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The Story of the Streets. Mike Skinner with Ben Thompson
**WINNER OF THE NME BEST BOOK AWARD**'This book is going to try and get as close as possible to the full story of what informed the noise of The Streets. Obviously that's something I should be fairly well-qualified to know about, and I'm going to be as honest as the publisher's lawyers will allow.'With the 2001 release of The Streets' debut single 'Has It Come To This?' the landscape of British popular music changed forever. No longer did homegrown rappers have to anxiously defer to transatlantic influences. Mike Skinner's witty, self-deprecating sagas of late-night kebab shops and skunk-fuelled Playstation sessions showed how much you could achieve simply by speaking in your own voice.In this thoroughly modern memoir, the man the Guardian once dubbed 'half Dostoevsky . . . half Samuel Pepys' tells a freewheeling, funny and fearlessly honest tale of Birmingham and London, ecstasy and epilepsy, Twitter-fear and Spectrum joysticks, spread-betting and growing up. He writes of his musical inspirations, role models and rivals, the craft of songwriting and reflects on the successes and failures of the decade-long journey of The Streets.
367 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
59 people are currently reading
666 people want to read
About the author
Mike Skinner
15 books9 followersMike Skinner (born 27 November 1978) is an English rapper, musician, record producer, and actor, best known for the music project The Streets. (Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
June 17, 2017
The first two Street albums were the soundtrack to my university days, as I'm sure they were to many of the people who are considering this book. There are very few albums I've spun more than these two in the subsequent 15 or so years.
Again, probably similar to many others, I didn't really get on with the third album and didn't bother buying the subsequent two due to my dissatisfaction with 'the hardest way...'
I picked this book up due to my fondness for 'original pirate material' and 'a grand don't come for free' and I was not disappointed. This is a great auto bio from the one man band himself. So many of my own experiences were mirrored in his own, which made this a very easy book to devour in one sitting.
I was surprised that many of my fave bands and artists were mentioned, even though none have any relation to garage. Paul Oakenfold. Pantera. Sepultura. Napalm Death. Black Sabbath. Guns n Roses. Aphex Twin (in a less than flattering light.) I loved all of these references.
I listened to the full Streets discography whilst reading this and I still see that the quality of the first two albums simply doesn't transpire to the other records, but I enjoyed the matter of fact way with which Mike reflects on these shortcomings.
Highly recommended for people born between 78-85 who have fond recollections of quoting "if I want to sit around and drink super tenants in the day I will, no ones going to f'ing tell me jack.....!
Again, probably similar to many others, I didn't really get on with the third album and didn't bother buying the subsequent two due to my dissatisfaction with 'the hardest way...'
I picked this book up due to my fondness for 'original pirate material' and 'a grand don't come for free' and I was not disappointed. This is a great auto bio from the one man band himself. So many of my own experiences were mirrored in his own, which made this a very easy book to devour in one sitting.
I was surprised that many of my fave bands and artists were mentioned, even though none have any relation to garage. Paul Oakenfold. Pantera. Sepultura. Napalm Death. Black Sabbath. Guns n Roses. Aphex Twin (in a less than flattering light.) I loved all of these references.
I listened to the full Streets discography whilst reading this and I still see that the quality of the first two albums simply doesn't transpire to the other records, but I enjoyed the matter of fact way with which Mike reflects on these shortcomings.
Highly recommended for people born between 78-85 who have fond recollections of quoting "if I want to sit around and drink super tenants in the day I will, no ones going to f'ing tell me jack.....!
September 11, 2023
Enjoyed this. From early days growing up in Birmingham, to the rise and subsequent influence in changing the shape of the UK music scene...the story of Mike Skinner and The Streets.
Told in his usual enigmatic and charming manner, I'm convinced Skinner is a genius (both musically and philosophically). Either way, he's certainly a complete and utter grafter when it comes to his trade.
Notable stuff -
He wrote and recorded the bulk of The Street's first album Original Pirate Material in a room in Brixton. A trick with the duvet around him in a wardrobe for the vocal.
His fanatical and obsessive devotion to music, both in its technicality and its composition. Also not only in his primary expertise of rap/garage etc, but the wider scope and influence of country and rock.
Aspects of writing in a literary sense - how his songwriting developed through the wisdom of other greats - using techniques such as synecdoche (using a part for the whole) and metonymy (using the whole for the part) in his own writing style.
His aptitude in story-telling, gleaned from the screenwriter Robert McKee - 'life is drama without meaning, whereas story is drama with meaning'.
Literary references - Hemingway, Chandler, even the memoir itself was dubbed by The Guardian as 'half Dosteyevsky, half Samuel Pepys'.
Told in his usual enigmatic and charming manner, I'm convinced Skinner is a genius (both musically and philosophically). Either way, he's certainly a complete and utter grafter when it comes to his trade.
Notable stuff -
He wrote and recorded the bulk of The Street's first album Original Pirate Material in a room in Brixton. A trick with the duvet around him in a wardrobe for the vocal.
His fanatical and obsessive devotion to music, both in its technicality and its composition. Also not only in his primary expertise of rap/garage etc, but the wider scope and influence of country and rock.
Aspects of writing in a literary sense - how his songwriting developed through the wisdom of other greats - using techniques such as synecdoche (using a part for the whole) and metonymy (using the whole for the part) in his own writing style.
His aptitude in story-telling, gleaned from the screenwriter Robert McKee - 'life is drama without meaning, whereas story is drama with meaning'.
Literary references - Hemingway, Chandler, even the memoir itself was dubbed by The Guardian as 'half Dosteyevsky, half Samuel Pepys'.
June 10, 2021
This book covers the life and work of Mike Skinner. It's a candid look at his entire life, the events that led to his first albums and the subsequent positive and negative consequences.
My only criticism is that the book has frequent emboldened quotes every three or four paragraphs. I can imagine this is a format inherited from a blog format, but it's become distracting and annoying in long-form book reading.
How has this book changed me
This book has given me a greater understanding of Mike Skinner as a person. After reading, it is hard not to like him. The text is full of vulnerable stories that give you great insights into the motivations behind his music. These new pieces of information will help you appreciate his work more, even The Streets` later albums.
Top three quotes
"You’ve just got to do the stuff that’s good and trust that your unconscious is sixteen million times more powerful than your conscious mind. In other words, don’t think about it, just do it."
"I think everyone who does something creative has got some kind of flaw or insecurity that helps drive them to do what they do. As a general rule, artists value themselves quite low; that’s why they want to add value by doing things. Weaknesses often become your biggest strengths. People with no insecurities don’t tend to make very good art"
"You’ve just got to do the stuff that’s good and trust that your unconscious is sixteen million times more powerful than your conscious mind. In other words, don’t think about it, just do it."
My only criticism is that the book has frequent emboldened quotes every three or four paragraphs. I can imagine this is a format inherited from a blog format, but it's become distracting and annoying in long-form book reading.
How has this book changed me
This book has given me a greater understanding of Mike Skinner as a person. After reading, it is hard not to like him. The text is full of vulnerable stories that give you great insights into the motivations behind his music. These new pieces of information will help you appreciate his work more, even The Streets` later albums.
Top three quotes
"You’ve just got to do the stuff that’s good and trust that your unconscious is sixteen million times more powerful than your conscious mind. In other words, don’t think about it, just do it."
"I think everyone who does something creative has got some kind of flaw or insecurity that helps drive them to do what they do. As a general rule, artists value themselves quite low; that’s why they want to add value by doing things. Weaknesses often become your biggest strengths. People with no insecurities don’t tend to make very good art"
"You’ve just got to do the stuff that’s good and trust that your unconscious is sixteen million times more powerful than your conscious mind. In other words, don’t think about it, just do it."
June 12, 2025
I listened to the audio book. I love The Streets, and I enjoyed hearing Mike Skinner's tale.
my only critiques would be that his reading on the audio book isn't very expressive, and doesn't necessarily convey the feeling or emotion behind the words. He also makes some very odd points that I don't feel are properly grounded.
otherwise, enjoyed xoxo
my only critiques would be that his reading on the audio book isn't very expressive, and doesn't necessarily convey the feeling or emotion behind the words. He also makes some very odd points that I don't feel are properly grounded.
otherwise, enjoyed xoxo
May 6, 2012
I bought this at the same time as "Looking For Calvin and Hobbes" (which I just reviewed here), and I liked this much better. It's the story of one of my favorite musical acts of the last decade, The Streets. The group was in actuality just one person, Mike Skinner, and he spends this memoir describing his childhood, his obsession with music, his epilepsy, his obsession with fashion, his rise to fame, his obsession with drugs and alcohol, and other things.
Interlaced between the episodes of his life (which he presents chronologically in sections based on the five albums he made as The Streets, coinciding with the "Robert McKee classic" stages of a narrative --- The Inciting Event, Progressive Complications, Crisis, Climax, Resolution --- though, purposefully, Skinner rearranges their order), Skinner inserts some keen insight on music and philosophy and life. I think if those segments of philosophizing were cut out of the book and put together in a small self-help book it would be about the cheesiest thing ever. But as-is, it works surprisingly well.
It helps if you have more than a passing interest in hip-hop (American or UK), British culture, or music in general to get into this book. If you're not interested in any of those things, you'll probably be pretty lost. But if you at least like music and if you know the names of a couple of rappers (even if you don't like rap), you can still get much out of the book. Because at its core it's a sort of rags-to-riches tale and it goes into a lot of depth on the music industry, on musicians, on fame, and on how many people participate and respond to those things.
For fans of all those things (music, hip hop, British culture), this is an essential read. For fans of The Streets there's no denying that this is a must-read guide to the music. Especially for American fans, it's a great insight into just how popular Skinner got and how that worked out in the UK. Highly recommended.
Interlaced between the episodes of his life (which he presents chronologically in sections based on the five albums he made as The Streets, coinciding with the "Robert McKee classic" stages of a narrative --- The Inciting Event, Progressive Complications, Crisis, Climax, Resolution --- though, purposefully, Skinner rearranges their order), Skinner inserts some keen insight on music and philosophy and life. I think if those segments of philosophizing were cut out of the book and put together in a small self-help book it would be about the cheesiest thing ever. But as-is, it works surprisingly well.
It helps if you have more than a passing interest in hip-hop (American or UK), British culture, or music in general to get into this book. If you're not interested in any of those things, you'll probably be pretty lost. But if you at least like music and if you know the names of a couple of rappers (even if you don't like rap), you can still get much out of the book. Because at its core it's a sort of rags-to-riches tale and it goes into a lot of depth on the music industry, on musicians, on fame, and on how many people participate and respond to those things.
For fans of all those things (music, hip hop, British culture), this is an essential read. For fans of The Streets there's no denying that this is a must-read guide to the music. Especially for American fans, it's a great insight into just how popular Skinner got and how that worked out in the UK. Highly recommended.
October 7, 2024
Could listen to Mike Skinner talk all day long. I really enjoyed his outlook on everything that has happened to him and his career and it seemed very reflective. The fan girl in me kind of wanted more intimate details about his life but appreciate he really is all about music and the creative process behind each song.
Read
April 21, 2023I did not learn much about the actual albums or what was behind the making of them but I did learn that Mike Skinner apparently has some major unmanaged ADHD. So I learned about a lot of other things.
December 6, 2023
Mike Skinner is a deep chavvy that has an interesting life. 8/10
September 20, 2024
This removed the magic of Mike to a degree. Still, the guy's a genius (and a grafter).
May 4, 2025
Best enjoyed by way of the man himself as you drift off to sleep
October 19, 2024
Thought it would be interesting but pretty boring, Mike Skinner comes across as a n*b
June 3, 2024
Really difficult to read and I did not enjoy it. One part about how he wrote his first album is good. It’s so badly written, just a bit of a shambles. I understand his music lyrics are famous for being so raw and unapologetic but this style of writing in the form of a book I don’t believe translated well.
March 20, 2019
Mike Skinner's moving memoir covers everything from the history of garage to the creative process, menswear, mental health, and even manages to spill the tea on artists from both sides of the Atlantic. He is a compelling storyteller with a clear and concise voice, and breathes life into the mundane.
May 28, 2024
The continual standfirst quotes every second or third page throughout the whole book are so incredibly annoying and distracting. I’ve never read a book that did this, like some glossy magazine, and it totally doesn’t work. Some ruse to boost the page count?
The writing is pedestrian and somehow not really at all revealing. I don’t think I learned a single thing about any of the five Streets albums (new one due next month) and not an immense amount about Mike Skinner really, except he seems a bit of a Tory prat to be honest.
Even so, it's not a bad book at all, and it would take a lot to shake my massive respect for A Grand Don’t Come For Free, which is a masterpiece.
The writing is pedestrian and somehow not really at all revealing. I don’t think I learned a single thing about any of the five Streets albums (new one due next month) and not an immense amount about Mike Skinner really, except he seems a bit of a Tory prat to be honest.
Even so, it's not a bad book at all, and it would take a lot to shake my massive respect for A Grand Don’t Come For Free, which is a masterpiece.
August 30, 2020
Massive disappointment. Being a fan of The Streets, i was shocked to discover this book was nothing more than a mess of random observations and nonsensical philosophical musings on the human condition. Every point he made jumped around a hundred times, spiralling into a confusing mess devoid of depth or logic.
I'm not sure if this book represents the real thought processes of Mike Skinner, or if it's an injoke testing how much b*llshit his audience can take.
Spent the whole time wishing I was reading Tricky's autobiography again.
I'm not sure if this book represents the real thought processes of Mike Skinner, or if it's an injoke testing how much b*llshit his audience can take.
Spent the whole time wishing I was reading Tricky's autobiography again.
August 16, 2014
Whether you've liked what he's done or not, Mike Skinner's musical voyage has been as idiosyncratic as pop music has seen. Insightful, self-effacing, and always honest (or at least seemingly so), Skinner's recounting of his decade as The Streets is a good as music books, autobiography, or nonfiction gets.
August 11, 2025
Mike is a madman
August 3, 2024
I started this about 10 years ago and never got around to finishing it but watching The Streets set at Glastonbury this year pushed me to finally catch up with it!
This was written in the aftermath of Mike Skinner ending The Streets in 2011/2012 and is a really honest portrayal of the guy behind the music with nothing really left unsaid in terms of the man himself and his thoughts and feelings at each stage of his career.
Because I’m such a big fan of the music, my only small gripe would be that I’d have loved to have heard more about the stories behind some of the specific songs but really this book goes even deeper than that with a few details about the song craft itself.
I’d say it’s well worth a read if you’re a fan of The Streets, the British music scene or even psychology and the human condition!
This was written in the aftermath of Mike Skinner ending The Streets in 2011/2012 and is a really honest portrayal of the guy behind the music with nothing really left unsaid in terms of the man himself and his thoughts and feelings at each stage of his career.
Because I’m such a big fan of the music, my only small gripe would be that I’d have loved to have heard more about the stories behind some of the specific songs but really this book goes even deeper than that with a few details about the song craft itself.
I’d say it’s well worth a read if you’re a fan of The Streets, the British music scene or even psychology and the human condition!
February 5, 2025
audiobook🎧
raw, honest, and packed with house/garage music history, the story of the streets especially audiobook form is an experience. mike skinner’s narration makes it feel like you’re in the studio with him, hearing firsthand about the rise of the streets, the chaos of early 2000s fame, and the underground scenes that shaped his sound.
there’s a lot of house music talk, proper deep dives into influences, production techniques, and the culture that surrounded it. skinner name-drops big, big names throughout, giving insight into the artists, DJs, and producers who defined an era. if you love the streets, dance music, or just a well-told story about creativity and survival in the industry, this is essential listening!!!👂🏼
raw, honest, and packed with house/garage music history, the story of the streets especially audiobook form is an experience. mike skinner’s narration makes it feel like you’re in the studio with him, hearing firsthand about the rise of the streets, the chaos of early 2000s fame, and the underground scenes that shaped his sound.
there’s a lot of house music talk, proper deep dives into influences, production techniques, and the culture that surrounded it. skinner name-drops big, big names throughout, giving insight into the artists, DJs, and producers who defined an era. if you love the streets, dance music, or just a well-told story about creativity and survival in the industry, this is essential listening!!!👂🏼
December 26, 2017
I think this book is really well written and Mike Skinner describes a flowing, introspective timeline of the streets but as a Streets fan, I think he almost detracts from the perfection of songs like ‘Weak become heroes’ (and perhaps the emotional inspirations behind such songs that I was perhaps looking for) by focusing on describing his own imperfections as a human, and I don’t think he paints himself in the best light? Didn’t expect to come away from this book thinking “hmmm...Mike Skinner sounds like a right ****”. But at the same time it depicts an interesting musical journey and I still found it a really interesting read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2021
From the moment I picked this book up it became my #1 autobiography.
Mike Skinner translates his deftness in music to prose effortlessly, bringing colour and joy, as well as thoughtfulness and sober reflection to the reader. Every page contains a nugget of relatable insight, making the Story meaningful to each person who reads it. This is a logical progression from Mike's raw, authentic sound and everyman hip-hop.
If you're a fan of the Streets, the D.O.T. or any of the other work of Mike Skinner, you'll enjoy this book. His presence is felt throughout and it is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Mike Skinner translates his deftness in music to prose effortlessly, bringing colour and joy, as well as thoughtfulness and sober reflection to the reader. Every page contains a nugget of relatable insight, making the Story meaningful to each person who reads it. This is a logical progression from Mike's raw, authentic sound and everyman hip-hop.
If you're a fan of the Streets, the D.O.T. or any of the other work of Mike Skinner, you'll enjoy this book. His presence is felt throughout and it is a thoroughly enjoyable read.
January 10, 2021
Really disappointing! I was hoping the book would be all about "The Streets" Where the inspiration for the songs came from, stories about recording, producing, funny stories from tours and festivals, etc. It had very little of that.
Instead it was Mike Skinner massively over evaluating life. It was way too philosophical and what he had learned about how the mind and subconscious work.
Really gutted! I was looking forward to the "chaviness" of the streets, the garage, rave era etc. Sadly there was none of that.
If you want a book on "How our thoughts work" then go for it....
Instead it was Mike Skinner massively over evaluating life. It was way too philosophical and what he had learned about how the mind and subconscious work.
Really gutted! I was looking forward to the "chaviness" of the streets, the garage, rave era etc. Sadly there was none of that.
If you want a book on "How our thoughts work" then go for it....
December 26, 2021
It was exciting to read in detail Skinner's passion for multiple artforms that had clear influences within The Streets' discography. As a writer, he comes across as extremely confident both lyrically and as an author. However, he's frequent tangents when writing about particular anecdotes or knowledge can be frustrating to read as you want him to just get back to his original point so often. The confidence in his writing can often appear as very patronising in some cases making him fairly unlikeable in a lot of ways.
November 26, 2025
Given how powerful Mike Skinner's storytelling is in his music, its no wonder that he's a good writer too, and this is a very readable autobiography.
Elements already come across as dated, not least because of how adamant he was in this book (2012) that he had retired for good, which he did not. But also, his occasional political comments read as a bit dated now.
As for the rest of it, he's clearly a thoughtful and philosophical person and his reflections on squaring this with his loutish geezer persona are an interesting insight into how he dealt with his fame.
Elements already come across as dated, not least because of how adamant he was in this book (2012) that he had retired for good, which he did not. But also, his occasional political comments read as a bit dated now.
As for the rest of it, he's clearly a thoughtful and philosophical person and his reflections on squaring this with his loutish geezer persona are an interesting insight into how he dealt with his fame.
March 12, 2025
One of the reasons I don’t like the good reads scoring system, aggressively needs half points. Don’t think I’ve ever underlined so much in a book, I appreciate how young he was when he did all this but I found this a hard read by the end. He has a particular way of writing where it can feel like you’re reading the same sentence over and over. It’d be like ‘oranges always have pips, well at least they did in my case’ or ‘ I’m not saying that oranges always have pips but ….’
March 13, 2025
I look at her, she stares almost straight back at me
But her eyes glaze over, like she's looking straight through me
Then her eyes must have closed for what seems an eternity
When they open up she's looking down at her feet
Dry your eyes, mate
I know it's hard to take, but her mind has been made up
There's plenty more fish in the sea
Dry your eyes, mate
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts
But you've got to walk away now, it's over
But her eyes glaze over, like she's looking straight through me
Then her eyes must have closed for what seems an eternity
When they open up she's looking down at her feet
Dry your eyes, mate
I know it's hard to take, but her mind has been made up
There's plenty more fish in the sea
Dry your eyes, mate
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts
But you've got to walk away now, it's over
March 2, 2020
A fascinating autobiography by Mike Skinner. He comes across as really likable, and he’s very knowledgeable, opinionated and nerdy about lots of aspects of songwriting, recording and performing. I had no idea that his songs were so informed by film-writing techniques, and it’s interesting to hear how he tells of The Streets’ rise, decline and demise. It’s also very funny.
June 6, 2022
A searingly honest and gritty story of The Streets.
As a passing fan of Mike Skinner, I loved this book for how well it’s written and how honest his voice is rather than a love for the music itself (which, the the way, I now have a newfound love for).
One of the best musical autobiographies I’ve ever read.
As a passing fan of Mike Skinner, I loved this book for how well it’s written and how honest his voice is rather than a love for the music itself (which, the the way, I now have a newfound love for).
One of the best musical autobiographies I’ve ever read.
February 17, 2025
4 ⭐️
Quite enjoyed this even though I feel like I should have been reading it about 10 years ago, especially for the "I'll never gig again" part when I know I've seen them 3 times since returning (after this book was released).
I also don't think the Wembley gig felt as poorly received as Mike did, Dirty Pretty Things were the stand out awful part of that whole day by a mile.
Quite enjoyed this even though I feel like I should have been reading it about 10 years ago, especially for the "I'll never gig again" part when I know I've seen them 3 times since returning (after this book was released).
I also don't think the Wembley gig felt as poorly received as Mike did, Dirty Pretty Things were the stand out awful part of that whole day by a mile.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews