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Misunderstood: The Brian Molko Story
Misunderstood looks behind the eyeliner to reveal the true story of one of the most notorious rock icons of the 21st century. Follow the reckless wild child turned devoted father as he replaces drug binges and erotic exploits with Buddhist meditation and kids' birthday parties. He's battled bipolar disorder, clinical depression, drug and alcohol addiction, loneliness and self-loathing to sell over ten million albums worldwide with the rock group Placebo. Combining punk rock anthems with designer dresses, the singer set out to prove he's far more than 'just another nancy boy.' He describes his music as both 'a transvestite on crystal meth' and 'cocktail hour at the mental hospital' - it's going to be a bumpy ride. Alongside quotes from the singer himself are exclusive interviews featuring Brian in the words of those who knew him best. Described as everything from a fallen angel to a brutal rock-star thug, this book looks beyond the well-worn 'drug crazed sex-dwarf' connotations to discover just why Brian Molko is so misunderstood.
- GenresMusicBiographyNonfiction
260 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2010
6 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Chloe Govan
24 books6 followersIn the beginning, there was the word - and the word was music. Chloe couldn't tell you much about what's happening in Eastenders - she doesn't even know who the characters are - but ask her about music and she is a veritable encyclopaedia.
In her teens she toured the world with bands and produced her own music magazine. By the time she left school, her tutor's report in her National Record of Achievement read: "A writer beyond all possible doubt, Chloe is at her best behind a pen" and "her innate linguistic fluency is outstanding".
Following an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Chloe completed a master's degree in Magazine Journalism, achieving a first with distinction.
She then became a travel writer and music critic for various newspapers, websites and magazines, followed by a stint as contributing editor at Real Travel magazine, with two monthly columns. She is also the launch editor of a forthcoming monthly music magazine.
She penned the first major biography on pop sensation Katy Perry (A Life of Fireworks, Omnibus Press, 2011), exclusively interviewing the girl with whom Katy shared her first infamous lesbian kiss. The experience was immortalised in Katy's No.1 hit 'I Kissed A Girl' but no-one had heard the inside story - until now.
Subsequently her book on Jessie J was packed with exclusives, made the front page of national newspaper The Sun, provoked a media storm on almost 300 news websites and sold out online within 24 hours of its release.
At the following link, she explains away some of the misconceptions about her tenth book, Amy Winehouse: The Untold Story: http://www.thistlepublishing.co.uk/pa...
Meanwhile, the soundtracks to her scribbles include Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and early Lady Gaga.
In her teens she toured the world with bands and produced her own music magazine. By the time she left school, her tutor's report in her National Record of Achievement read: "A writer beyond all possible doubt, Chloe is at her best behind a pen" and "her innate linguistic fluency is outstanding".
Following an undergraduate degree in Psychology, Chloe completed a master's degree in Magazine Journalism, achieving a first with distinction.
She then became a travel writer and music critic for various newspapers, websites and magazines, followed by a stint as contributing editor at Real Travel magazine, with two monthly columns. She is also the launch editor of a forthcoming monthly music magazine.
She penned the first major biography on pop sensation Katy Perry (A Life of Fireworks, Omnibus Press, 2011), exclusively interviewing the girl with whom Katy shared her first infamous lesbian kiss. The experience was immortalised in Katy's No.1 hit 'I Kissed A Girl' but no-one had heard the inside story - until now.
Subsequently her book on Jessie J was packed with exclusives, made the front page of national newspaper The Sun, provoked a media storm on almost 300 news websites and sold out online within 24 hours of its release.
At the following link, she explains away some of the misconceptions about her tenth book, Amy Winehouse: The Untold Story: http://www.thistlepublishing.co.uk/pa...
Meanwhile, the soundtracks to her scribbles include Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and early Lady Gaga.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 28, 2023
Chloe Govan is really a rock journalist who makes a living by gathering the facts and making a story out of it. She is not a good biographer, but she is a good rock journalist, and she knows how to find a detail. French, English is not her first language, her books are often choppy. For one, she is trying to tell a story, a narrative about someone, who is a public figure, and she is using public information, so that she won't get sued. But she does have a problem making prose and creating TIME. She can't keep her TIME straight.
Her one gift, Govan has attempted and I think succeeded in explaining how Molko went from being a rebellious teenager to a rock star, one that has a huge cult following. Molko is really an interesting person and it would be so nice to have a real biography of him or a memoir from Molko himself on Placebo's journey from 1994 to present. But don't hold your breath. Molko has no desire to explore himself in this manner nor to share with the world his private life, or even the backstage going-ons of a Placebo tour.
What one sees from this book is how Molko worked to form a band, embraced the rock and roll life and became addicted, seriously addicted to alcohol and drugs during the 1990s. At some time, he began to realize that he wanted to live a different life. I think the serious changes came with the Meds tour, though Molko had probably been thinking about change since around 2002. But it was a hard road. Addiction had him and so did the world of being in a band. It's clear that his personality is ripe for the dangers of addiction. And he's one of those people who doesn't suffer fools or likes pretense. IN a business that is based on a certain amount of showmanship and pretend, he found it conflicting, and I don't think that personally he was ready for rock stardom. He liked it, but he also had a very ambivalent relationship with the drama of it. He got into fights, gave poor interviews, and well, generally speaking, he just annoyed a lot of people, including those who wrote reviews and essays for famous and important rock magazines.
This book, though flawed, is fair and interesting reading, if you want to see Molko for all his flaws and weakness while getting a good look at what he has done with Placebo up until 2006.
Her one gift, Govan has attempted and I think succeeded in explaining how Molko went from being a rebellious teenager to a rock star, one that has a huge cult following. Molko is really an interesting person and it would be so nice to have a real biography of him or a memoir from Molko himself on Placebo's journey from 1994 to present. But don't hold your breath. Molko has no desire to explore himself in this manner nor to share with the world his private life, or even the backstage going-ons of a Placebo tour.
What one sees from this book is how Molko worked to form a band, embraced the rock and roll life and became addicted, seriously addicted to alcohol and drugs during the 1990s. At some time, he began to realize that he wanted to live a different life. I think the serious changes came with the Meds tour, though Molko had probably been thinking about change since around 2002. But it was a hard road. Addiction had him and so did the world of being in a band. It's clear that his personality is ripe for the dangers of addiction. And he's one of those people who doesn't suffer fools or likes pretense. IN a business that is based on a certain amount of showmanship and pretend, he found it conflicting, and I don't think that personally he was ready for rock stardom. He liked it, but he also had a very ambivalent relationship with the drama of it. He got into fights, gave poor interviews, and well, generally speaking, he just annoyed a lot of people, including those who wrote reviews and essays for famous and important rock magazines.
This book, though flawed, is fair and interesting reading, if you want to see Molko for all his flaws and weakness while getting a good look at what he has done with Placebo up until 2006.
July 21, 2014
an extensive piece yet focusing on minor things, leaving things that matter aside. why?
the book introduces an assertive way of putting melodies and chords together yet focuses on things that are normally left aside. why? why not analyze things in a biographical way? most of us could produce such papers and most of us believe that our idols worth more than gossiping and writing meaningless stuff.
yet the answer to all of those questions lies here, below our feet. Molko is alive, active and moving forward, so how can anyone write the story of someone`s life which is still ongoing? an awkward decision, i have to admit.
long live Placebo, long live Molko, bury all these tasteless papers!
the book introduces an assertive way of putting melodies and chords together yet focuses on things that are normally left aside. why? why not analyze things in a biographical way? most of us could produce such papers and most of us believe that our idols worth more than gossiping and writing meaningless stuff.
yet the answer to all of those questions lies here, below our feet. Molko is alive, active and moving forward, so how can anyone write the story of someone`s life which is still ongoing? an awkward decision, i have to admit.
long live Placebo, long live Molko, bury all these tasteless papers!
April 8, 2016
Reads like a high school essay.
Really badly written and repetitive - but she has a captive audience of ardent fans particularly in the absence of real
autobiography.
She really doesn't make the best of the fantastic subject matter
Really badly written and repetitive - but she has a captive audience of ardent fans particularly in the absence of real
autobiography.
She really doesn't make the best of the fantastic subject matter
January 17, 2018
“Unlike people, music is the one thing that will never let you down.”
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews