This is two autobiographical books in one. The first book is the story of Cope's middleclass upbringing in Tamworth in Staffordshire, his student life in and around Liverpool, his 'discovery' of Punk, and the formation, success and breakup of his first band The Teardrop Explodes.
Cope gives a refreshing exploration of the birth of Punk from a northern perspective, specifically from the viewpoint of the Liverpool underground scene in the mid to late 70's.
Unlike a large number of the London born and bred Punk musicians and writers I have consumed over the years, Cope is so self-effacing, honest and funny about every single area of his life, that you feel this is what Punk was and is supposed to be all about.
He talks about his first sexual fumblings,the breakup of his first marriage and his meeting with true sweetheart and second wife Dorian with almost juvenile naivety and enthusiasm. His petty jealousies of Ian McCulloch's Bunnymen - his big rival on the Liverpool scene at the time - the sudden descent into drug taking after being almost Cromwellian in his distaste for them previously, and the American tour antics are mesmerizing to read about - and hilariously funny.
He is a natural writer, the first book reads like the perfect Punk novel, which in a sense it is. No 'true' lifestory can survive in readable form with out a bit of narrative structuring and poetic license.
Cope is an iconoclast: eccentric, literary, original, quirky and also, oddly considering his background - of the street. He comes across as the classic Alien dumped on earth for a while, a bit lonely but quite enjoying all these bizarre new experiences.
I'm looking forward to reading the second volume.
Best bits:
The turd in the shower episode, the first LSD trip, where it took him an hour to walk 25 yards whilst simultaneously waving and grinning to his friend, and his picaresque descriptions of band members, family and friends.
Genius.
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