Product Description

Lamacq marks 20 years of fandom, and ten years of the Radio 1 award-winning music show, the "Evening Session". This is the book for anyone who has ever had even a passing obsession with 90s pop, providing - as it does - an overview of the era that saw the rebirth of British music.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #267614 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
There was a time in the mid-1990s when Radio One's Evening Session programme became required listening for anyone interested in the then-burgeoning British music scene. Providing valuable early support for emerging bands such as Oasis, a re-invented Blur and various briefly popular acts from Elastica to Menswear, the Session provided the soundtrack for what was a short but exciting period in Britain's recent cultural past. Central to the popularity of the programme were its enthusiastic and lively presenters Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq. For the latter, presenting on Radio One represented a logical progression in a life which had always been marked by an obsession with the alternative music scene. It is the often-hilarious story of this life that forms the basis for Going Deaf for a Living.

Anyone who has ever been asked by parents or concerned friends whether they really need to own so many records will soon warm to Lamacq's story, as he amiably tells of his journey from being a starstruck fan outside a 1980 Undertones gig, through phases as rock journalist for the NME, record company boss and nervous club DJ, before finally finding his home at The Evening Session. Along the way, Lamacq gets to give his viewpoint of such now-legendary events as the night the Manic Street Preachers Richey Edwards carved the words "4 Real" in his arm in response to a challenge to his group's artistic integrity, and the appearance of a noticeably refreshed and abusive pair of Gallaghers in the Radio One studios. In addition, cameos from such legends as Kurt Cobain, John Peel and, crucially, Chris Evans ("Nice Chap!"), keep Lamacq's tale lively, and often very amusing.

While those hungry for revealing rock gossip may find their hopes curtailed by the author's prevailing niceness, the honesty of Lamacq's writing, and the constant amusing tangents on which he is led by his anecdotal pop obsessions, make this a thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended read. --Steve Price

Customer Reviews

Essential Music Reading
As a music-mad Essex bird around Steve's age now residing in the States, this book was one of the best Christmas gifts a girl could ask for.

Going Deaf For A Living not only serves to record his experiences but also to remind you of those bands you too adored from "then" to now - Thousand Yard Stare indeed! I still have a transparent vinyl copy of one of their singles - The Hacienda in '89 - oh yes, indeedy - up to now and today and his continuing struggle to aquire tinnitus ;)

Well written and well read over this side of the pond...

So much fun!
The first time I read this my face ached from grinning so much; it's a lovely, warm, funny book that kept making me squeal with delight and recognition. It brings back so many memories of that topsy-turvy time when the underground went overground- and how!- and our guitar heroes populated the daily gossip columns. This delicious read is probably the least bitchy biog for years and all revelations are strictly entertaining. Steve's real life shyly peeks up through the pop trivia now and again: blink and you'll miss it. Craftily, though, the man himself remains mostly an enigma. A second installment, including the last turbulent year, would be *fascinating*, but actually I don't think that is particularly Steve's style. Shame.

Pour yourself a cider, put on that Kingmaker album and enjoy
If you're a fan of Lamacq's radio shows - or ever bought a record by a British guitar band between 1994 and 1997 - then this book is a must. Written in a friendly, chatty style, Steve Lamacq traces his career rise from Essex sports hack to guitar pop guru. His part in the rise of Blur, Oasis and Pulp - plus sundry other stars and plenty of other no-hopers! - is covered in a self-deprecating manner. Comprehensive, elightening and entertaining, grab yourself a pint of cider, put that Kingmaker album on and enjoy.