I'm sure many of you have read it. I finished it about a few weeks ago, and immediately went and purchased "17". I have to say, it was a superb read, often making me laugh out loud, and offering some serious insight into the mind that, in my opinion, drove the artistic side of the KLF. I am also lucky enough to have grown up in and around Aylesbury, which is constantly mentioned, referenced and described in detail. It's mentioned so frequently and it's clear Bill spends so much time there that I began to wonder why I've never bumped into him. I've heard some people say that there aren't enough references to the KLF. Although there are few direct references, you can absolutely relate to Bill's mind throughout the book if you are a keen fan of the KLF. If you've not read it - go out and buy a copy. I will be re-reading mine again in a few months.
"45" is a great read, yes. The story that's actually about writing - a pretty tired literary trope usually - stick in my mind the mist, with it's photographic descriptions of drinking tea in the supermarket cafe and writing next to the other regulars in the library in the shopping mall. As far as Aylesbury I'd concerned, I think Bill has lived near there in a farmhouse for 20-odd years. The KLF/Jams post box was Aylesbury, and the occasional scene-setting interview will Bill usually mentions the town. Also, on the BBC Omnibus programme, there's a brief shout of the outside of his house, and The New Merseybeat Rock'n'Roll Years features BD bring interviewed in the kitchen (I presume). Aylesbury's also near where they played that shambolic Chipping Norton rave in 1989, of course, and at one point in the video footage of that Bill looks at a map and says "We're going past my house." On 23 Oct 2010, at 12:25, Ross Jarvis <jarvmeister@gmail.com> wrote:
I'm sure many of you have read it. I finished it about a few weeks ago, and immediately went and purchased "17".
I have to say, it was a superb read, often making me laugh out loud, and offering some serious insight into the mind that, in my opinion, drove the artistic side of the KLF.
I am also lucky enough to have grown up in and around Aylesbury, which is constantly mentioned, referenced and described in detail. It's mentioned so frequently and it's clear Bill spends so much time there that I began to wonder why I've never bumped into him.
I've heard some people say that there aren't enough references to the KLF. Although there are few direct references, you can absolutely relate to Bill's mind throughout the book if you are a keen fan of the KLF.
If you've not read it - go out and buy a copy. I will be re-reading mine again in a few months.
_______________________________________________ KLF mailing list KLF@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/klf Report list abuse to list-abuse at studio-nibble.com
Oddly enough, I live very near to Chipping Norton now............ The story that stuck in my mind the most, and made me laugh the most also, was the one where he's on the plane and wants to get the autograph off the Fleetwood Mac chap. I love the way he puts nostalgia down as something that people are tricked into by the music industry to promote sales - it fills him with contempt and he takes the opportunity to pour scorn on it as often as he can get away with, yet he seems totally susceptible to his own [selft justified] form of nostalgia, all the while being aware of how hypocritical it is. Very funny! I remember sending my stamped addressed envelope off to the PO box back when I was at school as a lad of 14, thinking how cool it was that they seemed to have some roots in a town so near me. On Sat, Oct 23, 2010 at 12:34 PM, John Milne <paranormalhandy@gmail.com> wrote:
"45" is a great read, yes. The story that's actually about writing - a pretty tired literary trope usually - stick in my mind the mist, with it's photographic descriptions of drinking tea in the supermarket cafe and writing next to the other regulars in the library in the shopping mall. As far as Aylesbury I'd concerned, I think Bill has lived near there in a farmhouse for 20-odd years. The KLF/Jams post box was Aylesbury, and the occasional scene-setting interview will Bill usually mentions the town. Also, on the BBC Omnibus programme, there's a brief shout of the outside of his house, and The New Merseybeat Rock'n'Roll Years features BD bring interviewed in the kitchen (I presume). Aylesbury's also near where they played that shambolic Chipping Norton rave in 1989, of course, and at one point in the video footage of that Bill looks at a map and says "We're going past my house."
On 23 Oct 2010, at 12:25, Ross Jarvis <jarvmeister@gmail.com> wrote:
I'm sure many of you have read it. I finished it about a few weeks ago, and immediately went and purchased "17".
I have to say, it was a superb read, often making me laugh out loud, and offering some serious insight into the mind that, in my opinion, drove the artistic side of the KLF.
I am also lucky enough to have grown up in and around Aylesbury, which is constantly mentioned, referenced and described in detail. It's mentioned so frequently and it's clear Bill spends so much time there that I began to wonder why I've never bumped into him.
I've heard some people say that there aren't enough references to the KLF. Although there are few direct references, you can absolutely relate to Bill's mind throughout the book if you are a keen fan of the KLF.
If you've not read it - go out and buy a copy. I will be re-reading mine again in a few months.
_______________________________________________ KLF mailing list KLF@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/klf Report list abuse to list-abuse at studio-nibble.com
_______________________________________________ KLF mailing list KLF@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/klf Report list abuse to list-abuse at studio-nibble.com
Yes, his stories have a lovely fallibility, in marked contrast to his grim-faced leather-jacketed King Boy D persona. The Peter Green airplane/autograph tale is very nicely done - as is (for me) his meditations on being a Scot who's also a true Anglophile, views which chime closely with my own. On 23 Oct 2010, at 15:11, Ross Jarvis <jarvmeister@gmail.com> wrote:
Oddly enough, I live very near to Chipping Norton now............
The story that stuck in my mind the most, and made me laugh the most also, was the one where he's on the plane and wants to get the autograph off the Fleetwood Mac chap.
I love the way he puts nostalgia down as something that people are tricked into by the music industry to promote sales - it fills him with contempt and he takes the opportunity to pour scorn on it as often as he can get away with, yet he seems totally susceptible to his own [selft justified] form of nostalgia, all the while being aware of how hypocritical it is. Very funny!
I remember sending my stamped addressed envelope off to the PO box back when I was at school as a lad of 14, thinking how cool it was that they seemed to have some roots in a town so near me.
On Sat, Oct 23, 2010 at 12:34 PM, John Milne <paranormalhandy@gmail.com
wrote:
"45" is a great read, yes. The story that's actually about writing - a pretty tired literary trope usually - stick in my mind the mist, with it's photographic descriptions of drinking tea in the supermarket cafe and writing next to the other regulars in the library in the shopping mall. As far as Aylesbury I'd concerned, I think Bill has lived near there in a farmhouse for 20-odd years. The KLF/Jams post box was Aylesbury, and the occasional scene-setting interview will Bill usually mentions the town. Also, on the BBC Omnibus programme, there's a brief shout of the outside of his house, and The New Merseybeat Rock'n'Roll Years features BD bring interviewed in the kitchen (I presume). Aylesbury's also near where they played that shambolic Chipping Norton rave in 1989, of course, and at one point in the video footage of that Bill looks at a map and says "We're going past my house."
On 23 Oct 2010, at 12:25, Ross Jarvis <jarvmeister@gmail.com> wrote:
I'm sure many of you have read it. I finished it about a few weeks ago, and immediately went and purchased "17".
I have to say, it was a superb read, often making me laugh out loud, and offering some serious insight into the mind that, in my opinion, drove the artistic side of the KLF.
I am also lucky enough to have grown up in and around Aylesbury, which is constantly mentioned, referenced and described in detail. It's mentioned so frequently and it's clear Bill spends so much time there that I began to wonder why I've never bumped into him.
I've heard some people say that there aren't enough references to the KLF. Although there are few direct references, you can absolutely relate to Bill's mind throughout the book if you are a keen fan of the KLF.
If you've not read it - go out and buy a copy. I will be re-reading mine again in a few months.
_______________________________________________ KLF mailing list KLF@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/klf Report list abuse to list-abuse at studio-nibble.com
_______________________________________________ KLF mailing list KLF@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/klf Report list abuse to list-abuse at studio-nibble.com
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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.).
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.).
_______________________________________________ KLF mailing list KLF@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/klf Report list abuse to list-abuse at studio-nibble.com
Some great info on other publications, once I'm done with 17 I'd quite like to read something by Julian Cope to get an alternate perspective on Bill. Thanks for that. From: klf-bounces+jarvmeister=gmail.com@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:klf-bounces+jarvmeister=gmail.com@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of John Milne Sent: 12 November 2010 08:13 To: All bound for Mu-Mu Land. Subject: Re: [KLF] Bill Drummond - 45 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.). _______________________________________________ KLF mailing list KLF@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/klf Report list abuse to list-abuse at studio-nibble.com
participants (3)
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John Milne -
klfboy _ -
Ross Jarvis