Keith Richards is one of the best known and respected guitarists of the Brit rock scene. He’s wild, a little strange, sometimes unintelligible, but always interesting. The same can be said of his memoir, Life. In the book, Richards reflects on everything from his early life growing up in a council estate and his love […]
Britpop Bookshelf: Luke Haines’ Bad Vibes
Love triangles. Band rivalries. Heroin heroin heroin. The Britpop era was fraught with the sort of drama that could satisfy any tabloid lover. While most of the juiciest stories have been heavily guarded by the bands themselves (or perhaps forgotten in a distant drug haze), Luke Haines dishes up a bit of delicious dirt in […]
Britpop Bookshelf: Mozipedia
‘There’s more to life than books you know, but not much more,’ Morrissey’s sinuous voice once teased. Well, it’s possible for Morrissey to be wrong once in his life because he never cracked open Simon Goddard’s Mozipedia: The Encyclopedia of Morrissey and the Smiths (Plume Books, 2010). The Mozipedia is a special kind of reference […]
Britpop Bookshelf: Phonogram: Rue Brittania by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie
We don’t often see an overlap of Britpop and graphic novels. Thankfully in 2006, journalist Kieron Gillen and artist Jamie McKelvie filled the void with the first installment of the Phonogram: Rue Brittania mini-series. The series follows Davis Kohl – a “phonomancer” who uses music as magic. It starts off in the dull, post-Britpop scene. […]
Britpop Bookshelf: Bit of a Blur
Alex James. Blur Bass Player. Fringe Swisher. Cheesemaker. Writer? Yes, Alex James, winner of both the cheekiest bass player award for six years in a row and best fringe from 1993-1999, penned his autobiography! Bit of a Blur (Little,Brown, 2007) touches upon all the stories you could possibly want to know from someone who lived […]
Britpop Bookshelf: Mother, Brother Lover: Selected Lyrics by Jarvis Cocker
Jarvis Cocker, of Pulp and solo career fame, is one of the most prolific and witty lyricists of the Britpop movement. In the book Mother, Brother, Lover: Selected Lyrics, he journeys through three decades of his most memorable songs, offering an introduction and commentary on selected lyrics. If you’ve ever purchased a Pulp album (or […]
Britpop Bookshelf: Parkway by Hayley Sercombe
If you’re like me, you were too young and too American to experience Britpop in the ’90s. Thankfully, British author and Britpop girl Hayley Sercombe wrote the semi-autobiographical novel Parkway about the adventures of teens in ’90s Britain. It’s a fun, quick read full of references to the bands that we love. From Marion to […]
