Some People Are Crazy: The John Martyn Story
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Product Description
Product Description
John Martyn is one of rock music's last real mavericks. Despite chronic addiction to alcohol and drugs, he produced a string of matchless albums. Loved by fans and critics, loathed by ex-wives and managers, he has survived the music business he despises for forty years. With contributions by Martyn, many of his lovers and over twenty musicians who know him well, this book documents his upbringing in Glasgow and rise through the Scottish and London folk scene of the 1960s. The book documents his many highs and lows, and his friendships with the great lost souls of British rock music - Nick Drake and Paul Koshoff.
About the Author
John Neil Munro was born in Campbeltown and raised in Stornoway. He studied modern and economic history at Glasgow University then completed a postgraduate journalism course in Cardiff during the late 1980s. His previous publications include The Sensational Alex Harvey (Firefly Publishing, 2002).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
54 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
A declaration of interest first of all: John Neil Munro is an old friend and colleague, so I was in any case disposed to like this book. That said, he didn't disappoint me.
Writing for "Scotland on Sunday" (Sept. 30, 2007), Munro explains that he decided to write the book after hearing conflicting reports about one of his musical heroes. The man responsible for some of the most romantic and mellow acoustic ballads, for classic albums such as "Solid Air" and "One World", apparently also had a darker side. So he set out to see "whether John Martyn was really a peace-loving good guy or was indeed something of a bampot."
The answer of course is he's a bit of both: Munro does a good of job of weaving together the twin threads of Martyn's remarkable musical career and the old rock-and-roll cliché of his self-destructive personal life. The book's great strength is that he has access to many of the key sources: not just Martyn himself but musical collaborators - and great musicians in their own right - such as Ralph McTell, Dave Pegg and the incomparable Danny Thompson.
Munro has also done his homework on key influences in Martyn's life and work, such as fellow musical prodigy and friend Nick Drake, who inspired "Solid Air". (The chapters on "lost souls" Drake and Paul Kossoff are sensitively handled.) And where he hasn't been able to interview important sources such as Beverley Martyn, thorough research ensures that her voice is heard.
Munro does a fair job sketching out Martyn's formative years in Scotland, though a few local references may escape some readers. He really gets into its stride when the young Martyn arrives in London. Munro does not pull his punches when it comes to assessing the limitations of some of Martyn's earlier work. But where the book really scores is in its detailed accounts of the making of the key albums: Solid Air, One World, Grace and Danger. As well as talking to the musicians involved, Munro puts the albums in the context of Martyn's personal life. And as well as offering his own assessments, he has taken the trouble to dig up some of the most perceptive reviews written at the time of their release.
I was interested, though perhaps not surprised, to discover that Martyn's slicker 1980s albums - when he put on a suit and went electric - are dismissed by many of the diehard fans hooked on his acoustic work. (Personally I love "Well Kept Secret" even if Martyn admits "to being so sozzled that he barely remembers anything about the recording".) But I would like to have read more about the merits or otherwise of Martyn's work from the 1990s onwards.
Martyn the man, as opposed the Martyn the musician, does not come out of the book terribly well. It is not just because of what some former friends, lovers and collaborators have to say. His own attempts to justify what has clearly on occasion been quite appalling behaviour are less than convincing. Martyn tells Munro how he doesn't suffer fools gladly. But one can't help thinking that the only reason so many people have suffered him is that hiding behind the bampot is a warmer, gentler man. And it is that gentler voice that comes through in a lot of his most beautiful work.
As Danny Thompson explains to Munro: "Someone who can write `You curl around me like a fern in the spring' - that's the man that is going to be missed, not the guy who is chucking beer all over you and poking you in the chest."
Writing for "Scotland on Sunday" (Sept. 30, 2007), Munro explains that he decided to write the book after hearing conflicting reports about one of his musical heroes. The man responsible for some of the most romantic and mellow acoustic ballads, for classic albums such as "Solid Air" and "One World", apparently also had a darker side. So he set out to see "whether John Martyn was really a peace-loving good guy or was indeed something of a bampot."
The answer of course is he's a bit of both: Munro does a good of job of weaving together the twin threads of Martyn's remarkable musical career and the old rock-and-roll cliché of his self-destructive personal life. The book's great strength is that he has access to many of the key sources: not just Martyn himself but musical collaborators - and great musicians in their own right - such as Ralph McTell, Dave Pegg and the incomparable Danny Thompson.
Munro has also done his homework on key influences in Martyn's life and work, such as fellow musical prodigy and friend Nick Drake, who inspired "Solid Air". (The chapters on "lost souls" Drake and Paul Kossoff are sensitively handled.) And where he hasn't been able to interview important sources such as Beverley Martyn, thorough research ensures that her voice is heard.
Munro does a fair job sketching out Martyn's formative years in Scotland, though a few local references may escape some readers. He really gets into its stride when the young Martyn arrives in London. Munro does not pull his punches when it comes to assessing the limitations of some of Martyn's earlier work. But where the book really scores is in its detailed accounts of the making of the key albums: Solid Air, One World, Grace and Danger. As well as talking to the musicians involved, Munro puts the albums in the context of Martyn's personal life. And as well as offering his own assessments, he has taken the trouble to dig up some of the most perceptive reviews written at the time of their release.
I was interested, though perhaps not surprised, to discover that Martyn's slicker 1980s albums - when he put on a suit and went electric - are dismissed by many of the diehard fans hooked on his acoustic work. (Personally I love "Well Kept Secret" even if Martyn admits "to being so sozzled that he barely remembers anything about the recording".) But I would like to have read more about the merits or otherwise of Martyn's work from the 1990s onwards.
Martyn the man, as opposed the Martyn the musician, does not come out of the book terribly well. It is not just because of what some former friends, lovers and collaborators have to say. His own attempts to justify what has clearly on occasion been quite appalling behaviour are less than convincing. Martyn tells Munro how he doesn't suffer fools gladly. But one can't help thinking that the only reason so many people have suffered him is that hiding behind the bampot is a warmer, gentler man. And it is that gentler voice that comes through in a lot of his most beautiful work.
As Danny Thompson explains to Munro: "Someone who can write `You curl around me like a fern in the spring' - that's the man that is going to be missed, not the guy who is chucking beer all over you and poking you in the chest."
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This isn't the definitive biography of Martyn, but it will have to do until one comes along.
I picked it up knowing that Martyn was an exceptionally gifted guitarist and songwriter, an alcoholic who consumed industrial quantities of booze and drugs, and (often as a result) an aggressive and perhaps unpleasant person to be around. And when I'd finished the book, I still didn't know much more than that.
This isn't necessarily Munro's fault; he's pretty open about saying who would (and wouldn't) be interviewed for the biography. But sometimes the lack of background personal detail is surprising. For instance, Martyn's five-year relationship with (Julianne) Daisy Flowers is dealt with in just two paragraphs (in which Flowers describes Martyn as 'unbearable', 'vicious' and 'violent'). Similarly, his marriage to Annie Furlong, which lasted nearly seven years, is again scarcely mentioned, except for a quote from Martyn in which she is summed up as 'permanently drunk' (Furlong's family maintain she only became an alcoholic after suffering years of abuse from Martyn).
And so we end up with a lopsided view of the man, in which his drunken antics on tour and on stage are the stuff of frequent and lengthy anecdotes, but the years of abuse which he meted out to his wives and partners is skated over or (sometimes) ignored altogether.
I would have liked to know more about his relationship with his children, too. Son Spenser is mentioned on page 96 (as a baby) and then again not until page 164, when he's 16 and playing with his father on stage! Presumably in the intervening years the two had some contact, and maybe Martyn was an adoring and supportive (absent) parent, but we're not told one way or the other.
Stylistically, the book is no great shakes. It's worthy but pedestrian, and rarely inspired. In fact, much of the book is taken up with long quotes from articles or interviewees, with Munro just providing the bridges. The albums are all represented, with an obligatory mention of outstanding tracks, the recording process, and some excerpts from critical reviews. All very useful if you want to make sure you're not missing anything essential from your collection, but it's only rarely that Munro conveys any unbridled enthusiam.
I picked it up knowing that Martyn was an exceptionally gifted guitarist and songwriter, an alcoholic who consumed industrial quantities of booze and drugs, and (often as a result) an aggressive and perhaps unpleasant person to be around. And when I'd finished the book, I still didn't know much more than that.
This isn't necessarily Munro's fault; he's pretty open about saying who would (and wouldn't) be interviewed for the biography. But sometimes the lack of background personal detail is surprising. For instance, Martyn's five-year relationship with (Julianne) Daisy Flowers is dealt with in just two paragraphs (in which Flowers describes Martyn as 'unbearable', 'vicious' and 'violent'). Similarly, his marriage to Annie Furlong, which lasted nearly seven years, is again scarcely mentioned, except for a quote from Martyn in which she is summed up as 'permanently drunk' (Furlong's family maintain she only became an alcoholic after suffering years of abuse from Martyn).
And so we end up with a lopsided view of the man, in which his drunken antics on tour and on stage are the stuff of frequent and lengthy anecdotes, but the years of abuse which he meted out to his wives and partners is skated over or (sometimes) ignored altogether.
I would have liked to know more about his relationship with his children, too. Son Spenser is mentioned on page 96 (as a baby) and then again not until page 164, when he's 16 and playing with his father on stage! Presumably in the intervening years the two had some contact, and maybe Martyn was an adoring and supportive (absent) parent, but we're not told one way or the other.
Stylistically, the book is no great shakes. It's worthy but pedestrian, and rarely inspired. In fact, much of the book is taken up with long quotes from articles or interviewees, with Munro just providing the bridges. The albums are all represented, with an obligatory mention of outstanding tracks, the recording process, and some excerpts from critical reviews. All very useful if you want to make sure you're not missing anything essential from your collection, but it's only rarely that Munro conveys any unbridled enthusiam.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This man's music has moved me for over 20 years and I was looking forward to this biography. It is a warts and all look at his career. It is well written and the author hits the nail right on the head when he concludes that the world would be a far better place if more people listened to John's music. Since reading it I have listened to loads of his old (and new) stuff again and again, and you can not fail but be moved by his majesty.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Factual and without embellishment
I liked the way the book was written - yes the author does quote from many previously published items but contrary to what others have said, I quite like this approach as it is... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ailsa Reynolds
Disappointing Title
I picked up this book attracted by the title, hoping that I'll get a string of stories about Martyn his brilliance, his music, and how he ended up to be an overweight amputee on a... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Charles Wahab
should of loved you more
I came to John Martyn very late via the BBc documentry Johnny to bad and was hooked from the first time I heard don,t want to know. Read more
Published 18 months ago by stoveboy78
Too little, too late...
I hesitated before writing this...I would firstly like to thank John Munro for writing the biography of one of my very favourite musicians...it needed doing..
But.... Read more
But.... Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2010 by T. D. DICK
John Martyn Book
This is an amazing book with a great insight of the troubled and 'interesting' lifestyle of one of the world's greatest guitarists/song writers. Read more
Published on 22 Feb 2010 by T. Howson
Some people are a genius.
excellent well researched book, I received as a xmas gift, before JM passed away, became more poignent as I read over the period around his death. Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2010 by B Johnson
Crazy, but supremely talented !!!!!!
I'm not too sure just when John Martyn decided to hit the self-destruct button,
but certainly this excellent book relates the numerous times that he tried but missed !!! Read more
but certainly this excellent book relates the numerous times that he tried but missed !!! Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2009 by Brian James
Get behind the facade ...
I have listened and lived life to the melodies and rants of John Martyn since the early 80's.
In his songs I always understood what he was trying to convey ... Read more
In his songs I always understood what he was trying to convey ... Read more
Published on 27 July 2009 by Majella Fergus
Great Book
I have always loved John Martyn's incrediably lovely music and, since his death, wanted to read something about John himself. Read more
Published on 20 May 2009 by Susan Glazier
John Martyn - Crazoo
I've been waiting for years for this book, it's such a shame it had to come after John's untimely death. Read more
Published on 9 April 2009 by M. S. Ryder
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