Martin Roach

Usually the allure of unauthorized rock 'n' roll band biographies is the sex and drugs part of the equation. This tome focuses on Jack White of the alt-blues duo and while he may say, "I'm Finding It Harder to be a Gentleman," Gentleman Jack has left no such titillating muck for British journalist Martin Roach to rake. Roach subtitles his book "And The Strange Relevance of Detroit". Indeed, as one living in greater Detroit, I say it must be strange to a Brit who while offering a spectrum of show more sources such as guitarist Mick Collins (The Dirtbombs, The Gories), producer Jim Diamond and Johnny Szymanski (The Henchmen) largely offers the views of Neil Yee and Gary Graff to put Detroit and The White Stripes in perspective. Thus he dips deeply from eddies at the source of the river (Yee ran seminal club The Gold Dollar where bands like The White Stripes played for 50 or less fans) to the muddy confluence at the end (Graff is founding editor of MusicHound Rock and yaks it up with FM jocks on air). In the end we get the context that gave birth to The White Stripes as if explained by visiting aliens trying to understand it all. Still, this is an interesting read with complete overviews, often track by track, of the albums. The indexed book with official and bootleg discographies makes for a good reference on The White Stripes although it may not be particularly illuminating without the participation of the private and reclusive pair. Be prepared for such proofreading lapses in this breezy account as the Black Sabbath guitarist referred to as "Tommy Lommi" and The Flaming Lips simply as "Flaming". Roach does go far to explain if not ponder much of the group's symbolism and the equivocal, guarded relationship between Meg and Jack White. show less

This book is a rather mad-cap collection of information, but it was quite an interesting read. From Dr. Marten's beginning during the interwar years to their modern incarnations as fashion staples this book traces all the stages in between, with particular emphasis on the fact that these iconic and practical footwear haven't actually changed that much. Various sstyles and modes of alteration have come and gone along with the subset of the population that have promoted/created them, but the show more simplicity of the 1460/8-eye boot remains itself throughout. The author makes particular reference to the various types of music that have seen widespread support for Docs, which I found to be a rather surprising focus is a bit narrow in scope. They briefly cover political movements and working populations as eel, but I would have liked to see more in depth discussions of these topics in addition to fashion (in the pure sense, as opposed to music-based style). The book itself is jam-packed with photos and sidebars to the proper text, so the effect we get is of a scrapbook - which fits the alternative and thrifted nature of Doc-influenced style - rather than an academic history of the brand. Overall, a fitting tribute to one of the shoe world's greatest icons. show less

Blur fanbooks apparently lost market appeal after The Great Escape, and like so many others this one ends with that album, leaving unanswered the really big question, namely, how, after making their career by bashing American grunge and glorifying a distinctively "English" variety of pop--how their eponymous follow-up to The Great Escape fits into their oeuvre. Also like other Blur fanbooks, this one relies heavily on the music periodical press, meaning that it's basically a new synthesis of show more the same primary sources. Still, a fun read with some great illustrations. show less

This book is 1/2 old information (actually taken nearly word for word from Martin Roach's earlier biography on Blur), and 1/2 new drivel. It even manages to get some facts wrong! Disappointing biography on a fascinating man. Only published because there wasn't a biography on him already, probably. A rush job. Sad. I do recommend Martin Roach's Blur: The Whole Story. It's the first half of this book, plus pictures. Much, much better.