What do you think?
Rate this book
It Takes Blood and Guts
‘It’s been a very difficult thing being a lead singer of a rock band looking like me and it still is. I have to say it’s been a fight and it will always be a fight. That fight drives you and makes you want to work harder . . . It’s not supposed to be easy, particularly if you’re a woman, you’re black or you are gay like me. You’ve got to keep moving forward, keep striving for everything you want to be. It’s been a fight, and there has been a personal cost, but I wouldn’t have done it any other way.’
Skin, the trail-blazing lead singer of multi-million-selling rock band Skunk Anansie, is a global female icon. As an incendiary live performer, she shatters preconceptions about race and gender. As an activist and inspirational role model she has been smashing through stereotypes for over twenty-five years. With her striking visual image and savagely poetic songs, Skin has been a groundbreaking influence both with Skunk Anansie and as a solo artist.
From her difficult childhood growing up in Brixton to forming Skunk Anansie in the sweat-drenched backrooms of London’s pubs in the ‘90s, from the highs of headlining Glastonbury to the toll her solo career took on her personal life, Skin’s life has been extraordinary. She also talks powerfully about her work as social and cultural activist, championing LGBTQ+ rights at a time when few artists were out and gay. Told with honesty and passion, this is the story of how a black, working-class girl with a vision fought poverty and prejudice to write songs, produce and front her own band, and become one of the most influential women in British rock.
Skin, the trail-blazing lead singer of multi-million-selling rock band Skunk Anansie, is a global female icon. As an incendiary live performer, she shatters preconceptions about race and gender. As an activist and inspirational role model she has been smashing through stereotypes for over twenty-five years. With her striking visual image and savagely poetic songs, Skin has been a groundbreaking influence both with Skunk Anansie and as a solo artist.
From her difficult childhood growing up in Brixton to forming Skunk Anansie in the sweat-drenched backrooms of London’s pubs in the ‘90s, from the highs of headlining Glastonbury to the toll her solo career took on her personal life, Skin’s life has been extraordinary. She also talks powerfully about her work as social and cultural activist, championing LGBTQ+ rights at a time when few artists were out and gay. Told with honesty and passion, this is the story of how a black, working-class girl with a vision fought poverty and prejudice to write songs, produce and front her own band, and become one of the most influential women in British rock.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2020
70 people are currently reading
545 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
November 7, 2020
Turns out Skin from Skunk Anansie is awesome and inspiring. Who's surprised? I loved this honest and humble account of her life from shy girl in Brixton to global star. Skin talks in detail about what she learned, who she learned it from, and how hard she worked at everything. She explains how she found herself and her identity, and how she went after what she wanted.
I really enjoyed the perspective into the music industry, as well as her chemistry with the rest of the band and their creative processes. It was a refreshing read after Mark Lanegan's account of how much he hated the guts of his band mates (one in particular) and how screwed up his life was. Skin tells a fascinating story without the need for drug abuse and destitution. I also enjoyed the insights into the stories behind many of her lyrics.
I confess I didn't know about quite of few of the really interesting events in here, such as when Skunk Anansie played at Nelson Mandela's birthday concert, or how they helped open up South Africa for touring while ensuring that rock bands were not just playing to white crowds. Skin's candid take on racism in the UK, US, Russia, South Africa and elsewhere is really valuable and I'm glad she's set it down in such detail.
The audiobook is read by Skin herself with very short interludes from Lucy O'Brien. I love her voice and her accent, but most of all I loved the treat of her singing some of the lyrics that I presume were excerpted as text in the print version. As with other music autobiographies, when I wasn't reading I listened along to albums in chronological order, which makes for a brilliant immersive experience. Recommended.
I really enjoyed the perspective into the music industry, as well as her chemistry with the rest of the band and their creative processes. It was a refreshing read after Mark Lanegan's account of how much he hated the guts of his band mates (one in particular) and how screwed up his life was. Skin tells a fascinating story without the need for drug abuse and destitution. I also enjoyed the insights into the stories behind many of her lyrics.
I confess I didn't know about quite of few of the really interesting events in here, such as when Skunk Anansie played at Nelson Mandela's birthday concert, or how they helped open up South Africa for touring while ensuring that rock bands were not just playing to white crowds. Skin's candid take on racism in the UK, US, Russia, South Africa and elsewhere is really valuable and I'm glad she's set it down in such detail.
The audiobook is read by Skin herself with very short interludes from Lucy O'Brien. I love her voice and her accent, but most of all I loved the treat of her singing some of the lyrics that I presume were excerpted as text in the print version. As with other music autobiographies, when I wasn't reading I listened along to albums in chronological order, which makes for a brilliant immersive experience. Recommended.
January 14, 2021
AMAZING. SKIN IS A BADASS.
Wow, I can't believe how good this memoir was. It was so much fun. It was a wild ride through the 90s and the creation of a band that always made me feel seen growing up.
Skin has lived a life, and she does so much more with this book than just give you a straight up self-absorbed memoir. She's thoughtful, critical and reflective of her place and the doors that she's opened for other young black kids from Brixton to have a place on a main stage somewhere, anywhere, if you want it.
Skin didn't shy away from the harsh realities of being an out bisexual black woman fronting a hard rock/alt metal band. She didn't shy away from the racism and sexism she's experienced in this role, but she did talk about how she smashed those ceilings with the help of her bandmates, allies and dope manager and high-powered friends. She talked about how she made and found those friends, bandmates, managers. That's really the quiet highlight of this book, if you read properly, it's almost a how-to-guide at standing in your confidence when you have something to say, it's a how-to-guide at being your most fierce self, reclaiming your power and not second guessing your talent. It's also a how-to-guide at navigating the industry. She talks about the fuck-ups and how it's all apart of the process, she talks about the meaning and history behind some of Skunk Anansie's biggest hits: Hedonism, Weak, Yes, It's Political, Little Baby Swastikkka, Secretly, Charlie Big Potato. Skin goes deep.
Honestly, this book is the most fun I've had reading a hard rock music memoir in a long time. I kept taking a break after a passage, getting up and blaring Skunk Anansie, and then diving right back in. Skin is powerful. She's incredibly unique and charming. I loved reading about her childhood, seeing the parallels, us both being black girls growing up in a Jamaican household filled with music and DJs. I've said it a million times before and I'll say it again, representation matters.
I love how she talked about how she formed relationships with people one could only dream of: Grace Jones (ahem, being kidnapped for a day by Grace Jones, like WHAT!!! So cool!). How Skunk Anansie met Nelson Mandela and gave herself over to social causes such as the journey towards ending FGM Internationally. How she met Björk & Courtney Love, Lenny Kravitz, Bono, David Bowie and also, how THEY MET HER. She's someone to meet. She's someone to be like WTF, and she let's you know it - it takes blood and guts to be that fucking cool. I love how deep she got on what it's like to be in a band and what it feels like when things fall apart and don't go the way you expected but how it's okay to adapt, roll with the vibes that come to you and eventually come back together.
This was a book for the fans. This was a book for the diehards. This was a book for the girls who grew up watching this badass babe, shaven head, screaming in your face on MTV, on Much Music in the 90s when so many of us were going through so much, battling a never-ending assault on womanhood, girlhood and conformity. It's a testament that if you feel it in you, that's it's inside of you to cut through the bullshit and go your own way, bitch, you cut through that bullshit and GO YOUR OWN WAY! It's all good, and if you go in with an open heart, an open mind, and a little or A LOT of belief in yourself, you can achieve your wildest dreams. AND, look damn good while you're doing it.
Wow, I can't believe how good this memoir was. It was so much fun. It was a wild ride through the 90s and the creation of a band that always made me feel seen growing up.
Skin has lived a life, and she does so much more with this book than just give you a straight up self-absorbed memoir. She's thoughtful, critical and reflective of her place and the doors that she's opened for other young black kids from Brixton to have a place on a main stage somewhere, anywhere, if you want it.
Skin didn't shy away from the harsh realities of being an out bisexual black woman fronting a hard rock/alt metal band. She didn't shy away from the racism and sexism she's experienced in this role, but she did talk about how she smashed those ceilings with the help of her bandmates, allies and dope manager and high-powered friends. She talked about how she made and found those friends, bandmates, managers. That's really the quiet highlight of this book, if you read properly, it's almost a how-to-guide at standing in your confidence when you have something to say, it's a how-to-guide at being your most fierce self, reclaiming your power and not second guessing your talent. It's also a how-to-guide at navigating the industry. She talks about the fuck-ups and how it's all apart of the process, she talks about the meaning and history behind some of Skunk Anansie's biggest hits: Hedonism, Weak, Yes, It's Political, Little Baby Swastikkka, Secretly, Charlie Big Potato. Skin goes deep.
Honestly, this book is the most fun I've had reading a hard rock music memoir in a long time. I kept taking a break after a passage, getting up and blaring Skunk Anansie, and then diving right back in. Skin is powerful. She's incredibly unique and charming. I loved reading about her childhood, seeing the parallels, us both being black girls growing up in a Jamaican household filled with music and DJs. I've said it a million times before and I'll say it again, representation matters.
I love how she talked about how she formed relationships with people one could only dream of: Grace Jones (ahem, being kidnapped for a day by Grace Jones, like WHAT!!! So cool!). How Skunk Anansie met Nelson Mandela and gave herself over to social causes such as the journey towards ending FGM Internationally. How she met Björk & Courtney Love, Lenny Kravitz, Bono, David Bowie and also, how THEY MET HER. She's someone to meet. She's someone to be like WTF, and she let's you know it - it takes blood and guts to be that fucking cool. I love how deep she got on what it's like to be in a band and what it feels like when things fall apart and don't go the way you expected but how it's okay to adapt, roll with the vibes that come to you and eventually come back together.
This was a book for the fans. This was a book for the diehards. This was a book for the girls who grew up watching this badass babe, shaven head, screaming in your face on MTV, on Much Music in the 90s when so many of us were going through so much, battling a never-ending assault on womanhood, girlhood and conformity. It's a testament that if you feel it in you, that's it's inside of you to cut through the bullshit and go your own way, bitch, you cut through that bullshit and GO YOUR OWN WAY! It's all good, and if you go in with an open heart, an open mind, and a little or A LOT of belief in yourself, you can achieve your wildest dreams. AND, look damn good while you're doing it.
January 5, 2024
As a super-fan of Skunk Anansie, I had to find a way of getting my grubby little hands on this gem. The genre of music that I have always gravitated to has always been rock most especially from the 90s; the alternative/grunge scene has always been my vibe. Though I was always miffed by the lack of diversity during that time and I starved to see to one black artist who was thriving in that scene and lo and behold Skunk Anansie is brought to my attention. Two of my all time favourite songs that endeared me to them was "Weak" and "Charlie Big Potato" which have been on heavy rotation on my playlist. Their work in the 90s most especially those first 3 albums that is Paranoid & Sunburnt, Stoosh, and Post Orgasmic Chill did not have to hit so hard but they did. Pure mastery in songwriting and vocal power.
But being that this memoir focuses on the lead singer, Skin when it comes to the highs and lows in her career, her working class roots and experiences as a queer black woman within the industry. I loved the conversational tone of the book, how she slipped little anecdotes here and there as well as her approach when it comes to songwriting some of her greatest hits we all know today. Another great part of this book were Skin's politics and activism which spoke to who she was as a person who has dealt with racism and misogyny which have informed her work and how mainstream media couldn't deal with her because they found the band's music to be "too political" and that doesn't sell records, so they were told. But for us, Skunk fans, this is why we stan our queen, Skin. And this book is a testament about a radical trailblazer who will forever have a special place in my heart.
But being that this memoir focuses on the lead singer, Skin when it comes to the highs and lows in her career, her working class roots and experiences as a queer black woman within the industry. I loved the conversational tone of the book, how she slipped little anecdotes here and there as well as her approach when it comes to songwriting some of her greatest hits we all know today. Another great part of this book were Skin's politics and activism which spoke to who she was as a person who has dealt with racism and misogyny which have informed her work and how mainstream media couldn't deal with her because they found the band's music to be "too political" and that doesn't sell records, so they were told. But for us, Skunk fans, this is why we stan our queen, Skin. And this book is a testament about a radical trailblazer who will forever have a special place in my heart.
November 5, 2020
I almost didn't want to finish because I enjoyed it so much!
I love how her lyrics are like a red thread throughout the book.
I took special notice of how respectfully she talks about other people and other bands. Telling it like it was but without any added drama or ill will. Keeping it classy but interesting. I bet she has a lot more juicy music-biz stories to tell but that's not what the book is about. It's about her!
...and success! I feel like I know her and where she's coming from a bit better. The road she took and her experiences along the way. And mostly, their music and her lyrics.
I love how her lyrics are like a red thread throughout the book.
I took special notice of how respectfully she talks about other people and other bands. Telling it like it was but without any added drama or ill will. Keeping it classy but interesting. I bet she has a lot more juicy music-biz stories to tell but that's not what the book is about. It's about her!
...and success! I feel like I know her and where she's coming from a bit better. The road she took and her experiences along the way. And mostly, their music and her lyrics.
October 24, 2020
Okay, so this is my first time writing a review on here but I must share what a BLOODY MASTERPIECE this memoir is. Skin is one of my absolute music inspirations and to read in her own words the insane trajectory but humble comfort in her and Skunk Anansie as a force of nature is fascinating to me. I really love how she talked about her early life, sexuality, Skunk Anansie, solo work, fashion friends, and all other aspects of her life and career. I could barely out this book down!
This book is definitely a must read for fans of Skin and SA but also for anyone interested in the rock scene of 1990s Britain, strange otherworldly shit, or someone who just wants to read about creative geniuses who didn't allow the labels put on them rule their art. LOVE LOVE LOVE
This book is definitely a must read for fans of Skin and SA but also for anyone interested in the rock scene of 1990s Britain, strange otherworldly shit, or someone who just wants to read about creative geniuses who didn't allow the labels put on them rule their art. LOVE LOVE LOVE
October 18, 2020
God, I love Skin! Reading this was like sitting in a café, enjoying a warm drink and just listening to her talk. I thought I knew a lot about Skunk Anansie (and I do) but this book provided so many lovely, extra details.
September 27, 2020
Skin is a legend with some engaging, shocking and hilarious stories to tell. She and Skunk Anansie are so iconic and stand the test of time.
January 14, 2024
I can't believe how fast I finished this book (I'm a slow reader) but I just couldn't resist devouring it. Skunk Anansie were one of my favourite bands during those formative years in the late 90s. They were like no other band around and Skin has always fascinated me. Who was this cool Black girl playing rock? This book really filled in my knowledge gap in a lot of ways.
As with Tricky's biography, that I read earlier this year, I've learned so much about what it was growing up Black in England during the 70s and 80s and what it means to find your own place in this strange world. Truly inspiring.
Here's a quote from the book that really resonated with me:
"Relationships are hard, all of them, but you have to make your own mistakes and deal with your own dramas. The only way to learn is through experience. We don't put enough emphasis on the value of failure and how overcoming it is characterbuilding, and how pain can be a useful tool because, without it, you'll never know happiness. Anger is also a powerful tool that gives you the energy to move on, but you have to let it fade otherwise it will consume and poison your thinking."
As with Tricky's biography, that I read earlier this year, I've learned so much about what it was growing up Black in England during the 70s and 80s and what it means to find your own place in this strange world. Truly inspiring.
Here's a quote from the book that really resonated with me:
"Relationships are hard, all of them, but you have to make your own mistakes and deal with your own dramas. The only way to learn is through experience. We don't put enough emphasis on the value of failure and how overcoming it is characterbuilding, and how pain can be a useful tool because, without it, you'll never know happiness. Anger is also a powerful tool that gives you the energy to move on, but you have to let it fade otherwise it will consume and poison your thinking."
October 5, 2020
Skunk anasi has always been an underrated band but they are one of the few bands from the britpop era (they were decidedly not britpop) that I still listen to who still seem completely relevant.
Within the first chapter skin has talked about both gentrification and the wind rush scandal because yes it’s f***ing political.
Whilst she has some great stories don’t go into this thinking it’s going to be all stories about drugs etc.
She instead talks about the hard graft of being in a successful band when the cards are stacked against you in so many ways and the last chapter is in my opinion a must read for any aspiring young musicians.
Whilst the press has often tried to paint her as a scary loud black woman I came away with even more love for this amazing woman.
When she’s angry it’s in the right places and her generosity of soul just shines through.
Her activism, music and ability to just be herself are incredibly inspiring.
If you like music memoirs this is a must read.
Within the first chapter skin has talked about both gentrification and the wind rush scandal because yes it’s f***ing political.
Whilst she has some great stories don’t go into this thinking it’s going to be all stories about drugs etc.
She instead talks about the hard graft of being in a successful band when the cards are stacked against you in so many ways and the last chapter is in my opinion a must read for any aspiring young musicians.
Whilst the press has often tried to paint her as a scary loud black woman I came away with even more love for this amazing woman.
When she’s angry it’s in the right places and her generosity of soul just shines through.
Her activism, music and ability to just be herself are incredibly inspiring.
If you like music memoirs this is a must read.
November 19, 2020
A cracking read from one of my musical heroes.
Gotta be honest I was half expecting that cliche of sad, depressing tale of a rockstar and I was really happy that this isn’t the case. I mean no disrespect of course, but that’s not what this is about and it’s refreshing to have a positive story. Don’t get me wrong there are tales of exhaustion and being over worked etc but it’s nice to not have hundreds of pages of self wallowing, woe is me poor rockstar blab. Skin is not just a rock star, she’s deeply involved and concerned for charities and giving people a good start in life.
I’m lucky to have met Skin in Brixton in 2019 and I can say she was absolutely lovey and I treasure the time she took to talk to me and my now husband 😘
Gotta be honest I was half expecting that cliche of sad, depressing tale of a rockstar and I was really happy that this isn’t the case. I mean no disrespect of course, but that’s not what this is about and it’s refreshing to have a positive story. Don’t get me wrong there are tales of exhaustion and being over worked etc but it’s nice to not have hundreds of pages of self wallowing, woe is me poor rockstar blab. Skin is not just a rock star, she’s deeply involved and concerned for charities and giving people a good start in life.
I’m lucky to have met Skin in Brixton in 2019 and I can say she was absolutely lovey and I treasure the time she took to talk to me and my now husband 😘
October 15, 2023
I'll preface this by saying I DNF books quite often. I have ADHD and if I lose interest, it's just gone and won't come back. So bear that in mind. I only got about halfway through and it's entirely possible that it went flying off into the distance shortly after.
I love Skin and have since Skunk Anansie rose to fame when I was a teenager in the 1990s. I wasn't entirely sure about Lucy O'Brien - I've read her biography of Dusty Springfield and found it was a bit lacking in substance. But that's not surprising. Dusty was already dead when the book was written, so no interviews, and she was quite a private person. So the combination of record release dates and information gleaned from fairly guarded Interviews didn't grab me hard.
But Skin is still around, and the two worked together with hundreds of hours of interviews. Great.
In the beginning it really *was* great. It was fascinating to hear about Skin's background, her family, and the world around her when she was growing up. She had really interesting things to say about politics, identity, relationships and dreams. I was completely invested as she went to university, discovered who she was as a person, decided she was going to pursue a music career as her main goal in life, and then worked out what kind of musician she wanted to be. Skunk Anansie were born and they quickly rose to fame.
And it was there where it gradually started to become a bit dull: We played a gig at [place] and we absolutely smashed it. The crowd went wild. Then we played a gig at [another place] with [musical legends] and we absolutely smashed it. The crowd went wild. Then we did some time in the studio, which was really hard and I struggled to find the confidence, but then we did [odd thing] and I got the confidence back to record, and we smashed it.
I didn't really get a sense of how the rise to fame happened other than in a succession of gigs in which they smashed it, and I stopped feeling a developing connection with Skin as a person. I don't think this is Skin's fault. I think it was down to interviews shifting in focus from personal reflection to more specific memories of documented events. Whereupon almost anyone would fall into: oh and then what happened? Ah yes, this thing. That was fun. And after that... this other thing, which was very exciting. And after that....
O' Brien was there in that weird position of interviewer and ghostwriter. A good ghostwriter can weave the information from interviews into a contextual narrative and still retain the voice of the memoir's subject. Skin's memories did need more external context. O'Brien put in some little interludes but that's not what was needed - the book needed to have more of this background information, but from Skin's perspective. I also suspect that she asked too many questions about what exactly happened and not enough about Skin's thoughts on the broader picture.
But it's a give and take between two people. I acknowledge that it's really hard to pull off a good memoir, even for someone with an interesting life, and there are advantages and disadvantages to having it ghostwritten. How could they have done it better? That's not my area of expertise. I just know that it often *is* done better than this.
I love Skin and have since Skunk Anansie rose to fame when I was a teenager in the 1990s. I wasn't entirely sure about Lucy O'Brien - I've read her biography of Dusty Springfield and found it was a bit lacking in substance. But that's not surprising. Dusty was already dead when the book was written, so no interviews, and she was quite a private person. So the combination of record release dates and information gleaned from fairly guarded Interviews didn't grab me hard.
But Skin is still around, and the two worked together with hundreds of hours of interviews. Great.
In the beginning it really *was* great. It was fascinating to hear about Skin's background, her family, and the world around her when she was growing up. She had really interesting things to say about politics, identity, relationships and dreams. I was completely invested as she went to university, discovered who she was as a person, decided she was going to pursue a music career as her main goal in life, and then worked out what kind of musician she wanted to be. Skunk Anansie were born and they quickly rose to fame.
And it was there where it gradually started to become a bit dull: We played a gig at [place] and we absolutely smashed it. The crowd went wild. Then we played a gig at [another place] with [musical legends] and we absolutely smashed it. The crowd went wild. Then we did some time in the studio, which was really hard and I struggled to find the confidence, but then we did [odd thing] and I got the confidence back to record, and we smashed it.
I didn't really get a sense of how the rise to fame happened other than in a succession of gigs in which they smashed it, and I stopped feeling a developing connection with Skin as a person. I don't think this is Skin's fault. I think it was down to interviews shifting in focus from personal reflection to more specific memories of documented events. Whereupon almost anyone would fall into: oh and then what happened? Ah yes, this thing. That was fun. And after that... this other thing, which was very exciting. And after that....
O' Brien was there in that weird position of interviewer and ghostwriter. A good ghostwriter can weave the information from interviews into a contextual narrative and still retain the voice of the memoir's subject. Skin's memories did need more external context. O'Brien put in some little interludes but that's not what was needed - the book needed to have more of this background information, but from Skin's perspective. I also suspect that she asked too many questions about what exactly happened and not enough about Skin's thoughts on the broader picture.
But it's a give and take between two people. I acknowledge that it's really hard to pull off a good memoir, even for someone with an interesting life, and there are advantages and disadvantages to having it ghostwritten. How could they have done it better? That's not my area of expertise. I just know that it often *is* done better than this.
November 9, 2020
Skin, in collaboration with talented rock writer Lucy O'Brien, tells the story of where she comes from, Brixton, childhood with her strict and loving mum and streets full of life and drama, church and school. She tells of holidays visiting family roots in Jamaica. She also writes of the music and dance parties that fascinated her as a child and her early music influences - Bob Marley and reggae, as well as country music like all Jamaicans. Then came the excitement of seeing Debbie Harry and her weekly fascination with Top of the Pops and the pure nerves electricity of watching Dame Judi Dench came to her to perform in Macbeth.
She talks of the other influences that shape her energy and life, including dealing with a violent boyfriend, finding the courage to face down to a violent stalker following her around town. When she sets off to college in Middlesborough, Skin comes to terms with her attraction to girls.
Fast forward a couple of years, she finds herself dropping out of a good job as an interior architect to focus full time on music, and then putting a band together. The first was Mama Wild for 2 years and then in 1994 she formed Skunk Anansie with bassplayer Cass (Richard Cass Lewis), guitarist Ace (Martin Ace Kent) and eventually drummer Mark Richardson. The rest is history.
What I love about the book is how Skin and Lucy cover huge stories in few words, giving great personal insights into the inspiration and character of some top musicians, producers, designers and others she worked with. At the same time, Skin is honest about the experiences, including painful romances, and other inspirations for her songs as well as things that have been hard, such as her crippling nerves in recording the first album in 1994. Also of years of stunning success, only to find the life had gone out of the band at its peak after headlining Glastonbury in 1999.She reflects what each of them gained from the years apart before they reformed, stronger than ever. The essence of Skunk Anansie's success is the amazing energy energy and spontaneity they give so that each concert is unforgettable for fans.
Its great to read as her character evolves, through bad and good relationships and and into her current relationship with Lady, celebrating turning 50 with a week-long party in Ibiza. Skin's drive to change when things are not right (including hard conversations with people she worked with), and her ability to stay true to her values through the storms are inspiring.
At heart, she says, she remains the Brixton girl. "Success to me is waking up and being happy with the day in front of you".
Congratulations to her and Lucy on a great story, so well told, and a great launching pad to the coming years in Skin's life.
Declaration of interest - Skin is a friend since young days. I am so proud of who she is, a lovely person with fire, passion, talent and integrity.
She talks of the other influences that shape her energy and life, including dealing with a violent boyfriend, finding the courage to face down to a violent stalker following her around town. When she sets off to college in Middlesborough, Skin comes to terms with her attraction to girls.
Fast forward a couple of years, she finds herself dropping out of a good job as an interior architect to focus full time on music, and then putting a band together. The first was Mama Wild for 2 years and then in 1994 she formed Skunk Anansie with bassplayer Cass (Richard Cass Lewis), guitarist Ace (Martin Ace Kent) and eventually drummer Mark Richardson. The rest is history.
What I love about the book is how Skin and Lucy cover huge stories in few words, giving great personal insights into the inspiration and character of some top musicians, producers, designers and others she worked with. At the same time, Skin is honest about the experiences, including painful romances, and other inspirations for her songs as well as things that have been hard, such as her crippling nerves in recording the first album in 1994. Also of years of stunning success, only to find the life had gone out of the band at its peak after headlining Glastonbury in 1999.She reflects what each of them gained from the years apart before they reformed, stronger than ever. The essence of Skunk Anansie's success is the amazing energy energy and spontaneity they give so that each concert is unforgettable for fans.
Its great to read as her character evolves, through bad and good relationships and and into her current relationship with Lady, celebrating turning 50 with a week-long party in Ibiza. Skin's drive to change when things are not right (including hard conversations with people she worked with), and her ability to stay true to her values through the storms are inspiring.
At heart, she says, she remains the Brixton girl. "Success to me is waking up and being happy with the day in front of you".
Congratulations to her and Lucy on a great story, so well told, and a great launching pad to the coming years in Skin's life.
Declaration of interest - Skin is a friend since young days. I am so proud of who she is, a lovely person with fire, passion, talent and integrity.
October 27, 2020
I already knew I loved her voice, her music, her look and her attitude, but after reading this I just love her. She's a real hero of mine, and the book is very inspirational. Now I can't stop listening to Skunk Anansie again.
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
September 7, 2022
I’ve always loved Skunk Anansie songs but didn’t know much about the band or Skin. It was really interesting to hear about Skin’s life and musical experience, although it’s a straightforward auto/biography so not quite as special/interesting as some other memoirs I’ve read recently. I alternated between reading the book and listening to the audiobook - Skin’s voice is ace.
July 22, 2021
I’ve had this on my wishlist for ages but I decided to listen to it in the end (I can’t buy everything!) and I loved it! Keep in mind, all memoirs, especially music memoirs, are measured against the gold-standard that is Me by Elton John, so giving this 5 stars is really saying something.
I can’t call myself a huge Skunk Anansie fan, but I’ve always liked a lot of their music. Skin is the perpetually youthful (she’s 54 in a couple of weeks!) lead singer, who you probably don’t know much about unless you are a fan. She looks fierce on stage but as you will find in this book, that’s just Skin the performer. That’s not to say she’s not tough and outspoken – just listen to her lyrics – but she’s also a very down-to-earth, extremely polite and caring person.
This is more an autobiography than a memoir, it really spans her entire life and not just the Skunk Anansie years. The stand-out for me was how complimentary she was about everyone! I think the closest she gets to criticising another group is when she talks about touring with Bon Jovi and how they didn’t meet the band – in fact they weren’t allowed to use the same staircase! I mean, if you’re criticising Bon Jovi you must really have nothing bad to say. Also, I’m going to add that as I personally think JBJ might be the nicest guy in rock, that event must have been an oversight of his tour managers or someone else who got fired. You get the idea that she isn’t holding back for the book – that she really is that nice!
She is, of course, critical of places where she and the band were subjected to racist or homophobic abuse – she describes Robbie Williams arguing with bouncers in Russia who wouldn’t let her into a club and South Africans literally ignoring her until they heard her London accent, among numerous other examples.
I could say more, but really you should just read it! In fact, listening is also a good option - Skin has such an unexpectedly soft speaking voice and sounds so enthusiastic about everything!
I can’t call myself a huge Skunk Anansie fan, but I’ve always liked a lot of their music. Skin is the perpetually youthful (she’s 54 in a couple of weeks!) lead singer, who you probably don’t know much about unless you are a fan. She looks fierce on stage but as you will find in this book, that’s just Skin the performer. That’s not to say she’s not tough and outspoken – just listen to her lyrics – but she’s also a very down-to-earth, extremely polite and caring person.
This is more an autobiography than a memoir, it really spans her entire life and not just the Skunk Anansie years. The stand-out for me was how complimentary she was about everyone! I think the closest she gets to criticising another group is when she talks about touring with Bon Jovi and how they didn’t meet the band – in fact they weren’t allowed to use the same staircase! I mean, if you’re criticising Bon Jovi you must really have nothing bad to say. Also, I’m going to add that as I personally think JBJ might be the nicest guy in rock, that event must have been an oversight of his tour managers or someone else who got fired. You get the idea that she isn’t holding back for the book – that she really is that nice!
She is, of course, critical of places where she and the band were subjected to racist or homophobic abuse – she describes Robbie Williams arguing with bouncers in Russia who wouldn’t let her into a club and South Africans literally ignoring her until they heard her London accent, among numerous other examples.
I could say more, but really you should just read it! In fact, listening is also a good option - Skin has such an unexpectedly soft speaking voice and sounds so enthusiastic about everything!
September 24, 2024
”To me, music has no boundaries, and what’s really important is authenticity, empathy and respect, whatever genre you play.”
5 stars. I’m 1000% bias and I don’t care. Skin is a national treasure and can do no wrong in my eyes. I became familiar with her and Skunk Anansie in high school when I watched Strange Days for the first time and fell in love with not only that film but it’s amazing soundtrack. SA’s song ‘Selling Jesus’ is on there and I’ve been smitten ever since.
I adored this book. Skin is such a fascinating and private person so I absolutely soaked up all of the information that was offered here. She’s had an interesting life and career in rock and I loved reading about her navigating her way through rock as a Black queer woman. She had to put up with a lot of shit and I applaud her for dealing with it all because I couldn’t imagine. I also really liked reading about her writing process for all of SA’s albums and her solo work. I think she’s a great and underrated songwriter.
Look, I could go on about how great this book was but I’ll stop here. Stream Skunk Anansie and read this book for clearer skin. You’re welcome in advance.
5 stars. I’m 1000% bias and I don’t care. Skin is a national treasure and can do no wrong in my eyes. I became familiar with her and Skunk Anansie in high school when I watched Strange Days for the first time and fell in love with not only that film but it’s amazing soundtrack. SA’s song ‘Selling Jesus’ is on there and I’ve been smitten ever since.
I adored this book. Skin is such a fascinating and private person so I absolutely soaked up all of the information that was offered here. She’s had an interesting life and career in rock and I loved reading about her navigating her way through rock as a Black queer woman. She had to put up with a lot of shit and I applaud her for dealing with it all because I couldn’t imagine. I also really liked reading about her writing process for all of SA’s albums and her solo work. I think she’s a great and underrated songwriter.
Look, I could go on about how great this book was but I’ll stop here. Stream Skunk Anansie and read this book for clearer skin. You’re welcome in advance.
February 10, 2022
The way Skin talks about other people tells you a lot about her. She’s got massive respect for other artists and people and this seems to have led her to lots of positive experiences and opportunities with famous musicians and people in the fashion industry. She does talk about a time when a certain band’s crew decided to mess with their equipment and they let them know they couldn’t get away with it!
It’s interesting to see how she got into singing , song writing and forming bands. Her personal life and growth are part of the story. Her treatment as a woman and a black woman formed her and made her strong. She has the right to say ‘poor me’ considering the hardships she’s been through but she never does.
She’s really good at getting the facts and emotions across and saying how she dealt with her treatment, times when she was threatened or frustrated but how she overcame it. Living her life has made her want to help others in a way that doesn’t make it seem like charity or pity. She talks about issues and details rather than saying ‘I threw a load of money in that direction.’
You have to admire her strength and integrity- oh yeah and the amazing music which stands up for itself!
It’s interesting to see how she got into singing , song writing and forming bands. Her personal life and growth are part of the story. Her treatment as a woman and a black woman formed her and made her strong. She has the right to say ‘poor me’ considering the hardships she’s been through but she never does.
She’s really good at getting the facts and emotions across and saying how she dealt with her treatment, times when she was threatened or frustrated but how she overcame it. Living her life has made her want to help others in a way that doesn’t make it seem like charity or pity. She talks about issues and details rather than saying ‘I threw a load of money in that direction.’
You have to admire her strength and integrity- oh yeah and the amazing music which stands up for itself!
July 14, 2025
This book offers a powerful and personal look into growing up in Brixton and navigating life as a Black, queer woman in London. It deals with racism, societal separation between Black and white people, sexual abuse, cultural identity, and the struggle to find your voice, especially in the music industry. I really appreciated the insights into how her life experiences shaped her music and how music became a form of expression and survival.
The reflections on being categorized as a "Black musician" and the challenges of carving out your own style while being constantly labeled were especially striking.
That said, the writing itself isn’t particularly polished but for me that was fine (but I kinda expected a better writing style from a musician?).
The reflections on being categorized as a "Black musician" and the challenges of carving out your own style while being constantly labeled were especially striking.
That said, the writing itself isn’t particularly polished but for me that was fine (but I kinda expected a better writing style from a musician?).
May 1, 2023
Excellent book. I first discovered Skin as a teenager in the 90s either through her appearance with Björk on TOTP or when a friend was showing off her recent CD purchases at a party - either way, she certainly made an impression. I followed Skunk Anansie's career for several years when UK indie rock was at the peak of its popularity, then lost interest; although I was aware Skin went solo and the band later reformed.
This well-written book covers a lot of history, a bit of politics and of course Skin's varied career, which I didn't realise also included acting, modelling, charity work and djing. A quick Google after finishing this, hinted that Skin's life and career has continued to be busy after publising this in 2020. Well worth a read.
This well-written book covers a lot of history, a bit of politics and of course Skin's varied career, which I didn't realise also included acting, modelling, charity work and djing. A quick Google after finishing this, hinted that Skin's life and career has continued to be busy after publising this in 2020. Well worth a read.
January 4, 2021
Full review will follow but what a fabulous read. Skin is truly one of a kind and this book not only tells you her background, her story, a little bit of her and how she came to be what she is today, but it also tells you about the things she's passionate about, tells you about the causes she supports and why and also shows you just why she is as inspirational as she is.
Well written, well sourced and it feels like I know Skin.
Well written, well sourced and it feels like I know Skin.
June 15, 2023
Skin is a pretty amazing and exceptional woman. I particularly enjoyed hearing about her early years growing up in Brixton with a Jamaican background (and parents as part of the Windrush generation). I got lost a little in the more recent years, but altogether a really interesting and insightful read, particularly in that she explores the political climate at each stage of her life. You really don't have to be Skunk fan to be able to read this too.
June 28, 2021
There is one genre where audiobooks beat the written word and that is autobiography. It is such a thrill to hear a life story being told in the voice of the author. Skin is no exception with her high, raspy voice and beautiful pronunciation. The story arc is rather conventional, chronicling every major event from her childhood to 2020, but the performance--including sung snippets from major hits!--is worth every penny. I'm so glad I got to see her live at Brixton Academy once. Had to listen to the first three albums again and they still slay. Forever grateful for the friend who gave me the Selling Jesus cd single in 1995.
July 20, 2023
An insightful trip down memory lane with Skin. I listened to the audiobook which gave the additional pleasure to hear Skin sing and bring the text to life. I've loved her care, energy and vibrancy since 1995 (so am biased here) and by opening the window on her life, she brings up important, thorny and universal topics that connects us all. Thank you Skin, grande dame ! Xxx
February 10, 2021
The best autobiography I've ever read. I normally switch off a little with autobiographies at some point, but this held my attention all the way through. What a truly inspirational woman Skin is.
Now where are those Skunk Anansie albums again....
Clit Rock 🤘🤘🏿
Now where are those Skunk Anansie albums again....
Clit Rock 🤘🤘🏿
January 7, 2021
Brilliant insight into the life of skin and skunk anansie, couldn't put it down!
March 1, 2024
really enjoyed this biography of Skin from Skunk Anansie, written in tandem with biography writer Lucy O Brien.
I learnt so much more about this inspiring, powerful woman and am inspired to check out more of her work- not only the music but acting, modelling, activism as well.
I learnt so much more about this inspiring, powerful woman and am inspired to check out more of her work- not only the music but acting, modelling, activism as well.
October 4, 2022
A brilliantly well written book. Really enjoyed it!
November 1, 2020
Truly interesting to get a glimpse at the person that is the force that is Skin of Skunk Anansie. Really enjoyed it.
October 25, 2020
Cracking read. What an inspirational woman.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews