A Year With Swollen Appendices: Brian Eno's Diary [Paperback]

Brian Eno (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 25, 1996

This year in the life of provocateur and cerebral rock star Brian Eno covers four recording projects caught in different times in their evolution. Some artists involved are U2, David Bowie, and James.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating story...An immediate bestseller." -- San Jose Mercury News

Product Details

• Paperback: 424 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber; 1st edition (July 25, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571179959
• ISBN-13: 978-0571179954
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #794,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He defends Linda McCartney, July 28, 2002

By 

Ken (Wilmington, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Year With Swollen Appendices: Brian Eno's Diary (Paperback)

This is just a review written by a gearhead scientist with no background in art and literature, so be forewarned that I am not an expert on literature. I thought I would write this just in case anyone out there is looking for a change of pace, no matter your musical tastes or political views.

Hey -- give this book a shot. It's worth it. I read this book a little at a time over a few months. I still have it sitting around as a kind of jump-starter . . . it inspires me and makes me feel more positive.

I bought this book because it sounded intriguing and because some Amazon reviewers gave it a thumbs up. Plus, I was a fan of Brian Eno's 70's music in the 80's. If he was really popular back then, I would not have known it from the teenagers around me. So here I was, 17 years old and hearing "No One Receiving" and "Baby's On Fire" for the first time and my little teeny brain was turned inside-out. And then, like the guy who finally figures out how to view a Magic Eye picture, I started seeing Eno everywhere I looked: Talking Heads, U2, even the background music for a Nike commercial.

This guy does a little of everything. No, make that "a little of everything that I don't understand." Oblique strategies, Music for Airports, you name it. It's so ironic that this guy has done everything from Roxy Music to ambient to producing pop bands -- he's always changing, at the cutting edge, exploring -- and yet I was struck by just one phase of his career. ( I bought several of those Laraaji-type records in college -- it didn't swing for me.) So, I guess that's the big reason I liked this book . . . I admire this man of many talents, tastes, and wide-ranging interests.

Brian Eno may just be everything that I am not. I guess I have to admit that I am a political conservative on a lot of issues, including ones that were important when Eno wrote this diary (1995?). But I love to hear what he has to say. His takes on so many issues are so much more tilted towards big, activist government than mine are. But he establishes his credibility by having reasoned arguments, and just writes really lucidly and intelligently. I REALLY WISH THERE EXISTED IN AMERICA A LIBERAL PUNDIT OR TALK-SHOW HOST LIKE BRIAN ENO. Most of his pointed criticism of Bosnia policy, military build-up, state vs. free enterprise, etc. is aimed DIRECTLY at people just like me. But I didn't throw the book across the room when what he had to say made me look like an idiot or ...cold-hearted... It actually intrigued me, because for some reason it made me think. I respect the author, so I respect his arguments. I wish there were more pop culture figures who could be so funny, concise, and devoid of polemics. Julia Roberts and Alec Baldwin, take note.

Well, would this book have any interest for someone who doesn't have "Here Come The Warm Jets" in his or her CD player right now? Well, I think it might. The tone and demeanor of the book are refreshing. Take notice of the fact that he does not write about his life as though he were "The Man." This is an accomplishment, because the book has him jetting here and there, talking with Bono and chatting with Dolores O'Riordan. He admits to working so that he can make money to keep his family going, he recounts his long hours of work that sometimes frustrate him and yield no results, admits to being occasionally nervous, grumpy, misanthropic, biased, unfair, and other things. He's faithful to his wife and loves his little girl but admits his occasional frustration with both. He's frank about some "female butt" issues and computer distortions -- 'nuff said here. His bit about Linda McCartney and her Lindaburger donations really put me in my place -- I was one of those who got half the story and ran with it, making fun of a serious problem and one person's effort to help out a little bit (which is more that I did).

But the book isn't all serious and heavy. I won't spoil it (any more?) here, but you will find lots of interesting tidbits. I'll bet the footnotes and appendices thing bugged the heck out of some people, but I loved it!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing, timeless book, packed with ideas, May 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Year With Swollen Appendices: Brian Eno's Diary (Paperback)

"I have a wonderful life", Brian Eno remarks at the beginning of this stocky little book. It is not an admission that you will get from many artists, and by the end, I could not help feeling more than a little envious of the sheer diversity of activities that fill Eno's life. This very readable diary is also an insight into how one so influential can get bogged down by the sheer volume of work and commissions that regularly come his way.

This book is both a diary of Eno's life in 1995 - at once remarkably candid and playful (he has an obsession with the female bottom which he draws to our attention), and a series of essays and short stories. The former Roxy Music member is not afraid to name-drop (saunas with Bjork, albums with David Bowie and U2, works in progress with Paul McCartney...), but this is a pleasant contrast to the sometimes earnest but always interesting extended pieces which make up the "appendices" of the title, and are laid out at the end of the book.

A very worthwhile and enjoyable read, particularly for those of us who were unaware of who Brian Eno was - it is a book which I regularly dip into and will continue to do so.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for all musicians, artists & producers, November 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Year With Swollen Appendices: Brian Eno's Diary (Paperback)

An fascinating insight into the mind of one of pop music's most creatively influential movers and shakers - follow the inner workings of Eno's mind as he wrestles with producing Bowie and James, criticising the Turner Art Prize, collaborating with U2, clowning with his infant daughters, lusting after pssing women, making bread at 3am, and pondering humanitarian catastrophies in the Balkans as he pours time, tears and creative energies into his War Child charity work... if you work in the music business and find this book dull , email me and I'll buy it off you for the same price you paid - it's that good. It should be compulsory reading for anyone involved in contemporary music and the arts - candid, sad, funny, revealing, opinionated, flawed... in short, human. Brian Eno's perceived public image is a million miles removed from the private and creative reality and this book goes some way towards redressing the balance for anyone interested in his work. The one-liners are priceless and acute ("An arrangement is when somebody stops playing"). The swollen appendages are a bit overblown and dull, but the diary is so densely written and full of insights that it repays frequent re-reading.