I’ve just forced myself to finish “Still Whispering After All These Years”, Bob Harris’ autobiography, on my Kindle.
My god he didn’t ‘arf go on.
Before I read it, I considered him a vaguely OK bloke who’d had a surprisingly long career in radio and TV. Now having finished the book I find him a strangely dislikeable bloke. A shameless grinning git who’s made a bloody good living out of a calculated mix of sheer persistence and comforting blandness.
The early chapters detailing his childhood and initial entry to “the scene” are reasonably interesting but a bit long-winded. The long-windedness continues throughout the book but it quickly becomes an extremely detailed and often repetitious catalogue of every single facet of his not-very-enthralling career and seemingly every single person he’s ever had any dealings of any kind with.
I was horrified to realise, at one point, that the book had reached the mid-2000s, I was bored shitless and I was only 75% through the book. It came as a great relief to discover that most of the remainder was an over-extensive index where Mohammed Al-Fayed gets 4 mentions and Frank Zappa gets 3.
Do not buy this book.
Yes, I got it when it was mentioned here that it was 1.99 or something. I agree with you completely, dreadful book summarised by his dubious assertion that he told a crowd that was booing David Bowie (or Jones) in the late 60s that they would “regret it someday”. Pompous and boring.
As a bit of light relief (hurr…) I’m currently reading Diana Ross’s autobiography ‘Secrets Of A Sparrow’, which is actually not as bad as I’d hoped for, although it does contain some inadvertent innuendo.
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p773/minibreakfast/diana201_zpscevvlwbz.jpg
Paging @moose-the-mooche
I don’t think Diana Ross knows what a wet dream is.
There’s a HMHB song title if ever I heard one.
And this one made me spit out my tea:
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p773/minibreakfast/diana202_zps31a5dnik.jpg
“Officer, he touched me with his whimsy! Twice!”
“Touch me with your whimsy…. then you go away….”
“You make me tremble when your whimsy moves lower.”
Me? The Thirteenth Earl Of Whimsy? In the rain? With a beautiful woman? Whatever were they thinking of? Oh well, I’m Coming Up, Miss Ross. . .
Diana Ross? I wouldn’t touch ‘er with your whimsy.
More DJ memoires – the ever-excellent Scaryduck summarises Ed ‘Stewpot’ Stewart’s Out of the Stewpot – http://scaryduck.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/ed-stewart-out-of-stewpot-my.html – with extracts!
The phrase ‘going full Partridge’ should be standard Afterword speak for self-aggrandising autobiographies which reveal the author’s character while displaying absolutely no self-knowledge (‘I quite enjoyed Mark Ellen’s book, but dear me, he does go full Partridge on several occasions’).
Dave Stewart’s recent autobiog “Sweet Dreams”. The constant, chirpy “I’m mad, me!” got a bit wearying after a while. As did the relentless name-dropping. Still, I suppose he has a lot of names to drop. Thought he was a bit of a plank, by the end.
DS was skewered (somewhat) cruelly on Nathan Barley as ‘Doug Rocket’:
A, very affable, friend of mine met DS at a Hollywood party. Apparently, incredibly hard work as was totally uncommunicative and up himself.
He obviously functions on some higher plain.
Thinks he’s the true Duke of Northumberland. Pillock.
I’d forgive him everything for being the cause of that anecdote about Bob Dylan and the plumber, even if it’s not true.
I’m currently listening to Donald Trump’s “Crippled America”. A book of the highest quality. A best seller. Believe me. He’s made a lot of money. He knows how write a book. People tell me all the time he’s a fool…you know what? They’re wrong. They’re the same people who thought he wouldn’t run for President. But look at him now. Believe me. He has a *lot* of money. And so on.
Trump is just a lot of hot air.
Like Dai, I bought it when it was flagged that it was 1.99 on Amazon. I very rarely give up on books but I couldn’t go on with this one. Gave up in the mid 70s, after he had casually discussed breaking up with his wife in a few lines at the end of a chapter about producing Wally.
Afterword T-shirt surely ‘ A calculated mix of sheer persistence and calculated blandness’
I loved that sentence, Mike.
Apologies. It would be an even better compliment if I’d got it right(!)
Of course should have read ‘ A calculated mix of sheer persistence and comforting blandness’.
Triffic!
Phew.
Thought for a moment there I’d used “Calculated” twice in one sentence.
Compliment appreciated.
Jesus, I’m glad it’s not just me…..posted this back in September;
‘I’ve just finished Harris’ tome. I love Bob. Love his radio shows. Loved Whistle Test. But christ, that book’s a poor read. Full of Partridge-isms, scattergun approach to stories, little heed of a narrative or timeline and really, really badly written. Sorry Bob.’
Any mench of his former PA, one missing in action Creowther, P?
I love Bob. He’s constantly curated the soundtrack of my life for the last 10 years at least and I still remember his Whistle Test days with affection but boy he can be irritating at times. His relentless positivity about just about everything including the blandest singer songwriter, his pronunciation of “rekuds”, his overuse of the word “Wow” (as in “have we got a show for you” at 3am in the morning), his refusal to acknowledge the existence of Glastonbury Festival and his fawning over some obscure East Nashville types. I could go on.
I read the book ages ago in its first edition (I think this is a resissue) when it came out not long after his cancer scare. Sounds like it hasn’t got any better since.
He’s doing his own festival this year, and I wish him good luck with it. I like a lot of the line up and might have been tempted but the ticket prices are eye watering.
http://www.undertheappletreefestival.com/
Too eye watering by the sound of it. He’s had to cancel due to poor ticket sales.
Fill yer boots:
https://storify.com/Eamonn_Forde/the-krankies-joint-autobiography-condensed
The Krankies? I have got to have that. I’ve given up trying to find the Don Estelle autobiography.
Did Don ever record a cover of Knights In White Trousers?
No but he did a mean version of Drive, originally by The Cars.