45 - Softcover

Drummond, Bill

4.19

539 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316853852 ISBN 13: 9780316853859

Publisher: Little, Brown, 2000

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At the age of 45, Bill Drummond is less concerned with setting the record straight as making sure it revolves at the correct speed. Whether he's recording 'Justified and Ancient' with Tammy Wynette; contemplating the dull lunacy of the Turner prize; resisting the urge to paint landscapes; or glorying in the crapness of rock comebacks; he is consistently amusing and thought-provoking, and draws us into his world with the seductive enthusiasm of a born storyteller.
An artist with a singular approach to his work, Bill Drummond has paused to take stock of his life and a career that now spans over twenty-five eventful years. Famously enjoying international success with The KLF and inviting national controversy for burning a million quid with The K Foundation, these days Drummond spends much of his time writing profusely. He avoids and confronts issues, infuriates and inspires those around him, muses and confuses, creates and destroys. He has maintained a penchant for reckless schemes - all this while drinking endless pots of tea.

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Review:

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

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)

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