everything simon price - have i missed something???

[amnesic]

I think objectivity and insight can be a problem if you are a fan. But you could argue that if he was an excellent journalist he would be able to overcome this and set it to one side. Mind you, a bit more objectivity in journalism today would be nice. Do they not get a bit tired banding about the word "evil" to describe everyone and their mother who has committed a crime? It's become meaningless in the same was as "nice" in describing people and "interesting" in assessing someone's cookery skills!

[Oh Nick...!]

Again, I think Ben Myers' book is good - and he certainly was a huge Manics fan in the earlier days. I'm a fan but if I wrote either a biog or a novel about them I'm sure I'd get the odd thing wrong; it's regretable, but in both cases I think the quality of the writing makes up for it.

[Rita's Bunches]

Firstly, Happy New Year-one of my resolutions is to post more here and stop lurking!

Anyways, I remember that when the book came out there was a hope that it would better than the plethora of other rushed biogs that had come out between ADFL and This Is My Truth and in some ways it was.
It was pushed that Simon knew the band (and especially Richey) like no other journalist.
I've heard a few times that Nicky wasn't happy with a couple of the stories Simon planned to put in the book, hence withdrawing his Foreward.
I've met Simon quite a few times (I certainly do not know him) and he was an absolute gent at a Suede signing around the time his book was out/coming out and we spent quite a while chatting. Other times it seems that, let's put it this way, if you're not deemed worthwhile enough, you'll get the cold shoulder.
If any of you went to the Hard Rock Cafe gig, you may have seen him throw a bottle during the set.
As Handbag stated above, I feel that the band tolerate him and he definitely wrote good things about them back in the day but the band have changed since 1994, several times in fact, and I'm sure having a reminder from someone who hasn't changed since then is probably not very good!

[beautifuldistortion]

Good post ^

[Takk]

Originally Posted by handbag

He was actually there as someone who was interviewing them at the time. The Boardwalk gig wasn't even that early on. I don't know if any other members here were living in London at the start of the 90s, but some of us were making the effort to go to their gigs before he ever did. He was pretty much bandwagon jumping and thinking he was in with them because he's Welsh.

Well, write a book then....

I don't really care who or what he is like as a person, or whether the band likes him or not....it's a book to be taken as such. It seems to me his book is probably the best that has been put out, with or without innaccuracies. A lot of the criticism levelled at him seems personal rather than based around the content of the book. (not necessarily in this thread, but some).

[UEF]

Originally Posted by Rita's Bunches

I've heard a few times that Nicky wasn't happy with a couple of the stories Simon planned to put in the book, hence withdrawing his Foreward.

It's no rumour - Simon addresses this point in the foreword himself. Nicky send the book back saying something along the lines of "This is YOUR truth", that there were a few inaccuracies but that he didn't want to be drawn on what they were.

For what it's worth, I've seen the band give a shout out to Simon at least once, at the awards gig before the O2 NME show.

Originally Posted by Rita's Bunches

Other times it seems that, let's put it this way, if you're not deemed worthwhile enough, you'll get the cold shoulder.

A criticism I've seen levelled at several bands and people in the music biz; especially if you're not of the young attractive female persuasion.

[handbag]

Originally Posted by Takk

Well, write a book then....

I'm not arrogant enough to think that being a fan means I'm an expert or a great researcher, or even any cop at writing.

Originally Posted by UEF

A criticism I've seen levelled at several bands and people in the music biz; especially if you're not of the young attractive female persuasion.

With Price, I found him okay when you're having a conversation with him alone, but he starts to come over show-offish and/or downright rude when someone else joins in and he wants to impress them.

With him, he was either trying to impress younger people (who he seems to prefer to mix with, and I wonder if this is because he can talk bollocks about the 80s and nobody can pull him up on it), or anyone famous. He really is probably the most starstruck person I've ever met and his conversation is very much me, me, me with the same anecdotes he's been using for two decades plus (most were mentioned on his EPIC "About me" section on Myspace).

[lovinrunnin]

One of my friends has worked on the Independent with Mr Price . I asked what he was like , apparently he only talks to you if you have the right hair ! That said I liked his books and I enjoyed reading his band reviews when he worked for the paper. Personally I think he writes well . He was swanning around Festival No 6 . Did my best to avoid him , consequently kept bumping into him but luckily I was of no consequence .

[Oh Nick...!]

I'm not saying what's founded and what isn't but a lot of this is very personal, and very public - so maybe that's enough, now? Totally fair to discuss the book but people are the way we are, good and less good, for complicated reasons.

[Rita's Bunches]

Originally Posted by Oh Nick...!

I'm not saying what's founded and what isn't but a lot of this is very personal, and very public - so maybe that's enough, now? Totally fair to discuss the book but people are the way we are, good and less good, for complicated reasons.

Fair enough-I didn't mean to bring on any personal attacks, I was just contributing from personal experience.
I didn't know they gave a shout out to him at the O2 and thinking about it, Nicky played a solo show at Simon's club Stay Beautiful in Camden so maybe they are more connected than we know about

Re: the book. Basically, until one of the band writes from their experience, I feel it's the best one out there. For all its inaccuracies, it still beats the books that came out between 97-99

[lovinrunnin]

Originally Posted by Oh Nick...!

I'm not saying what's founded and what isn't but a lot of this is very personal, and very public - so maybe that's enough, now? Totally fair to discuss the book but people are the way we are, good and less good, for complicated reasons.

Good point , I feel bad now , apologies to Mr Price

[hummingbird]

Originally Posted by Little Troll

I bought it for £6.50 or something on amazon in 2009/2010. It's a really old battered copy though. I've still not actually read it!

don't be put off by people calling it crap. It's got mistakes in it but it's still a good read

[amnesic]

I'm curious as to what these mistakes are now. TBH, I've never really followed any band through the pages on music magazines so I don't know what is true, what is subjective and perception, and what is complete falsehoods. But is it really bad?

[hummingbird]

Originally Posted by amnesic

I'm curious as to what these mistakes are now. TBH, I've never really followed any band through the pages on music magazines so I don't know what is true, what is subjective and perception, and what is complete falsehoods. But is it really bad?

one glaring one is Sean's birthday being 1971 I didn't know anything about the band when i read it, at least not in great detail

[Nature's Discontent]

Originally Posted by hummingbird

one glaring one is Sean's birthday being 1971 I didn't know anything about the band when i read it, at least not in great detail

That's the thing. I can't really remember too many actual mistakes barring a few typos and tiny errors dotted here and there. Apart from these, as far as I knew when I read the book there was nothing that I considered to be untrue, and I had read pretty much every 90s music press interview there was with the band.