From Publishers Weekly
"[F]rom the outer edges of pop" comes 45, a hilarious, self-scrutinizing memoir of sorts by member of British pop-band KLF Bill Drummond (coauthor of Bad Wisdom), writing in his 45th year. Fueled by a blurry but purposeful "love of pop's backwater" (also defined as "unsuccessful... [d]eluded... cheap and nasty and mistaken" pop music), he travels several times to Helsinki sometimes with his kids, often with heavy metal rocker Mark Manning, aka Zodiac Mindwarp to record such bands on the label he owns. Mainly, Drummond proffers what every pop-music intellectual and intellectual fan of pop music dreams of a jaded, devotional, well-wrought tribute to and mockery of his ridiculous and glorious art. ( July 15)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Review
'Drummond has the inimitable wisdom of a true maverick' THE TIMES 'It has flashes of twisted brilliance reminiscent of Iain Sinclair or Will Self' GUARDIAN 'Drummond is a cultural magician and this is his logbook' INDEPENDENT 'Invigorating, irritating and endearing, Drummond is a gifted postmodern raconteur with his tongue stuck firmly in his cheek.' IRISH NEWS 'Inspired.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'With Bill Drummond, it's always best to expect the unexpected. He has made a career out of being gloriously unpredictable. He famously tasted pop success with the KLF, burned a million pounds on a remote Scottish isle and introduced the world to Echo & The Bunnymen and Julian Cope. 45 is as unexpected as the KLF collaborating with Tammy Wynette: a semi-autobiography from a man who has previously been loathe to talk about his work in public. The book takes the form of a collection of short stories and essays focusing on various aspects of Drummond's life. While some chapters are definite page-turners, others move at a more ponderous pace. 45 really comes alive when Drummond discusses hair-brained KLF schemes and K Foundation art stunts. It is within these chapters that he gets closest to confessional, musing on disillusionment, musical myth and the nature of nationalism. Here we get to glimpse into the mind of one of pop's wayward geniuses. Yet it is never more than a mere glimpse. Drummond clearly finds it hard to be truly revelatory. We should, of course, expect this from a man who spent his musical career building up myths, creating alter egos and trying to fool the media and the record-buying public. If anything, 45 illustrates perfectly Drummond's chameleon-like nature. On one hand, he is a shy, retiring family man who enjoys long walks in the country and drinking tea. Yet he is also a tortured genius, a frustrated artist and a man in the throes of a mid-life crisis. When he lets himself go, 45 is a cracking read and one of the most interesting books about music and art in years.' Matt Anniss, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW
