45 [Paperback]

Bill Drummond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

Bill Drummond is known variously as wayward genius, art terrorist, a hoaxer with integrity, and the ex-pop star who broke up his band, the KLF, at the height of its success to wage an idiosyncratic war against the art world. He's also a loving, if exasperated, father of five, a thoughtful critic, and a wry observer of the mad, hysterical worlds of music and art which he has inhabited for well over 20 years. At the age of 45, Drummond has paused to take stock of his often bizarre, usually chaotic, life.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0349112894
• ISBN-13: 978-0349112893
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 5 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #995,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

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.