{"title":"Books by Simon Spence","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781408715451","title":"A Likely Lad","description":"\u003cp\u003ePeter Doherty's is the last of the great rock 'n' roll stories - bad boy and public enemy. To his devoted fans, he is a cult hero, a modern-day Rimbaud. Musically, he has defined the past twenty years of indie rock with his sound, lyrics, lifestyle and aesthetic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Since The Libertines rose to international fame, Doherty has proved endlessly fascinating. A whirlwind of controversy and scandal has tailed him ever since the early 2000s, so much so that all too often his talents as a songwriter and performer have been overlooked; for every award and accolade, there is a scathing review. Hard drugs, tiny gigs on the hoof, huge stadium shows, collaborations, obliterations, gangsters and groupies - Doherty has led a life of huge highs and incredible lows.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e With his wildest days behind him, Doherty candidly explores - with sober and sometimes painful insight - some of his greatest and darkest moments, taking us inside the creative process, decadent parties, substance-fuelled nights, his time in prison and tendency for self-destruction. With his trademark wit and humour, Doherty also details his childhood years, key influences, pre-fame London shenanigans, and reflects on his era-defining relationship with Libertines co-founder Carl Barât and other significant people in his life. There is humour, warmth, insight, baleful reflection and a defiant sense of triumph.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Likely Lad\u003c\/i\u003e is Doherty's version of the story - the genuine man behind the fame and infamy. This is a rock memoir like no other.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128721211570,"sku":"9781408715451","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781408715451_87afb6fa-2964-4cb2-98fd-9395f6ff9c95.jpg?v=1786019737"},{"product_id":"9781915841209","title":"All or Nothing","description":"Steve Marriott, lead singer of the Small Faces and Humble Pie, had a voice coveted by Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Roger Daltrey and David Bowie, amongst many others.   All or Nothing, Simon Spence's oral history biography, is drawn from over 125 interviews with those who knew Marriott intimately: his wives, children, bandmates and closest friends, managers, record producers, record label bosses and his fellow musicians. Included are scores of people who have never told their story before.   From his child star beginnings to his battles with drug addiction and untimely death in a housefire, All or Nothing is a visceral and unflinching account of Steve Marriott's extraordinary and often troubling life.   'There have been several books written about him over the years but not one has got anywhere near the real truth, until this one' Blues in Britain'A completely and wholly fascinating story... A superb book, featuring excellent glossy photographs... a must buy' HiFi World'Unflinchingly chronicling the sadness of Marriott's twilight without ever losing sight of the joyous music that made him so special in the first place' Record Collector","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43230330683570,"sku":"9781915841209","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781915841209.jpg?v=1786030507"},{"product_id":"9781913172855","title":"What Have We Got","description":"The only book to consider Oi! as a distinct genre within punk rock, What Have We Got? is the story of a musical movement that became a national concern in the eighties and still divides opinion today.   Drawing on new interviews with Sham 69, Angelic Upstarts, Cockney Rejects, Crown Court, Lion’s Law, The Templars and many more, Simon Spence considers the genre’s inception and noble intentions, how it fell into infamy, and where it lies now.   With a growing and formidable audience in the US, Europe, Asia, South America and the UK, Oi! is as alive as it has ever been, and without the far-right associations that plagued its past.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43408952000690,"sku":"9781913172855","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781913172855.jpg?v=1786030311"},{"product_id":"9781739477929","title":"VINCE: DEPECHE MODE","description":"\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44581176443058,"sku":"9781739477929","price":15.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781739477929_f8a47cf3-6785-42df-a517-2a91de830366.jpg?v=1786024864"},{"product_id":"9781523488636","title":"Jason and the Golden Fleece","description":"\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301921468789,"sku":"9781523488636","price":8.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781523488636_1c2dde31-3bec-477c-be6b-676d5d0fad3a.jpg?v=1786022363"},{"product_id":"9781739477936","title":"FEELING SUPERSONIC","description":"\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303309160821,"sku":"9781739477936","price":15.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781739477936_bf74f230-9283-48b0-b247-d5ec34feeba9.jpg?v=1786024865"},{"product_id":"9781739477905","title":"IMMEDIATE RECORDS","description":"\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303938961781,"sku":"9781739477905","price":15.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781739477905_560081c5-3aec-41f3-949e-19fbccdb88f0.jpg?v=1793041819"},{"product_id":"9781785588686","title":"Rock Stars at Home","description":"You've recorded the album, toured the world, and all of the fans have left the venues. Where can the rock star now turn for sanctuary? With stadium size egos to placate, how does the rock star relax in their household? From Keith Moon's stately home to George Harrison's Buddhist retreat, Sinatra's chic apartment to Elton John's crash pad, how do the homes of the rock stars reflect their personalities and idiosyncrasies?  This picture led book takes you through the keyhole of the abode's of our biggest stars.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56304630268277,"sku":"9781785588686","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781785588686_ba5b27df-41b5-4e85-bec2-911eaf1bc118.jpg?v=1786026054"},{"product_id":"9780241957042","title":"The Stone Roses","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe definitive story of The Stone Roses by Simon Spence, with an updated final chapter covering the reunion rollercoaster ride. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the Manchester backwaters to the worldwide 2012 tour, \u003ci\u003eWar and Peace \u003c\/i\u003elays bare the irresistible tale of the last of the great bands.\u003cbr\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eBased on 400 hours of interviews with over seventy of The Stone Roses' closest associates, including six former band members, \u003ci\u003eWar and Peace\u003c\/i\u003e is the first major biography of the band that defined a generation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOriginally planned in collaboration with Reni, the reclusive drummer, this book had been a year in the making when the Roses, against all odds, announced their re-formation. It is a remarkable coda to an astonishing story. In 1989 their debut album and the single 'Fools Gold' made them the most exciting British export since the Sex Pistols. With their incendiary aura the Roses became figureheads of the 'Madchester' movement.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWar and Peace\u003c\/i\u003e traces the band's genesis, studded with violent gigs and abandoned recordings, and shaped by their infamous manager Gareth Evans. The Roses' legendary gigs culminated in the era-defining Spike Island show in 1990. From this pinnacle the unravelling was spectacular.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut the true story behind their rise and fall - and resurrection - has never been told. Until now. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* With 40 unseen photos, including from renowned rock photographer Dennis Morris\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This is the one. It's the definitive biography of the band, stuffed with photos that have never been seen before. The writing feels really fresh and definitive. It's a classic' Alex Heminsley \u003ci\u003eBBC 6 Music Book of the Month\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A comprehensive, no-holds-barred account... details with steely, forensic precision the story of the group's ascent, heyday and spectacular implosion. All the triumphs and disasters are here' \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An era-defining, definitive biography' \u003ci\u003eQ\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSimon Spence collaborated with Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham on the acclaimed memoirs \u003ci\u003eStoned\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003e2Stoned.\u003c\/i\u003e He has written for the \u003ci\u003eNME\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ei-D\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDazed \u0026amp; Confused\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eIndependent\u003c\/i\u003e. He was at the Stone Roses' legendary Blackpool and Alexandra Palace shows in 1989 and covered their era-defining Spike Island show for The Face.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56311659725173,"sku":"9780241957042","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780241957042_cae170f9-bfab-46de-ae16-e4046ba5d74d.jpg?v=1786012450"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-simon-spence.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}