Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #971986 in Books
• Published on: 2000-06-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
From their explosive, hype-overdriven arrival onto a stagnant British music scene in the early 1990s, the Manic Street Preachers have inspired a rare devotion amongst their fans, reflected in a constant stream of platinum-selling albums and singles, not to mention sold-out concert extravaganzas such as their Cardiff millennium gig, (now available as a DVD/VHS souvenir).

A band of true character in an increasingly faceless pop world, the story of the Manics is an interesting, if tragic one--the disappearance of the troubled Richey Edwards will always loom large over any discussion of the band's work... except, that is, the present book, which tells the story of the early, pre-Edwards incarnation of the group, when they were a female-fronted punk outfit considering changing their name to "Betty Blue". Oh dear. The book's author, Jenny Watkins-Isnardi, was the female in question, the privilege of undertaking singing duties with one of Britain's best bands being a much-needed perk for also being the girlfriend of the ever-irritating Nicky Wire. Her story is one of endless living room rehearsals, interspersed with financially challenging pub trips and incredibly serious teenage discussions about, like, the meaninglessness of everything. To the Manics, escape from what they saw as the depressing reality of their situation in the Welsh valley town of Blackwood was the ultimate aim, and Watkins-Isnardi's account captures well the dark, isolated mood of the times.

While the book's concentration on a short summer-long period in the group's history leads to an often tedious concentration on essentially mundane events, ("James comes in with a tray of teas... sitting too far back, I sink into the settee" etc.), what emerges is a portrait of three extraordinarily close characters, whose determination would ultimately result in the escape they dreamt of throughout this well-presented book. Fans of the group should thoroughly enjoy this glimpse into the early days of their heroes. --Steve Price

Synopsis
Since the disappearence of one of the band's members, the Manic Street Preachers have attracted a lot of speculation and interest. In this text, Jennifer Watkins-Israeli, who was close friends with the band during their formative days, reveals the truth behind the name.

Customer Reviews

The worst Manic Street Preachers book yet!
Yes, there have been some dire books on the Manics, but this is the worst yet. The author was, briefly, Nicky Wire's girlfriend but doesn't appear to have had anything in common with him other than age and location. The book consists almost entirely of reported conversations described down to the last word and gesture. This fails to convince me; can you remember in perfect detail all the conversations you had ten years ago? Everyone in this book talks the same and the author reports all the details of events that happened when she wasn't there. If she had said that this was a composite of various memories I might have believed it, but even then there are sometimes large gaps between her version of events and the band's. According to the Manics, James's jaw was broken when he and Richey went out on Richey's 21st birthday; according to this book they barely knew each other at that time. Someone has it wrong, and I don't think it's the Manics.

Richey's fans will find little of interest here; he makes a brief appearance in Chapter 17 and that's about it. I gave the book one star because the author made the effort to put some of Richey's letters at the back of the book to compensate.

Watkins-Isnardi has an easy, readable style; what a pity she wasted it in desperately padding out a very small amount of information. The same could be said of the photos in the middle of the book - a few miserable black and white shots that you've seen a hundred times before. Padding. If you want to know about the Manic Street Preachers, Simon Price's book is flawed but remains your best bet. Better still, read the books that inspired the band; you can find Richey's reading list on countless Manics websites and it will give you a much better insight into the band than this feeble account of pub chats.

Approach this book with an open mind
Being a long-time Manics fan, I admitt that I had reservations when I heard about this book. The immediate thought was "CASH IN". Although I still believe that this is the primary motive, I must admitt that I did enjoy the book immensly.

Yes - there are inconsistencies throughout - but this is nothing new when it comes to biographies on the Manics. This book is written by someone who is known to have existed (admittingly only briefly), within the band and who is taking about an era of the band that has only been skimmed over by other authors.

I believe that, unless the author had the most intricate diary imaginable, a majority of this book is 'glossed-up' truth. Whilst I don't doubt that a lot of the events did take place, to recite specific events and conversations from 1987 is no mean feat.

I have read reviews of this book on numerous Manic's Website - most of which slam both the book and it's author. The fact is, the only people who can truthfully say if this book is fact or fiction (or a mixture of both), are the Manic's themselves.

Until Nicky writes the Manics'own account (which he has hinted at in the past), just take the book for what it is - an enjoyable read about the birth of a great band.

A gem of a book
Lots of books about the manics but how many by women? A major acclimation is that this is a female's perspective yet that's not its main attribute. What I liked most was the complete lack of pretension. It deals with surface events, recollected and straightforwardly presented without authorial imposition of commentary or interpretation. There is no attempt to portray, even less to investigate, occult aspects of the band's individual or collective psyche. Mercifully, the reader is spared the gobbledy-gook pscycho-babble that makes much rock commentary incoherent ( why are the manics particularly prone to so much vacuous and specious garbage being written about them? )

Don't be fooled by the casual, throw-away style of writing. There are seriously big nuggets to be unearthed by the discerning reader. The photos may be tat but this is a gem of a book.