He was a punk. He was a soldier. He was a flag-waver for the Labour Party. He is Billy Bragg, best known as a passionate political songwriter and urbane folk singer, but equally admired for his offbeat love songs. Billy Bragg is a British institution who never went out of fashion (he was never in fashion in the first place). In America he was chosen as the spiritual heir to legendary protest singer Woody Guthrie, beating rival claims from the likes of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. In the UK he surfaced on current affairs TV programmes during the 2001 election dressed as a Roman legionary advocating tactical voting to keep the Tories out. Billy Bragg is a one-off and Still Suitable for Miners is his official story, a portrait of a peerless entertainer and a fearless campaigner growing up in Britain in the years after rock 'n' roll. The book includes childhood photos and previously unseen images from Billy's personal archive.
| ||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
A good, enthralling, recommended read -- Folk Roots
A sympathetic portrait of Bragg and leftist Britpop battles in the '80s. *** -- Blender Magazine
A sympathetic portrait of Bragg and leftist Britpop battles in the '80s. *** -- Blender Magazine
About the Author
Andrew Collins is one of the best-known and respected music journalists in the UK. He began his career at weekly music journal NME, where he rose to features editor, before leaving to edit the prestigious monthly title Q for two years. He has also edited film monthly Empire. He won a Sony Radio Award in 1995 for his Radio 1 music/comedy programme Collins and Maconie's Hit Parade and was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for his radio comedy drama Fantastic Voyage.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"I was a miner, I was a docker...",
This review is from: Still Suitable for Miners: Billy Bragg : The Official Biography (Paperback)
As a Billy Bragg fan for many years I was thrilled to hear of the release of this biography, but even more anxious to see who was writing it for him. For as often happens when famous people let strangers script their thoughts; either they match /compliment the person they are writing about or they steal the show. Here Collins works perfectly. It's almost as if two old buddies had been in a pub one afternoon and decided to thrash out a book one one of their lives. Although it must be noted that Billy is a very personable character, who is very easy to strike up a conversation with. That being said, Collins pulled off my walk in the park in matching Bragg's wit, humour, tales of a bananna and a woman (I can't say anymore) and political morals. I love Billy Bragg and what he has adamantly stood for all his life, and I think I may just come to love Andrew Collins too. But one thing is for sure, this biography has earned my respect double big time!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still Suitable for Bragg Fans.,
By joel.boyea@wmich.edu (Marshall, Michigan U.S.A) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Still Suitable for Miners: Billy Bragg : The Official Biography (Paperback)
Andrew Collins gives a somewhat complete biography of Billy Bragg from cradle to school to the Army to Wembley Stadium to Mermaid Avenue(some photos are included). Billy's development as songwriter and performer is material that all fans will enjoy. Collins also explores the business side of a musician that has remained true to his beliefs and also made a comfortable living. For North American fans, Collins gives us little insight into Billy's U.S. career beyond touring. This chapter may be about to be written with the success of Mermaid Avenue and his Grammy nomination. Billy is truly a great musician and human. I'm happy this book could document a life that has been full of great events and, in many ways, just getting started in the U.S.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive real McCoy Billy Bragg biography.,
This review is from: Still Suitable for Miners: Billy Bragg : The Official Biography (Paperback)
Former "Q" magazine editor Andrew Collins writes this, the only real Billy Bragg biography. This makes it essential for any serious fan of the most famous export of Barking, England.Collins had unlimited access to the Billy Bragg archive (kept by the man himself)and had the full co-operation of his subject; thus it could be assumed this is an "authorised" biograpy of sorts. Detail is excellent and an interesting story unfolds. There are a couple of errors in things as simple as lyrics, but overall it's hard to fault this read. If you're hoping to get the stories behind the songs, you're out of luck (though there is a particularly funny piece on The Saturday Boy and an insight into what made Worker's Playtime the album it is). But if you're interested in what made Billy Bragg the performer he is, you can't go past this volume.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
