Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.: Viv Albertine

I saw the Slits on the White Riot tour and again on their own tour. But I knew they would be something as soon as I saw a photo. Just as I had with the Pistols and the Clash. Punk was like that. You either recognised it and went for it or you came along later when it was safe. 16 and stuck in Yorkshire, gay and knowing I was an outsider because of that the Slits sent a message to me as powerfully as the Pistols. You can be exactly who you wish to be. Right now. Albertine humorously lists the key punk sections at the beginning of the book as well as an honest declaration of why she thinks people write autobiographies and why she wrote this. It set the tone for the book and had me grinning from the off. Didn't put the book down after that unless I absolutely had to. Yes, the account of the punk period is fascinating. Good to hear from someone who was at the epicentre about the energy and the personalities now that the cliches, tired tall tales and empty chest beating is what we are usually presented with.However, the book does not slump once the Slits are out of the picture. She continues to write about rediscovering herself in the aftermath, through marriage and fought for motherhood into the rekindling of her clearly creative spirit latterly. All the while the prose is considered and the sentiments frank.If only more people were so honest about themselves. There is a counterfeit honesty that many writers of autobiographies use to hide in plain sight. For someone who admits to doubt and insecurity Albertine hides from nothing.A valuable, precious book that I really do think everyone would benefit from reading, particularly as we are now entrenched in a culture of manufactured reality.Cut remains to me one of the best records made. This book too is essential.

I was never into punk and don't know most of the bands and musicians Viv writes about, but I still found this a really good read. The short chapters, a punchy style with a nice balance of action and reflection, and above all her extraordinary frankness meant that I raced through this book in no time.Clothes, clothes, clothes:Amazingly, Viv always seems to remember exactly what she was wearing at any moment in her life, and doesn't hesitate to describe it - but normally only briefly in passing, so it doesn't bore you. You do get to understand that expressing herself through clothes is hugely important to her, and how punk is about the look as much as the sound. BTW I calculate that she's had over 30 years' wear from her favourite red Vivienne Westwood boots!Music, music, music:There are a great number of names mentioned which will mean a lot more to veterans of the punk rock scene of the 1970s than they did to me. But many of them quickly turn into real people on the page, like characters in a novel. Most of the others did not detain me, but one or two prompted me to check out their music. If you're at all interested in hearing new sounds, I'm sure you'll want to do the same. Viv's musical journey (starting from not being able to sing in tune, read music, or play guitar) is quite instructive - she tells you how she blunders her way determinedly through (no wonder her neigbours complain!) and only in later life does she take a more conventional approach to musicianship.Boys, boys, boys:Viv is desperately trying to find her true self through clothes and music, and, you feel, through boys too. That means real relationships as well as a lot of casual sex (for want of a better term), and quite heart-rending honesty about how she tries, or doesn't try hard enough, to make the relationships work. The second half of the book is mainly about one 'boy': an anatomy of a marriage complicated by gynaecological difficulties and serious illness. Her father is a constant disappointment, whereas her mother and her daughter are the true anchors in her life. If that sounds like 'women's stuff' I would still urge other blokes to read it!Kindle edition niggles:1. Nuggets of hindsight and explanatory notes on people and places - the equivalent of footnotes - appear within the narrative in italics. This is a great idea and would work really well, except that italics are also used to show what is going through Viv's mind in certain situations. These two different uses of italics should have been differentiated - e.g by using square brackets for the 'footnotes'.2. The tiny, lo-res, black & white illustrations don't do justice to the subject-matter, whether faces or clothes.Viv shows us one way to write a brilliant memoir - keep the story moving forward, don't tiptoe around the subject, don't hold anything back!

A must read for fans of Punk - this well written, entertaining account by Viv Albertine, a member of the iconic girl punk band The Slits perfectly captures the mood and feel of the time. Part music biography, part fashion biography, part snapshot of the punk era, Albertine describes her relationship with other punk icons such as Johnny Rotten, Vivienne Westwood and of course the other members of the Slits and their struggle to make it in a male dominated industry. As you would expect for the time there are some shocking accounts of the sexism she faced including violence and threats of rape.The book runs out of steam it bit towards the end when she describes her life as a middle England housewife with an Aga and Jaeger dresses (a far cry from her Westwood designed wardrobe!) but for the whole this was a very interesting life story.

I love this book. I love what it is about - the insights and experiences of the quite singular and remarkably eventful life of a tremendously compelling and likeable individual.I also love the form of the book, which seems at times almost like a series of literary snapshots, or fuzzy polaroids (of sometimes 1-2 page long chapters), which are judiciously selective in both the details they portray, and in the way that a simple chapter of a couple of pages can be more revealing than a ton of books on whatever the subject might be. In this respect, a revelation to me were the many minor details that changed my perception of someone - such as the handwritten letter sent from Sid Vicious to Viv, when he was temporarily incarcerated, and that is reproduced here as a photograph: Sid's girly handwriting, perfect grammar and the indisputable evidence of an intelligent human being with a good vocabulary sort of make you wonder at how he ended up being remembered as such an obnoxious bumpkin.But, on reflection, maybe these chapters are maybe more like the literary equivalent of those short, sharp records that defined the punk era. It is a tremendously frank and unvarnished portrait of the time and the people - written, perhaps, like a lot of those early punk tunes; i.e., with a desire for immediacy and an intent to capture something that too much 'working over' would ruin. No wonder she feels that in writing this she has exposed herself!I have read many memoirs by musicians (and others), books about the seventies, books about punk, books about interesting people, and in my view this book is one of the best books about all of those things - but it also simply just a fascinating page-turner that anyone - whether they know of Viv Albertine or not - would find compelling. It's a book about a woman who lived in a world that is gone, the story of a life that could not now be repeated. It's the story of an innovator and a time and place that sums up a pivotal period in our cultural history.

I don’t write many reviews but I think this book deserves the effort.I'm a bloke in my 50's, I have read many autobiographies over the years, many of them music related.I grew up during the 70’s and was immersed in the ‘punk’movement; it shaped me as the person I am today.I appreciated what the Slits were trying to do but disliked the Slits music at the time; I found it an awful racket (& that coming from a Fall fan!).Over the last few years I have seen & heard Viv a few times on the TV & radio.She always comes across as being intelligent, articulate, fun and attractive ... admirable qualities!This book is proper ‘warts & all’, no embarrassment spared.She has had one hell of a life ,,, many physical and mental struggles. She never seemed to take the ‘easy’ option or path in life .. a quality to be admired in anyone!This book seems to have it all. I laughed out loud. I cried out loud.The book could offend the ‘narrow minded’ or ‘prudish types’ due to it’s graphic honesty .. I still think if you fall into these categories you should still give it a try though, you may find it liberating & it will certainly widen you perspectives.The first autobiography I ever read as a teenager was ‘The moons a balloon’ by David Niven. I still remember it, the humour of it & the self mocking, thinking; ‘I've really got to know this guy through this book, I know I would enjoy listening & talking to him ... this bloke is a bloody good egg’.I have read many autos since then but none has left much of a lasting impression on me … until this book by Viv (Viv is so honest about her life, she is without doubt 'a bloody good & very interesting egg').I think this is the best autobiography I’ve ever read, like ‘the moons a balloon’ (read about 40 years ago) I will never forget this book, it may even help shape me to be a better person!

When this book revealed itself from eagerly torn paper on Christmas morning, my eyes all but lit up. And with good reason too; Ex-Slits guitaristViv Albertine's 'Clothes Clothes Clothes, Music Music Music, Boys Boys Boys' had long piqued my interest, and as a lover of good autobiographies , here was another one I just knew wasn't going to disappoint.Having prior to this digested Johnny Marr's 'Set The Boy Free', I was left somewhat flat by it's informative yet dull prose. Like his old sidekick Morrissey's memoir, Albertine's is infinitely more compelling, despite it's chapters being presented in pithy bite size chunks.But whereas Morrissey's outlook is acerbic, Albertine's is unapologetically honest. Truly a gifted raconteur, Albertine recollects things such as sexual fumblings, parasites, and bodily functions with incredible candour. Someone like Amy Schumer would would milk all this for what it's worth in pursuit of laughs,but for Albertine this is all very matter of fact.That point is made clear from the very first page; her indifference to self pleasure prefacing her family's arrival in England from Australia, the bewilderment of her subsequent childhood, and relationship with her fractious father.Not since Danny Baker's excellent 'Going To Sea In A Sieve' have I related to a memoir as much as this one. Yet where it was Baker's tales of working class shenanigans that struck a chord with me, it's Albertine's uncannily truthful detailing of little things like classroom 'accidents' and the epiphany of first hearing The Beatles that immediately hit home.As a mid 50's child and of similar age, I too grew up with the music that Albertine fondly recalls in her book, and with the West London locations she she often mentions having been my old stomping ground, I like her, embraced punk in the very same way.As part of the then burgeoning punk movement, it comes as no surprise that Albertine is able to name drop the major players here and anecdotes abound therefore about Rotten, Vicious et al. A brief dalliance with the late New York musician Johnny Thunders was an eye opener for me, as was her sometimes regrettable treatment of the Clash's Mick Jones.Anyone unfamiliar with punk shouldn't be deterred at this point as Albertine's revelatory writing talent always sustains interest. Her band The Slits are covered in great detail; the highs and lows, and the sense of loss when this revolutionary group finally called it a day.The second half of the book concentrates on Albertine's life post Slits, her brief loss of direction { teaching aerobics!?} and carving herself a niche in the world of film and television production. Inevitably marriage and domesticity come knocking, but this is not to be without a myriad of problems.As if child loss and the subsequent ordeal of IVF treatment wasn't enough, Albertine is then diagnosed with cervical cancer and as expected, no punches are pulled regarding these subjects.Disillusioned with a Stepford wife existence and in a fading marriage, Albertine flies in the face of ridicule and ventures back into the world of music, and it's a decision you find yourself cheering her on with. Less so an ill advised meeting with a predatory Vincent Gallo, and worse still an encounter with a person she ominously labels 'Beautiful psycho'. Divorced and a single mother, Albertine nevertheless goes on to release the wonderful solo album 'The Vermilion Border' and appears in indie art house movie 'Exhibition'.Displaying a stoical pragmatism from start to finish, Albertine's life affirming autobiography is a great read from a free spirited, spontaneous pioneer of whom I would gladly genuflect.

Just in case there's any doubt that this should be in the "Oooh, Look At Me" section of your lending library, Viv Albertine entitles the opening chapter of her autobiography "Masturbation". She claims the practice itself doesn't do it for her (so to speak) but you could argue the whole book is an exercise in it. Albertine is instantly unlikeable as a person, but just like one of her many rockstar conquests, as a reader she targets you, reels you in, snogs you senseless, and then moves on. The first half of this book is effectively a manifesto for being the girlfriend from hell (I WILL sleep with your friends, I WILL sleep with your rivals) - and what emerges is the story of someone who doesn't need boyfriends, fellow band members, partners, friends, or husbands, she just needs people who will bolster her big, fragile ego, or 'muses' as she calls them. But not liking the author as a person doesn't mean you can't like her as a writer, because she has a great story to tell and she is brilliant at telling it (thank god she talked the publishers out of using a ghost-writer). And in the end (ie now) bereft of her 'muses' (divorce leads to friends melting away), a new Viv Albertine emerges, uncertain and unsteady, but increasingly determined, and ultimately, much more likeable. Terrible title, great book.

At 31 I totally missed out on the punk scene, however this past year I have been slowly getting into the music and reading anything i can get my hands on about he whole culture.I was vaguely aware of The Slits(aware enough to know I didn't like their music) but I love reading about that era,especially a woman's perspective so it was a no-brainer buying this.I really enjoyed this book even though it was quite frustrating at times(but I will get onto that later) I found myself so envious of Viv's early life in London. Growing up in London around that time and with so many exciting up and coming bands, a lot of whom you can call friends, must have been amazing. Viv talks very candidly about her friendships with The Clash, Sid Vicious, working at Dingwalls etc etc and it really does feel like you are getting a fly on the wall look into that fascinating time in history.The second part of the book is a little more tame and Viv talks about her struggles with fertility, married life and epic cancer battle. I did start to struggle as Viv was clearly unhappy with her situation and I kept wondering why she just wouldn't get a job like us "normal" folk. She does come across as a bit tortured artist at times and I feel she was so lucky in her life that she just didn't see it. Yes she has had extremely hard times(especially her cancer battle) but I feel as much as Viv always wanted to be independent, she has always needed a man's help to get there.This is what i found frustrating really, you would think there had been no female musicians/guitarists/bands etc the way Viv talks but there are plenty from that era and before. Her relationship with Mick Jones(who I fell totally in love with, what a lovely bloke) is quite frustrating too. She shied away from his affections yet slept with several people in their circle. But she writes it in a way where she doesn't see what the issue was. A great song came from that relationship though(Train In Vain) and it appears Mick is still very fond of Viv...again what a lovely guy!I also felt her relationship with Sid Vicious was a little odd. I got the impression she wanted it to be more but he saw her as a sister-type? I don't know, just a vibe I got from reading. Also her and Vivienne Westwood totally defending him when he was arrested for throwing a glass and blinding a girl,which he denied at the time, was interesting. Being a fan of The Damned(Sid was aiming for Dave Vanian who he felt "stole" his place in the group) I knew that story well and Viv writes how she and Vivienne were so sick of "poor Sid" getting the blame, like he is totally innocent. Of course we only get a couple of words when she says that Sid admitted he did it.I think Viv really struggled to play guitar and was extremely lucky to have Mick Jones try to teach her and bring The Slits on tour with the Clash. I feel that she doesn't really acknowledge how much help she has had over the years and that is my main frustration with the book really.Having said that, I really loved the book and think Viv is great!

Really well-written, moving, and often confronting, a brilliant read. A great insight into the experiences of a brave, creative force,

Punk Musicのど真ん中にいた著者。20代でそのシーンを代表する女性グループとなりあがるが、急遽解散。その後母に、そして周りとの、男性との、自分との葛藤。飾り気無く凄く率直に細かく書かれていて、とても入りやすい。かなり壮絶な人生だが、その人生の軸となる部分での疑問や悩みは誰とでも共通する。素晴らしい本。

Libro meraviglioso, crudo, diretto. Non vuole raccontarti una storia, ma un pensiero, uno stato mentale, un modo di essere di crederci. Lei, Viv Albertine è favolosa, non cerca di piacerti, lei è quello che è e per me è grandissima.

Libro muy ameno y muy entretenido. Los aficionados al rock lo disfrutarán más.

In the non-stop stream of celebrity autobiographies available, Viv Albertine’s Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys is in a class by itself. Eschewing the standard form of chronicling events in long, wistful chapters of excess, Albertine goes for short entries of brilliance. The woman knows how to write, crafting observant and blunt bits of streetwise prose to describe the many mini-moments that make up this great book.The gangs all here; sex, drugs, rock and roll, but that’s only a part of it. After the days of punk ,The Slits, and notoriety had faded, Albertine tackled the next stage of her life, one in which she tried to have something approaching normalcy, only to find herself beset by a host of physical maladies which left her an empty and depressed shell of the renegade she once was. It’s in this second half of the book that the reader is jettisoned from appreciative fan to empathetic confidant, a powerful transformation to be certain.Throughout her tale, the author is relentlessly, brutally, and heartbreakingly honest. It’s easily the most intimate autobiography I’ve read, one in which the reader isn’t just consuming the sterile recounting of actions, but rather becoming enmeshed in a spellbinding, painful, and wry confessional. It’s essentially linear, but has some disjointed chapters that seem to have no purpose save to give you one more anecdote or life observation. I can best compare it to a long conversation with someone wherein the drinks or drugs flow, the talk rambles, and nobody is bored. Hers is a story as unique as she, but it’s her ability to unflinchingly express the raw innermost thoughts she was experiencing during those moments that make this book so special, so personal, and so endearing.The book is an easy read, told in two parts, mirroring the two very different eras of her life. By the end of the book, I had fallen so utterly and completely in love with this woman, that she’s ruined every other woman forever. Beneath the stunningly beautiful woman is an intelligent, thoughtful, courageous, and utterly absorbing person who I wish I had the privilege of truly calling my friend. This book will have to suffice.