Once in a Lifetime: The Crazy Days of Acid House and Afterwards (Paradise productions) [Paperback]

A generation on and the great (second) Summer of Love is still responsible for much of the club culture that we have today. This "era" really did mark a turning point in going out. The emergence of house music in the mid-80s inspired a whole new scene that found its feet in 1988 and the award-winning "Once In A Lifetime" is a detailed chronicle from '88 to '98. It doesn't of course cover all the detail but where it does, it's highly enjoyable reading. Jane Bussmann obviously went to great lengths to source interviews with the contributors as well as flyers from many of the events. I've just picked this up again after a few years and am amazed by how much it's all still so relevant ...

As other people have said; this is essentially a scrapbook to replace the collective memory of the Acid House generation. It's organised year by year, 87 - 98, with some narrative, a lot of quotes, loads of flyers, posters and polaroids. The narrative style works, structure and design are pretty good (which is a bit out of keeping with the subject when you think about it). Half it is black and white. Feels a bit dated, but hey, this was probably pretty short print run.

Whatever the Daily Mail said, 3 year-olds didn't get out to many free parties back in '87, or if they didn't I wasn't one of them. So I'm a too young to have lived through Acid House, but I did find this book interesting in understanding the origins of Psy Trance, arguably the second coming of Acid House, and the general evolution of rave culture in the UK. For me the real lesson here was that this happens once in a lifetime for each person, or maybe generation. Most of the scenes from this book could have come straight out of any free party you've been to in the last 5 years. It seems there can be a point in the lifecycle of a generation when there are enough people in the right frame of mind to make 'this sort of thing' happen. Then they get careers and families, and the torch is passed on.

To the members of the generation in question this looks like a high point, but to the following generation it is merely the prelude to the next wave. In Jane Bussman writing in 1998, one can hear echos of Hunter Thompson's 1972 epilogue for the SF acid wave; 'We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave...'. In fact, the timing in remarkably similar. He identifies the peak of the wave in 1965, 7 years earlier, she as 1991, 7 years earlier. If you're into that sort of thing this may say something interesting about the long run time-stationarity of inter-generational cultural dynamics. Or maybe not.

Jamming in a Hunter quote brings me with brick-like subtlety to the place of this book in Jane Bussman's literary cannon. As I think 'The Worst Date Ever' demonstrates she is, potentially, the spiritual heir to the crown of Gonzo journalism. This book is an interesting stage in her journey.

In concept, it had the potential to be her 'Hells Angels'. But it never really feels as if she gets involved. The subject matter was perfect, but two crucial elements of Gonzo were lacking: Personal involvement and investigation. This is a largely uncritical chronicle of the Acid House movement by an enthusiastic narrator. It's funny, but in a kind, reminiscent way. The assertion of her ego, through the acerbic wit and investigative perspective of 'Worst Date Ever' seems to be the fundamental differentiating factor.

Leaving personal perspective aside, the current resale value of this book may offer a more objective measure of it's literary worth. Today's price (14.95) is about 11% above the original cover price, adjusted for inflation. Over the period 1999 - 2009 this book outperformed the FTSE 100 Total Return Index by 26%, therefore beating the average UK mutual fund manager. So if you're stuck for a pension plan, maybe grab a few thousand copies...

In Summary : Comfortable light hearted coffee table material. Interesting even if you weren't there, and particularly if you're a fan of the author.

A giant slab of rave history.
Anyone who has ever been to a nightclub or spent time in rave land needs to read this, it's awesome.
Stories from the front line of club culture at a time when things were very fun and very, very messy.
Pretty much guaranteed to make anyone with even a passing interest in having a good time very happy indeed.