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Showbusiness: Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Nobody
Combining his trademark humour with his eye for the ridiculous, Radio 1's Mark Radcliffe recalls his less-than-glittering rock career in a succession of bands. Interwoven with the musical disasters is the rites-of-passage story of a middle-class grammar school boy.
232 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 8, 2017
Enjoyable and funny read about all the bands the author has played in over the years. With the exception of the final chapter about the Shirehorses which is a great ending, I felt the second half of the book - post-university era - lost its way a little bit.
January 4, 2013
Never re read a book you originally found hilarious - you'll never appreciate it as much the second time. If you've never read it before then read it for a fantastic account of Mark Radcliffe's early complete failure to make it in the music business. It loses pace near the end when talking about the author's experience with the Shirehorses (in the company of the Boy Lard aka Marc Riley) - possibly because they actually achieve success, albeit with an updated version of the Barron Knights formula (ie, re record contemporary tunes with "humourous" lyrics), thus going against the book's central premise.
September 10, 2013
Yeh pretty good. In this memoir, each chapter covers his time in a different band that went nowhere and wasn't very good. Each encompassing whatever musical trend had appeared at that particular moment. Part of his desire makes you want to think that he is doing it for passiona and desire and the want to be successful at it, but the way he presents it makes you think he was just taking the piss and wanted to be some sort of Tenacious D-esque mockery of a genre. This is a shame because his style of writing is quite good and his demeanor and personality here (as on the radio) is warm and infectious. Great little music memoir though for anyone in a failed band with lofty ambitions of stardom.
July 13, 2015
Brilliant - if you have ever listened to Mark Radcliffe on the radio you will read it with his tone of voice going through your head, which makes it more hilarious! An easy read which made me laugh on the tube, remembering listening to the Shirehorses on the radio show - am now going to give it to my 18 year old son to read!
May 1, 2016
Hilarious.
February 11, 2025
No business like...
I was vaguely aware of Mark Radcliffe through his engaging and enthusiastic commentary on the BBC's Glastonbury festival coverage, and picked this book up wondering whether he writes as well as he speaks (like his radio colleague Stewart Maconie, whose Cider With Roadies I greatly enjoyed).
He tells the story of every band he's ever played in since the age of fourteen, his bandmates, and the highs and (mostly) lows of his musical career. In keeping with the book's subtitle, the style is relentlessly self-mocking, which can be funny, but I think the writing lacks the light touch which is required to keep things moving along (e.g. p65: "I'd managed to complete an academic record remarkable only for its lack of remarkability with three unremarkable A-level grades [...]"). The details about the personal habits of his bandmates - while intended to be amusing - also became tiresome after a while, since I think he was rather too successful in showing them in an unflattering light.
Matters improved towards the end of the book as he found some degree of success in the spoof band Shirehorses and, apart from that, the parts I liked best were his intermittent accounts of seeing bands that made a difference to him (such as Dr Feelgood, David Bowie and Madness); perhaps a book which was more focused on that sort of thing (like his Reelin' in the Years) would be more to my taste. Time will tell.
Originally reviewed 1 October 2012
I was vaguely aware of Mark Radcliffe through his engaging and enthusiastic commentary on the BBC's Glastonbury festival coverage, and picked this book up wondering whether he writes as well as he speaks (like his radio colleague Stewart Maconie, whose Cider With Roadies I greatly enjoyed).
He tells the story of every band he's ever played in since the age of fourteen, his bandmates, and the highs and (mostly) lows of his musical career. In keeping with the book's subtitle, the style is relentlessly self-mocking, which can be funny, but I think the writing lacks the light touch which is required to keep things moving along (e.g. p65: "I'd managed to complete an academic record remarkable only for its lack of remarkability with three unremarkable A-level grades [...]"). The details about the personal habits of his bandmates - while intended to be amusing - also became tiresome after a while, since I think he was rather too successful in showing them in an unflattering light.
Matters improved towards the end of the book as he found some degree of success in the spoof band Shirehorses and, apart from that, the parts I liked best were his intermittent accounts of seeing bands that made a difference to him (such as Dr Feelgood, David Bowie and Madness); perhaps a book which was more focused on that sort of thing (like his Reelin' in the Years) would be more to my taste. Time will tell.
Originally reviewed 1 October 2012
February 16, 2019
I don't often laugh out loud when reading but with this autobiographical tale of life in a series of unsuccessful bands it's hard not to.
It charts musical mishaps including guitarists who can't play, singers who can't sing and bassists who lack, what is generally considered to be a prerequisite for the job, a bass. Add fashion faux pas, ill-judged stage acts and transport traumas, it's enough to put anyone off ever wanting to play music in public. However, it's written with wit and warmth, plus a well-judged turn of phrase that makes it a hard book to dislike.
It charts musical mishaps including guitarists who can't play, singers who can't sing and bassists who lack, what is generally considered to be a prerequisite for the job, a bass. Add fashion faux pas, ill-judged stage acts and transport traumas, it's enough to put anyone off ever wanting to play music in public. However, it's written with wit and warmth, plus a well-judged turn of phrase that makes it a hard book to dislike.
June 4, 2019
Hilarious!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2020
A social history of being a music fan in the 1970s and beyond. A warm narrative of a boy's love of noise and melody. Funny, too!
March 13, 2024
Brilliant, hilariously funny in places, impossible to put down.
May 22, 2025
DNF
I really dislike Smart Alec type books that are written by someone who seems to really think they are the wit of the century.
Kicked it to the kerb.
I really dislike Smart Alec type books that are written by someone who seems to really think they are the wit of the century.
Kicked it to the kerb.
Want to Read
May 10, 2007Have just ordered this from play.com after listening to Mark on Radio 2 last week.
August 12, 2011
A warm and funny book. Impossible to read without imagining Radcliffe's dry, Northern tones.
October 13, 2012
a great biography based on the love of music.
August 2, 2011
Brilliantly written and amazingly funny
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews