Last year when Penguin published singer songwriter Morrissey's autobiography, a controversy raged in the media over the publisher’s decision to release the book under its Classics imprint. How could the memoirs of the former lead singer-lyricist of The Smiths be placed along the likes of Homer and Tolstoy?
It turned out that Morrissey had apparently agreed to go with Penguin only if the book was released as a Classic! The fact that Penguin might have even acceded to the condition is proof of the market power aging rockers have for their memoirs and assorted writings.
As early in the 1960s, John Lennon published In His Own Write and Spaniard in The Works , both collections of his nonsensical stories and illustrations. But the promise of his autobiographical lyrics in ‘In My Life,’ ‘Norwegian Wood’ and ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’ did not result in a memoir. While fellow Beatle George Harrison did deliver I Me Mine , it was Bob Dylan who took the higher ground with his Chronicles Volume 1 that was a huge critical and commercial success. True to form, Dylan was more revealing about his influences and the process of making music than his personal life. However the much acclaimed wordplay in the book has come under close scrutiny documented in the recently released The Dylanologists by David Kinney which indicates that Dylan was as liberal as a rapper when it came to sampling sources.
Dylan’s book was followed by bestselling memoirs from Sting, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. These had more spice about their personal life but addressed their music with varying degrees of success. It was especially fun reading Clapton’s book back to back with ex-wife Pattie Boyd’s Wonderful Tonight as an exercise in the relativity of truth!
Keith Richards’ comments about Mick Jagger almost broke up The Rolling Stones until better sense prevailed in time for their 50th anniversary tour.
Which brings me to a stack of recent high profile memoirs that I have just managed to binge read.
The Who’s Pete Townsend has impressive literary credentials. Not only was his short story collection Horse’s Neck published by Faber & Faber, but he actually worked there as a commissioning editor. His intense memoir Who I Am puts the reader on the psychiatrist’s chair as Townsend reveals his inner most thoughts and memories about growing up, creating music, the success of his ambitious rock operas, the inevitable failures and frictions within the band culminating in the deaths of band-mates Keith Moon and John Entwistle, the clash between spirituality as a follower of Meher Baba and the temptations of the itinerant life of the musician. Townsend also faces the memory of being abused as a child and he ends with the episode of his being questioned by the police and facing public condemnation for accessing a child porn site, a charge that he was later absolved of. Incidentally, he has different take on the controversial comments of Keith Richards that should give some ‘satisfaction’ to Jagger!
Neil Young’s Waging Heavy Peace is an often frustrating book that follows no chronological order, has many chapters devoted to various cars and model trains in his collection, rants at regular intervals about the quality of downloaded music and commercial breaks for his entrepreneurial projects Lincvolt, an electric car, and Pono, a digital music service. But between all this are insights into the mind and music of one the greatest singer-songwriters who famously collaborated with Crosby , Stillsand Nash, was a key member of the legendary Buffalo Springfieldand is still active both as a soloist and with his band Crazy Horse.
When you cannot get a rock star to write a memoir, the next best thing is a biography that is not authorised but has the collaboration of the star, his band, friends and family and this is what Peter Ames Carlin has managed to achieve with Bruce . The Bruce Springsteen story is the antithesis of the rock star fable as he is known for his sober lifestyle and has built his reputation on songs that express the aspirations and problems of the common man. Carlin effectively captures Bruce’s creative process and his passion for social causes but as to any major revelations? It turns out Springsteen is human after all, prone to extreme mood swings and has to deal with inner demons. Just one of us.
After these ‘thinking’ stars, reading Rod Stewart’s Rod: The Autobiography is like a gentle breeze. Yes, he is also into cars and model trains besides football but Stewart comes across as a rowdy uncle as he regales us with his story from struggling musician to rock star success spiced with self-depreciatory humour while leaving none of the debauchery out. No major psychological insights here but just a celebration of music and a life lived in the fast lane.
