Ticket to the World: My 80s Story

by Martin Kemp

Ticket to the World is a joyous, nostalgic celebration of 80s culture from one man at the centre of it all.

New Year’s Eve, 1979. My family and I stand arm in arm around our Formica kitchen table, counting down to the new decade with each televised chime of Big Ben. We have no idea what is about to hit us, no idea of the seismic waves of change approaching.

The 80s transformed life as we knew it. Music, style and culture exploded in a haze of dayglo colour. There were hardships, but there were opportunities too. And I lived through – and helped to shape – Britain’s last real youth movement.

Ticket to the World is my time-warp trip down memory lane, reliving that truly unforgettable decade. Join me as I recall what it was like to lead the New Romantics, stay up all night at the Blitz with Sade and Boy George, travel the world with Spandau Ballet and contribute to the era-defining Live Aid.

So, grab that glass of Babycham and let’s toast the very best of the 80s: the creativity and the culture, the fashion and the FUN!

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Autobiography, Audiobook

298 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2022

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Paula Hartharn-Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really did enjoy reading this very light hearted trip down through the 80's. Each year started of with a list of things that were out that year and then Martin Kemp told us about what he and Spandau were doing then. Just a really good fun book. 😁😁

[Jane Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of interesting tit bits. Being a young girl in deepest darkest wales the 80s was seen through the telly or my dose of Smash Hits. Amazing to realise just what the mechanics were building a band and the music.
Must have been amazing to have been in the Blitz Club during the hay days. Rubbing shoulders with all those colourful characters. Was a good light read !!

[adrian rackham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it !

A real trip back in time to a wonderful era which probably only the 60s can beat musically . I was a big fan of Spandau and the Blitz movement , a great time. The new romantic scene was the best part of the 80s , a real fast whirlwind of an era which did not last musically more than 3 years . Thanks Martin , reading your book brought back some great memories and your band contributed to those .

[Linda Kendell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* An interesting read bringing back many memories but I had to mark it down because the overuse of ‘Blitz/Kids spoilt it.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I liked the way it focussed on the 80's, but really hopes the author does another book moving into the later years. I like the author (who doesn't!), and, being of a certain age, of course I love Spandau Ballet, so it was really interesting to follow their early years. The book's chapters followed the 80's year by year, with a list of memorable events, people and music on the first page. It brought back so many memories, not just of the author's band and music, but of my childhood years! There's lots of name dropping, and I loved the story of their second appearance on Top of the Pops so much I went to YouTube to watch it!

This was a great walk down memory lane, seeing what happened with the band both in their heyday and later on. I really would like the author to move on to his years after the band, as there's obviously so much more to tell! Would recommend.

[Val Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never a Spandau fan, or a Martin Kemp fan for that matter but I really enjoyed the book. It took me back to the 80s and allowed me to look again at the way life was then.
I thought the book was well written and gave some very interesting insights as to what was going on in the music scene during this time.
Well worth a read

[Paula Corker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgic look back at those New Romantics. Loved the hotel key card story. Ha

[Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick breeze through the 80s.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading about my 80s through the eyes of someone at the forefront. Martin Kemp, if you see this, the '2nd British Invasion' changed my life for the absolute better, opening a world to this shy American girl who discovered that she doesn't have to be like everyone else. Thank you.

[Shelly Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

As a Spandau Ballet fan I enjoyed the book but felt there was an ending missing. I have read Tony Hadley's books, perhaps I need to read Martin and Shirlie's book for what happened next :)

Definitely takes you back to the 80's where life seemed so much simpler and anything seemed possible - teens took their chances and went with it.

Definitely a must-read for Spandau fans!

[Amy W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin read the introduction to this and then it switched to someone else which I was disappointed with. Feel like Martin could have pulled his finger out a bit there as the other narrator was shit! His intonation was off on a few things (he'd be like 'Live AID' or 'Desert ISLAND discs' etc, just not quite right??) and it was patently obvious he was simply reading the words on the page rather than actually digesting the meaning of them and sharing them with us.

Beyond that I'm sorry to say Martin does come across as a bit of an arrogant twat haha. I've fancied him for years without actually paying much attention to the man himself but I think I'll have to revise that 🥲 Cor, he loves himself doesn't he?!

Anyway, the content. It covers the whole 1980s decade from his band Spandau Ballet forming at the start of the 80s to breaking up at the end, with some other context about things that were happening in the world at the time. It was good to read this soon after Andrew Ridgeley's Wham book as there was some crossover in events and Martin was friends with George Michael and is of course married to former Wham backing dancer Shirlie (of Pepsi & Shirlie).

Hilarious to know Martin doesn't play a note on Spandau's biggest hit True. Big LOL at that one. By his own admission he's not actually that good of a bass player. The Posh Spice of Spandau Ballet methinks.

I always enjoy behind the scenes info on how songs and albums were put together. I like hearing about band dynamics, touring antics and creative processes so I did enjoy the content but I think it would have worked better for me in print rather than audiobook. Or at least read by Martin. Pretty good overall, though it lacked a bit of emotional depth.

[LIBBY Hardel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in 2009 two of my biggest dreams ever came true (no pun intended, or at least I don't think); I got to go to England and I got to see Spandau Ballet live! I've been a fan of the music since 1983, I still love them, I still listen to the music they created. I got to meet Martin Kemp in 2009 and when I say he is one of the most spectacular human beings I've ever meet? That doesn't even come close. He is his own planet and everyone orbits around him and you'd thank god to his face for allowing you to be there. He was sweet, he was kind, he was so not a 'rock god' that I grew up thinking of him as being. I read his first book, TRUE, before I even went to England to see Spandau Ballet and that book was fantastic. The very first sentence of TICKET TO THE WORLD pulled me in, sucked me in, held me around the neck until I finished it and now I'm sad that I've finished it. Martin has a gift for storytelling and I'd read anything he wrote. Hearing all the stories of how Spandau Ballet started, the club scene of North London in the late 70z and early 80z is unlike anything else and I wish I could've been there! He brings it all to life so vividly, with so much candor, honesty, bravery (because he does spill the beans on a few things most may not know about him), and it's just such a fun book. I hope Martin is proud of it because I'm so honoured to have read it! Oh and I've always been Gary's fan btw, so that should prove how great this book is! And go read TRUE, that's really great as well!

[Erin Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read, with each year of the 1980s having a dedicated chapter, but it seems like he can't make his mind up whether he's writing an observation of 80s music as a whole, or an autobiographical account of Spandau - choosing to focus on either one or the other more would have made it stronger. It occasionally came across as slightly arrogant but was mostly self-aware, so I'd take some of the more self-absorbed comments with a pinch of salt. I enjoyed anything about his relationship with Shirlie the most and have now realised that I think it was the book they wrote together that I was actually intending to read.

3⭐️

[Karen Mace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book - great narration!

This was a blast!! A real trip back down memory lane bringing back all the good - and some bad! - memories of the 80's from the perspective of a man in the middle of it all!! It was great to hear how the band got started, the people he met along the way and how success exploded and changed their lives!

So many great moments of the 80s' captured, including Live Aid, the fashions, band break ups, behind the scenes look at the characters we all grew up with and it was also fascinating to hear the list of 'things' that were big that year!! A great look back!

[Derek Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Spandau Ballet and of Martin, who always comes across as a thoroughly decent bloke and I'm interested in the musical movement that Spandau spearheaded, so this was a must read for me.
Less about Martin himself and more about the scene that he and his bandmates enjoyed at the very start of the decade at the famous Blitz Nightclub, run by Steve Strange. This is a fun, easy read for anyone interested in that era and he doesn't pull any punches when it comes to his brother's Gary' actions which led to the break up of the band and ultimately the law suit, where Tony, Steve and John joined forces and sued Gary for what the regarded as their entitlement to royalties.

[Jade aka MrsTosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the audio version of this book, however I do wish it has been read by Martin Kemp as appose to a narrator. It spoilt the story for me somewhat.

The book is a mix of everything 80's. Its take us on trip down memory lane, as Martin talks about growing up in London being part of starting the new romantic phase. The rise to fame or Martin and his band mates in Spandet Ballet and all about the different music venues and sounds that were coming out of London in those days. He talks about many other famous musicians and artists who the bank played with at the time and it was really great to be reminded of so many wonderful things the 80's represented.

[Pritthijit Datta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take me back to the 80s. Martin Kemp tells his own story of the decade on how his journey started in Spandua Ballet. New romantic was a big music genre at the time using syndenizers. He was a brass player of the band and his older brother, the music writer. The led singer of the band was not mentioned too much. The 80s was where band-aid, and live aid started. Big stars and groups emerged. An excellent insight into the music of the decade. There were so many hardships and struggles in the decade. I love the read. Very interesting read. It is a great book for those who love the 80s and grew up in the decade like myself

[Sarah Tummey · Rating 3 out of 5]

About halfway through this book, I wondered whether I would stick with it. I know some of their most famous songs, but I'm not a huge fan of Spandau Ballet, so the first half of the book came across as the author making more of the band than they actually were.

The second half was much more interesting. I always enjoy reading anything about Live Aid, and the author seemed easier to relate to as the book went on. I also liked the way he started each chapter by listing some of the main headlines from that particular year.

[Daisy Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

fascinating Insight

This was such a good read for someone who was just a bit too young to truly take part in the early 80s music scene. I’d love to have been part of the Blitz Kid time and this was the best account I’ve seen. I was transported and finished the book so quickly I wish it was longer!

It seems to be a fair account of the sad decline and end of Spandau too… Martin accepts his part in it with good grace and doesn’t try to dress up when he didn’t act in the best way!

Highly recommended.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes a linear look at Spandau Ballet's career as well as other cultural events of 80-89 from Martin Kemp's anecdotal perspective (although I could have done without the section about him... ahem... accidentally using someone else's loo by accident in a hotel!). I read his book True when it came out, although I only remember the stuff about his brain tumour, and I read his collaboration with his wife Shirlie last year, which was great. 🙂 This was enjoyable too.

[Claireapagado · Rating 4 out of 5]

A completely random pick for me since I know nadger all about SB except they did gold and true. Really interesting book by what sounds like a proper nice bloke, interspersed with really cool anecdotes. I especially loved the lists of cool stuff from that year at the beginning of each chapter. Recommended to anyone who needs an easy read full of 70s and 80s pop culture.

[Elizabeth Lyon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book retelling his days in SB during the 80s. A bit slow starting with all the Blitz kids stuff but I understand the relevance and importance to the story. Obviously from his view point so a little bias but good on Martin for mentioning the Tony Hadley fall out and his brother wanting to part ways.

[Lisa Ben Haj Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a DJ with an 80’s show I loved all the insights from this book - and a great idea to have each year of the 80’s as a different chapter. Well done Martin - seeing you in November and hope to get my copy signed !

[Shelley Cummings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks for the 80’s memories

Great memories revived through the telling of Spandau Ballet’s rise and fall. A time to remember great music, fun times and hilarious clothes.
Thanks for the memories Martin!

[Georgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read, and the fact that Martin has a great sense of humor helps. I have read some books about the 80s where the tone is bitchy and bored, which I can never understand in a decade where things were anything but bitchy and boring. The keycard story was hilarious.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good run through of the decade for any 80s fans, lots of memories and info.
Some duplication of stuff in the joint Martin and Shirley biography.
But massive overuse of the term 'Blitz Kids' made the book a bit hard to get through...

[claire waddington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Really enjoyed reading Martin keeps book brings back memories from the eighties remember growing up listing to their hits but it has a lot to do with Spandau ballet on how they became a band

[Spencer Preece · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it in a couple of sittings. Good book, plenty of musical references to take away from it. Only criticism is the near constant 'Blitz Kid' stuff.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting and enjoyable read about the 'Blitz kids' and the 1980s culture they influenced alongside the story of Spandau ballet.

[Emma Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this throw back to the 80s. It was interesting to read about the a Blitz kids (many familiar names) and also the rise and success of Spandau Ballet.