Author:Mike Skinner
**WINNER OF THE NME BEST BOOK AWARD**
'This book is going to try and get as close as possible to the full story of what informed the noise of The Streets. Obviously that's something I should be fairly well-qualified to know about, and I'm going to be as honest as the publisher's lawyers will allow.'
With the 2001 release of The Streets' debut single 'Has It Come To This?' the landscape of British popular music changed forever. No longer did homegrown rappers have to anxiously defer to transatlantic influences. Mike Skinner's witty, self-deprecating sagas of late-night kebab shops and skunk-fuelled Playstation sessions showed how much you could achieve simply by speaking in your own voice.
In this thoroughly modern memoir, the man the Guardian once dubbed 'half Dostoevsky . . . half Samuel Pepys' tells a freewheeling, funny and fearlessly honest tale of Birmingham and London, ecstasy and epilepsy, Twitter-fear and Spectrum joysticks, spread-betting and growing up. He writes of his musical inspirations, role models and rivals, the craft of songwriting and reflects on the successes and failures of the decade-long journey of The Streets.
Cleverer, funnier, more illuminating and beautifully written than anything I have read in the longest time
—— Decca Aitkenhead , GuardianSkinner is still only thirty-three and, with his talent and eclectic tastes, it is easy to imagine him becoming one of Britain's national music treasures
—— Times Literary SupplementA playful description of what pop stardom allows you to get away with, it's a gem
—— Independent on SundayQuite the life you've led... the stories in here, I mean, I blushed a little
—— Graham NortonIt really is a rollercoaster ride...It’s a proper book. It’s not frothy. It’s not candy flossy...It is no holds barred. You wrote it yourself, it’s so obvious. It’s your voice all the way through
—— Chris Evans...the book is funny, vivid and even, at times, self-critical...
—— Daily TelegraphA rollicking rock'nroll story.
—— The ScotsmanRod Stewart's fascinating autobiography is a colourful account of an extraordinary life
—— Hello!He gives you, rather generously, a guided tour into not only his life but the life of a rock star
—— Different SceneWhat we loved about this book is the feeling that you are having a personal conversation with Rod Stewart … highly recommended!
—— Hot Brands Cool PlacesIt’s a brisk romp of a read
—— Lynn Barber , The Sunday TimesThe tone is droll, surprisingly self-deprecating for such an apparent narcissist, and full of deadpan humour. There are whole chapters here where every page made me laugh out loud, hilarious anecdotes as finely honed as anything in Keith Richards’ Life.
—— Uncut Magazinean eminently readable and richly entertaining journey through Rod’s life...with a real sense of fun pervading...a rollicking read
—— Beat Magazinewonderfully written...a page-turner
—— Pat KennyRidiculously funny and astonishingly candid, Rod Stewart's memoir is the rock autobiography of the decade
—— Daily MailOne of the most entertaining, revealing, captivating books of the year
—— IndependentIt’s impossible not to warm to him in this account of booze, drugs and blondes…The tales of on-the-road bad behavior…leave nothing to the imagination…his painful admission of how ex-wife Rachel Hunter broke his heart reveal a man happy to wear his heart on his sleeve….And he wears it well…
—— Daily MailIn Rod Stewart’s raucous, laddish autobiography….his attitude towards women in his life is frequently indefensible but otherwise it’s often laugh-out-load funny
—— HeraldRod Stewart reveals all in a hilarious and, at times, moving book…A brilliant read—you’ll be hooked.
—— Best[Rod] has warm good humour and a nice line in self-deprecation...He wears it well—and tells it even better.
—— Daily MailBy some distance the most entertaining of last year’s...rock star memoirs.
—— Uncut OnlineThis book takes readers on an adventure, that is at times deeply moving, through the life of one of the UK's greatest singers.
—— Hello! onlineRuthlessly entertaining
—— telegraph.co.uk