I am midway through Richard Thompson’s splendid autobiography. It is not a ‘warts and all’ type autobiography and all the better for it in my opinion.
However there was a part that genuinely surprised me, maybe even mildly shocked me.
The song Turning of the Tide has always been one of my favourite RT songs. Extremely well written and moves along at a fair click. I always assumed it was not biographical but referred to an aging lady mourning the loss of her youth when she attracted the opposite sex with ease.
Then I read that when Fairports visited Hamburg in their early years that RT visited one of the houses of the night and sampled the wares on offer.
Many years later Turning of the Tide was written about that experience.
When you see him on stage as I have done so many times, he always comes across as self deprecating and almost shy even. The thought of him visiting a Hamburg Brothel did seem a little incongruous but as they say ‘it’s the quiet ones you have to watch’.
Beeswing – Beesting
by 35 Comments
Richard was notorious for his hollow legs before he turned to religion, and Fairport (as he notes in the book) were always a booze band rather than a drugs band. For the most part the book is a chronicle rather than a confessional and I did wonder if there are other stories of wild times which he omitted. The lyric of Turning of the Tide is pretty unambiguously about a prostitute but like you I had never considered that it might be autobiographical.
Not forgetting the song Painted Ladies on HTHF. Possibly another reference to the time in Hamburg.
Given how witty and self-effacing RT has been during the many times I’ve seen him live, had high hopes of this.
Ended up being really disappointed at the flat and uninvolving writing style and rushed way everything finished.
Aside from Mott’s Ian Hunter and Eels’ Mark Everett has any rock star ever written a decent autobiog?
Bill Bruford, in my view (and I’m not even a fan).
Joe Jackson is my default answer to this question – his A Cure for Gravity dealing with hsi early pre-fame years is exemplary I think.
1. Agree about the Joe Jackson book.
2. Both of Viv Albertine’s autobiographical volumes are outstanding, I think. “To Throw Away Unopened” is particularly ace.
Seconded – vote for Viv. No punch unpulled, but no triumphalism either. Very, very good.
Joe’s is great too.
Not read Viv’s other than in Waterstones but I’ve read the Joe a few times.
Robert Forster – Grant and I
Another vote for Bill Bruford’s autobiography – he may be a bit grumpy but he can write well…
I didn’t finish it. It’s a bit whingy…
That’s what I’d heard.
Championship-standard moaning.
“Has any rock star ever written a decent book / autobiog?”
As well as those mentioned I have enjoyed books written by:
– Andy Summers and Iain Matthews (with Ian Clayton, whose own books are well worth seeking out)
– James Yorkston, David Ford, Eric Goulden (good blog as well), TV Smith and Frankie Poullain
– Ronnie Scott, George Melly, and Humphrey Lyttlelton
– Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt
– David Byrne and Donald Fagen
– and Will Hodgkinson (not quite a rock star)
I’m currently very much enjoying a book written by two members of the unlikely group The Utopia Strong – Steve Davis and Kavus Torabi.
Just finished Mark Lanegan’s autobiography. Yikes!
Me too Freddy. Visceral doesnt begin to describe it.
@stevet
@stevet
Do you think it was all, you know, true?
If it was true he has lead an awful life.
If it was even only 10 percent true he has lead an awful life.
I was hoping we would get to hear how he got clean and embarked on a more even keel but guess that will have to wait until volume 2.
Yep, agree on everything you say!
Ian Clayton is a superb writer and his Bringing it all Back home is the blueprint for how autobiographies should be written.
Good shout too for George Melly.
For me the best though is Julian Cope – a fantastic writer and really engaging.
Yes, agree about Ian Clayton – I recently bought his book about pubs (signed copies are available from his publisher, Route Books). Haven’t been able to bring myself to read “Our Billie” yet though . . .
Our Billie is very good but not up there with Bringing it all back home which I think is one of my favourite biographies. His book song for my father is also terrific. Havent got round to the pub book yet.
had forgotten about JC.
Headcase and Repossessed are indeed pretty excellent
George Melly – yes. He’s in a different league to everyone else as a musician/ observer/ writer. His ‘Owning Up’ is superb – published in 1966, covering his 1949-61 time as a raver with Mick Mulligan’s band. So well ahead of the Mott man’s book. Humphrey Lyttelton, though, had two volumes of memoirs / observations published prior to that, in 1955 and ’57. I haven’t read them but I’ve read lots of his columns for Melody Maker in the 50s – always entertaining, many profoundly observed. One that I re-read last week from June 1957, on skiffle, was very astute. It more or less predicted the whole of rock music.
Dave Gelly’s ‘An Unholy Row’ (published c.2015) is about jazz in Britain from 1945-60 – it’s essentially the story of the ‘music of my youth’ so although not a fully-fledged autobiography there is a lot of personal memoir involved and it’s a brilliant, hugely readable and erudite book from someone – like Melly – as gifted as a writer as he is/was as a musician/entertainer.
I also enjoyed Billy Bragg’s skiffle book. And there’s a lot of good stuff about what was going on at that time in the MacColl / Lloyd folk scene in Peggy Seeger’s excellent memoir.
Another superb book about jazz written by a musician is Ben Sidran’s “Talking Jazz”. Some great stuff in there.
Ian McLagan – All The Rage is very good. He’s not a massive name/face of the band/in the public eye, so there seems to be less “editing for public profile” going on.
Part way through Stephen Morris – Record, Play, Pause.
That’s definitely one of the better rock biogs
I think the McLagan book must be out of print. I got rid of mine as I found his writing style a bit annoying. Shame as used copied are surprisingly expensive.
TOTT is the first RT song I really loved, I’d still rather hear it than any of his others. The bad cop of the nasty lyrics and the good cop of the beautiful guitar. Should not work at all but it does…
Int music brilliant?
Tracey Thorn’s ongoing life stories are superb. Ben Watt’s book about his life with Mum and Dad is agreeably good
Agreed. I’m no particular EBTG fan and now have more of their books than records.
Chronicles -Dylan depending what you call an autobio
Julian Cope’s autobiographies (Head-On/Repossessed) are excellent.
Deke Leonard’s first two, “Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics” and “Maybe I Should Have Stayed in Bed?” are excellent reads. Especially the latter. “The Twang Dynasty” is a bit less interesting.
Here’s another one that might be worth a look
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/may/18/shot-outrageous-life-jayne-county-first-trans-rocknroller-electric-chairs-memoir
Recent autobiography from Rickie Lee Jones – last Chance Texaco – is excellent. Quite the life. I really enjoyed the Mike Scott/Waterboys one – which i think was updated a little while ago.