The Eighties: One Day, One Decade

by Dylan Jones

One Saturday 13 July 1985, nearly two billion people woke up with one purpose. Nearly a third of humanity knew where they were going to be that day. Watching, listening to, Live Aid. One Britain in the Eighties was different. The culture was different, the politics were different, and our engagement with the world was different. And it was just one day in 1985 that showed how different it was.In One Day, One Decade Dylan Jones tells the story of the Eighties through that day at Wembley, sweeping backwards to the end of the Seventies, and forward to the start of the Nineties. It draws on his personal reminiscences and perspective of music, media, fashion, politics and all forms of pop culture to frame the decade.This is a big book but not a exhaustive and dry social history. Live Aid was the decade’s pinch point, when a nation's attitudes and expectations were somehow captured and changed forever. The author suggests that before Live Aid, Britain was one place, and after Live Aid it was another.Britain in the Eighties was a juxtaposition of militancy and profligacy, a country where industry was being broken down, societies were being demolished, and unemployment became an inevitable lifestyle yet the Eighties was also the apotheosis of pop culture, a decade where entertainment, opinion and subjectivity were more important than ever before.Dylan Jones was at the heart of the 1980s editing the seminal magazines i-D and The Face. He was one of the Blitz Kids and was both a commentator and one of the style-makers of the time. This is a controversial book, a story told from the inside by one who was at the centre of events.

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction

480 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 2013

About the author

Dylan Jones studied at Chelsea School Of Art and then St. Martin’s School of Art. He is the award-winning editor of GQ magazine, a position he has held since 1999, and has won the British Society of Magazine Editors “Editor of the Year” award a record ten times. In 2013 he was also the recipient of the prestigious Mark Boxer Award.
Under his editorship the magazine has won over 50 awards.
A former editor at i-D, The Face, Arena, the Observer and the Sunday Times, he is the author of the New York Times best seller Jim Morrison: Dark Star, the much-translated iPod, Therefore I Am and Mr. Jones’ Rules, as well as the editor of the classic collection of music writing, Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy. He edited a collection of journalism from Arena - Sex, Power & Travel - and collaborated with David Cameron on Cameron on Cameron: Conversations with Dylan Jones (shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year).
He was the Chairman of the Prince’s Trust’s Fashion Rocks Monaco, is a board member of the Norman Mailer Writers Colony and a Trustee of the Hay Festival. He is also the chairman of London Fashion Week: Men’s, London’s first men’s fashion week, launched in 2012 at the behest of the British Fashion Council.
In 2010 he spent a week in Afghanistan with the Armed Forces, collaborating on a book with the photographer David Bailey: British Heroes in Afghanistan.
In 2012 he had three books published: The Biographical Dictionary of Music; When Ziggy Played Guitar: David Bowie and Four Minutes that Shook the World, and the official book of U2’s 360 Tour, published in October. Since then he has published
The Eighties: One Day One Decade, a book about the 1980s told through the prism of Live Aid, Elvis Has Left The Building: The Day The King Died, Mr. Mojo, London Rules, a polemic about the greatest city in the world, Manxiety and London Sartorial.
In June 2013 he was awarded an OBE for services to publishing and the fashion industry. In 2014 he was made an Honorary Professor of Glasgow Caledonian University.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In July, 1985, I was a teenager, and so I remember Live Aid very well. Dylan Jones takes us back to that day and to all the events surrounding, not only the putting together of the concert, but of the Eighties as a decade. It is hard to recall now, since there have been so many different benefit concerts, for so many different causes, just how huge Live Aid actually was. In a time when there were truly unifying moments, this was something that most people you knew either attended, or watched. Not only in the UK, but in America, where Philadelphia held a sister concert, and around the world.

Jones takes every act that appears on stage and uses them as a springboard to examine events from the time, as well as talking about the band/singers themselves. Along the way, the author looks at huge events from the decade – the miner’s strike, AIDS, riots, politics and more. It is also interesting to read about how the concert actually happened. There is much more about the British concert than the US one, and so the American acts are rather summed up at the end. Still, as my interest was more based around the Wembley concert, I found this really interesting.

Some of the acts, such as Queen, revitalised their career during the concert. For others, such as Adam Ant, it was something of a death knell. However, the ‘big moments,’ all came from the old guard – Elton John, Queen, David Bowie and Paul McCartney – for whom it was the first live appearance since the assassination of John Lennon. I do recall, as a Beatles fan, being more than a little nervous about this; as Jones states, there was a feeling of ‘protectiveness,’ about McCartney from the public at that time. Phil Collins even managed to do both concerts; managing to encourage Cher to attend, while on board Concorde, flying to America.

This is full of delightful reminiscences from those who were involved. Some of the acts, popular at the time, never sustained their career far beyond the dates of the concert. However, almost all of those interviewed, remember the day with great fondness. Some, like U2, felt that they had done poorly at the time, but later realised their moment had been a success. For others, like Queen, it was obvious that they had stolen the show. It is interesting to note that, in the UK, there was far less talk about who played when, with acts generally happy to take the slot given them and Elvis Costello not complaining, even when his songs were cut down to just one (“if he’s cut again, he won’t play!” complained his manager, ironically, but correctly), while David Bowie willingly gave up a song so that a short film could be showed, to raise funds.

Yes, there are complaints about the event. It was considered naïve by some, others questioned how much money actually reached those who needed to receive it and there was a great deal of criticism about the lack of black singers on both sides of the Atlantic. The book does cover this last issue in particular, with both Geldof, and others involved, complaining that they could not get commitment from many singers from the black community. So, yes, Live Aid was largely white – and so was the audience, again, on both sides of the Atlantic. However, it was a greatly unifying experience, especially in the UK.

I remember it well and it was nice to revisit the memories of those that appeared there and get their thoughts on that day, as well as lots of funny stories (Freddie Mercury’s glorious, over the top behaviour, backstage, Rod Stewart’s congratulatory telegram to Elton John on his marriage, Bob Geldof’s daughter’s words, when asked to present Princess Diana with a bouquet…), the delight those involved took in meeting their heroes, moving moments and interesting diversions across events of the decade.

[Sammi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honesty this book was a drag. Feel as if the people who give it good reviews are forgetting that it's meant to be a book ABOUT THE ENTIRE 80'S, not a rundown of Live Aid and the bands who performed, so half the reviews being like 'omg i WAS THERE AT LIVE AID I LOVE THIS BOOK SO NOSTALGIC', are kind of wrong?

This book had a decent premise- use live aid as a spring board into different 'topics' of history of the 80's. Instead I feel like it was basically an excuse of the author to write about how they'd 'been there'. The author was quick to crap on bands/artists they didn't like in a way I find quite... mean??... Okay so you don't like Phil Collins, but that doesn't mean other people don't? He also talked a lot about how he'd been at certain gigs and his own personal career. Cool beans, dude. I found it a bit unprofessional and overly biased for a history book, you're not writing an article you know. Basically I came away from this knowing not a whole lot more about the 80's as a decade. No. In fact you'll come away from this knowing what Dylan Jones though of Live Aid, music, and btw did you know he wrote for i-D?

I actually enjoy 80's music, hence why I gave this book two stars, because it was interesting in that sense, but it basically didn't cover what it said it was going to do, I'm none the wiser.

[Victoriakor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Очень субъективная и авторская книга Дилана Джонса про концерт Live Aid (Уэмбли в Лондоне и JFK в Филадельфии) в 1985 году в контексте 80-х. Несмотря на название, про концерт и музыку написано гораздо больше, чем про 80-е, плюс англоцентричная позиция означает, что много рассказывается про Лондон, совсем немного про остальную Англию и Нью-Йорк, так что нормально сложить и понять 80-е не получится. Зато много классной музыки и мифологии данного мероприятия. Кстати, это был огромный благотворительный проект, но дошли ли деньги до получателей, в каком объеме, и вообще изменилось ли что-то в Эфиопии после концертов и вырученных 150 млн неясно. Одна глава = одно выступление плюс мысли автора о панк-роке, выступавших, дизайне, ночных клубах и журналах, а также о книге «Костры амбиций» - квинтэссенции 80-х.
Скорее всего, вы знаете про Live Aid благодаря сногсшибательному выступлению Queen, но там происходила масса интересного. Мои любимые моменты - звонок в NASA с просьбой предоставить свободную ракету, чтобы запустить Мика Джаггера в космос для выступления; долгие уговоры со стороны обычного студента, которые обеспечили ему выступление #1 на американском концерте, потом он канул в небытие и дальше по мелочи - рассказы про Wham! и второго участника Эндрю, которого никто не помнит и просто называет вторым (а он был другом и защитником Джорджа Майкла в школе и вообще создал группу). Джордж Майкл, который танцевал каждый раз, когда в ночном клубе играл танцевальный хит номер 1 года 1984 под названием Everything she wants (он его и написал). Джордж Майкл на бок-вокале у Элтона Джона в песне «Никита». Фил Коллинз, который вызывает сильную аллергию у автора, - он выступил в Лондоне, полетел в США на Конкорде, выступил там сам, был барабанщиком у Эрика Клэптона Led Zeppelin (они запретили потом использовать эту запись, так как партия на барабанах не удалась), ну и ещё масса событий. Нашла три отличные песни, автором упомянутые - Elvis Costello I want you (никогда не слышала), Robert Palmer Johnny and Mary (немного знакома) и Everything she wants (теперь на репите).
P.S. Кстати, Эндрю из Wham! живет на ферме в Англии вместе с Бананарамой (одной из трио).

[Caesar Warrington · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that lost its hold on me at the halfway mark. The author Dylan Jones soon became too overbearing with his condescending commentary. A couple of examples: Jones is patronizing towards the great and beautiful city of Philadelphia. He laments the passing of the Who's Keith Moon by disrespecting his replacement Kenney Jones primarily for the man's choice of polo shirt worn on the day of Live Aid (I do not exaggerate).

If you enjoy such as described above, and would love to read repetitious anecdotes about how Bob Geldof got so many of the bloated icons who were rock's superstars of that time to do a benefit, then by all means check out this book. Otherwise, don't bother.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea was perhaps more interesting than the execution: Use each of the bands on the bill at Live Aid in 1985 as a jumping off point to explore different aspects of the 1980s. And so Paul Weller and the Style Council segues into a reminiscence about the miners' strike and Red Wedge; The Boomtown Rats are used to look at the contrast between the experience of the haves and have-nots, while U2's performance is used to discuss stadium rock itself. I could have lived without the thirty or so pages dedicated to his memories of the various style magazines Jones wrote in the 1980s (I-d and the Face, which I remember only as 'that magazine that got sued by Jason Donovan. Or was it George Michael? And does it really matter...)though perhaps that was the inevitable consequence of being tasked with having to try to find something interesting to say about Sade....

And that might be the problem with the book itself. To my ears at least, the line-up itself at Live Aid really wasn't a reflection of what was musically interesting at that time (or certainly not all of what was of interest) and after a while I found myself getting rather bored by the backstage gossip that fills much of the book about who had fallen out with who over what. Although there were odd titbits that did catch my attention. I didn't know that Phil Collins played drums for Led Zeppelin that day (and apparently made a mess of it, with Jimmy Page berating him for not getting the drum pattern right for Stairway to Heaven).

He's a bit overblown on how good Queen's performance at Live Aid was, but I suppose Jones is of an age where it might have been a formative moment and I could probably wax similarly lyrical about Pulp at Glastonbury in 1995 or REM at Milton Keynes Bowl the next month so fair enough...

If you want a history of the 1980s, Alwyn Turner's Rejoice, Rejoice is a much better book. And if you want a history of music in the 1980s, the focus on Live Aid means it misses out much that was interesting. But it was well enough written that I didn't resent the time spent reading it, and having as I do only a hazy childhood memory of the event itself (I was 7 at the time) it was interesting to get the perspective of someone who was there.

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fabulous book. An exploration of the 1980s, viewed through the prism of the Live Aid concert, it is both entertaining & fascinating. I'd already been through the 80s once but am so glad I took another tour in the company of Dylan Jones. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in popular culture.

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Promised a lot, failed to deliver almost any of it. Woefully self centred and a view of the decade that is far too narrowly focused to be of any use just when dealing with music, let alone any wider matters.

[Ole-Martin Ihle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I sometimes disagree strongly with the author musically, and that I find him glib and unnecessaily mean to some of the acts, I have to give it to him: this is a good and entertaining book about both Live Aid and the eighties.

[Paul Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not just a book about the concert in July 1985, although that is the event that anchors the book, but a review of the 80s, including the politics, the fashions, the music industry and the changing club scene and how the U.K. changed dramatically over the decade.

[Jeremy Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was forty years ago today...
Dylan Jones tells the story of (the Wembley end of) Live Aid, arguing that the day was the most significant in, and could stand for, the whole of the eighties. Published in 2013, just after the London Olympics, that other era-defining event (to which Jones makes many references), this is an admirable attempt to explore the meaning and significance of a spectacle which was watched or listened to by (in the words of the blurb on the back cover) nearly two billion people, or around a third of humanity. So, many of this book's readers will (like me) remember exactly where they were and what they were doing on that day, and could probably name the line-up of the bands as easily as listing the members of the England team who'd won the world cup in the same location, less than twenty years previously. (One of the remarkable inter alia stories in here concerns the approach by (German company) Adidas to the English team, offering them £300 each to wear their boots for the final; since they "didn't want to wear new boots for the game, the simply painted three white Adidas stripes down the side of their old boots" [p77]).

Bob Geldof has already told the story in his best-selling 1987 autobiography of how he got all the then-popular performers together for "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984, and followed it up with Live Aid the next summer, and there have been a number of documentaries (most recently this summer on the BBC) about the event. Jones adds to the story by using the event as a jumping-off point to look at some aspects of the eighties - loosely inspired by the acts on the bill: the UK miners strike (The Style Council) and riots (Boomtown Rats), the London club scene (Spandau Ballet), Eighties fashion and magazines (Sade) and New York City (Bryan Ferry). This is a worthy idea, although it could be viewed as a way to enliven the (as Jones sees it) less interesting acts at the bottom of the bill (he has no patience for Nik Kershaw and Howard Jones, for example) before the big hitters (U2, Queen, Bowie, The Who, McCartney) come on. It's suggested that those acts which had the most impact (U2, Queen) were those who didn't treat the event as a concert, but as a TV show. Regarding the long-term impact of the event, Harvey Goldsmith identifies it as being responsible for newspapers (and other non-specialist media) giving space to pop music "because they realised that actually there was a massive amount of people who were interested in it, and that pop stars and celebrities would sell papers". He goes onto say that the result of this interest was the mainstream pop culture and "the whole forced celebrity that really dominates today" [p398].

This is all good stuff, and gives a plausible assessment of the show - which really was ground-breaking in so many areas: technical, charitable, consciousness-raising, and - to some extent - musical. Thus, on p275 Jones says "It was easy to like Queen [whom its generally agreed stole the show], apparently, even if you didn't really like rock music", with which I concur, although some of his other opinions are harder to appreciate: for example, he thinks the members of Dire Straits "look like a bunch of teachers" [p240] - as indeed Mark Knopfler (and Sting) had been before making records - as if that was something risible. By contrast, he's often keen to give us something of himself - which is good for setting the "I was there" scene - but this includes emphasising that he was wearing "an MA-1 flying jacket" [passim], for reasons I don't fully appreciate. Elsewhere he (perhaps unconsciously) reinforces the notion that the event has now passed into legend, recounting how his wife has "a vivid memory of seeing Springsteen open the American part of the show" [p132], and appears to get confused on p141 between John Oatway (who was partnered with Wild Willy Barrett) and John Oates (in a duo with Darryl Hall).

As in his other books, there appears to be some degree of overwriting and repetition - e.g. "everything [in New York] was drawn with broad brushstrokes" [p202}; "the Eighties were a decade made for New York, a decade drawn with very broad brushstrokes" [p213] - the excision of which would have helpfully reduced the heft of the book (my copy has 456 pages). But overall, a worthwhile read, which is recommended for its efforts in catching the spirit of the times.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/5 for content, 2/5 for Jones’ writing style.

The concept is using Live Aid as the central point on which to hang a history of the 80s is a good one, and the detail of that history is excellent - I was a teen in the 80s and was aware of some of what was going on, but a lot of this was new to me. The chapter focussing on Queen’s performance at Live Aid, which then inevitably dovetails into the AIDS epidemic, is probably the books best moment.

But Jones is a very smug writer (does it come with the magazine editor territory?). We are obliged to know his taste in music, and if you don’t necessary agree, he wants you to feel less worthy. Jones’ profession has inevitably brought him into contact with many of the performers at Live Aid, a fact which he makes many, many, many references to. Best read this with ear plugs to drown out the sound of the the clangs as Jones drops names left, right and centre.

[Chris Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tory 'style' critic identifies the apotheosis of Freddie Mercury as 'the most significant political act' of the 80s, and insists on telling us which jacket he was wearing. He's wrong about the political significance, and I really don't care what he was wearing. Other than that, meh...

[Michael S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretending to be covering the ”whole” of the 80s, emanating from the Live Aid, I find it decently interesting. Here and there more than a bit mean, and a little much of ”my taste in music is the right taste”.
Totally readable, though, and somewhat a great exposé of the currents of that decade.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who lived through Live Aid (I was 12), I was really looking forward to reading this book and also to reminisce about the 80’s in general. Firstly, I liked the way the book was divided into chapters of ‘Live Aid time’, devoting the time of day certain acts were performing for each one. Most chapters discussed about the artists in question (and their Live Aid performance) and usually veered off into something historical about the 80’s era. Well-written and well-researched I loved reading about the backstage stuff and what went down there. I really enjoyed reading words spoken by Freddie, Elton, Bowie, Geldof etc. What I didn’t like was some of the unneccessary nastiness which the author had towards some acts (you hated Nik Kershaw… I get it). So an enjoyable read which has made me want to dig out my Live Aid DVD!

[Suzie Burrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember Live Aid. I don't know how much I remember from the day itself and how much I remember from subsequent footage. The first part and the interlinking of 80s history and the bands is much tighter than the second half. In the second half the focus seems to be on magazines he has edited, some of which I remember but none of which ever engaged me. Definitely worth a read.

[Stowelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic ride through the eighties in every sense! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed combining reading this book,watching you tube clips and listening to the tracks played on Live Aid ....if only I had been there!! This was the next best thing.

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5-4