I did keep it and dug it out a couple of years later and grew to love it when I played it again. Had I matured, no maybe I was just in the right mood for it by then. But the key thing that I learned from Alex talking about the book and actually reading it myself was about Waits’ relationship with Rickie Lee Jones. Tom’s friend Chuck E. Weiss fell for Jones first before Waits made his move. A number of songs on ‘Blue Velvet’ refer to the relationship with Rickie Lee Jones, especially “Red Shoes By The Drug Store”. Alex recommended checking out Jones’ autobiography ‘Last Chance Texaco’ which I plan to do. Weiss is the subject of Jones’ huge 1979 hit “Chuck E.’s in Love”.

“Heartattack And Vine” from 1980 is a series of songs that has Waits wrestling with his demons. Apparently, his therapist’s telephone number is scrawled on the album cover, I did not know that! On the album cover Waits is also wearing a tie and one lyric refers to someone who hangs themself with a tie. I learned so many things from listening to Alex speak about Tom Waits with a deep passion for the man and his music, even little nuggets that Homer Simpson was a real artist. How the hell did I not know that? What Alex Harvey does so well in the book is bring together so many of the things that influenced Tom Waits, especially the film noir genre from the mid-20th Century. Waits also drew inspiration from Jack Kerouac and Charles Bukowski to name just a couple. But the life that Tom Waits lived in LA plays a very big part in his songs and how they developed over that period from 1973 to 1983. I loved the description of Waits’ experience of supporting Frank Zappa, you will need to read the book for that one. It took me just a couple of days to read my signed copy of the book and I loved it. I would recommend it to anyone who loves music, specifically Tom Waits, or those that just like a great biography. Go and buy this book, you will not regret it. Click here to buy it from Amazon US and here to buy it from Amazon UK.

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‘Into the Never – Nine Inch Nails And The Creation Of The Downward Spiral’ by Adam Steiner March 2, 2022

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 4:35 pm
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I don’t get the opportunity to review books here on With Just A Hint Of Mayhem, but I am pleased to say that following hot on the heels (ok more than three months) of my review of John Illsley’s autobiography I have just read another, obviously music-related tome. This one is for ‘Into the Never – Nine Inch Nails And The Creation Of The Downward Spiral’ By Adam Steiner, which was originally published in 2020 by Backbeat Books. This is Adam’s first non-fiction book following his first novel ‘Politics of The Asylum’ from 2018. Adam also publishes poetry and is a journalist. Among other things, presumably in his spare time, he has also lectured on Creative Writing and Publishing at Coventry University.

If you are a fan of Trent Reznor’s music then you may well have already read this book, if you’re not then I would recommend that you do, maybe using the album that it covers in great detail as your soundtrack. There is a similarity between Steiner’s book and the ’33 1/3′ Series that has published some great pocket-sized books which explore the creation of classic albums, (including book 78 in the series covering Nine Inch Nails ‘Pretty Hate Machine’) although ‘Into The Never’ goes to a far greater depth to study how ‘The Downward Spiral‘ came about. In fact, one of the huge collection of Steiner’s references is Daphne Carr’s 33 1/3 book.

‘Into The Never’ not only deals with the actual music and how it was constructed and recorded but also analyses the whole creation of the album. Including Trent Reznor’s probable state of mind at the time and that he initially worked on the album at a home recording set up in a rented property on Cielo Drive in Los Angeles. Not just some random property though, this was the house where the infamous Manson Murders took place. Although there is no suggestion that Reznor rented the place because of that. The book has caused me to completely re-examine ‘The Downward Spiral‘ which I always considered a good album. But after playing it quite a few times while reading the book I have come to appreciate it as a great album a truly seminal release and possibly Trent Reznor’s finest recorded moment. Adam Steiner writes with a great intellectual gravity while ordering his words in a beautiful flow that kept me interested from start to finish. Questions about whether ‘The Downward Spiral’ is autobiographical or simply a concept album akin to Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ are considered. As well as Reznor’s fraught addiction issues and his path on a rocky road to self-destruction (which thankfully he survived) the book also deals with relevant aspects of US social history from the aforementioned Manson Murders to the Columbine School shootings via the Vietnam War.

There are some really sharp references to what most definitely did influence the album or in some cases may have influenced. Including, my list is not exhaustive,

Authors; George Orwell, Greil Marcus, Chuck Palahniuk, Albert Camus

Philosophers and Thinkers; Michel Foucault, Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche

Musicians; David Bowie, Marilyn Manson, Richey Edwards, Kurt Cobain, Ian Curtis, Johnny Cash

Artists; Mark Rothko, Francis Bacon

The book also discusses the theological impact alongside the major world events that probably played a part. Additionally, there are plenty of references to films (‘Natural Born Killers’) and music (“Helter Skelter” by the Beatles). This is perhaps the most in-depth publication about an album that I have ever read and frankly, my musical knowledge and appreciation of ‘The Downward Spiral‘ is so much richer because of it. Fans of Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails will devour this book and those who appreciate great music and classic albums will love it too. Click here to find it on Amazon, or better still pay a visit to your local independent book store or your public library!

Adam Steiner

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‘My Life In Dire Straits’ – John Illsley – Book review November 14, 2021

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 1:02 am
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I don’t often get the chance to review books, but when this one was sent to me a few weeks ago I thought it was worth giving it a spin. I read a lot of books, including many rock autobiographies and biographies. This is a compelling autobiography from Dire Straits’ ace bass player John Illsley. Along with Mark Knopfler, Illsley was one of the founding members of Dire Straits, who became one of the most successful British bands ever. Apparently, Geldof had asked them to headline Live Aid as in 1984/ 85 they were probably the biggest band on the planet. However, as they were booked to play Wembley Arena that night they went on a little earlier. Illsley sums that day up superbly in saying that he is glad they didn’t have to follow Queen. John describes his early years and how he came to find a career in music, which like many of his peers and successors was frowned upon by his parents, at least initially. The band came together in Deptford, South London and were so broke in the early days that they were living hand to mouth and picking up any gigs they could. They were finally able to record a demo tape which they managed to get to DJ Charlie Gillett who played “Sultans Of Swing” incessantly on his show, the rest, as they say, is history. Aside from his time in Dire Straits Illsley speaks in a brutally honest way about how that level of fame, success and the intensive recording and touring cycles destroyed some of his relationships. I really enjoyed this book and it definitely ranks among the best rock autobiographies that I have ever read. It is well written, open, honest, uplifting and incredibly interesting. It will be a great read for any music fans and not just fans of Dire Straits. It is out now, published by Diversion Books.

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‘How To Be A Thousandaire’ – Catherine Adamson November 20, 2019

Filed under: Book — justwilliam1959 @ 9:10 pm
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I am so very proud of my very talented wife Catherine, her book ‘How To Be A Thousandaire’ was published on 20th September this year and she is leading a book launch event for it tomorrow in York. It is the perfect book for you if you are a micro-business owner, are planning to become a micro-business owner or if you know a micro-business owner. The book details Catherine’s business journey and how she overcame adversity to build an incredibly resilient business. The book is available now from Amazon across the world. At only £14.99 in the UK, it is a great investment. Click here and order your copy now, and feel free to share this!

Yes this is a music blog so please enjoy a few book-related tunes while you place your order for ‘How To Be A Thousandaire’

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‘To Throw Away Unopened’ – Viv Albertine September 13, 2019

Filed under: Book,Review — justwilliam1959 @ 9:05 pm
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In February this year I posted a list of my top ten rock/ music-related books biographies and autobiographies as a part of this blog’s tenth birthday celebrations. Click here to check it out. ‘Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. : A Memoir’ by Viv Albertine was included in that list. It is easily among the best music-related autobiographies ever written. Well, I finally got around to reading the second autobiographical publication from Viv, ‘To Throw Away Unopened’ and it as least as good as the first, if not better. For me, an autobiography that combines brutal honesty, self-deprecation, love, rivalry and a really interesting life is likely to be good. This second volume of Viv’s life focusses on her relationships with family; her parents, her sister, and her daughter. It gives an insight into her struggles with cancer, relationships, and life in general. I get the impression that while Viv may not sometimes believe it she is a very strong woman who really knows who she is and what she is here for. She is a talented writer and performer and like all the best humans she has flaws alongside her strengths. We should take inspiration from the way she describes those flaws and how she deals with them or overcomes them.

Like many people, I loved the Slits, but Viv’s two books have opened up so much more about one of the people who was such an influence on feminism in rock music. Many of today’s female artists; the Tuts, Lily Allen, and Lauren Tate to name just a few owe a debt to Viv Albertine, even if they are unaware of it. Viv has an abundance of passion, compassion, exuberance and a love of life and she is a true original. She does not hide behind any kind of facade, she is who she is and proud of it. I love the way she deals with the death of her mother in the book, at times I was moved to tears and then a couple of pages later to laughter. ‘To Throw away Unopened’ along with ‘Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. : A Memoir’ are without doubt two of the finest autobiographical works that I have ever read and not just in the music genre. Viv if you are ever in York I would love to sit down for a coffee with you, my treat, I believe that you are a truly great human being, and there aren’t too many of those these days. Thank you for the music and the writing, your talent has enriched this sad world.

All the photos were found online The videos were all found on YouTube, if one of them is yours and you would like a credit or for me to remove it please let me know.

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“Stop your messing with me” April 17, 2019

Filed under: Book,Trivia — justwilliam1959 @ 5:45 pm
Tags: , , , , ,

Francis Rossi off of Status Quo has a new memoir out called ‘I Talk Too Much’. I haven’t read it yet but I am definitely tempted after a ’10 Things We’ve Learned About Status Quo’ in a recent article in Planet Rock magazine. I won’t list all ten, I will leave you to discover most of them yourselves. But one particular point really appealed to me and my warped sense of humour. Before they chose Status Quo as the name of their band the boys considered calling themselves The Muhammad Ali’s, simply so that they could use the slogan; “They’re The Greatest!”

I hate to say it, but I do think Status Quo was a better choice. What do you think?