Music

Tenement Kid

Tenement Kid

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-08-11 01:16:44
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Bobby Gillespie
  • ISBN：1474622089
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Summary

'Gillespie is rock and roll's Oliver Twist。 A punk rock fairytale， razor sharp on class struggle， music， style， and a singular view of the world resulting in one of the world's great bands。 Couldn't put down' Courtney Love

Born into a working-class Glaswegian family in the summer of 1961， TENEMENT KID begins in the district of Springburn， soon to be evacuated in Edward Heath's brutal slum clearances。 Leaving school at 16 and going to work as a printers' apprentice， Bobby's rock n roll epiphany arrives like a bolt of lightning shining from Phil Lynott's mirrored pickguard at his first gig at the Apollo in Glasgow。 Filled with 'the holy spirit of rock n roll' his destiny is sealed with the arrival of the Sex Pistols and punk rock which to Bobby， represents an iconoclastic vision of class rebellion and would ultimately lead to him becoming an artist initially in the Jesus and Mary Chain then Primal Scream。

Building like a breakbeat crescendo to the Summer of Love， Boys Own parties， and the fateful meeting with Andrew Weatherall in an East Sussex field， as the '80s bleed into the '90s and a new kind of electronic soul music starts to pulse through the nation's consciousness， TENEMENT KID closes with the release of Screamadelica， the album often credited with 'starting the '90s'。 A book filled with the joy and wonder of a rock n roll apostle who would radically reshape the future sounds of fin de siècle British pop， Bobby Gillespie's memoir cuts a righteous path through a decade lost to Thatcherism and saved by acid house。

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Reviews

Colette ，

“All inhibitions are scattered on the winds of lust。”- Bobby Gillespie •••‘Tenement Kid’ is the autobiography of one of my favourite musicians， Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream。 Bobby discusses with candor the tumultuous navigation through rising musical success， his initial love affair with psychedelics， the process of self discovery and expression through his exploration of styling his personal appearance as a non-verbal invitation for connection to like-minded peers。 Bobby describes his desce “All inhibitions are scattered on the winds of lust。”- Bobby Gillespie •••‘Tenement Kid’ is the autobiography of one of my favourite musicians， Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream。 Bobby discusses with candor the tumultuous navigation through rising musical success， his initial love affair with psychedelics， the process of self discovery and expression through his exploration of styling his personal appearance as a non-verbal invitation for connection to like-minded peers。 Bobby describes his descent into punk rock via The Clash and The Sex Pistols in a resonant narrative of every participating teenager’s explosive introduction to the insubordinate scene。 His experience was dutifully described as courtesy of John Peel in 1977， in the midst of the rising angst of his generation and was the ignition to the collective kindling of the working class discontent of a young man ready to challenge the Status Quo in a Thatcherite society。 Although there are a few instances of repetitiveness with certain words or phrases， the overuse of the word ‘shamanic’ in particular， and is at times needlessly descriptive， his articulate and intelligent summary of the political climate， his warm recollections of his relationships， and honest anecdotes surrounding his experiences as a musician leaves me with the impression of Bobby’s writing to be insightful， humorous， and full of raw beauty and humility。 。。。more

Mrs L Crew ，

If you listen to this book， listen at 1。2 speed or is is monosyllabic and difficult to focus on as a result。 I enjoyed finding out about the intricacies of the bands that shaped him and how interlinked everything was but the constant lists are reminiscent of American Psycho。

Michael Legge ，

Shame he dies in the end。

Jonathan ，

Interesting glimpse into Bobby’s life and path to Screamadelica。 Also fun to hear stories about all the bands coming out of the late 70s and early 80s in Scotland。

Blane ，

Bobby Gillespie is somehow still alive。 Quite the enjoyable read （one of my favorites of 2022）， this first memoir covers Gillespie's life from childhood through the release of Primal Scream's classic 'Screamadelica' in 1991。 I would sort of like to see a second volume covering the Scream's next 30 years， but I'm not so sure it would work if his drug intake continues at the same pace （I think he has cleaned up， but I'm not sure when）。 Bobby Gillespie is somehow still alive。 Quite the enjoyable read （one of my favorites of 2022）， this first memoir covers Gillespie's life from childhood through the release of Primal Scream's classic 'Screamadelica' in 1991。 I would sort of like to see a second volume covering the Scream's next 30 years， but I'm not so sure it would work if his drug intake continues at the same pace （I think he has cleaned up， but I'm not sure when）。 。。。more

Nick Gummerson ，

5 stars for all of this Bobby sometimes the sloganeering is a bit much but I love you and the Scream your love of records growing up and the memories you brought back to me of the madness of London clubbing in the 90sJust beautiful 😍

Caroline Phillips ，

I really enjoyed this book though it got a bit repetitive towards the end。 The beginning， about his childhood in Glasgow， was interesting。 Made me listen to Primal Scream。

Ray Smillie ，

From a tenement kid to a rock star via The Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream。 Like a number of us in the same age group， punk rock was a wow moment for Bobby Gillespie and the attitude never dies。 To have been a part of two highly influential bands， Bobby has lived。 Some reviews a tad negative about his drug usage， the only drugs I take are prescribed by the GP but， I strongly suspect if I had been in a band， I would have， erm， experimented heavily。 This autobiography takes you up to the gr From a tenement kid to a rock star via The Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream。 Like a number of us in the same age group， punk rock was a wow moment for Bobby Gillespie and the attitude never dies。 To have been a part of two highly influential bands， Bobby has lived。 Some reviews a tad negative about his drug usage， the only drugs I take are prescribed by the GP but， I strongly suspect if I had been in a band， I would have， erm， experimented heavily。 This autobiography takes you up to the ground breaking Screamadelica。 I did buy Sonic Flower Groove on the back of Screamadelica。 Jingly jangly pish。 。。。more

Mark Stencik ，

Well done biography; could have done without all the childhood details， but he captures the '89 - '91 cultural revolution in UK culminating with the creation of Screamalica。 And great account of the meeting and contributions of the Guv'nor， Andrew Weatherall， a true musical icon。 Well done biography; could have done without all the childhood details， but he captures the '89 - '91 cultural revolution in UK culminating with the creation of Screamalica。 And great account of the meeting and contributions of the Guv'nor， Andrew Weatherall， a true musical icon。 。。。more

Matt Whittingham ，

I'm not sure I was expecting much from this， but actually， it's excellent。 From the early impoverished start of his life in the tenements to the success of Screamadelica， Gillespie struck me with his intelligence， and observation of both early family life and the 90's music scene。 I'm not sure I was expecting much from this， but actually， it's excellent。 From the early impoverished start of his life in the tenements to the success of Screamadelica， Gillespie struck me with his intelligence， and observation of both early family life and the 90's music scene。 。。。more

Peeko Li ，

"Somewhere between these two stories lies the truth。" "Somewhere between these two stories lies the truth。" 。。。more

Raymond Hall ，

Was quite interesting and he is likeable found his politics a bit strong for me and do find drug stories a bit dull but still think musically primal scream are still amazing

Richard ，

I’m a big fan of both the Jesus & Mary Chain and Primal Scream， so I had high hopes for this one。 It’s a great story but there are a few niggles with it:• It’s way too long， so long that it ends at the release of “Screamadelica” in 1991。 Primal Scream made a lot of records since then （some good ones， and some terrible ones） - I guess there’ll be a second volume， but for now the story is incomplete • A decent edit wouldn’t go amiss - there are WAY too many descriptions of Bobby’s fashion sense; k I’m a big fan of both the Jesus & Mary Chain and Primal Scream， so I had high hopes for this one。 It’s a great story but there are a few niggles with it:• It’s way too long， so long that it ends at the release of “Screamadelica” in 1991。 Primal Scream made a lot of records since then （some good ones， and some terrible ones） - I guess there’ll be a second volume， but for now the story is incomplete • A decent edit wouldn’t go amiss - there are WAY too many descriptions of Bobby’s fashion sense; knowing what he wore to every single gig is not crucial to the narrative， and far too much time spent detailing various political events。 Politics obviously played a big part in Gillespie’s life （and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that） but a good editor would’ve trimmed about a third of this book and kept focus on the core storyAll told， this is an enlightening source of information on BG himself， the JAMC， and Primal Scream， but feels like a missed opportunity to create something truly amazing。 Shame。 。。。more

Pekka ，

Interesting， well-written and mostly sympathetic （except for the drugs）， but somehow felt a bit stretched out。

Kostas Papadimitriou ，

2，5 stars

Benjamin Van Buren ，

Bobby Gillespie is the real deal—a rock & roll lifer who’s been a member of two of my favorite bands ever （Jesus & Mary Chain and Primal Scream）。 This follows his path from growing up in Glasgow up to the release of Screamadelica。 I hope there’s a sequel to this book focusing on the Vanishing Point/XTRMNTR/Evil Heat era， which is my favorite Scream era。 This was a great read but minus one star for the cardinal sin of spending waaaaay too much time on the author’s childhood。 And bonus points to t Bobby Gillespie is the real deal—a rock & roll lifer who’s been a member of two of my favorite bands ever （Jesus & Mary Chain and Primal Scream）。 This follows his path from growing up in Glasgow up to the release of Screamadelica。 I hope there’s a sequel to this book focusing on the Vanishing Point/XTRMNTR/Evil Heat era， which is my favorite Scream era。 This was a great read but minus one star for the cardinal sin of spending waaaaay too much time on the author’s childhood。 And bonus points to the Menomonee Falls public library for ordering this book simply because I requested it。 。。。more

Jimmy Jones ，

Strictly for Primal Scream fans actually strictly for Bobby Gillespie fans。 I love Bobby so I loved it but the hubris is embarrassing at times。 The early life as a kid growing up in Glasgow were certainly the best parts of the book

Gary Fowles ，

I struggled with this at first。 Bobby Gillespie tends to write from the perspective that the reader has zero knowledge of British society during the ‘70s， ‘80s and ‘90’s and as such presents already well accepted ideas as if they have just formed in his mind; Thatcher was bad， acid house is similar to punk etc。 However， once you grow used to both that and Gillespie’s tendency to smack the reader repeatedly over the head with his political views， （we get it; socialism - good， Tories - bad）， the b I struggled with this at first。 Bobby Gillespie tends to write from the perspective that the reader has zero knowledge of British society during the ‘70s， ‘80s and ‘90’s and as such presents already well accepted ideas as if they have just formed in his mind; Thatcher was bad， acid house is similar to punk etc。 However， once you grow used to both that and Gillespie’s tendency to smack the reader repeatedly over the head with his political views， （we get it; socialism - good， Tories - bad）， the book really comes alive。 Gillespie gives an honest insight into the world of the Scream。 There’s enough detail to enthral， without becoming boring。 He is pleasingly honest about his own failings too。 By the end of Tenement Kid I was ready for its follow up。 。。。more

Jim Mcmanus ，

Imagine Rik from the Young Ones was in a band。 And he hated "straights" and then he wrote a book。 and took drugs and drugs and drugs。The early part around Glasgow was interesting as I knew some of the people mentioned from when I worked in a record shop also mentioned in the book。Did nobody fact check this book。 Page 1 Bobby is ripping into the fact that his local area is being torn down due to Edward Heath's policies in the late 60's。Heath was elected in 1970。oh and Bobby took drugs as well。 Imagine Rik from the Young Ones was in a band。 And he hated "straights" and then he wrote a book。 and took drugs and drugs and drugs。The early part around Glasgow was interesting as I knew some of the people mentioned from when I worked in a record shop also mentioned in the book。Did nobody fact check this book。 Page 1 Bobby is ripping into the fact that his local area is being torn down due to Edward Heath's policies in the late 60's。Heath was elected in 1970。oh and Bobby took drugs as well。 。。。more

Robert ，

Back in 1994， when I was 15 years old， my only way of listening to new music was to listen to the radio on Sunday evening。 There was a programme that would feature new and upcoming hits。 As this was the Britpop era there was an emphasis on alternative/indie。 One night in late February the DJ played a song called Rocks by a group called Primal Scream。 I loved it and taped it as well when the show played it again the following week。Later when I could finally afford music magazines， I started to le Back in 1994， when I was 15 years old， my only way of listening to new music was to listen to the radio on Sunday evening。 There was a programme that would feature new and upcoming hits。 As this was the Britpop era there was an emphasis on alternative/indie。 One night in late February the DJ played a song called Rocks by a group called Primal Scream。 I loved it and taped it as well when the show played it again the following week。Later when I could finally afford music magazines， I started to learn more about Primal Scream’s importance to music， especially with their Screamadelica album。 Slowly I went through their discography， although I stopped at Beautiful Future due to the fact that I saw them live and I was disappointed – lead singer Bobby Gillespie kept falling on the ground and the band were out of synch。Anyway the reason behind this long-winded memory is because that Tenement Kid is Gillespie’s memoir and it documents his childhood， his stint in Altered Images and The Wake， the formation of Primal Scream ， his drumming days with The Jesus and Mary Chain。 The book ends on a cliff hanger with the band just finishing Screamadelica and waiting for the world’s reaction to the record。Like all great autobiographies， it’s funny in places， honest and documents how rock became pushed aside to make room for Acid House。 It’s also a depiction of working class Scotland （ I know all reading is political but politics does play a big role in Tenement Kid） and how one has to work hard in order to succeed。 Gillespie takes us through all the highs and lows of his career and he provides a good laugh along the way。The eternal question with rock bios is whther you need to know Primal Scream’s or JAMC’s first album Psychocandy in order to appreciate this autobiography – the answer is no。 Gillespie takes the reader on a step by step process of everything and explains the roles all the characters have and what they are doing now。 yet there’s a lot of interesting trivia for the Primal Scream fan – I never knew that Fugazi’s Ian Mackaye was part of Psychocandy’s recording process！As this is a pretty debauched – well a lot of drug use – I can’t wait to see what the follow up will be like。 。。。more

Peter Alzén ，

https://theharderthey。blogspot。com/20。。。 https://theharderthey。blogspot。com/20。。。 。。。more

Ralph ，

An enjoyable read。 Lots of adventures shared and an honest insight

Jennifer ，

I love Primal Scream， added bonus that Bobby reads it。 Bobby’s love of music shines through。 （& I have total admiration for his memory of pretty much every record ever bought， considering the amount of ‘rocks off’ moments he has had throughout his life。） Thoroughly enjoyable & enlightening。

Jim Levi ，

Bobby Gillespie is just under a month older than me - and I once saw him having a Father's Day lunch in the Delauney in London while doing the same - I also learnt from this book that I probably saw him drumming for Altered Images in Edinburgh many years ago - although like the rest of the audience can only remember Claire Grogan。I struggled with the beginning of this autobiography （although it's only partial - it ends with the release of Screamadelica over 30 years ago） - Gillespie is a magnifi Bobby Gillespie is just under a month older than me - and I once saw him having a Father's Day lunch in the Delauney in London while doing the same - I also learnt from this book that I probably saw him drumming for Altered Images in Edinburgh many years ago - although like the rest of the audience can only remember Claire Grogan。I struggled with the beginning of this autobiography （although it's only partial - it ends with the release of Screamadelica over 30 years ago） - Gillespie is a magnificent musician， but not much of a writer - and the editing is also poor。 Once it gets going though， this is a great read for any fan of Primal Scream - or even those with a passing interest - and it added to my knowledge （I had no idea he was ever in Altered Images or the rightly forgotten Factory band， the Wake for example）。Unlike a lot of musician's autobiographies， the parts about music - the creation， the inspiration， the process - are fascinating and revealing。 In fact it is some of the better musician writing about music writing that I have read。 Where it is less enjoyable is the occasional burst of politics （which is like having someone rant at you in a pub， stop and then glare at you daring you to contradict them） and some of the other commentary。When it's on music though， this is a great read。 The book ends with the release of Screamadelica， which I never realised had been released on the same day as Nevermind。 What makes Gillespie interesting is that Screamadelica still sounds amazing today - even contemporary in some ways - while Nevermind and Nirvana sound like some relic of a bygone age。 This is how he got there。 。。。more

Garth Jones ，

Bobby's politics are right on， but jesus， his prose is turgid。A+ content， C- execution。 Bobby's politics are right on， but jesus， his prose is turgid。A+ content， C- execution。 。。。more

Ilya Miller ，

Take it from the man。 Bobby G is at his best when writing about his musical and chemical influences。 Kudos to him to make out alive out of Glasgow in 70’s - it was pretty grim up there it seems。

Brett Oaten ，

Really good in parts。 Ultimately the drug taking - while not unexpected - gets pretty tedious。 Overall a good read， but I would have been fine with 100 less pages

Stephen Crichton ，

Just a touch laboured in points with politics。 We get it， you’re a socialist！ Despite this， an interesting read for those interested in Scottish culture and British music- everything from working class life in 70’s Glasgow， to the Stones， Beatles， Pistols， Roses， Mondays， the Chain， McGee and Noel Gallagher。

Tom Ferguson ，

Glasgow， Music， Politics， Football/ Celtic - what’s not to like！ Primal Scream are brilliant and this book captures Gillespie’s adventures in the music scene of the late 80s / early 90s！ A great social history， would have been 5* but the drug chat dragged a bit & bored me - wasn’t enough to spoil it though。 A great read！

Julian Stewart ，

Gillespie’s vivid articulation was a big surprise to me… I found his celebration of drug culture rather unpalatable （small wonder he had depression for a good part of his life）， but his passion for music was inspiring。 Describing what one likes about a piece of music or film is a difficult skill or talent to master or develop， but Gillespie seems have done so。。 I found myself deeply impressed by his ability to tell us what the motivation behind Movin On Up was and numerous other songs。 I reminde Gillespie’s vivid articulation was a big surprise to me… I found his celebration of drug culture rather unpalatable （small wonder he had depression for a good part of his life）， but his passion for music was inspiring。 Describing what one likes about a piece of music or film is a difficult skill or talent to master or develop， but Gillespie seems have done so。。 I found myself deeply impressed by his ability to tell us what the motivation behind Movin On Up was and numerous other songs。 I reminded myself， while reading this book， what a marvellous band Primal Scream are， playing the tracks in parallel to reading about them。 And in the meantime I discovered what a thoughtful， compassionate and passionate band front man Gillespie is。 Essential reading for Indie and electronic music fans - my favourite read of the year。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Tenement Kid

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Tenement Kid&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Tenement Kid&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0