45 [Paperback]

Bill Drummond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2000

At the age of 45, Bill Drummond is less concerned with setting the record straight as making sure it revolves at the correct speed. Whether he's recording 'Justified and Ancient' with Tammy Wynette; contemplating the dull lunacy of the Turner prize; resisting the urge to paint landscapes; or glorying in the crapness of rock comebacks; he is consistently amusing and thought-provoking, and draws us into his world with the seductive enthusiasm of a born storyteller. An artist with a singular approach to his work, Bill Drummond has paused to take stock of his life and a career that now spans over twenty-five eventful years. Famously enjoying international success with The KLF and inviting national controversy for burning a million quid with The K Foundation, these days Drummond spends much of his time writing profusely. He avoids and confronts issues, infuriates and inspires those around him, muses and confuses, creates and destroys. He has maintained a penchant for reckless schemes - all this while drinking endless pots of tea.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"[F]rom the outer edges of pop" comes 45, a hilarious, self-scrutinizing memoir of sorts by member of British pop-band KLF Bill Drummond (coauthor of Bad Wisdom), writing in his 45th year. Fueled by a blurry but purposeful "love of pop's backwater" (also defined as "unsuccessful... [d]eluded... cheap and nasty and mistaken" pop music), he travels several times to Helsinki sometimes with his kids, often with heavy metal rocker Mark Manning, aka Zodiac Mindwarp to record such bands on the label he owns. Mainly, Drummond proffers what every pop-music intellectual and intellectual fan of pop music dreams of a jaded, devotional, well-wrought tribute to and mockery of his ridiculous and glorious art. ( July 15)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

'Drummond has the inimitable wisdom of a true maverick' THE TIMES 'It has flashes of twisted brilliance reminiscent of Iain Sinclair or Will Self' GUARDIAN 'Drummond is a cultural magician and this is his logbook' INDEPENDENT 'Invigorating, irritating and endearing, Drummond is a gifted postmodern raconteur with his tongue stuck firmly in his cheek.' IRISH NEWS 'Inspired.' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 'With Bill Drummond, it's always best to expect the unexpected. He has made a career out of being gloriously unpredictable. He famously tasted pop success with the KLF, burned a million pounds on a remote Scottish isle and introduced the world to Echo & The Bunnymen and Julian Cope. 45 is as unexpected as the KLF collaborating with Tammy Wynette: a semi-autobiography from a man who has previously been loathe to talk about his work in public. The book takes the form of a collection of short stories and essays focusing on various aspects of Drummond's life. While some chapters are definite page-turners, others move at a more ponderous pace. 45 really comes alive when Drummond discusses hair-brained KLF schemes and K Foundation art stunts. It is within these chapters that he gets closest to confessional, musing on disillusionment, musical myth and the nature of nationalism. Here we get to glimpse into the mind of one of pop's wayward geniuses. Yet it is never more than a mere glimpse. Drummond clearly finds it hard to be truly revelatory. We should, of course, expect this from a man who spent his musical career building up myths, creating alter egos and trying to fool the media and the record-buying public. If anything, 45 illustrates perfectly Drummond's chameleon-like nature. On one hand, he is a shy, retiring family man who enjoys long walks in the country and drinking tea. Yet he is also a tortured genius, a frustrated artist and a man in the throes of a mid-life crisis. When he lets himself go, 45 is a cracking read and one of the most interesting books about music and art in years.' Matt Anniss, AMAZON.CO.UK REVIEW

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Publishing (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316853852
• ISBN-13: 978-0316853859
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,018,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Do I like Bill Drummond? Let me count the ways., October 14, 2005

By 

Kurt Koller "Minimalist360 744411FD-B6B0-11D2... (South Orange, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 45 (Paperback)

As everyone already knows, Bill Drummond was in The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu/The Jams/The KLF/The K Foundation.

What most people probably don't know is that he's one of the most positive people they'd ever know, at least in writing. And with that positive energy comes inspiration.

Personally, it was this autobiographical text that got me back out of corporate america and behind the reigns of my own business once again. And I'm a happier person for it, even on the worst days.

Bill Drummond is an artist, first and foremost. He drips of creativity, and he's a genuinely funny man. Both show in his actions, see for instance "K foundation Burn a Million Quid," and his popularity gave him the resources to do more, but it never seemed to get to his head and in fact he seems to have thrown much of it away.

This book is never boring, and, really, don't be cynical - this text is very inspiring.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honest, January 29, 2007

By 

Molnár Dániel "soobrosa" (Hungary, Europe) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 45 (Paperback)

Lovely insight of a real artist in this fake world. Contains sudden loud laughs, honest and cynic. A bit too much of a whining and selfconfession, however they fit the agenda. A must for all serious considerers of pop in its any manifestations and for the admirers of The Manual, and The KLF phenomenon.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything that guy Rahin knows is wrong..., August 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: 45 (Paperback)

Bill Drummond is actually best known as one half of The Jams, The KLF, The K Foundation and The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu. He was born in Galloway, Scotland, and - along with Mark Manning from Zodiac Mindwarp - wrote the beautiful/foul Bad Wisdom. The bit about the van is true though... except for the sandwich.