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45 (book)
Encyclopedia
45 is a non-fiction book by Bill Drummond
, referred to by The Guardian
as a "charmingly barking [mad] memoir". It collects various short stories written by Drummond between 1997 and 1998.
Furthermore, the 2nd edition adds the following chapters at the end of the book:
said that "It is usually a disaster when pop stars write books.... But Bill Drummond was never your average rock star", describing the book as "A series of loosely related vignettes
forming the rambling diary of one year, it initially feels far removed from the scam-mongering stunts that we have come to expect. Drummond portrays himself as a shambling, absurd figure, saddled with the twin obsessions of pop music
and art
.... [he] has the inimitable wisdom of a true maverick."
Charles Shaar Murray
wrote in The Independent
that "[Bill] Drummond is many things, and one of those things is a magician
. Many of his schemes - one example is described as "a private joke that's so private I don't even get it myself" - involve symbolically-weighted acts conducted away from the public gaze and documented only by Drummond himself and his participating comrades. Nevertheless, they are intended to have an effect on a worldful of people unaware that the act in question has taken place. That is magical thinking. Art is magic, and so is pop. Bill Drummond is a cultural magician, and 45 is his logbook." A second review in The Independent added that "despite all the half-truths and self-effacing irony, and what Drummond calls "the incessant self- mythologising vanity", the stories in 45 strike me as peculiarly and sometimes painfully honest. It appears that, after all this time, he's decided it would be nice if his motives were understood. By himself at least. And if I'm wrong about that, 45 is still worth reading for the daft aphorisms - "Down escalators are one of the greatest inventions ever" - and all the situationist pranks involving dead cows, Stonehenge
and money that never quite made the transition from Drummond's imagination to the real world."
Steven Poole
wrote in The Guardian
that "45 is a further attempt to bury the myth [of The KLF]. Throughout, Drummond poses as an ordinary middle-aged man who lives in the country, drinks lots of tea and spends his mornings in the nearest library, with coffee breaks in the shopping centre. Yet the myth motors on, pitilessly. When he goes to Serbia
to appear on an underground music station, he brings a recording of an unreleased KLF song called `The Magnificent'. Soon it `had not only become the theme tune of the station [B92
], but the anthem of the democracy movement . . . A track we recorded in a day, never released as a single, thought was crap and had forgotten about had taken on a meaning, an importance in a `far-off land'.'" In summary, Poole said, "At its best [45] has flashes of twisted brilliance reminiscent of Iain Sinclair
or Will Self
, but the majority is most interesting because the author was one half of the KLF. Of course, that is more than enough glory for one lifetime. Yet the fact remains that this book will forever labour under the shadow of those horned men and their gleefully apocalyptic music."
Bill Drummond
William Ernest Drummond is a Scottish artist, musician, writer and record producer. He was the co-founder of late 1980s avant-garde pop group The KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with which he burned a million pounds in 1994...
, referred to by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as a "charmingly barking [mad] memoir". It collects various short stories written by Drummond between 1997 and 1998.
Content
- Forty-Five Today
- The Winner Takes It All
- The Urge To Paint (or Have I Got The Strength To 'Just Say No'?)
- Mick Phoned
- Sleeve Note
- Take Three Bullets
- Cocaine Dealers & American Girls
- On Paper
- From The Shores Of Lake Placid
- It's Shit
- Chunky Thighs
- A Smell Of Money Under Ground
- Let's Grind (or How K2 Plant Hire Went To Work)
- One Idea
- The Number Fourteen
- A Cure For Nationalism
- A Christmas Carol
- Boxing Day
- William Butterworth Revealed
- Death By Deed Poll
- Ba Ba Gaa
- Gimpo's 25
- They Called Me Up In Tennessee
- In Praise Of Council Homes
- For
- Making Soup
- The Autograph Hunted
- Robbie Joins The Jams
- Bill Drummond Is Dead
- Towers, Tunnels And Elderflower Wine
- Gimpo And Me And The Fabian Society
- My Modern Life
- Art Terrorist Incident At Luton Airport
- My P45
- Great Expectations
- Acknowledge
- Trashed
- Wheelchairs
- Now That's What I Call Disillusionment, Part 1
- Now That's What I Call Disillusionment, Part 2
- Where's Bill?
Furthermore, the 2nd edition adds the following chapters at the end of the book:
- Forwards To The Foreword
- Introduction (by Neal Brown)
- Backwards From The Foreword
Reviews
45 was widely reviewed in the British press. The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
said that "It is usually a disaster when pop stars write books.... But Bill Drummond was never your average rock star", describing the book as "A series of loosely related vignettes
Vignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
forming the rambling diary of one year, it initially feels far removed from the scam-mongering stunts that we have come to expect. Drummond portrays himself as a shambling, absurd figure, saddled with the twin obsessions of pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
.... [he] has the inimitable wisdom of a true maverick."
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray
Charles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...
wrote in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
that "[Bill] Drummond is many things, and one of those things is a magician
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
. Many of his schemes - one example is described as "a private joke that's so private I don't even get it myself" - involve symbolically-weighted acts conducted away from the public gaze and documented only by Drummond himself and his participating comrades. Nevertheless, they are intended to have an effect on a worldful of people unaware that the act in question has taken place. That is magical thinking. Art is magic, and so is pop. Bill Drummond is a cultural magician, and 45 is his logbook." A second review in The Independent added that "despite all the half-truths and self-effacing irony, and what Drummond calls "the incessant self- mythologising vanity", the stories in 45 strike me as peculiarly and sometimes painfully honest. It appears that, after all this time, he's decided it would be nice if his motives were understood. By himself at least. And if I'm wrong about that, 45 is still worth reading for the daft aphorisms - "Down escalators are one of the greatest inventions ever" - and all the situationist pranks involving dead cows, Stonehenge
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. One of the most famous sites in the world, Stonehenge is composed of a circular setting of large standing stones set within earthworks...
and money that never quite made the transition from Drummond's imagination to the real world."
Steven Poole
Steven Poole
-Biography:Poole studied English at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and has subsequently written for publications including The Independent, The Guardian, The Times Literary Supplement, The Sunday Times, and the New Statesman...
wrote in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that "45 is a further attempt to bury the myth [of The KLF]. Throughout, Drummond poses as an ordinary middle-aged man who lives in the country, drinks lots of tea and spends his mornings in the nearest library, with coffee breaks in the shopping centre. Yet the myth motors on, pitilessly. When he goes to Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
to appear on an underground music station, he brings a recording of an unreleased KLF song called `The Magnificent'. Soon it `had not only become the theme tune of the station [B92
B92
B92 is a radio and television broadcaster with national coverage headquartered in Belgrade, Serbia. The network's key demographic is chiefly urban and young audience. Its programs, including the news cover topics with fairly liberal political painted attitudes...
], but the anthem of the democracy movement . . . A track we recorded in a day, never released as a single, thought was crap and had forgotten about had taken on a meaning, an importance in a `far-off land'.'" In summary, Poole said, "At its best [45] has flashes of twisted brilliance reminiscent of Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair
Iain Sinclair FRSL is a British writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, most recently within the influences of psychogeography.-Life and work:...
or Will Self
Will Self
William Woodard "Will" Self is an English novelist and short story writer. His fictional style is known for being satirical, grotesque, and fantastical. He is a prolific commentator on contemporary British life, with regular appearances on Newsnight and Question Time...
, but the majority is most interesting because the author was one half of the KLF. Of course, that is more than enough glory for one lifetime. Yet the fact remains that this book will forever labour under the shadow of those horned men and their gleefully apocalyptic music."