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inulro9. Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
More genius from the author of The Big Sleep. I repeat, just because it's pulp doesn't mean it's not good. Once again I marvelled at Chandler's style, which is never short of witty and ever so evocative of California in the late 30s. Can't recommend this enough.
10. Touching from a Distance by Deborah Curtis
The biography of Ian Curtis, by his wife.
This one is more difficult to write about, and some day I might attempt a longer essay. It's hard partly because Curtis comes off as such a dickhead, but for me it's difficult because it's written from a position that is so utterly alien to me - the wife & mother left behind while the husband goes off and Has Adventures. Who allowed Curtis to be completely controlling of her in the first place. It's still pretty harrowing when things fall apart and his epilepsy and depression get out of control.
As rock biographies go, it's pretty well written. I don't read them often because they tend to not come up to my standards. In fact, the only one I can think of that didn't have me throwing it against the wall wanting SOURCES, dammit or just a competently constructed sentence occasionally, is the Nick Cave bio called Bad Seed. I think it assumes you know quite a lot - not just about Factory and JD etc. The example that jumped out at me was the passing reference to "James Anderton" to explain why the police presence at a festival in Leigh was over-the-top. I know who James Anderton is (or was) and why it's relevant, but I was around when he still made the news, but I'm not convinced that a lot of people would, especially non-UK fans, or younger people.
I do recommend it. It's not a cheerful read, but there is not much of it (half of my edition is taken up with the lyrics to all JD's output).
More genius from the author of The Big Sleep. I repeat, just because it's pulp doesn't mean it's not good. Once again I marvelled at Chandler's style, which is never short of witty and ever so evocative of California in the late 30s. Can't recommend this enough.
10. Touching from a Distance by Deborah Curtis
The biography of Ian Curtis, by his wife.
This one is more difficult to write about, and some day I might attempt a longer essay. It's hard partly because Curtis comes off as such a dickhead, but for me it's difficult because it's written from a position that is so utterly alien to me - the wife & mother left behind while the husband goes off and Has Adventures. Who allowed Curtis to be completely controlling of her in the first place. It's still pretty harrowing when things fall apart and his epilepsy and depression get out of control.
As rock biographies go, it's pretty well written. I don't read them often because they tend to not come up to my standards. In fact, the only one I can think of that didn't have me throwing it against the wall wanting SOURCES, dammit or just a competently constructed sentence occasionally, is the Nick Cave bio called Bad Seed. I think it assumes you know quite a lot - not just about Factory and JD etc. The example that jumped out at me was the passing reference to "James Anderton" to explain why the police presence at a festival in Leigh was over-the-top. I know who James Anderton is (or was) and why it's relevant, but I was around when he still made the news, but I'm not convinced that a lot of people would, especially non-UK fans, or younger people.
I do recommend it. It's not a cheerful read, but there is not much of it (half of my edition is taken up with the lyrics to all JD's output).
