All Things Remembered

by Goldie

All Things Remembered is the story of the man born Clifford J. Price -- jungle's most streetwise ambassador who went on to collect an MBE from Buckingham Palace. As one of Britain's most influential DJs, producers and record-label owners, Goldie's contribution to the UK rave scene in the 1990s with Metalheadz provided the blueprint for dubstep and grime. Here is the memoir of an extraordinary life, an explosive story of abuse, revenge, graffiti, breakdancing, gold teeth, sawn-off shotguns, car crashes, hot yoga, absent fatherhood and redemption through reality TV - all told in Goldie's unmistakeable, charismatic voice.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Cultural

320 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Jim Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've listened to Goldie as an artist for 25 years. I still love everything he's ever created. I feel like reading this book was all about the timing for me on a personal level. I'm going through some life stuff and deep contemplative moods so to read how he processes things in his life and in his mind was really important. So, the book is all over the place and I wasn't sure if I'd follow it easily. There is no real start/middle/end. It's a great read if you can get used to stories and life incidents appearing in no order. His music has such a deeper meaning to me now I know why and how he created certain tracks. It's definitely one of the few books I didn't want to put down. I do think the book could have been longer as I feel there are more stories that were left out. A solid 4/5 from me though.

[Abbie Nicholls · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book mostly felt like I was sat at the afters at 5am with Goldie. Not in a bad way either but very sporadic and a lot of back and forth throughout his life.

Fun fact I did a tally of the amount of times he said ‘fuck/fucking’ in this book and it came to 672 (out of 275 pages).

Good book overall though.

[Niklas Pivic · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fairly unstructured, hagiographic view of Goldie's life, as written by himself (about himself). It's not all braggadocio, as he dances over words, describing his 35-year-addiction to drugs, while contributing to basically creating drum 'n' bass in the 1990s.

In interviews and on TV, Goldie is an entertainer. He's a raconteur. It's only natural that his style spills onto the page. Examples:

Someone says, ‘Fuck me! You don’t age.’ ‘Yeah, I know. I’m Benjamin fucking Button. I’m also the Dorian Gray of fucking breakbeat: I keep a very grotesque fucking portrait of me locked away in chains in a fucking room, and every time I bring one EDM motherfucker down to his knees, the picture gets a little bit more beautiful!’

Oh my God, how times are a-changing – for the better in this case. It’s nice to be able to say that in the era of Brexit and Trump. But then again, is Trump that much different to some of the other fuckers who came before him? I’d say not. America’s just saying exactly what it’s been wanting to say for all this time, but now they’re saying it openly, as opposed to saying it under their fucking breath.

Also, his short hate speech to Eric Clapton as a consumer is hilarious:

God bless you, Eric Clapton, but can I have my fucking eighteen grand back, you twat? Because that’s how much it fucking cost me to go to your rehab place in Antigua – all for some fat cunt trying to whip me for his sins because I don’t want to cross the fucking road every time I see a pub. Sorry, sunshine, but that ain’t the fucking modern world right now. And, Eric, you set this place up, so as far as I’m concerned your rehab place should be responsible enough to answer the emails of customers who paid in full and are not too fucking happy with what transpired.

Goldie writes a lot back and forth on bikram yoga, how it's centered his life and how it should be taught throughout the UK. Well, a proponent of yoga isn't a bad thing, but at times Goldie reeks of the same sentiments that a 12-step-reborn person does. No wrong in that, either, it's just that I find his style cramped by it.

However, when he recants stories, they're as though somebody of his demeanour has e-mailed a mate:

Cut to the surgery – quite literally – and my fucking leg looks like an open kebab with two types of sauce: curry and ketchup. They’ve got the leg open, and I’m saying to the surgeons, ‘Can you take pictures of this, because I need to go and speak to my lawyer about it ... the wrong skis and all that?’ They do the business, and it’s settled out of court, and I ultimately end up getting compensated for everything. So that helped, but it wasn’t worth the pain. The divorce was, though.

His writings of finding his current love, his wife, is very heartfelt. It's lovely—interspiced with the laddiness of sex as written by a kind of stereotypical view of women—and sweet.

He doesn't shy from his working-class background:

The reason I chose the name Rufige Kru to release some of my first records under was because that was how I thought you spelt the word ‘roughage’! (Though I knew that wasn’t how you were meant to spell ‘crew’.)

All in all, an easy and lofty read, but I wish the book had been edited more tightly to allow it to flow differently.

[Anita Sully · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book to be like his music, chaotic, personal and interesting if not always my cup of tea!
I was getting used to the fact it was like reading the rambling thoughts of someone on a bit of a bender but there were a few too many stories where it just seemed to be an excuse to batch about a person in his past for no real reason.

I stopped reading this halfway through as I like Goldie and the more I read the less I found myself liking him.

I'm sure others will love its style and I might have done a few yeas ago when my life was in a similar state to this book!!!

[Andrew Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is crackers. It’s a biography but There’s close to nothing on Timeless, his time in Miami and in New York. There is loads about yoga and how to recover from cocaine addiction.

[Sral Noim · Rating 4 out of 5]

They say: never meet your heroes. Goldie definitely is one of my biggest heroes, but after reading this book I think I'm glad to not meet him.

I have tremendous awe for his artistic achievements. Timeless still gives me goosebumps and I still regularly buy Metalheadz releases. Goldie's a true super star and he's so much more than just a loudmouth.

I also have to give credits for his brutally honest memoires. Not shying away from the tender bits and also acknowledging he's a vicious piece of work sometimes. These are the ugly bits he doesn't try to paint over or even rationalize. Sure, there's a truly horrendous childhood causing a lot of trauma, but he does not use it as an excuse and that also takes some backbone.

I love the parts where he goes on about his visionary way of approaching art, but I absolutely hate the stories of picking fights. But hey: that's also part of who he is.

I read some criticism about the chaotic way of telling his stories, but to me it makes the book even more genuine: welcome to his world!

In a month I'll be seeing the man with his live band and I know it's going to be excellent. Given the chance, I'll pass the opportunity to meet and greet this legend, because you'll never know when his inner thug will show his face. I'd rather keep him on his pedestal.

[Yara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fabulous, whirling kaleidoscope of music, memory and trauma. Top highlights: when Goldie’s boa constrictor decides to try to eat him after he staggers home from the pub smelling like a kebab; and when his favourite piece of custom-made jewellery is stolen – right from under his nose – by dodgy Russian airport officials. Magical and cautionary. Navid Kermani’s Wonder Beyond Belief: On Christianity (Polity). Iranian-born, German-bred, Muslim novelist/intellectual Kermani travels the globe looking at significant (and not so significant) Christian artworks. This truly is one of the best books I’ve read in years: funny, outrageous, touching, intimate, glorious.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a refreshing, honest, nothing-off-limits account from Goldie, and gives so much insight into his life and upbringing. It provides a background to why Timeless sounds how it does, nuggets of detail about the strings on Sea of Tears, and the meaning behind Saturnz Return (apparently we all have a "Saturn's return when we turn 29!) - while throughout the book he gives chunks of advice that put life into perspective and would resonate with anyone, regardless of the scale of challenges they encounter. The conversation with Doc Scott made me smile in particular... "If virtual clubs are where we're heading I'll quit Drum & Bass"...enter 2020, Covid-19 and online gigs!

[Al Redman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read, the writing style is very stream of consciousness and bounces around different era's. Would reccomend if you're interested in UK Music culture/ evolution of Drum and Bass or addiction... haha. Certainly inspiring to learn more about Goldie's humble beginnings and how he managed to tame a very chaotic existence. If Goldie can sort his life out you definitely can! Some gems in here

[Rowan T · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up - rambling and chaotic like Goldie himself. An entertaining collection of musings and stories from Goldie although for some reason (when it usually doesn’t bother me) I craved a more linear structure. Still, essential read if you are into his work.

[Ebru Eltemur · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely honest, sincere and fun memoir by one of the greatest artists in electronic music. Particularly enjoyed the latter half of the book that went into Goldie’s upbringing, family and heritage.

[John Levon · Rating 3 out of 5]

He's totally bonkers, as you might expect, and his philosophising here is some combination of unintentionally hilarious, thoughtful, and nonsense. The music-related bits drag a little though.

[Ceremony · Rating 4 out of 5]

not a normal book - a good book

[Swee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating update from his first autobiography

[Joe Emerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goldie has an interesting and tragic upbringing. I enjoyed learning more about his life and could listen to his stories all day

[Ben Broccoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read, interesting view of his life

[Sam Judge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goldie's narrative unfolds in a non-sequential manner, traversing the terrain of his troubled childhood to his current yoga-centric life, with intermittent musings on music. Longtime drum & bass enthusiasts may find themselves revisiting previously explored passages from Goldie's past (cue "Nine Lives"), yet there's still enough substance to soldier on.

Goldie adopts a stream-of-consciousness writing style, allowing his thoughts to spill onto the page in abstract and sometimes convoluted ways. While this approach may appeal to those seeking a raw and unfiltered account, it may leave others grappling with the disjointed nature of his storytelling. The scattered reflections on his life and the music scene may not necessarily offer a cohesive narrative, making it a challenging read for those who prefer more structure and clarity.

[Dom McLoughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been listening to Goldie’s music since his first releases so it was interesting to get an insight into the man behind those records.

The book is an honest account of a troubled beginning moving from foster home to foster home but it thankfully moves into a better place towards the end with Goldie essentially rescuing his life and growing up.

The book contains some very childish and flippant sections but you also understand where and why they exist. Contrasting that there are also some very moving parts that could bring you to tears, highlighting the complexity of Goldie.

I loved the parts where he talks about race culture and art and his early discoveries of these cultures. I used to read a uk magazine called hip-hop connection and in the back there was always a Graf section which would sometimes show Mode 2’s work, one of Goldie peers....who he rightly pays respect to.

All in all this is a rollercoaster of a book that jumps all over the place yet manages to make sense. A must read for any fan of Goldie.