Animal House

by James Brown

Music, Magazines & MayhemBetween 1994 and 1997, James Brown's loaded magazine became the the must-buy and must-be-in publication of the decade. It won every award going, year after year, and came to define not only its audience but also a generation. Bright, loud, funny, provocative, ambitious and careless, loaded was read from the barracks of Afghanistan to the England dressing room at Euro '96. It captured a hedonistic lifestyle of alcohol, cocaine and more. The last great hurrah before the end of the century. It was the biggest noise in the golden generation of magazine publishing, rocketing from zero to half a million sales in a matter of months. What MTV had been to the 80s, loaded was to the 90s.ANIMAL HOUSE follows James Brown's remarkable career from a high school drop-out fanzine writer with few qualifications to NME features editor aged 22, and loaded founder at 27. In between, his mother died in tragic circumstances and gradually his own drug and alcohol use began to take over. Loaded 's unexpected success legitimised (and paid for) James's lifestyle, and it wasn't until he crashed and burned at GQ, and went through rehab, that any sense of perspective kicked in.Recuperating on the island of Mustique whilst plotting his return with Oz founder Felix Denis, James was asked by neighbour Lord Patrick "How on earth did you manage to sell so many magazines whilst taking so many drugs?"This book is his answer.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

433 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2022

About the author

James Brown is the author of several novels, and the memoirs, The Los Angeles Diaries, This River, and Apology to the Young Addict (to-be-published March 2020). He is the recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Fiction Writing and the Nelson Algren Award in Short Fiction. His work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, GQ, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Ploughshares, and The New England Review.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting look in to how the publishing industry operated in the 1990's. It mainly follows James up until he left GQ magazine in 2000, any subsequent work is either not mentioned or very briefly covered. Following a few anecdotes and a brief overview of James' early years, James begins by talking about his publishing career and the creation of his Fanzine. I'm not from the fanzine generation so I found this section particularly interesting in regards to the importance, impact and widespread nature of fanzines in the 1980's in the UK. Due to my lack of knowledge I'd always assumed that fanzine's were poorly circulated and of generally poor quality so to hear James' story of how his fanzine and the large network of fanzine creators in the UK was so popular it was circulated via post and appeared on John Peel's Radio 1 show was insightful.

It's an inspiring read of a working-class boy who did really well and lived by the motto that anything was possible. After leaving school with no qualifications it's clear that despite all the fun and the carefree attitude that he attempts to portray throughout the book that he grafted very hard for his success. I think James is a good example of the old adage 'make your hobby your job and never work a day in your life'.

There were a few too many drug/alcohol related tales in the book for me, however I would also argue that most of them did feel related to a bigger context (e.g. explaining the tone of the magazine through describing drug fuelled trips abroad). James noted that Loaded is now frequently lumped in with the other later 'lad's mags' such as Maxim and Nuts due to it featuring similar content focusing on alcohol and women but that he felt Loaded was above that genre, it was a brief comment but I would be really interested to read his deeper opinion on that and the genre that Loaded arguably spawned whether intended or not.

I had expected to not like James whilst reading this book as I had a preconceived idea that he was cocky and egotistical and whilst he does continually refer to himself as both these things throughout the book I rarely saw it reflected in his behaviour. Instead I felt he came across as an ambitious, driven and confident person who knew what he wanted and set out to achieve it. The cocky version of himself that he seemed to want to paint appeared to be bravado to hide a softer side. I liked the James in this book but I feel he may have hidden a lot of his bad behaviour as he said a few times that he had condensed down the original draft of his anecdotes significantly.

Which leads me to my next point that I don't think as a reader you really get to know James, he only briefly lets the reader in to his emotions when he talks of his Mum's struggles with her mental health and her death, the rest of the time it feels like he's putting on a front. You can tell he is a magazine writer/editor because he is very good at controlling the tone of the book to ensure a coherent tone but in doing this he doesn't let his individual personality shine through. I would like to have read more about his work post-GQ and I found the sections about his recovery from drug addiction thoughtful and sensitive and I felt that they gave a careful balance to the many anecdotes of drug fuelled behaviour that preceded it. I would have liked to have read more about his recovery and also any work he has been doing in recent years as I felt the last 20 years were skimmed over quite quickly within the book but at over 400 pages he may have felt he needed to save that for another book.

A highly enjoyable read, I think most of the readers are probably buying this for the anecdotes of bad behaviour in the 1990's but I actually enjoyed it a lot more for the insight in to the publishing world. I look forward to another book.

[Tyrone Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You can't go home again" is an old saying that simply means that fondly remembered events from the past are impossible to recapture. Things change. We change. Yet when I think back to the 1990's, the decade that made me and was one of great social and cultural change in this country, I really wish we could. For a teen-come-twentysomething, Loaded magazine was the bible of all things music/sport/fashion/film and gonzo journalism right at the centre of what would be known as 'Cool Britannia'. Animal House (2021) is the creator and editor James Brown's story of his humble beginnings in Leeds, to becoming become features editor at NME, his three years at the helm of Loaded, his tenure at GQ and his battle with the alcohol and drug addiction that very nearly consumed him. This is a very well written account of a glorious time in modern history, one that is personal to me anyway as a rabid subscriber to the mag in its genre-shaking first three years. Brown's very personal story is as moving as his tales of debauchery whilst running the country's premier 'lads' mag are hilarious. Brutally honest and never dull, this is a great book about a watershed time for my generation. You might not be able to "go home again" but thanks to this book, it was certainly nice to revisit.

[Omolara Anisere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Animal House takes us on a journey of what James Brown describes as his second childhood in the world of magazine publishing at NME and loaded through to his adulthood at GQ. It’s about, celebrities, football, drugs, a crisps World Cup, travelling, partying and a dose of self reflection. It captures the essence of the decade of optimism. No matter the obstacles in his way, whether that’s dinosaurs at the IPC, colleagues who said he’d never own a fancy sports car, or critics who looked down on his ‘laddish’ approach to magazine publishing, Brown did whatever it is he wanted to do. His passion was his petrol. This book made me nostalgic for a time I barely remember but wish I could’ve been apart of and serves as a reminder that it’s better to create what you believe to be missing, than to complain that someone isn’t creating what you want to see.

[Miles Hamer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Name dropping and bar-propping, the loaded founder’s memoir is a sometimes enjoyable, but more often obnoxious tribute to excess. Whether that works for you will depend on your enjoyment of seeing how functioning alcoholics can pull their shit together to craft great copy.

Brown at least displays self-awareness throughout, yet still finds space to disingenuously fill his pages with accolades whilst feigning disinterest. (Why mention his media power list position at all, if only to claim he doesn’t give a fuck in the next sentence?)

A shame, as there are nuggets of greatness buried beneath all the boozing and boorishness. His enthusiasm for music, comedy, and print is infectious, and he sells the artistry in mag writing. But the whole messy splurge lacks focus and - perhaps ironically - would have benefitted hugely by a more disciplined editor.

[Tom Jerrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many brilliant anecdotes and seems like quite a self aware, affable bloke. However, this book is badly edited at points and it did become quite distracting.

[Matt Hodges · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first this book seemed like it was right up my street, especially given that I had actually completed some work experience as a late teenager at Loaded magazine.

The first few chapters reeled me in in excited anticipation, so I decided to reach out to the author and applaud him on a good read, and to see if he may have remembered me (I wasn't expecting him to by the way but I wanted to show support). Regardless, my nice message was seen and ignored which irked me. I can imagine popular authors get inundated with enquiries but the authors popularity on this social media platform is fledgling. No one likes to be ignored.

Now, I'm not sure if it was the experience as mentioned above or the fact that the book just became a tirade of name dropping and self appreciation but it started to become very dislikeable, to the point where I barely finished it.

There are many instances with popular culture books where the protagonist is a bit of an arse and turns him/herself around. A typical character arc of many many characters of this kind which is palatable. But in this instance, there seems to be zero humility from the author, or any sort of inward looking acknowledgement of his behaviour. Combine this with an array of grammatical errors (its badly edited), the book just fell so short of expectations.

I will never give a book below 3 stars because frankly if they deserve 1 or 2 stars then I probably wouldnt have finished the book and therefore it would be unfair to comment. So, in this instance, I think 3 stars is fair.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sticking two fingers up to the 80s. 4/5

Somewhat ironically the first 100 pages need a ruthless editor. Covering the many bands he loved as a teenager and his fledgling Attack on Bzag fanzine, this section was a bit of a trudge for me. However, it was worth persevering as the next 300 pages were amusing and engaging, and a reminder of how great the 90s were. There are a lot of debauched stories from his days at NME and loaded, which involved an incredible array of musicians and almost bottomless amounts of alcohol and drugs. At times, it’s difficult to fathom how he remained functioning and even vaguely productive. The cultural shift in the UK during the 90s, with a new-found confidence and swagger among the mainstream, was epitomised by loaded and the bulk of this book provides an unapologetic and riveting insider view of what it took to produce and edit the magazine. Pre-social media these magazines had proper clout and loaded really was something fresh and exciting. James’s vision and chutzpah were the keys to his success and this comes across multiple times. All that coke and booze eventually meant the wheels came off though and the concluding chapters covering his GQ stint and journey to sobriety provide nice balance. Btw, there are A LOT of cultural references throughout (music, books, films, celebrities, sports stars etc) and I simultaneously spent many enjoyable hours on YouTube reminiscing. Good work, fella!

[Alex Elliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

The good parts of this book were mainly the parts about Brown's work for music magazines and fanzines before that, he clearly has a passion for music as well as an extensive knowledge about it and wrote about it very well here. The more introspective parts of the book, mainly about his mam's struggles with mental health issues and tragic death and his own problems with addiction, were also very well wrote and interesting. If it wasn't for the rest of the book I would have rated it much higher but unfortunately I found the bits about Loaded Magazine and subsequent work to more be an exercise in bigging up how good they are which got tiresome after a while, as do the constant tales of excess of these times. There was a documentary on BBC over the last few years about Loaded Magazine (which Brown was actually on) which provided a much more rounded view of the magazine and the 'lad mag' scene it inspired (which admittedly it can't just be blamed for but there's also no point in acting like it didn't influence). Another crisis was the massive amount of name dropping especially considering who some of those names are (going for dinner with Boris Johnson gets mentioned ffs, that's worth a lower rating based on that alone). What I will say is that for the books faults it was nonetheless still readable. One thing I must say which annoyed me about the book in particular is when Brown describes living through an era of turmoil during the Thatcher reign (true as well but also ironic that he later namedrops the other abhorrent Tory Boris Johnson) and also references British troops dieing in Northern Island which albeit is completely true he also doesn't mention Northern Irish civilians dieing during this time either. It didn't sound like the right thing to say to me and although it could be argued it's a faux pas I'm sure Brown is an intelligent enough man to know what was going on and how it should be described and worded

[Kevin Coaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

ladz

The meat in the sandwich is the 90s lads/ ladette, Oasis, New Labour Cool Britannia days. However you soon get that the Loaded days were a blast and a defensiveness about girls in lingerie photos. It gets a little repetitive.
The interesting story for me is the early Sounds/ NME pathway, the Beastie Boys and the shackles of GQ. And obviously his mother’s struggles and his own with addiction.

[Chris D. Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

For men who now know better

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me of growing up in the 70s and 80s and reminded of times long forgotten. It also reminded me of the sense of fun that the 90s, and in particular Loaded, perveyed.
I have used so many of the loaded ideas to brighten up office-life of companies I've worked at over the years. There are plans for a biscuit world cup being drawn up as we speak...
Good work fella 👍

[Bart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good to reminisce but lacking real depth. I’m sure there are better stories hidden thru fear of litigation or just bad memory.
James threatens us with more books. Hopefully now he’s got his life’s timeline out of the way we can zero in on the adventures. Shit, even Chris Evans got away with 3 volumes for his biography!

[Jonny Brick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Naturally brilliant on editing magazines, honest in describing his habits and flaws. Typos aplenty and an almost defensive tone, but a useful document of the era. A better book (possibly the next one) would result from more anecdotes, war stories and extracts from old loadeds rather than just a soupcon of an era. James knows what he's doing, after all, and it's good that he kicked his habits.

[Tim Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Magazine Legend

James Brown is a legend and might not have made it out alive from his career as creator and chief of Loaded magazine in the 1990s. He survived it all though, and his story is a fascinating one. He previously was a fanzine editor in the eighties and that’s well worth reading about too. Thoroughly recommended read.

[Stuart Bird · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun if self indulgent and self serving tale of excess in the world of 90s UK publishing

I liked the 90s nostalgia but after a while the stories of drink and drugs and the celebs he's friends with gets a little tiresome as does the score settling and "nevertheless I had the last laugh" stuff.

[Liam Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

Packed full of interesting anecdotes and fun cultural references, but you are left wanting more and it does border on a simple list of boasts in parts. Not quite a fully-fleshed memoir although things pick up nicely when the focus moves to Loaded magazine's inception. Worthy but flawed.

[Daniel Pollard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny read about James’s rise to fame as a working class lad from Leeds to fancy boardrooms in New York. The details of boozy lunches and drug fuelled nights are enlightening, but it’s the stuff about him over-coming his additions and maturing later in life that are the highlights.

[Richard Luck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well loaded.

[Bill Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tales of drugs sex and rock and roll and the success of Loaded magazine

[Mosstin Powers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Odious. One man's account of his unending ego. Comes across as a twat of the highest order.

[Amber Smyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dissertation reading essential. Brilliantly entertaining and insightful, dare I say inspirational? Now I just need to convince him to talk to me

[Stuart N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essential in audiobook format

[Rob Leane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and funny read about a boom era for music and men’s magazines. Learned a lot about editing and publishing too.