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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