I've not read "Renegade", although I really should get round to it. Tony Wilson's self-penned history of Factory (can't remember the title, sorry) is a good read too. The book on Edwyn Collins' recovery from his stroke (written by his wife Grace) is also a good "post-punk" biography/read. As far as Julian Cope's books are concerned - yes, they're fantastic. And the fact that the Drude's biogs and Bill's books are pretty much on an equally good literary footing means that they're rivalry/spat has continued on right into the 21st century. I do think it's mostly from Julian's perspective though (his sleevenotes for 1997's "Interpreter" condemn BD for producing "patriachal" literature - presumably a dig at the then just-published "Bad Wisdom) whereas Bill seems to have a rather fatherly-but-weary attitude towards Cope. If I was JC, I must admit I'd probably find that a bit patronising - especially after 30 years! (Incidentally, Cope's description in "Head On" of the split-second moment when he went from loving Scott Walker to finding him embarrassing and ridiculous is one of the most incisive bits of music writing I've ever read). As far as BD's books are concerned, I enjoyed "Bad Wisdom" in a sort of gonzo-Beat-poet way, but the sequel (can't even remember what it's called, the one in Africa) was dreadful and I didn't finish it. BD's books without Mark Manning, however, are uniformly excellent and interesting. If you haven't got it, seek out the 1998 reprint of "The Manual", too - I'm not sure how much of the original text was written by Bill as opposed to Jimmy (I expect about 95%) but the new afterword is a lovely Bill short story about returning to the recording studio in Dagenham ten years after recording "TARDIS" in it. It's very poignant and specifically atmospheric and descriptive, in that way that Bill does so well. John 2010/11/11 klfboy _ <klfboy@hotmail.com>
Late reply...
Bill's book is a good read, though I'd hoped for more on the subject of music (like, KLF). Other than that, it's excellent. His views and remarks may be too weird at first, but in the end "45" winned me over, whether he's writing about art, aging, patriotism or his own myth-making (like the Kalevala releases).
I also have Julian Cope's books, which show Bill from an entirely other perspective.
There's another tome which (at first) suffered from the same as Bill's, it's "Renegade" by Mark E. Smith, and that also turned out to be something I re-read. I recommend it to the whole list, not just because MES has been namechecked in Bill and Jim's works, but also because it's a fun read, even though you don't get what you'd expect (full Fall discography, members list, etc.).
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