Never Understood: The Jesus and Mary Chain

by William Reid, Jim Reid

William and Jim Reid, brothers and founding members of The Jesus and Mary Chain—a band that bridged the gap between the punk explosion and the emergence of grunge and Britpop—chronicle the chaos, confusion, and stories behind their music.

For five years after they’d swapped sought-after apprenticeships for life on the dole, brothers William and Jim Reid sat up till the early hours in the front room of their parents’ East Kilbride council house, plotting their path to world domination over endless cups of tea, with the music turned down low so as not to wake their sleeping sister. They knew they couldn’t play in the same band because they’d argue too much, so they’d describe their dream ensembles to each other until finally they realized that these two perfect bands were actually the same band, and the name of that band was The Jesus and Mary Chain. 

The rest was not silence, and picking up those conversations again more than 40 years later, William and Jim tell the full story of one of Britain’s greatest guitar bands for the very first time—a wildly funny and improbably moving chronicle of brotherly strife, feedback, riots, drug and alcohol addiction, eternal outsiders, and extreme shyness, that also somehow manages to be a love letter to the Scottish working class family.  

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Audiobook

304 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[Nigeyb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought and listened to on a whim. Well a whim informed by a fair amount of enthusiasm for the music of the Mary Chain. It's well worth checking out. The Reid brothers have famously had a few falling outs over the years and this memoir explains how and why this happened. It's frank and often amusingly contradictory as both brothers give their sides of various milestone events.

Their meteoric ascent (okay everthing's relative) is fascinating even if you already know it.

I emerged from their book feeling quite protective towards them both. Social anxiety has really messed with so much of their lives along with the resultant dependencies. Turns out they'd rather stay in the background or (in Jim's case) be walking the cliffs in Devon, or (in William's case) watching Coronation Street. I want to give them both a reassuring hug, something they'd probably hate.

In a hole, indeed

4/5

[PhattandyPDX · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It wasn’t just Glasgow. We were angry with. Sonically, the early to mid 1980s was about the worst period for music that I can think of. We listened to what was coming out of the radio and I thought ‘Fuck, the radio is broke.’. Then we realized the radio wasn’t broke; it was the music that was broke. That was when we decided to fix things.”

“Me and William knew what a popstar looked like and it wasn’t some kid in Oxfam clothes; more than it was Simon Le Bon or one of the clowns out of Spandau Ballet like everyone else in the mid 80s seem to have decided. We wanted to bring cool looking people and aggressive, sounding music back to the forefront, because the whole team seem to have been hijacked by all these fucking twats in $4000 suits, and that wasn’t what we signed up for when we watched Mark Bolan or generation X on Top of the Pops.”

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much what you’d expect: middling book by middling band with occasional flashes. William was someone I ran into a few times in the early-middle 90s through mutual relativism, and young me thought he was an enormous cock. Very nice to see that he was just going through similar shit to myself at the time (no, I wasn’t dating Hope from Mazzy Star). Goes to show you never can tell. Happy that things are so much better for him, truly.

Jim, on the other hand, is an enormous cock here, evincing why the brother’s enjoy so fractious a relationship. The man’s ego bit my hand when I opened the book. Then blamed it on being “off his tits.” Class.

The first two singles, Psychocandy, and (likely because of personal context) Automatic. Maybe Automatic? That’s it for the goods and does not support Jim’s never-ending crusade for Pop Deification. Or martyrdom. I really feel bad for Willy.

Really, I should give a bonus star for making me laugh long and loud when ‘Stoned & Dethroned’ came out in, if memory, 94. Jesus, that was a source of merriment at the time. Nooooo, that title is NOTHING bitten off the old ‘Slanted & Enchanted’ godhead, mates. Totally original. (No, these Reids know neither irony or sardonicism.) Definitely not trying to ride the Amerindie zeitgeist of the time (A/B Malkmus lyrics with Reid, either, and see which comes out the better).

Anyone ever going to give Douglas justice for being the coolest original member? Not here. Too much bitter in your bitters, Jimbo; lighten up and move on. Life’s short and so are Scottish men.

Alternate title: ‘Bloated & Emoted.’

Or:

Recommended for people that like books written by guys that write songs about boots.

[Munawar Abbas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly honest and forthcoming examination of artists, not as tragic gods, but simply brothers, brothers who loved music more than anything in the world but were worn down by a world that cared nothing for artistic purity. They were truly never understood, but hopefully this book sets the record straight and rectifies that mistake, so that one of the most artistically important groups in alternative rock history finally gets their dues.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book about one of my favourite bands! Super interesting
I don't normally read music biographies but wow wow wow

[Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if you own the physical copy, listening to William and Jim narrate on the audiobook is a must. I enjoyed the brutal honesty and their criticisms of the industry and the people they’ve worked with. Overall funny, honest and majorly enjoyable even after 9 hours of listening.
As a huge fan, I was worried this would alter my view of them somehow but it just solidified my obsession. Feeling very thankful that I got to see them live recently.

[Ralph]

Honest and entertaining. Reminded me how much I like The Jesus And Mary Chain

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very personally revealing for a band not normally so open about their lives, but ultimately disappointing without any indepth discussions about the music.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was about seventeen when I bought Psychocandy. I remember putting on the cd, and it was a defining musical experience for me. I just remember this strong and utterly distinctive sound filling the room, drawing me into their musical landscape. Jesus and Mary Chain have been sacred and precious to me ever since. This was in the early 2000s, and they sounded so distinctive and unique to my ears. I can only image how different they must have sounded in the late 80s set against Adam Ant and stadium hair metal fodder. There was a passage in the book from Jim (or maybe William?) hoping that their music would live on and have some permanence, to be discovered by teenage outcasts of generations to come; well it did come to pass.

If there was one impression of William and Jim Reid that I take away from this book it could be summed up in the phrase 'strength of character'. I know that might sound cheesy, but they had such a long torturous relationship with Warner Records who were constantly throwing "world class session musicians" at them, and trying to clean up their sound. To their great credit they resisted, and resisted like champions. I came away from the book really admiring them both, like I admire anyone with personal integrity, who knows exactly what they're about.

I feel like this book works as a triptych, paired with Stuart Braithwaite's and Bobby Gillespie's biographies (all excellent, and all published by White Rabbit Books). Of course Bobby was the drummer in JMC in the 80s, so their stories directly intersect. Maybe all three of those books are to some extent reflections the left-wing Scottish working class families these musicians grew up in, and the musical culture around Glasgow in the 80s-90s. Funnily enough half my favourite bands came from Scotland in this era, there have been be something in the water! If Aidan Moffat has a White Rabbit book in the works I'd read it too. Maybe there were concrete reasons why the music coming out Scotland was so amazing in these years, or maybe I'm just nostalgic and responding with emotional acuteness and romanticism that lots of folk feel for music in their late teens and early 20s.

I love the plainspoken honesty and dry wit of both William and Jim in this book. The narration passes back and forward between the two of them. I imaged William in Arizona and Jim in Devon penning their separate sections. I like how they jog each others memory and respond to one another, there's a satisfying sense of intimacy to it, but also a sense of how they grew apart and reconnected after the their relationship came unravelled.

Long live JMC!

[The Real Ramona]

Signed pre-publication copy bought at Green Man festival 2024

[Jonas Paro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bröderna William och Jim Reid från The Jesus and Mary Chain berättar i vartannat stycke om sin uppväxt och sin tid i ett av världens bästa band. Låter det som en dröm för dig så är denna bok ingen besvikelse.

[AP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cautionary tales of rock excesses (brawls, drugs, drink), combined with introspection , courage. Often hilarious. Jim Reid & William Reid form my all time fav band, the Jesus & Mary Chain. I especially appreciated the audiobook read by the Reids - felt like we were having a long chat over tea - avoid alcohol with these guys.

[Lissa Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I had never fallen out of love with The Jesus And Mary Chain, only now I feel more deeply in love! I'm not a fan who buys every magazine they're mentioned in and reads every article. I adore their records which I have never yet tired of listening to, and have never missed a live gig in "Brireland", to borrow a quote from the book! If Ryan Air can get me there, I'll be there. But I knew nothing about them, other than the mythology of two brothers who broke up the band because they couldn't get along. That was a dire period of my own life, without their new records to look forward to. Petty in comparison, but that's what they mean to many of us as a band. And so, to the book... The most entertaining, enthralling, non-bitter, non-egoist, informative music autobiography I've had the pleasure of reading. It's honest, humorous, down-to-earth and tells us everything we need to know, everything we want to know, without any meandering and unnecessary detail. Like their music, just perfect. Life has not always been just perfect for William and Jim, but even at the darkest points there's a positivity, a sense that it will all be OK in the end. And an acceptance that life isn't perfect, it's happened, it's experience, move on. For someone who hasn't lived that life and can't imagine doing so, it's an eye-opener and it has made me feel even more appreciative of the music that accompanies my daily life. I think, for me, the greatest connection was when they describe wondering why "no one had ever tried to put the most offensive, loud screechy guitars over the top of the bittersweet melodies of The Shangi-Las". And there I was right back in the moment of 1984, hearing them for the very first time and that same excitement, why has no one ever done this before, this is what I've been wanting all my life and like nothing I've ever heard before! Oh, that joy. Left to my own devices I would have put that moment much earlier than 1984, I always felt they were in my record collection long before then. The story is told alternately by William and Jim and they each have an individual voice, strong and clear and forthright. I like that they are each given a different font, too, and it's an easy read. Not tiny text filling too many lines per page, you can sit comfortably and read it and it really is hard to put down. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say they are like family. They are here almost every day of my life and have been for forty years. They don't know the families they've joined and lives they are constantly a part of, but now we know theirs. Thank you, William and Jim, for letting us in. You've given us even more than your music and it has been an absolute pleasure to sit with you and listen. Thank you.

[Jaime Lorite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo último que esperarías de un libro de The Jesus and Mary Chain: partirte los cojones de risa y descubrir que esa gente con toda la pinta de vivir atormentada vive, efectivamente, atormentada, pero a la vez tiene un sentido del humor increíble. "Uy, sí, esta gente debe de ser hilarante", pensó nadie nunca escuchando o viendo el videoclip de 'April Skies'.

Como los felices seguidores de esta cuenta de Goodreads saben, me gusta mucho leer biografías musicales, aunque a veces sea por trabajo. 'Incomprendidos' me parece bastante singular en su género porque es, a priori, una historia de rock & roll con todos los elementos de las historias de rock & roll, pero el enfoque es bastante minimalista. No quieren impresionarte con las locuras que han vivido, no sientes que exageren batallitas en ningún momento; más bien al contrario, se han comportado puntualmente como energúmenos, pero son personas absolutamente normales que se sienten abochornadas y repentinas de cuando las drogas y el alcohol les han hecho comportarse como energúmenos, como nos pasa a todo el mundo. Es muy gracioso cómo hablan de su timidez o torpeza a la hora de relacionarse con sus colegas músicos, algunos de ellos ídolos (hasta el punto de que los Ramones crean que les odian porque son tan introvertidos que les niegan el saludo), porque de alguna manera también es ilustrativo del complicado encaje de un grupo tan singular como The Jesus and Mary Chain en la industria.

Como lo expresa el propio William Reid, hace que Oasis se sienta como el taquillero remake de Hollywood de su pequeña historia indie, que pasó inadvertida con alguna buena crítica en Sundance.

Aparte de todo eso, me parece muy conmovedor cómo los dos hermanos Reid, con las movidas que han tenido, hablan de sus diferencias y se llaman gilipollas el uno al otro, o reconozcan culpas, cuando legítimamente consideran que procede. También el hecho de que parezcan verdaderamente boomers de buen corazón que escuchan a sus hijos cuando hablan, usan expresiones como "me sentí como un NPC" y votan laborista con los mismos argumentos de tus padres o tu tía del PSOE, porque es lo que hay, pero será mejor eso que los fachas.

[Kerry Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We wanted to bring cool-looking people and aggressive-sounding music back to the forefront, because the whole scene seemed to have been hijacked by all these fucking twats in two thousand pound suits, and that wasn’t what we’d signed up for when we’d watched Marc Bolan or Generation X on Top of the Pops.”

Firstly, the audiobook of this is FANTASTIC. I did not want this book to end. I had so much fun listening to William and Jim Reid regale me with stories of growing up in East Kilbride, discovering a mutual love of music, forming a band, promoting themselves, fighting each other and their record label and drug and alcohol addiction and the music press, breaking up, doing their own things, becoming adults, reconciling, and making more music.

These two spill ALL THE TEA. ALL OF IT. They hold absolutely nothing back, but they don’t just tell all about everyone around them, they tell all about themselves, their relationships, their problems, their mistakes, their embarrassments, but their triumphs and love for each other too.

And they tell it with a hell of a lot of humor, hubris, bravado, full tilt honesty, and depth. I laughed constantly, I highlighted passages extensively, I learned so much about a band I’ve loved since I was fourteen.

I’ve seen The Jesus and Mary Chain live four times, all very memorable shows. This memoir taught me that in the 1990s, I definitely didn’t see Jim Reid perform sober. 😁

Sept 9, 1992, The Huntridge, a side booking off the Lollapalooza 1992 Tour. I remember getting to the Huntridge right after school to be first in line for this show.

Nov 24, 1994, The Huntridge, Stoned & Dethroned Tour with Mazzy Star. Yes, Hope Sandoval did join the boys onstage to perform Sometimes Always.

June 16, 2012, House of Blues, Reunion Tour. This show left me awash in nostalgia for my 1990s self.

Aug 22, 2015, LA Sports Arena, FYF Fest - even though this was an outdoor festival, this was the absolute loudest show I’ve ever seen.

What’s your favorite The Jesus and Mary Chain song?

[Ben Yaxley · Rating 4 out of 5]

the jesus and mary chain were my favourite band at 16. in an era where i had very limited pocketmoney, spotify wasnt invented and i didnt know about soulseek, it was really hard to find cool music, so when i found something special i would stick to it until the next itunes giftcard at christmas. i was very obsessed with the jesus and mary chain's cultivated mystery. i knew nothing about them other than that they were goths (which i was wrong about) and those songs are still a mystery, or ar least the reids wont explain their music. as jim or william say, 'pretend i'm dead and work it out for yourselves'.

there aint much psychocandy lore or discussions of song meanings but a lot about the 80s and 90s music industry and the struggle against fading away. but it turns out, its ok to not burn out but fade away- jmc today are happy as larry. the book gets more and more interesting as their career moves past the initial buzz towards crushing public indifference into a kind of grace. it really captured the many disappointments that come with releasing anything creative at the wrong place or time. in perth australia it seems to be 99% always the wrong place and time, so i found i found the age old struggle of process vs product relatable.
but what if youve lost all joy for the process, the people you work with and you have to numb yourself with drugs to even do it? persisting for 15 years is impressive, and i found it beautiful that after slowly suffocating to death, they found enough peace and contentment again to stoke the jesus and mary chain back into health.

william, the older brother, is absent for much of the band-career part of the book, mostly filling in the childhood parts, or offering counter-memories to his brother to gently argue the record straight. it reminds me of my brother. the bit where he talks at the end of his love for his younger brother made me cry. as my friend laurent said during a Kenwick Dial O Pizza gig: 'thats the power of brothers'

[Marco Baroni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never Understood is the new, often hilarious, sometimes moving, always instructive oral-history-style autobiography of William and Jim Reid – aka legendary 80s band The Jesus and Mary Chain – with some unspecified help from music journalist Ben Thompson.

It was clear from the start that the Reid brothers had a sense of humour, and they use it to great effect here in recounting their story. What’s more, the book is also a fascinating, heartfelt tribute to their blue-collar Scottish roots; a story of finding yourself as a shy kid through underground culture in the grey 80s; and a source of far more insight into their influences and aesthetic choices than most music autobiographies I’ve read.

The Reid brothers offer plenty of dryly humorous observations about the world at large – like when William, while attributing some of their fallouts to toxic masculinity, notes in passing that “obviously plenty of men feel plenty of emotion — that’s why The Guardian exists”; or when Jim attributes part of their early success in London to the fact that nobody understood their Scottish accent, so journalists went to their first concert out of fear of having missed something important.

They’re also brutally honest about their own addictions. Many celebrity authors will admit to having been addicted in the past -- but how many will casually mention that they’re in the middle of an alcoholism relapse *while* writing their memoirs?

Finally, if you, like me, were disappointed by that Belgian interview where Jim called Joy Division “shite”, you can read the full story here -- along with a sincere apology.

If you like them, or if you’re interested in late-80s/early-90s British underground music in general, this is a great read.

[Alex Lochhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most underappreciated British bands and if anything I hope this book can help amend that. Occupies such an interesting point in British music history where they come to prominence in the last half of the eighties, and because of that you see them start to be drowned out by the incredible but ruthlessly trend-based scene which emerged in that time whilst their influence is still painted all over it. Even if you don't care about TJAMC but love the culture of 90s British music, then this book is still going to be great because these guys were doing it before it was cool. The book is so funny but also I really loved that they were able to talk about their incessant drug use in a way which wasn't too depressive but still made it clear how shit it all was even when it was still fun. Just nice to get a perspective of this period not from a bunch of nobs, or people who recognise when they are nobs at least.

[Blane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The brothers Reid and their on/off/on band/art project have maintained for over 40 years at this point. 'Psychocandy' remains one of those seminal albums like 'The Velvet Underground & Nico' that has not sold zillions, but so transcends time & place that it continues to inspire new artists decades after its release; it will likely continue to do so...forever.

Never ones to shy away from an argument or confrontation (either with others or themselves), this book was pretty much what I expected: trashing of music journalists, other (inferior) bands, each other, etc. Their Scottish working class upbringing is also covered, as are their not-unexpected bouts with alcohol/drugs/addiction. All told, both brothers surprisingly come across as low-key, down-to-earth (perhaps spectrum-ish) true artists.

[Laurence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book from the first page to the last. A very honest account of the history of the band and relationship between Jim and William. It is very funny at times, and sad at others. It leaves me with even more respect for Jim and William, for sticking to their guns in a very tough industry, and for their honesty. I really enjoyed the format, and found it interesting how Jim and William sometimes remember things differently but neither claims to be right. Both voices are heard equally. I read an interview a few weeks ago for the promotion of the book, and the journalist said that the brothers are very good company. That's exactly the impression I got from reading the book. Thank you Jim and William for doing this. I don't think William was super keen, but I'm glad you did it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended book by and about the Jesus and Mary Chain. I suggest the audiobook version narrated by the Brothers Reid in alternating sections. As expected, sometimes their points of view are at odds, but I love hearing them tell their personal stories about growing up together and founding the band surrounded  by working class cultural bleakness. Shout out for libraries, where Jim and William checked out books and records not available to them elsewhere and expanded their worldview and sense of possibility.

[Bart · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Never Understand" was #1 in John Peel's Festive Fifty in 1985, the year when I first started to listen to music NOT being played on daytime radio or on TOTP.
I rushed out and bought Psychocandy and Rum, Sodomy and the Lash that Xmas.
Loved hearing the stories and how they were represneted by both brothers different perspectives and sometimes with very different "facts"!
Recommended for any JAMC fan.
I think I need to read McGee's version of events in Creation Stories now.

[Maeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting insight into the life of the Reid brothers. I found their recollections somewhat amusing as both of them had different “facts” of what happened. Makes you wonder what actually was the truth. Was really cool to hear about their inspirations and stories about their experiences with other bands and the changes and challenges of music culture shifts through their career and how they navigated it.

[Jolie Fleurs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable, easy read

As a Mary Chain fan, I enjoyed the book immensely ( especially the glimpse into their childhoods), but I think anyone would enjoy reading about the evolution of a rock band, and anyone with siblings will certainly resonate with much of the book. . The humor makes it a fun read, and I love that the narration goes back and forth between the two brothers. Highly recommend!

[Peter Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably not the most famous British band featuring a pair of bickering brothers, but maybe more influential and definitely more to my taste, this oral history by the Reid brothers doesn't disappoint in terms of a rock and roll autobiography. At the beginning, William announces that he won't be giving his opinion of what happened as he read another rock biography that he felt didn't represent all opinions fairly. So that means Jim goes on for pages on JAMC's history only for William to occasionally chime back in and say that Jim is full of shit. Probably how all autobiographies by rock bands with brothers should be.

[Mitchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, positives are that they both appeared to be open in their views and thoughts and didn't try to sugar coat negative experiences with each other and with others in the industry. But their last 2 albums were glossed over very very quickly. I'd have liked more on their come backs on these two albums and experiences in recording and touring them.

[Leon Sidebottom · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must for Mary chain fans!

I'm not a fan personally but was recommended the book as a fun read as the x2 brothers in the band recite the same events through their career which is hilarious as they both have different versions of the same events sometimes!!

even though I'm not a fan I do like a good music biog and this is definitely that!

[Jayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d like to go back in time and read this for the first time again. Jim and William Reid are two of the most important figures in alternative rock music and this book helps you catch a glimpse of their individual geniuses. As you jump from each of their perspectives, you can’t help but fall more in love with The Jesus and Mary Chain

[Allen Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable. The alternating voice framework was a great choice, particularly given the mythology of the brothers’ fractiousness. Both came off as thoughtful, insightful, and good human beings. I wish there had been more information about the actual music-making and less about the effects of substance abuse, but I still was so engaged that I read this at the speed of sound.

[Colm Mccrory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read, I love them even more now. 'Honest' seems to be the word that comes up again and again in the reviews and that is why it is so good. Glad they got through it and are making great music again.