I still want to read the book. Duck? A quack quack? Where?? Ow!
Well, I'd like to see some context though I don't think she has kept an objective perspective and has let herself become too close to the subject, too possessive even.....I think you lose your perspective when you get too close though it's easy to do. He wasn't perfect, he could clearly be egotistical, his lyrics harder to decipher as his mental state deteriorated from the evidence of Journal for Plague Lovers...the band have spoken of not being clear of the direction of the band had he not left and continued with them...none of that's negative criticism it just shows a need to not become too obsessed to find the meaning in every last thing he wrote....nor to be afraid to just leave some things open....just keep some distance, you're not his chronicler, don't worry.....what she was saying about his meaning behind I laughed when lennon got shot....I never took that literally but I'm not sure if she's saying he believed in the CIA conspiracy theory or was just alluding to it? It is odd, or maybe telling, if he believed in it....If unsure why not just add what he wrote about it and step back
I think what I'm trying to say is she sounds too possessive - she feels close to him, understandably, and wants everyone else to see him as she sees him when maybe everyone who finishes writing a biography must think oh God what the hell do I know, can anyone know, what the hell am I doing? How many years of my life won't I get back???And that would be healthy..
I'm puzzled as to why the interview/publicity/review have all failed to ask why the band are not included. Fair to assume they haven't been interviewed? Maybe they were approached and said no thank you ...or just NO ....but their absence narrows the picture doesn't it? Even if you want a portrait of the artist outside of the band... they were friends since childhood for one, the band were such a big part of his life and work. SHR is right to talk about the huge role he played but it's clear nonsense to fail to recognise the incredible success they've had since. Thems the facts. Why be defensive when no one's denied the role Richey played? She's arguing the defence for a case never disputed. And precisely because his body of work was made public through his role in the band it's folly to cut them out
What she said about the difficulty of painting a fully realised picture of how he was in the weeks before his disappearance..... none of us are exactly the same with everyone we know are we? We show different sides to ourselves, people bring out different sides to ourselves but it can all be ourselves and people have their own interpretation of you....they can see you as they are rather than see you (really fucking irritating I find, that), they can be too close and fail to see what seems more apparent to others who see you less often. How can any of us hope to know anyone else when we're often a mystery to ourselves?
Seems fair to say those posting so far in response to the 3AM interview have assumed SHR interviewed Jo? That's not my reading of her answer. She expressed her biggest regret was not being able to....but that a few letters were made available. I do remember Nicky saying the box and contents were examined to the nth degree at the time with everything a potential 'clue' but nothing came of anything
I don't think, to play devil's advocate she is saying the band are withholding anything....skirting it? Maybe. I'd assumed Vivian was supposedly mentioned by James simply because he was the one there but no seems Nicky not that that makes any sense - if the allusive one approached him later and told him then unless he knew her (or him?) well it might have been one amongst several supposed sightings and conversations that Nicky heard about or was approached about and he may have spoke of to others generally. I'm sure he would have remembered and spoken to the family or police if he felt it actually relevant, heaven's sake why would he not....to say everyone has now forgotten exactly who she was is just too ridiculous. I'd like to see more context as it could to be fair to all be a genuine mistake concerning some fan's bizarre story....there were quite a number at the time.....but the name's stuck for some reason. James has been singing 'Oh Vivian!' quite a bit of late I'm sure it would have shaken a memory out had such a person existed in relation to Richey
The dropping in of the Vivian theory though does of course help the theory that someone else and not Richey returned to his flat in what now seems to have been the early hours...a theory she seems keen on. Bad. Letting your ideas direct the theory. I thought the toll ticket actually gave more credence to it being Richey that returned to the flat and then went back to the hotel....not that I ever theorised it being anyone else but it didn't make sense for him to have done late in the afternoon really
Have I beaten sofarsideways yet on length?
I'm not trying to trivialise I just feel it's sad that not everyone was asked to take part