Autonomy: Portrait of a Buzzcock

by Steve Diggle, Simon Goddard

From bass player to lead guitarist, member, Steve Diggle has been the driving force keeping Buzzcocks alive since he first met Pete Shelley in 1976. Together they would ignite the Manchester music scene, kickstart indie and become one of the best loved and most influential punk groups of all time.

Following Shelley’s untimely death in 2018, Autonomy is Diggle’s definitive inside account of their shared musical legacy and complex friendship through the band’s rise, fall, and rise again – from their punk origins supporting Sex Pistols with original singer Howard Devoto to Top of the Pops, the excess of success, break-up, reformation and life beyond bereavement.

Funny, honest and touchingly philosophical, it is also Diggle’s very personal story of working class escape, dreams, redemption and loss – an ultimately heroic survivor’s tale from an irrepressible rock’n’roll spirit.

Genres: Music, Audiobook

336 pages, Hardcover

Published October 29, 2024

Reviews

[Libby Low · Rating 5 out of 5]

actually cried at this. who knows what's ghostwritten these days but the heart that pours out the pages of this book was so honest and touching.

[Nestor Rychtyckyj · Rating 5 out of 5]

On December 6, 2018 Pete Shelley unexpectedly died of a heart attack; it was a tragic day for his family and friends as well as the many fans of the Buzzcocks around the world. I was at home recovering from a knee replacement and spent many hours listening to one of my favorite bands and reminiscing about the many times that I had seen this dynamic band. Pete was gone and so were the Buzzcocks. But the world didn’t reckon with Steve Diggle – the “other” guitar player and songwriter with the band. He decided that the Buzzcocks would continue and in September of 2024 I did get the see the new version of the band again – and it was just as enjoyable as all of the other times I had seen the Buzzcocks!

Steve Diggle’s story is amazing and he does not shy away from admitting his own mistakes in this riveting autobiography. if you want to do the “punk rock time travel game" then he’s the right person to follow. His crazy story on how pure luck and chance led to him seeing the legendary Pistols show in Manchester and meeting Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto. Most of the us know the story – Devoto leaves after "Spiral Scratch" and the Buzzcocks put out some of the most brilliant music of the punk era before the inevitable breakup.

The real highlight of Steve Diggle’s book is in his vivid descriptions of life as a Buzzcock and his relationship with the band and especially Pete Shelley. Shelley was a brilliant writer and musician but really wasn’t equipped to handle the pressure of being the star of a highly successful band. Steve Diggle was also an excellent songwriter but it took him awhile to start contributing and he is very candid about his own problems with drugs and alcohol. He’s also very critical of some of their own music – especially “A Different Kind of Tension”. His relationship with Pete fractures and the band is done when Shelley ends the band with a letter from his lawyer.

We know that the band reunites again and continues until Pete’s unfortunate death. They become popular and beloved and wind up touring around the world and playing with bands like Nirvana. We seem to focus only on their early hits and forget that they released some really good music after the reunion. Steve and Pete spent most of their lives together as Buzzcocks and I’m thankful that the band still continues. The Buzzcocks legacy is unsurpassed from the punk era and Diggle’s memoirs underscore their greatness.

P.S This book has 232 pages (not 336).

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm admittedly a latecomer to Buzzcocks fandom. Despite their massive influence on some of my favorite bands, I'd never really given them much of a listen beyond "Ever Fallen in Love" until I decided to go see them live last year at a local venue (albeit sadly without Pete Shelley). Suffice it to say I was blown away, and Buzzcocks songs, particularly "Why Can't I Touch It?" "What Do I Get?" have been on repeat ever since. Dancing 6 feet away from Steve Diggle playing guitar was incredible, and I only wish I had been wise enough to see Buzzcocks when Shelley was still alive.

Anyway, I've been listening to a lot of musicians' memoirs over the past few years, and added Diggle's Autonomy to my list. It's been a good listen. Wish it had been narrated by Diggle himself, but I understand that narrating audiobooks can be difficult and exhausting, and I felt that the narrator did a good job. It's nice to hear more about different songs, and to go through a band's back catalog while listening to a book about them. I also appreciated learning more about the band, and about Diggle's friendship with Shelley. I did feel that Diggle came off as a bit defensive about his contributions to the band, but maybe that's because Shelley had always been the one in the spotlite and credited with Buzzcocks' success. I was also unimpressed with his fat shaming of Shelley towards the end. (Really? Was that necessary? No, it was not.) Other than that, I enjoyed the book, and recommend it to fans.

[Annika Hagros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steve Diggle's autobiography is a fascinating outlook on the UK punk scene of the late 70s, providing an insider's look also on the music scene of the subsequent decades, all the way to touring with Nirvana and beyond. Despite the juicy descriptions of the rock'n'roll lifestyle, the most enjoyable part of the book was the painting of Diggle's childhood in the grey Manchester of the sixties as the eldest son of a working-class family and as a teenager who vowed never to work. It makes you appreciate the little coincidences in life that end up moulding your life into something you never could have dreamed of. What if his father hadn't inadvertently grabbed a bass instead of a guitar from his lorry to give to him? What if he hadn't happened to set a date outside the building where Sex Pistols were playing? What if the guy he was waiting for had showed up? Or if the Buzzcocks hadn't mistaken him for someone answering to their ad? This book makes you appreciate life and all its unbelievable little surprises.

[Ray Smillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Diggle carrying on with the Buzzcocks has been divisive with a fair amount of hatred flung at him from keyboard warriors. I was neither here nor there about it but did buy, and enjoy, Sonics in the Soul. He is the heart and soul of the Buzzcocks, as was Pete Shelley, but Pete is gone now.

Really enjoyed his story and say long live the Buzzcocks and long live Steve Diggle.

[Lisa-Jaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buzzcocks...I immediately think of Pete Shelley, so this was a really interesting read to see the group through Steve Diggles' eyes. It covers how they met and the ups and downs of being a Buzzcock. I like the honesty that comes through....Well worth a read.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

[Aaron Badgley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very honest, fascinating, and often funny account of the great Steve Diggle, from The Buzzcocks and his own solo music. Diggle tells the stories beautifully and it is hard to put down.