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The Singer
This is a story about a boy who hears angels singing…
A teenager who falls in love with music and who trips and falls into a band called Strangelove…
The story of a young man who sings songs about dust and stars…
The story of a singer who flies to the top of the skies and falls to earth and finds his way home…
A teenager who falls in love with music and who trips and falls into a band called Strangelove…
The story of a young man who sings songs about dust and stars…
The story of a singer who flies to the top of the skies and falls to earth and finds his way home…
284 pages, Hardcover
Published November 22, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 22, 2022
In the midst of the Blur/Oasis bruhaha, an album and band came into my life that had a huge impact upon me – 1994’s Time For The Rest Of Your Life by Strangelove. I’d already heard them play a live set for Radio One’s Sound City broadcasts, coming across them accidentally when listening to another Sound City set by another of my favourite bands, Cud.
Time… was nothing like anything around at that time: lyrical, complex, epic, tender, dark, angry with brooding lyrics and musical virtuosity.
They soon became one of my favourite bands, and Patrick Duff one of the most compelling frontmen – seeing them several times throughout the 90s, their live performances and Duff’s presence were never less than blistering. I was even lucky to see them on their support tour for Suede.
I have continued to follow Duff’s solo career and he remains to be one of the most talented singer/songwriters this country has ever produced, yet he is criminally underplayed on commercial radio.
On his last couple of shows in Sheffield, he started talking about a memoir he was writing, and read passages in between his mesmeric performances of his back catalogue. The passages were as mesmeric as these incredible songs. Needless to say, I was delighted to discover toward the back end of this year that his memoir, The Singer, was getting published in November.
And it really doesn’t disappoint.
In The Singer, Duff has produced an utterly compelling insight into what it is like to be in a band which burns so fast, so brightly. He reflects poetically, lyrically and philosophically upon the creative process, addiction and mysticism; upon family, fame, fear, and fate. The book is littered with fascinating anecdotes – of collaborations, celebrity friendships and hauntings. It is a veritable bible for any diehard Strangelove fan, and Duff only just begins to scratch the surface of his solo career (thankfully, a second volume is on its way as the beautifully crafted ‘cliffhanger’ had me wanting to race right back to the beginning of the book and start all over again).
Unsurprisingly, Duff writes beautifully and draws you with ease into his world and into his confidence, to the point whereby I just ended up devouring every single word he writes and every single image he deftly creates.
It is also extremely funny and there are many laugh-out-loud moments, in particular, a case of mistaken identity involving an incandescent Van Morrison and a case of totally understood identity involving Ted Heath… and a platter of pigs-in-blankets.
The book is so good, that throughout the reading of it, me and my best friend, who was reading it simultaneously, were frequently messaging each other to say just how good it was. ‘Keep an eye out for pgs 245-46, Steve wrote – they are ‘an absolute pisser’. Steve wasn’t wrong – pg.245: enter Ted Heath and the onslaught of hilarity.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough, even if you are a casual fan or know nothing at all about Strangelove or Duff. This isn’t just one of the finest rock memoirs, but it is also my favourite rock memoir ever – and, moreover, one of the best books I’ve ever read.
And I simply cannot wait for Volume Two.
Time… was nothing like anything around at that time: lyrical, complex, epic, tender, dark, angry with brooding lyrics and musical virtuosity.
They soon became one of my favourite bands, and Patrick Duff one of the most compelling frontmen – seeing them several times throughout the 90s, their live performances and Duff’s presence were never less than blistering. I was even lucky to see them on their support tour for Suede.
I have continued to follow Duff’s solo career and he remains to be one of the most talented singer/songwriters this country has ever produced, yet he is criminally underplayed on commercial radio.
On his last couple of shows in Sheffield, he started talking about a memoir he was writing, and read passages in between his mesmeric performances of his back catalogue. The passages were as mesmeric as these incredible songs. Needless to say, I was delighted to discover toward the back end of this year that his memoir, The Singer, was getting published in November.
And it really doesn’t disappoint.
In The Singer, Duff has produced an utterly compelling insight into what it is like to be in a band which burns so fast, so brightly. He reflects poetically, lyrically and philosophically upon the creative process, addiction and mysticism; upon family, fame, fear, and fate. The book is littered with fascinating anecdotes – of collaborations, celebrity friendships and hauntings. It is a veritable bible for any diehard Strangelove fan, and Duff only just begins to scratch the surface of his solo career (thankfully, a second volume is on its way as the beautifully crafted ‘cliffhanger’ had me wanting to race right back to the beginning of the book and start all over again).
Unsurprisingly, Duff writes beautifully and draws you with ease into his world and into his confidence, to the point whereby I just ended up devouring every single word he writes and every single image he deftly creates.
It is also extremely funny and there are many laugh-out-loud moments, in particular, a case of mistaken identity involving an incandescent Van Morrison and a case of totally understood identity involving Ted Heath… and a platter of pigs-in-blankets.
The book is so good, that throughout the reading of it, me and my best friend, who was reading it simultaneously, were frequently messaging each other to say just how good it was. ‘Keep an eye out for pgs 245-46, Steve wrote – they are ‘an absolute pisser’. Steve wasn’t wrong – pg.245: enter Ted Heath and the onslaught of hilarity.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough, even if you are a casual fan or know nothing at all about Strangelove or Duff. This isn’t just one of the finest rock memoirs, but it is also my favourite rock memoir ever – and, moreover, one of the best books I’ve ever read.
And I simply cannot wait for Volume Two.
January 6, 2023
A perfect autobiography. Music and so much more. Patrick's story is incredible.
December 20, 2022
I was a big fan of the band Strangelove and have followed Patrick Duff's solo career with much enthusiasm. The live perfomances I've seen have always been special so I was very excited when I heard that this book was in progress. I don't know Patrick, but through his songs and storytelling I was sure the book would be interesting.
Happily, the book is all I hoped it would be, and surprised me by being funny and self aware as well as telling tales about being a Britpop star and the destructive reality of alcohol and drug addiction.
Highlights for me included Patrick's mystical experiences in the Welsh countryside, his relationship with religion and his own spirituality as well as hearing about the genesis of songs I love and which are meaningful to me. A triumph.
Happily, the book is all I hoped it would be, and surprised me by being funny and self aware as well as telling tales about being a Britpop star and the destructive reality of alcohol and drug addiction.
Highlights for me included Patrick's mystical experiences in the Welsh countryside, his relationship with religion and his own spirituality as well as hearing about the genesis of songs I love and which are meaningful to me. A triumph.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews