Street-Level Superstar: A Year With Lawrence

by Will Hodgkinson

Lawrence is the greatest pop star you have never heard of, his dreams of glory thwarted over the past five decades by bad luck and self-sabotage. At sixty-one, he set off on a new to escape poverty, obscurity and the humiliation of kids at the bus stop laughing at him by writing a smash hit. But what is the cost of a dream?

In 1979, Lawrence formed Felt, who released ten albums and ten singles in ten years before splitting up. In 1991, he reinvented himself with novelty-pop outfit Denim. Signed to EMI, riding the wave of Britpop, in 1997, Denim's song 'Summer Smash' became Radio 1's Single of the Week and looked like a sure-fire hit. Then Princess Diana was killed in a car crash. All copies were melted down. Crushing depression, addiction and homelessness followed... but in the face of it all, Lawrence never gave up.

In Street-Level Superstar, bestselling author and journalist Will Hodgkinson follows Lawrence as he rebuilds his life. He gets mistaken for an old lady by an amorous pensioner, is reduced to dragging sacks of 2p coins to his local bank and wanders through London's distant suburbs in search of lyrical inspiration. As they walk together down rain-soaked streets, Will tells the story of Britain's most eccentric cult star. Will he write the greatest song the world has ever known before the year is out? And was it worth sacrificing everything - family, relationships, health, sanity - for art?

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, British Literature, Audiobook

368 pages, Hardcover

Published September 5, 2024

About the author

Hodgkinson is a journalist and author from London. He has written for The Guardian,The Independent and Vogue.Hodgkinson presents the Sky Arts TV show Songbook, in which he interviews contemporary songwriters.

Written in 2014, The House Is Full Of Yogis is his memoir.

Abridged from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Nigeyb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I love Lawrence. I love Felt. I love Denim (especially Denim). I love Go Kart Mozart and Mozart Estate. Putting my partisan opinions to one side I believe that Street-Level Superstar: A Year With Lawrence should also have universal appeal. For fans it is absolutely essential.

I went to a launch event with Lawrence and Will Hodgkinson where I also picked up my signed copy. Will Hodgkinson spent a year with Lawrence to try to get to the heart of his personality. They make a splendid odd couple who frequently bicker.

What emerges is an affectionate and honest portrait of an uncompromising artist. Lawrence comes over as a very difficult, somwhat dysfunctional maverick who infuriates many that he encounters. Despite this he also has an undeniable charisma and exerts a strange fascination. Aspects of this reminded me of Paul Simpson's wonderful Revolutionary Spirit: A Post-Punk Exorcism which I also read very recently. Both Lawrence and Paul Simpson are true artists who refuse to compromise on their artistic visions. They have both watched friends achieve commercial success whilst they remain living a much more hand to mouth existence. It's this that makes both so fascinating and admirable.

Street-Level Superstar: A Year With Lawrence is an instant classic and destined to be a cult book in the decades to come.

5/5



'Will has finally written his masterpiece. I'm glad I could be of assistance' LAWRENCE

'Essential reading' JARVIS COCKER

'Wonderful' BOBBY GILESPIE

'A fascinating tale beautifully told' BRETT ANDERSON

Lawrence is the greatest pop star you have never heard of, his dreams of glory thwarted over the past five decades by bad luck and self-sabotage. At sixty-one, he set off on a new mission to escape poverty, obscurity and the humiliation of kids at the bus stop laughing at him by writing a smash hit. But what is the cost of a dream?

In 1979, Lawrence formed Felt, who released ten albums and ten singles in ten years before splitting up. In 1991, he reinvented himself with novelty-pop outfit Denim. Signed to EMI, riding the wave of Britpop, in 1997, Denim's song 'Summer Smash' became Radio 1's Single of the Week and looked like a sure-fire hit. Then Princess Diana was killed in a car crash. All copies were melted down. Crushing depression, addiction and homelessness followed... but in the face of it all, Lawrence never gave up.

In Street-Level Superstar, bestselling author and journalist Will Hodgkinson follows Lawrence as he rebuilds his life. He gets mistaken for an old lady by an amorous pensioner, is reduced to dragging sacks of 2p coins to his local bank and wanders through London's distant suburbs in search of lyrical inspiration. As they walk together down rain-soaked streets, Will tells the story of Britain's most eccentric cult star. Will he write the greatest song the world has ever known before the year is out? And was it worth sacrificing everything - family, relationships, health, sanity - for art?

[Michelle Ewen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An intimate portrait of a life lived on the cusp of fame. Best read with a disturbingly milky cup of tea in hand. Absolutely tip-top, and a guaranteed smash hit.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Street-Level Superstar: A Year With Lawrence' (2024) is the acclaimed biography by Will Hodgkinson based on (as the title would suggest) his year with the aforementioned Lawrence.

For those not in the know, the eponymous Lawrence is the songwriter and creative driving force behind alternative/indie pop groups Felt, Denim, Go-Kart Mozart and most latterly Mozart Estate.

As I'm really not one for autobiographies (finding them either self-serving, clawingly 'warts and all' confessionals or just plain celebrity guff) nor biographies (either excursions in sycophancy, character and career assassinations or merely a plain retelling of what we already know). However, not so in this case...

Lawrence is by turns a very intriguing, enigmatic, difficult, eccentric, fascinating, occasionally infuriating and sometimes just plain strange individual - but certainly if Hodgkinson's book is to be taken as read, never seemingly dull.

'Street-Level Superstar' charts Lawrence's story from growing up in the West Midlands through his first steps in music to his various musical incarnations and endeavours over the years and his (so far) neverending quest for success.

Whilst having been vaguely aware of Lawrence's musical output over the years, but never having actually been a fan - I was lucky enough to catch almost by chance, a Mozart Estate set at a music festival last year and impressively eccentric and lots of fun it was too.

Hodgkinson's book is by far and away the best biography of any kind that I've ever read - painting as it does, a fascinating picture of the mystery that is Lawrence and asks the questions that need to be asked, in order to try and understand the motivation of and what it means to be Lawrence in all his various incarnations...

'Street-Level Superstar' is a very well and compellingly written biography providing a real insight into the enigma and strange world of the phenomena that is Lawrence.

[Keen Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars!

So this is another of one of those titles which comes under the rather clunky category of "about absolutely nothing and yet strangely interesting?" I had no idea who Lawrence was before picking this up, but it turns out I own and even enjoy some of his music, that he did with his main band - Felt.

Hodgkinson does a good job of trying to keep up with his subject as well as the nigh impossible job of trying to understand him. Lawrence is clearly a very complex and enigmatic figure and this is obviously what makes him such a compelling topic, at least up until a point, until the novelty wears off and you realise that he's actually a lot of hard work and a bit of a dick.

[Suzanne Cornyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was always going to be 5 stars for me as Felt are one of my favourite bands. I know Lawrence is crackers and this book is so funny as a result. It's the throwaway lines that do it for me; Lawrence is scared of cheese; Guy Chadwick, the singer from House Love is in the window replacement business; maybe Bobby Gillespie will do the garden. Will Hodglinson treats Lawrence with so much love even though he is probably a very hard person to love with all his eccentricities and awkwardness.

[Tiarnán · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful account of frustrated (or self-sabotaged) indie stardom, doubling as an alternative history of Britain's MoR "overground" and the rich seam of naff pop that Lawrence has mined for the past 40 years. An affectionate portrait of a tortured soul, an artist that has always put art before comfort, even at the cost of the sort of day-to-day stability that we ordinary people tend to cherish. And, who knows, Lawrence might finally get his number one hit before the end of 2025.

[Petra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author Will Hodgkinson. This is brilliant - absolutely hilarious (although I’m not sure it’s entirely meant to be).Pre-reading, I was already aware of Lawrence’s eccentricity, but eccentricity doesn’t accurately describe his character - he’s actually completely bonkers.
Will Hodgkinson’s almost deadpan narration lends itself perfectly to Lawrence’s bizarre (but oddly brilliant) observations.

Lawrence’s attention to detail from everything to clothes, food and architecture and music goes from the starting point of ‘Oh, I kind of agree with him on that!’ But then quickly veers into an ‘OK, steady on, Lawrence!’
He’s clearly an intelligent man. He’s got some credible points to be made, but then it’s almost like he doesn’t want to be credible, so he’ll purposefully veer into a mind-boggling ‘whaaaat??’ territory. As I said, completely bonkers.

He sounds like a very contrary man too. It’s an observation made by several contributors to the Lawrence story - he wants to be this hugely famous and successful pop star, but he also doesn’t want to be and purposefully(?) sabotages that. Although Lawrence himself vigorously refutes that in the Q+As on the audiobook.

Lawrence is exasperating! He reminds me of someone I knew from the early 90s (another musician). Someone that you think is fascinating and intriguing to start with but then very, VERY quickly becomes irritating and impossible to be around. The information supplied by his ex- girlfriend Michaela, just made me remember my own time with this other musician - it was an almost identical experience!

If you were into Felt (and the post-New Wave indie music scene) in the 1980s and into Denim (and the explosion of Indie music into the mainstream) in the early 1990s, then the reminiscences in this book will probably hold some great memories for you.

Listening to the audiobook on Spotify meant that I could keep pausing in order to go listen to some Felt, Denim and Go-Kart Mozart. I’ve never had so much ‘Lawrence time’ in one go before. It was kind of intense!

The bonus Q+A section between Will Hodgkinson and Lawrence at the end of the audiobook was a brilliant way to end. You realise that you can’t help but like Lawrence - he’d be a great person to have a conversation with in a pub (if he’d ever step foot in a pub). Endlessly fascinating and with a unique perspective on many subjects. I really loved the ‘Smash Hits questions from 1981’ that Lawrence happily answered as earnestly as any other put to him.
An easy 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Simon Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit like "Jon Ronson does music biog". Amusing, sad, frustrating and just occasionally (but luckily only slightly) inspiring, walking around the London suburbs with Lawrence gets under your skin. It is great biography.

[Stumpy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lawrence is, and remains, a hero of mine. But after reading this I found my sympathies veering towards the other characters rather the subject, particularly Maurice Deebank and Rose McDowall - voices absent. And to a few other bands mentioned who get an unwarranted slagging off.

I'm also not convinced that Summer Smash was destined to be the massive hit some anticipated. I think this is just for the myth building. Lawrence is deluded but there are many enablers. The Mozart era stuff leaves me cold. For social commentary I find Half Man Half Biscuit more astute.

But Felt were magnificent. Primitive Painters, Riding on the Equator, the Final Resting of the Ark, I Didn't Mean to Hurt You. And all their albums were interesting if sometimes eccentric.

But I do admire Lawrence for continuing to be an artist at any cost. And rather than revive past glories, as some do, he continues to be creative. An excellent read.

[Jonas Paro · Rating 4 out of 5]

En mycket egensinnig man denne Lawrence, främst känd som mannen bakom bandet Felt på 80-talet, ett band som gav ut tio album men ändå aldrig slog igenom. Författaren hängde med honom under ett år och jag förstår att det måste varit påfrestande, han verkar inte vara en lätt person att umgås med.

Ständigt drabbad av otur och en extrem perfektionism gör att det inte kommer ut så mycket musik. Och inte blir det några framgångar heller. Hans senaste band Mozart Estate som släppte ett album så sent som ifjol har för tillfället 1256 lyssnare i månaden på Spotify.

Jag gillade verkligen denna biografi men jag blev bitvis ganska matt av att hänga med Lawrence. Starkt jobbat, författaren!

[sheenewood68 · Rating 5 out of 5]

unexpectedly Patrick Keiller's London-coded in its weird buddy movie around London suburbia. Wish Paul Schofield was around to do the audiobook.

As the book went on, I sometimes wished that Hodgkinson could write more fluently and with authority about modern street level life and/or 21st c poverty - at one point he goes into a Wetherspoons and is shocked by the prices and the morning drinkers, when idk this seems like a fact obviously understood by 80% of people - but it's a minor quibble in a very funny, very humane and persuasive book.

[Andrew Macfarlane · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest this was at times a difficult read. During the 80s, the enigmatic seemingly aloof and intellectual lyrics and song writing craft of Lawrence matched the mood of the time for many Indie music fans and so many of the songs were just wonderful.Fast forward several decades and that seems a different world as the patchy and for me rather gormless Denim and Go Kart Mozart projects have been staging posts on a career throwing ballast off to try and slow the accelerating descent on a frictionless slope. The character foibles we overlooked then……are still there and have been joined by more idiosyncrasies that we would not excuse in any of our friends unless they had mental health or social issues. The stories of the women who have been close to Lawrence may sound as though for him it was hapless innocence that led to the relationships being unsatisfactory or flawed, but to a third party it could look like at best he was stringing them along or at worst, using them. Then the throwaway line he gives in chapter 8 “All i've got to offer them is a load of rules” which he then quotes , is the phrase of an incel.  One ex declares in chapter 6 “when lawrence gets frustrated he throws his toys out of the pram, and he couldnt control me and it did his head in”. I hope i never have a friend like that no matter how creatively brilliant he used to be. There's a point when I got a sense of the sort of character Lawrence might be when Will Hodgkinson describes a period that he was homeless. He writes that the DHSS has a policy of paying for up to 6 months storage of posessions when a person is homeless. I presume he means the either the  DSS or Benefits Agency, which it would have been around the time he is writing about The DHSShas not existed since 1st April 1988). There has not been any such policy, ever. Maybe the local council does, i do not know. Maybe he refers to a possible budgeting loan which could in theory be paid for that. Im not nitpicking about the facts so mush as realising that Lawrence seems to be someone who will take any help, ignorant of where it comes from, but who wont move himself to access the great, enormous amount of welfare and social help that is there. Too often, witness the time he lived with Pete Astor, others help him, try to shake him into action. His honesty and recognition of his “personal rules” are his by choice and that is fine. His refusal to acknowledge how they might affect, upset or inconvenience others is not. Society is expected to move towards him, whereas he has no need to move in any way towards it.Hodgkinson, to his credit, does not let his subject away lightly and realises there are some issues. He does bite back, he does write of his frustration at times. Like any human being Lawrence deserves a steady life, a comfortable life or more. Is he prepared to do what it takes to try to achieve this. I fear not but hope he has good fortune to help him.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently reviewed the Neneh Cherry autobiography in this column, I felt that I shouldn’t cover another rock bio. After all there is the possibility that I could get stuck in a rut. The things is that I have just finished a rock biography which was quite unlike any I’ve ever read so I have to share it (no worries folks, next week’s book is a return to fiction). I laughed, had feelings of pity but closed the book with a huge smile. This book’s subject is a larger-than-life character so that at times the book reads like fiction – but it’s all truth.

Fame is strange. People want it but when it happens, most stars then want out of it. My guess is that their private life is made public. In the case of Street-Level Superstar we encounter a character who desperately wants fame and is too scared to achieve it or when it happens, some bad luck occurs.

Lawrence was the lead singer of cult group Felt. After they split he then formed Denim and inadvertently created the first Britpop album. After that in the early 00’s he formed Go-Kart Mozart. Lawrence now performs as Mozart Estate.

When you read a lot of books about the independent music scenes of the 80’s Lawrence’s name will crop up and there will be an anecdote: the more popular ones are about his fastidiousness; or refusal to compromise. He has fired band members for not having the right hairstyle, for example. It looks like that chief rock and pop critic for the UK Times, Will Hodgkinson, had also heard these anecdotes, and although he has known Lawrence on and off for nearly three decades, he decided to spend a year with him.

Street-Level Superstar not only presents a biography of this fascinating eccentric, from childhood to present day, but it is stuffed with some very funny tales. The book itself opens with Lawrence bemoaning the fact that he cannot urinate behind shrubbery in suburban area, Golders green.

This is the only neighbourhood in London where you can’t find a lonely bush or tree to relieve yourself against, Lawrence declared, shuffling his narrow, surprisingly fast-moving little frame from concourse to high street… you do not want to be caught peeing behind a bush in Golders Green. In certain areas of South London you can do that, and I could write a guide book to weeing in the open, but here you must be respectful.

This is just the start. As the book proceeds, Lawrence gives surgical gloves to the author when he’s browsing through Lawrence’s records; he doesn’t show up for an interview stating traffic when he lives up the road from the venue where the interview was taking place; and he refuses to stay in a hotel after a gig in places outside London thus getting a driver to go six hour journeys so that he can sleep in his bed at night whilst enthusing over the clothes he finds at LIDL sales. The list goes on.

Hodgkinson interviews his ex-lovers, bandmates and various people who he has interacted with over his five decades in music, and patterns start emerging. Lawrence is clearly a person who wants to be in the limelight and has had many opportunities to do so but an inability to compromise his artistic vision has sabotaged many opportunities. These include being too shy to perform, and the many rules which he imposes on band members (one tale involves him fussing over a snare for quite a few hours as it didn’t sound as it should). His eating habits are also anecdote-worthy. Here Larence recounts a childhood memory of when his sister forced him to eat cheese, which he naturally detested. Here’s his reasoning:

My reasoning is this, he declaimed, We know that in nature if something is smelly, it is dangerous to eat. Cheese is extremely smelly. For that reason, we are not meant to eat it.

He then continues:

Actually, the way I was treated as a child was unfair because everyone made out that I was being unreasonably fussy when, in fact I belonged to a cult of religious people who refuse to eat dairy products for ethical reasons, without knowing it. There weren’t many of them back in the early 70’s but there were some, pioneers of this way of thinking and it turns out I was one of them. Now they are common and highly respected. You get a lot of young people joining this sect.

What are they called? NJ asked

Lawrence looked up at the bright blue sky

Vegans

There are moments of bad luck as well. One particular story during his Denim days involves being promised a good sum of money to write a summer anthem, which he did called Summer Smash. Unfortunately, on the day it was going to be released Princess Diana died in a car crash. Thus, the release was cancelled, and all copies of the single were destroyed. (You can hear it on Spotify though. Please do: it’s a pop rock gem). This left him destitute for several years.

When one has this many quirks in their character, I did wonder if there was trauma in Lawrence’s youth. Although never abused, Lawrence did not grow up in the most ideal home environment. One of the defining moments was when one of his close friends lived in a stable household and he wished he could live like that. A family move which was in a less desirable area also contributed to his quest to lead a certain life. The book itself does not mock Lawrence for his habits, not does it pity him. Hodgkinson just states the fact. Think of him as an anthropologist writing a field report.

The book concludes with the author asking why he chose Lawrence and I found this section poignant:

… because he (Lawrence) made you think about the world in a different way. I was under no illusions with Lawrence. His was not a life for any sane person to aspire to. But the year spent with him had taught me that he was someone you couldn’t second guess; you could never tell how he was going to react to something and that was inspiring in itself. Actually there was a very simple reason why I wanted to write a book about him, and why after twelve months of so many tears and joys I came back for more, Because he was interesting.

So, whether you are into music or not, I wholly recommend Street-Level Superstar. Like it’s subject, it’s interesting.

[Carolyn Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating biography exploring the deluded but somehow strangely admirable single-mindedness of a pop star failure who remains convinced he is a misunderstood, genius-level superstar. The never-quite-made-it Lawrence from Felt is a deeply strange man with rules for music and relationships that no-one else (understandably) is willing to adhere to. Music writer Will Hodgkinson - a genuine fan of Lawrence's music - accompanies him on his long walks around London, showing kindness and patience to the shambling, gaunt figure, never ridiculing him but sharing his conversations, pronouncements and manifestos for 'stardom'. Entertaining, frequently very funny, and occasionally heart-breaking.

[Kevin Tindell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Difficult to explain why this is so good. A year spent with a semi-cult musician who has been trying to become famous since the 80s and failing doesn't sound the most fascinating read. But it's much more than that - Will Hodgkinson really gets into the mind of Lawrence and produces an incredible insight into a very different way of thinking and living a life.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to reading this. If Lawrence says it is a "masterpiece" that is good enough for me. (I hope you are giving him a cut of the profits.)

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lawrence is a legendary figure in the somewhat obscure world of English indie rock, a man who famously spent the 10 years of the eighties making 10 albums and 10 singles with his band Felt, before breaking up the band forever. No reunion tours for Lawrence. After that was all over, he came back with a second group, Denim. Their first record, Back in Denim was an instant classic, and the follow-up, Denim on Ice, was, if anything, even better. These were eclectic records combining 70's style novelty pop and rock with the big analog sounds of the seventies.

From there, he moved on to ever more bizarre one-hit-wonder style pop with Go-Kart Mozart, a narrow and commercially unprofitable furrow that he continues to plough with his current act, Mozart Estate.

Those are the plain facts of Lawrence's musical biography and, on the face of it, not much of a starting point for a biography centred on a (more or less) penniless musician. But Will Hodgkinson sticks with it and, with admirable languor, unpeels the mysterious world of Lawrence, professional Brummie, food hater, sweet-lover, loner, ex-junkie, teetotaler.

As a lifelong fan of Felt, Denim and the rest all this is fascinating, but I can't imagine what someone would make of it if they weren't mixed up in the whole 80's indie scene. For me the cameos from Alan McGhee, Douglas Hart, Pete Astor and Miki Berenyi are highlights, but if those names mean nothing to you probably not so much.

Will Hodgkinson records the ups and downs (mostly downs), of his year with Lawrence in a spirit of stoicism, mixed with tenderness for this man who seems barely capable of functioning in the world, and yet capable of creating music of amazing beauty, comedy and nastiness. One oddity for me was his choice of "mom" (American spelling) over "mum" (UK spelling). I don't know Lawrence personally but I am 100% sure he has a mum, not a mom. Was this orthographical decision taken to capture the American market? What American market? It's such an odd anomaly that I almost suspect that it was done at Lawrence's bizarre insistence.

This was a great book for readers of a certain age who spent the 80s in and around London's indie scene. Whether it would work for those further away from this now distant and fading constellation, I'm really not sure.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book through the 'Word in Your Ear' podcast and was inspired both to listen to the Audible version of this and to get tickets to see Will Hodgkinson, Lawrence and Jarvis Cocker discuss this next week at Foyles. I am greatly looking forward to this event and, in the meantime, have greatly enjoyed this book.

Lawrence is a wonderful character, whose music I have been discovering. He is a mass of neuroses and fear. Scared of cheese, of needing to go to the bathroom when none is available, of girlfriends, of sharing his space, of eating, of not having enough milk in his tea... He is also a musician, a songwriter, a man who has been homeless, an addict, an almost star.

Author Will Hodgkinson spent a year with Lawrence. They went on walks, discussing life and Lawrence's career as well as his love of bungalows, diverting to appear at Glastonbury, find a home to show the sculpture of his head and discuss why stardom eluded him. His planned breakout hit, 'Summer Smash,' was destroyed when Princess Diana died shortly before the release date and it could be said his career never recovered. However, his music has survived and it would be great if this book brings his music to a wider audience.

[Rowena Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Amusingly and compassionately written. Will Hodgkinson has an easy style and a good turn of phrase. Lawrence comes across as wry, intelligent, singular and utterly frustrating yet also very honest and endearing. Probably too honest for the music industry. I get the feeling he might have some sort of undiagnosed neurodiversity but this was not mentioned in the book. I had only vaguely heard of him previously and read this after watching Lawrence of Belgravia, the Paul Kelly documentary. I have since been listening to Lawrence’s back catalogue. He really should have had more success. His songs for Felt, in particular, are absolutely beautiful. From reading this I get the feeling he has been stymied by his own stubbornness, awkwardness and refusal to fully play the music biz game, though it seems he did also have some bad luck. Still, he has produced a body of excellent work (if only appreciated by aficionados) so he hasn’t done too badly. He doesn’t live far away from me so I keep expecting to see him around.

[Julie Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was great. It took me a while to get the author was reading in the voice of Lawrence, which was quite comical at times. I felt like it was a great portrait of an intriguing and charismatic character with real values and a down to earth vision of what life could be like, if it wasn't so hard.

I listened to this on the way to work on audible. I really enjoyed learning about the adventures of Lawrence and I will check out some of the music at some point.

Hopefully this book might gain him a few more fans. I loved Lawrence's attention to detail about even the mundane things in life. To appreciate Liquorice is truly an amazing thing!

Lawrence is a true original superstar.

[George Bate]

A brilliant, unclassifiable book about one of indie music's true enigmas. What is it about Lawrence, who many have stated as almosty entirely musically untalented, that means that he's produced such compelling work? How does one join the dots between the arty aesthete of his earlier work, with the market stall novelty pop star character he's inhabited over the past 20 years? The book goes some way to answering these questions, but at the same time throws up a whole lot more. As sad as it is funny, Hodgkinson has created an instant classic.

[Edward Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't imagine anyone who's not already a fan being at all interested in this book. But for those long of tooth and grey of beard longtime fans of the man, the mystery, the self-identified legend, this book is wonderfully revelatory. There's a feast for new fans as well, but honestly, if you were freaking out on Felt records back in the 80s, do yourself a favor and dig this tome post haste. It answers all the questions you never knew you had and bestow upon thine head a newfound respect-adjacent feeling for this one-of-a-kind loveable weirdo.

[Natalia Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha costado entrar pero la vida de Lawrence te atrapa y cuando te das cuenta no la quieres soltar. Como muchos artistas, es un genio que se comporta como un capullo integral en su vida pero no hay maldad sino una persona con problemas emocionales que arrastra de pequeño y con una autoestima muy baja. En el fondo quiere que lo quieran, como casi todo el mundo, y su música es a la vez su refugio y una especie de maldición porque no quiere caer en la mediocridad.

[Gabrielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

What have I just read?

Deceptively charming, a book about a super star who is his own worst enemy and rigid aesthete. Loves a milky tea and RJs licorice. Dislikes just about everything else including actual food.

Nothing about Lawrence is especially relatable at first glance but the way nothing quite lives up to his vision is a core of the human condition. Theres a little Lawrence in all of us in that sense.

Just like there a little Lawrence on ten lucky mantlepieces. 😭

[Wampus Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Hodgkinson has documented not only an eccentric underground man now making his way through a London of faded glory, but his own frustrating relationship with a man who isn't that easy to relationship with.

A few circles too many around a story or two keep it from five stars, but it was a fun read.

[Mancman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this, bough I knew next to nothing of the subject. It’s a thought provoking exploration of an unusual life, but nothing felt contrived or exaggerated. Lots of interesting reference to lead you down a myriad of rabbit holes

[Graham Catt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A music bio like no other. Pop stars are known for their big egos and unique idiosyncrasies, but Lawrence is in a league of his own. The most basic human functions - eating, drinking, sleeping - are rendered impossible by Lawrence's obsessions and neuroses.

A very funny and endlessly entertaining biography.

[Andy West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiona’s cousin John recommended this partly because the 1st chapter is about Temple Fortune, which is just round the corner. Lawrence would be a nightmare to know, but makes for a unique story and some great 1-liners.

[Andy Mascola · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writer spends a year with the eccentric frontman for the bands Felt, Denim, Go-Kart Mozart, and Mozart Estate. Lawrence is odd but likable and authentic. Will talks to Lawrence, his ex-girlfriends and bandmates. Loved this book.

[sam cerw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I read this book I didn't know anything about Lawrence and only came across Go Kart Mozart through a 5 star review in the Sunday Times. One of the best biographies I've ever read about a rock 'star'.