Yet another fantastic read

I have read all of Alan Johnson’s books to date. Please mr please. This boy and The long and winding road. I have enjoyed every one them all and this one did not disappoint. Alan’s narration just adds to the overall enjoyment. I certainly would recommend this book. Let’s hope there’s another coming soon.

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Warm, witty memoir

As the reader quickly discovers, music has always been an integral part of Alan Johnson’s life. The book covers the period from 1957 to 1982 (he was born in 1950) so overlaps with the first two volumes of his memoirs, This Boy and Please Mr. Postman. Those who’ve read either of those books may feel there’s some repetition.

Each chapter of the book is linked to a song. As Alan explains, they’re not necessarily his favourite pieces of music but are songs that evoke particular memories of his life at that time. For example, listening to Two-Way Family Favourites the family’s Bakelite wireless, playing 78’s on his sister’s Dansette record player, acquiring his first guitar or hearing about the death of John Lennon. As I said, the early chapters demonstrate how for Alan, and his sister, Linda, music was a distraction from the day to day difficulties of growing up in poverty, with a mother who suffered serious ill-health, domestic violence and eventually abandonment at the hands of their loser of a father.

Starting with ‘True Love’ by Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, the book charts the evolution of popular music as experienced by Alan and other members of his generation. He observes that before Lonnie Donnegan and Tommy Steele came on the scene there was no real youth music culture in Britain. Their arrival signalled a huge change as singer/songwriters such as Lennon & McCartney replaced artists who sang songs written by other people.

The book charts another huge change, namely in how people listen to music. Previously, it was largely on the radio, more likely than not the Light Programme on the BBC. Gradually there became a ‘materiality’ about how people experienced music. Alan recalls polishing shellac 78s, reading record labels and playing records at the wrong speed on the Dansette. Later in the book, acquiring his first audio cassette, he reflects:

‘There is a connection between the music and the object on which it is stored. Just as those shellac 78s, and the Bachelors’ album bought for Lily [his mother] which she didn’t live to hear, had a significance of their own, so did the humble cassette. The physical shape and feel of it, the ritual of taking it out of its plastic case and snapping it into the cassette-player, peering myopically at the tiny type of the “sleeve notes” …’

The book is also an account of Alan’s own musical career which, it has to be said, seems to have had more than its fair share of setbacks such as having musical gear stolen on multiple occasions, including his treasured Hӧfner Verithin guitar. Alan joined his first band The Vampires in the hope (largely unsuccessful) of impressing girls before being invited to join The In Between, a multi-racial group with a (rare at the time) female lead singer. With his trademark self-deprecating humour, Alan recalls his unrequited passion for Carmen, the lead singer, with whom he duetted on their cover version of The Troggs’ Wild Thing:

‘Carmen and I were born to duet on that song, destined to be together in the centre of that stage. It should have forged the deepest, most volcanic passion since Cathy met Heathcliff. There was only one problem. Carmen was totally and absolutely uninterested in me. She was completely immune to what I was convinced was a magnetic and irresistible charm.’

Although Lonnie Donnegan retains a special place as the musical hero of Alan’s childhood, the Beatles and David Bowie as the heroes of his teen years and twenties respectively, he reserves his ‘lifetime achievement award’ for Elvis Costello. Fittingly therefore, and in another example of that self-deprecating humour, it is Elvis Costello who marks the end of Alan’s ambition to make it as a rock star. Alan decides to send Elvis ‘the creme de la creme’ of his ‘song-writing genius’. As he recalls, ‘I wrote a nice letter to Elvis, listing the song titles along with my name and address, and sent it off by first-class post in November 1982. I’m still waiting to hear back.’

As with Alan Johnson’s other memoirs, In My Life is immensely honest, warm and witty and having it narrated by the author added to the experience.

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1 person found this helpful

Really interesting tead

I was looking forward to reading this autobiography. I share a fair bit of his experiences and now I know a lot of his music interests but not all.. As this book is more about his love of music I need to learn more about his politics as some of his comments about Militant do not match my experience and knowledge.

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Music and Life

An enjoyable journey through a life in which music has played an important part.
Being of the same generation much of Johnson’s loves and influences mirror mine.
The device of a chapter title of a year and a relevant song is a nice touch.
All in all a gentles story which lends a human touch to someone known for other things.
ThatJohnson wanted to be a pop star and came very close rings true for many of our generation.

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An autobiography seen through music

Excellent book - you can almost hear the music through the world events and Alan’s personal memories. Excellent !

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Not great

Again another mediocre performance from Mr Johnson, some nice nostalgic bits but not enough tbh. Will stay away from future AJ books I'm afraid now.

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