Bobby Gilliespie autobiography review in Guardian

[Pancake]

I was going to mention it in the underrated albums thread but I lovvvvvvvvvve Sonic Flower Groove. Also applies to the terrible name/artwork thread.

[Pancake]

Gillespie's drug-fuck image was a bit distant and un-relatable to this 90s teen and he later turned out to be the very essence of the Islington/Primrose Hill boho git scene

[Pancake]

And he never wrote a song as good as Head On

[Pancake]

I remember yonks ago Gillespie writing a fantastic bit of nonsense for the Observer - just Googled it:

"I came across a burnt-out motorcycle in the street this morning, no wheels, no seat, just a charred metal skeleton. It had obviously been stolen and dumped by a gang of teenage wild boys. It was the most beautiful thing I've seen since last night's evening sky. You don't find 'art' in galleries, it's all around you. The city is alive and on fire. Long may it burn."

Some wag suggested the quote went on: "Hang on, that's MY bike! Little BASTARDS! Flogging is too good for them!"

LOL, that is a bit Jez "the world is my gym"

[Kankurette]

Gillespie appeared in Select once with cuts on his face. I was a chronic self-harmer as a teen and ended up copying him.

Apart from Satpal Ram, were they really political? Select tried to sell them, and Slipknot, as political/revolutionary bands up there with RATM. Also, Mani said in the same article where Bob cut his face, 'that stupid fucking bitch deserves to have her head chopped off' about Mel C covering Anarchy in the UK. Charming.

[jobotic]

"I came across a burnt-out motorcycle in the street this morning, no wheels, no seat, just a charred metal skeleton. It had obviously been stolen and dumped by a gang of teenage wild boys. It was the most beautiful thing I've seen since last night's evening sky. You don't find 'art' in galleries, it's all around you. The city is alive and on fire. Long may it burn. But actually you do also find art in galleries. Art galleries. I was wrong about that bit."

[Wacky Homemade Badges]

You're right, there is definitely art in galleries. Just cos it's in the street doesn't mean its not in a gallery as well. You can see tomatoes growing in greenhouses, that doesn't mean they're not also in the Co-Op.

[Wacky Homemade Badges]

I love me some Screamadelica, Vanishing Point and XTRMNTR. But he's a real embarrassment to himself. There's a hilarious bit in the documentary about the creation of Give Out... where he says it got terrible reviews from the British press because "they hate black music"

I have thought about this on several occasions in the last few days, and it has never failed to bring a smile to my face.

[HAVANAGILA]

Whenever Bobby G pops up with his latest carefully considered thoughts on the world, I always think back to the NME interview at the release of Swastika Eyes, where James Oldham entertainingly calls him out on his bullshit.

http://www.theprimalscream.org/press/nme-13nov99.html

"Miles Davis was a punk. All through his career, he got criticised for changing styles of music. People never understood that kind of shit. He was listening to Sly, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix. He was being true to himself and that was a punk attitude."

You bang on about this in every interview...

"I don't fucking care. When I was a kid I'd buy Zig Zag and NME and I'd read interviews with bands like Public Image, The Jam and The Clash and they'd talk about people like Can, Captain Beefheart, Love, The Doors, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Because I liked The Clash and the Sex Pistols, I found out about the New York Dolls and The Stooges. I can only tell you what I'm listening to, right?"

Yes, but sometimes you give interviews like teachers give history lessons.

"No," he coughs, taken aback. "This isn't a history lesson."

[...] But you only ever admit to listening to people in an accepted canon of cool.

He loses it again.

"You don't know who I like, man," he screams, raising himself from his seat. "You don't know me. You don't know who I like."

MC5, Miles Davis...