Tenement Kid

Rough Trade Book of the Year

Bobby Gillespie author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Orion Publishing Co

Published:7th Jul '22

Should be back in stock very soon

Tenement Kid cover

This memoir chronicles Bobby Gillespie's rise from a working-class background to becoming a pivotal figure in British music with Tenement Kid.

In Tenement Kid, Bobby Gillespie shares his personal journey from a working-class upbringing in Glasgow to becoming one of the most influential figures in British music. Born in 1961, he grew up in Springburn, a district marked for slum clearances, which set the stage for his early life experiences. Leaving school at 16, Bobby took on a job as a printers' apprentice, but it was at his first concert that he encountered a transformative moment that would change the course of his life. The electrifying performance by Phil Lynott ignited his passion for rock n roll, leading him to embrace the punk movement that symbolized rebellion against societal norms.

The narrative unfolds as Gillespie reflects on the rise of the Sex Pistols and the punk ethos, which inspired him to pursue a career in music. He formed the iconic bands Jesus and Mary Chain and later Primal Scream, contributing to the evolution of British pop. The memoir captures the vibrant atmosphere of the late '80s and early '90s, marked by the emergence of acid house and the cultural shifts of the time. Gillespie details his experiences with legendary figures like Andrew Weatherall and the creative energy that defined an era.

Tenement Kid is not just a memoir; it is a celebration of music, culture, and the relentless spirit of a generation. Through his eyes, readers witness the impact of Thatcherism and the euphoric rise of a new sound that reshaped the landscape of British pop music, culminating in the release of the groundbreaking album Screamadelica.

Gillespie is rock and roll's Oliver Twist. A punk rock fairytale, razor sharp on class struggle, music, style, and a singular view of the world resulting in one of the world's great bands. Couldn't put down -- Courtney Love
As hugely influential and inspiring as Bobby Gillespie's music is, we now know his genius includes the telling of this story and reviving the ghosts that brought the music to life -- Mark Lanegan
A righteous journey, an elegy for the transformative power of rock and roll told with heart and soul. The Gospel according to Bobby Gillespie -- Warren Ellis
If they encapsualted the spirit of rock and roll in one person it would be Bobby Gillespie. The book is affirmative not just of a rockin' life but the beautiful working-class culture that made it. I felt like shedding tears of joy reading it, but also enraged about what we've lost -- Irvine Welsh
From Rottenrow hospital to the TOTP studio, this is the enthralling and vividly detailed story of a boy dreamed himself into a rock and roll star -- Simon Reynolds
Readers will be astonished by the detail in his memoir, the extraordinary rolling energy of his prose, and his warmth, gratitude and performerly wisdom . . . The way Gillespie writes about music's intoxicating buzz is inspirational . . . Tenement Kid's joy is in its undeviating belief in rock iconography * Mojo *
A fascinating story * Guardian *
An impassioned, elegantly written tale of self-realisation through fandom, along with plenty of doubts and insecurities * The Times *
An obsessive music fan who fulfilled his wildest rock star dreams, Gillespie has found an authentic voice to desribe his often hair-raising experiences, and the result is a rock 'n' roll epic * Daily Telegraph *
I can't recommend this book highly enough . . . the best music-related book I've read this year, and essential reading for anyone who loves and cares about alternative music * Louder Than War *
Gillespie is a hypnotic writer and this self-aggrandising yet self-lacerating self-portrait is, on its own terms, brutally honest * i Newspaper *
Tenement Kid is a thrilling read laced with copious laugh out loud moments. This is a riveting account of how a tenement child of the Cold War era, and his friends, created a soundtrack for the hopes and dreams of a generation * Irish Times *
This, as his enjoyable memoir Tenement Kid confirms, is a true believer steeped in politics and pop culture . . . The most arresting passages are those in which he captures the febrile, incestuous activity of Scotland's underground music scene in the Eighties/early Nineties . . . He also strikes an unforced yet tangible note of melancholy: we will never be so young and free again * Big Issue *
Bobby Gillespie is a believer. A true disciple who, in his autobiography Tenement Kid, is going to take you on a spiritual journey through poverty and the struggles of a city at the end of time, in a country being dismantled by an evil overlord with all the might of the state behind her, and into the light and triumph of a band finding their identity. It is a tale of redemption, of how - through a spiritual and chemical path - rock and roll can truly save, taking you away from the suffering to your higher self. This is a tale of love; it is a tale of salvation . . . It does what you expect from a rock and roll memoir but also achieves something rare for the genre: it gives the sense that Gillespie is still one of us * Concrete Islands *

ISBN: 9781474622080

Dimensions: 196mm x 128mm x 32mm

Weight: 344g

432 pages