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The Thrill of it All by JOSEPH O'CONNOR
At college in 1980s Luton, Robbie Goulding, an Irish-born teenager, meets elusive Fran Mulvey, an orphaned Vietnamese refugee. Together they form a band. Joined by cellist Sarah-Th�r�se Sherlock and her twin brother Se�n on drums, The Ships in the Night set out to chase fame. But the story of this makeshift family is haunted by ghosts from the past.Spanning 25 years, The Thrill of it All rewinds and fast-forwards through an evocative soundtrack of struggle and laughter. Infused with blues, ska, classic showtunes, New Wave and punk, using interviews, lyrics, memoirs and diaries, the tale stretches from suburban England to Manhattan's East Village, from Thatcher-era London to the Hollywood Bowl, from the meadows of the Glastonbury festival to a wintry Long Island, culminating in a Dublin evening in July 2012, a night that changes everything. A story of loyalties, friendship, the call of the muse, and the beguiling shimmer of teenage dreams, this is a warm-hearted, funny and deeply moving novel for anyone that's ever loved a song.
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First published August 5, 2014
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About the author
Joseph O'Connor
98 books611 followersThere is more than one author with this name
Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin. He is the author of the novels Cowboys and Indians (short-listed for the Whitbread Prize), Desperadoes , The Salesman , Inishowen , Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls , as well as a number of bestselling works of non-fiction.
He was recently voted ‘Irish Writer of the Decade’ by the readers of Hot Press magazine. He broadcasts a popular weekly radio diary on RTE’s Drivetime With Mary Wilson and writes regularly for The Guardian Review and The Sunday Independent. In 2009 he was the Harman Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Baruch College, the City University of New York.
Joseph O’Connor was born in Dublin. He is the author of the novels Cowboys and Indians (short-listed for the Whitbread Prize), Desperadoes , The Salesman , Inishowen , Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls , as well as a number of bestselling works of non-fiction.
He was recently voted ‘Irish Writer of the Decade’ by the readers of Hot Press magazine. He broadcasts a popular weekly radio diary on RTE’s Drivetime With Mary Wilson and writes regularly for The Guardian Review and The Sunday Independent. In 2009 he was the Harman Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Baruch College, the City University of New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
May 9, 2020
Initially this seemed like a more literary version of Daisy and The Six. A novel that charts the history of a rock band. But though nothing outlandish happens in this novel I found it more unbelievable than any novel I can remember reading. It just seemed fake throughout. Probably the constant tiresome namedropping was partly responsible: every time real life people are mentioned - which is virtually every single page of the book - it reminds you the novel's characters aren't real people. It actually reads like some elaborate wish fulfilment fantasy- someone pretending they're on intimate terms with David Bowie and Patti Smith and every other famous rock star on the planet.
The band itself is equally as hard to believe. The singer is Bowie, Boy George, Marilyn Manson and Ozzie Osbourne rolled into one. The guitarist and narrator is like an overgrown teenager and one of those irritating males who wisecracks every third sentence. It's also a snobby book. I got annoyed being told which artists warrant respect (the Boomtown Rats???) and which contempt (Coldplay of course). So a big no from me, I'm afraid.
The band itself is equally as hard to believe. The singer is Bowie, Boy George, Marilyn Manson and Ozzie Osbourne rolled into one. The guitarist and narrator is like an overgrown teenager and one of those irritating males who wisecracks every third sentence. It's also a snobby book. I got annoyed being told which artists warrant respect (the Boomtown Rats???) and which contempt (Coldplay of course). So a big no from me, I'm afraid.
May 3, 2019
My third O'Connor novel and my least favourite. Something all three have in common is they are too long. He's an author who tends to get carried away with his own exuberance. The Thrill of it all is about a rock band in the 1980s, narrated for the most part by the guitarist who fancies himself as a stand-up comedian and with his relentless maudlin self-deprecation was difficult to imagine as ever having known success in his life. I found it virtually impossible to imagine what kind of music his band played. Early on we learn Meatloaf, ska music and Patti Smith were influences. The mind boggled. In fact, this band were never plausible as worldwide mega stars. Also, there wasn't enough lived life in this novel for me to love it. The relentless attempt at comedy often jarred for me. The best bits were often when O'Connor pays homage to the undervalued importance of popular music in our lives. The ending was a surprise but chiefly because of how sentimental it was.
April 23, 2018
In this novel, author Joseph O’Connor has woven a fascinating tale of a fictional band, which reads like a real biography. In a way, it could well be a true story as it mirrors so many events in the life of bands and musicians that I have read – indeed, O’Connor is well placed to write such a tale, as his sister is the singer Sinead O’Connor.
The novel is told from the point of view of Robbie Goulding, ex-member of famous band The Ships in the Night. The first part of the book takes him from 1981 – 1987; beginning with his initial meeting with charismatic lead singer Francis Mulvey when they were both seventeen, in the rather uninspiring location of Luton Polytechnic. From the start, Fran is mesmerising and exotic and it is obvious that he is very different to everybody else around him. It is a useful tool to use Robbie as our narrator as he is certainly the more down to earth of the pair.
As the book progresses, the fledging pair of buskers become a band, with the arrival of twins Trez (Sarah-Therese Sherlock) and Sean. This is the story of so many bands, from early gigs, to the excitement of first appearing on radio or television, the promise of success, missed opportunities and living in squalor. From the beginning, there are also the self destructive indulgence of drugs, in Fran’s case, and drink, in Robbie’s. We follow the band from Luton, to London to New York, as things get harder, then success eventually comes.
We know from the beginning that things for The Ships do not end well. As happens so often, there is recrimination, lawsuits and a parting of the ways. However, O’Connor does a great job of showing the inside of the music business with all its highs and lows and also how young so many members of bands are and how ill equipped they are to cope with the enormous life changes of fame – so often fleeting – and sudden wealth.
The second part of the book takes place in the current time period – that is 2012. Having told the story of the rise of The Ships, we catch up with Robbie and see how his life has turned out. This is a wonderful novel, showing how bands so often do become family to each other – it is full of huge themes like friendship, unrequited love, dealing with fame, ambition and talent. This is a warm, brave and wonderful novel and I recommend it highly.
The novel is told from the point of view of Robbie Goulding, ex-member of famous band The Ships in the Night. The first part of the book takes him from 1981 – 1987; beginning with his initial meeting with charismatic lead singer Francis Mulvey when they were both seventeen, in the rather uninspiring location of Luton Polytechnic. From the start, Fran is mesmerising and exotic and it is obvious that he is very different to everybody else around him. It is a useful tool to use Robbie as our narrator as he is certainly the more down to earth of the pair.
As the book progresses, the fledging pair of buskers become a band, with the arrival of twins Trez (Sarah-Therese Sherlock) and Sean. This is the story of so many bands, from early gigs, to the excitement of first appearing on radio or television, the promise of success, missed opportunities and living in squalor. From the beginning, there are also the self destructive indulgence of drugs, in Fran’s case, and drink, in Robbie’s. We follow the band from Luton, to London to New York, as things get harder, then success eventually comes.
We know from the beginning that things for The Ships do not end well. As happens so often, there is recrimination, lawsuits and a parting of the ways. However, O’Connor does a great job of showing the inside of the music business with all its highs and lows and also how young so many members of bands are and how ill equipped they are to cope with the enormous life changes of fame – so often fleeting – and sudden wealth.
The second part of the book takes place in the current time period – that is 2012. Having told the story of the rise of The Ships, we catch up with Robbie and see how his life has turned out. This is a wonderful novel, showing how bands so often do become family to each other – it is full of huge themes like friendship, unrequited love, dealing with fame, ambition and talent. This is a warm, brave and wonderful novel and I recommend it highly.
June 8, 2014
In this novel, author Joseph O’Connor has woven a fascinating tale of a fictional band, which reads like a real biography. In a way, it could well be a true story as it mirrors so many events in the life of bands and musicians that I have read – indeed, O’Connor is well placed to write such a tale, as his sister is the singer Sinead O’Connor.
The novel is told from the point of view of Robbie Goulding, ex-member of famous band The Ships in the Night. The first part of the book takes him from 1981 – 1987; beginning with his initial meeting with charismatic lead singer Francis Mulvey when they were both seventeen, in the rather uninspiring location of Luton Polytechnic. From the start, Fran is mesmerising and exotic and it is obvious that he is very different to everybody else around him. It is a useful tool to use Robbie as our narrator as he is certainly the more down to earth of the pair.
As the book progresses, the fledging pair of buskers become a band, with the arrival of twins Trez (Sarah-Therese Sherlock) and Sean. This is the story of so many bands, from early gigs, to the excitement of first appearing on radio or television, the promise of success, missed opportunities and living in squalor. From the beginning, there are also the self destructive indulgence of drugs, in Fran’s case, and drink, in Robbie’s. We follow the band from Luton, to London to New York, as things get harder, then success eventually comes.
We know from the beginning that things for The Ships do not end well. As happens so often, there is recrimination, lawsuits and a parting of the ways. However, O’Connor does a great job of showing the inside of the music business with all its highs and lows and also how young so many members of bands are and how ill equipped they are to cope with the enormous life changes of fame – so often fleeting – and sudden wealth.
The second part of the book takes place in the current time period – that is 2012. Having told the story of the rise of The Ships, we catch up with Robbie and see how his life has turned out. This is a wonderful novel, showing how bands so often do become family to each other – it is full of huge themes like friendship, unrequited love, dealing with fame, ambition and talent. This is a warm, brave and wonderful novel and I recommend it highly.
The novel is told from the point of view of Robbie Goulding, ex-member of famous band The Ships in the Night. The first part of the book takes him from 1981 – 1987; beginning with his initial meeting with charismatic lead singer Francis Mulvey when they were both seventeen, in the rather uninspiring location of Luton Polytechnic. From the start, Fran is mesmerising and exotic and it is obvious that he is very different to everybody else around him. It is a useful tool to use Robbie as our narrator as he is certainly the more down to earth of the pair.
As the book progresses, the fledging pair of buskers become a band, with the arrival of twins Trez (Sarah-Therese Sherlock) and Sean. This is the story of so many bands, from early gigs, to the excitement of first appearing on radio or television, the promise of success, missed opportunities and living in squalor. From the beginning, there are also the self destructive indulgence of drugs, in Fran’s case, and drink, in Robbie’s. We follow the band from Luton, to London to New York, as things get harder, then success eventually comes.
We know from the beginning that things for The Ships do not end well. As happens so often, there is recrimination, lawsuits and a parting of the ways. However, O’Connor does a great job of showing the inside of the music business with all its highs and lows and also how young so many members of bands are and how ill equipped they are to cope with the enormous life changes of fame – so often fleeting – and sudden wealth.
The second part of the book takes place in the current time period – that is 2012. Having told the story of the rise of The Ships, we catch up with Robbie and see how his life has turned out. This is a wonderful novel, showing how bands so often do become family to each other – it is full of huge themes like friendship, unrequited love, dealing with fame, ambition and talent. This is a warm, brave and wonderful novel and I recommend it highly.
August 16, 2023
Cualquiera que le guste la música ha soñado alguna vez, en algún momento de su vida con fundar una banda de rock y dedicarse a recorrer carreteras y pegar alaridos por medio mundo. Lo cierto, es que yo he dado infinidad de conciertos ante la impasible mirada y la exasperante quietud de los peluches de mi dormitorio (Que conste que en mi mente lo daban todo ehh). En esos bolos, la única que gritaba frente a mí al final de cuatro o cinco canciones era mi madre, pero no para pedir otra precisamente…
No, amiga. No, amigo. Mi sueño dorado y mucho más profundo y silencioso era tener una librería y mira tú por donde siempre he creído que en ciertas ocasiones, los sueños se hacen realidad. Y mira tu por donde también, tener una librería ha hecho que pueda tener un grupo. No es exactamente una banda de rock, pero a veces cantamos y podría decirse que le damos la vuelta al mundo (a través de los libros). Esto, más que una reseña, es una de esas cosas que yo hago y que me va a servir de homenaje a todas esas personas que nos acompañan a Tamara y a mí en este maravilloso viaje. Os presento a nuestra banda:
Digamos que antes de la librería ya existía una base sólida que sirvió de cimientos para lo que hoy es el grupo, por eso desde el origen de los tiempos existió Aitor, que es un animal. Canta y tiene los brazos más largos del grupo no porque sea el batería, sino porque siempre se encarga de abrazarnos a todos… y también para poner los focos en los truss desde el suelo.
También estuvo Jenny, que también canta y le da un toque glamuroso e internacional al grupo. Es malvada, pero la queremos. Ella es la de la guitarra.
Manu y Laura son estrellas internacionales. No sé como lo hemos hecho para que se unan al barco porque está claro que son los que más entrevistas dan.
Pilar es la conductora. Se le da bien llevar la furgo y no le teme ni a la noche ni al día.
Estefa es la folclórica, pero también canta reguetón. Y también es la alarma. Si escuchas pi pi pi, es que algo bueno viene detrás.
Silvia hace los coros, pero realmente se ríe más de lo canta. Eso siempre es un don.
Y un día empezamos a llenar de libros las estanterías y empezamos a darle a los directos y a poner anuncios de que necesitábamos ampliar la banda… y entonces es cuando se armo la gorda (que no es que ninguna señora con sobrepeso se enfundara un par de pistolas, no es eso) y no tardaron en llegar solicitudes.
Gracias a ello hoy contamos por ejemplo con Cova, que canta, baila y hace hasta spots publicitarios.
Con Rebeca tenemos un trato, ella nos proporciona penicilina para cuerpo y alma y nosotros le proporcionamos la mejor droga del mercado. De esa forma, siempre la tenemos enganchada.
Bea no canta mucho, pero siempre, siempre, siempre está ahí y por eso es única e inigualable.
Este grupo no sería lo mismo sin Patri y Leticia, que han conseguido emocionarme cantando (Cumpleaños feliz).
Marian es nuestra dosis diaria de locura y por tanto, hace que no solo el grupo, sino que el mundo sea mucho mejor.
Luego está el clan de las Anas (Ana A, Ana A. C, Ana B, Ana C, Ana N y Anna). No es ni un abecedario, ni un trabalenguas. Ellas tocan los instrumentos de viento (menos los buñuelos, que aun los sigo pidiendo sin suerte) porque son la brisa que todo grupo necesita.
Y el clan de las Blancas. Blanca F. P, que es la que siempre encuentra todo lo que perdemos por ahí y si me porto bien me da galletas; y Blanca F. G. que no hace nada. Bueno, canta y toca el acordeón, pero poco.
Nieves y Leire son las chicas más legales que conozco, y seguro que sin ellas estaríamos ya en la cárcel.
Cuando estamos un poco apagados, son Lluisa y Dolors las que se encargan de animar el cotarro y en las rarísimas ocasiones que no funciona, ahí está Yai para ponernos firmes. Con ella en el grupo nunca faltará el Rock and Roll.
María llegó, cantó y se quedó. Y nos escribe de vez en cuando para que se sigan produciendo grandes letras.
Hay que decir que la que más sabe de música del mundo es Estrella, que su propio nombre indica lo que es.
Angélica siempre está dispuesta a saltar al público, pero en realidad es Charo, su madre, la que le saca las castañas del fuego.
Jorge viene cuando quiere, pero cuando viene se nota.
Mónica toca el piano según su contrato los meses pares, pero últimamente siempre nos alegra verla aparecer justo antes de que baje el telón.
Victoria es la que trae la cerveza, así de indispensable es.
Carla e Isa se encargan del violín y eso significa que siempre son dulzura y alegría.
Meritxell, Aida, Fermina, Yoli, Carmen, Bernarda, Vanesa y Sonia son las percusionistas. Siempre están haciendo ruido (del bueno) y siempre con los bolsillos llenos de nueces. Son las que nos marcan los ritmos.
Astrid se fue de gira en solitario, pero para orgullo y felicidad de todos, ha vuelto a unir su voz a las nuestras.
No sé como Pedro y Andrés pueden ser los que toquen el bajo y el contrabajo con lo grandes y recontragrandes que son.
Deborah es la más polifacética y creo que por eso canta con pseudónimo. Ella es la calma en mitad de la tempestad.
Me vas a permitir que te diga que todo esto no existiría sin Tamara, que es la que mantiene la luz encendida siempre que parece que se va a apagar. Es la que lo hace brillar todo. Y básicamente lo hace todo. Imposible enumerar todo lo que hace cada minuto.
Y yo soy Juanjo. Tocar lo que se dice tocar, lo único que toco son las narices. Canto siempre que puedo y valgo muy pocos camellos, pero tengo algo realmente bueno: siempre sé rodearme de la mejor compañía.
Y ahora es cuando te digo lo que he venido a decirte: Si confías un poquito en mí y quieres conocer el día a día de una banda de rock, desde antes del minuto 0 hasta después del final, únete con nosotros al grupo de los Reyes Vagabundos, porque estamos seguros de que vas a vibrar mucho con este libro. Así que prepárate para saltar, gritar, levantar las manos bien arriba y hasta llorar con el mechero en alto. Los teloneros siguen su camino, pero el concierto está por empezar. Que caiga el telón (Que se desintegre el telón).
https://www.lalibreriaambulante.es/es...
No, amiga. No, amigo. Mi sueño dorado y mucho más profundo y silencioso era tener una librería y mira tú por donde siempre he creído que en ciertas ocasiones, los sueños se hacen realidad. Y mira tu por donde también, tener una librería ha hecho que pueda tener un grupo. No es exactamente una banda de rock, pero a veces cantamos y podría decirse que le damos la vuelta al mundo (a través de los libros). Esto, más que una reseña, es una de esas cosas que yo hago y que me va a servir de homenaje a todas esas personas que nos acompañan a Tamara y a mí en este maravilloso viaje. Os presento a nuestra banda:
Digamos que antes de la librería ya existía una base sólida que sirvió de cimientos para lo que hoy es el grupo, por eso desde el origen de los tiempos existió Aitor, que es un animal. Canta y tiene los brazos más largos del grupo no porque sea el batería, sino porque siempre se encarga de abrazarnos a todos… y también para poner los focos en los truss desde el suelo.
También estuvo Jenny, que también canta y le da un toque glamuroso e internacional al grupo. Es malvada, pero la queremos. Ella es la de la guitarra.
Manu y Laura son estrellas internacionales. No sé como lo hemos hecho para que se unan al barco porque está claro que son los que más entrevistas dan.
Pilar es la conductora. Se le da bien llevar la furgo y no le teme ni a la noche ni al día.
Estefa es la folclórica, pero también canta reguetón. Y también es la alarma. Si escuchas pi pi pi, es que algo bueno viene detrás.
Silvia hace los coros, pero realmente se ríe más de lo canta. Eso siempre es un don.
Y un día empezamos a llenar de libros las estanterías y empezamos a darle a los directos y a poner anuncios de que necesitábamos ampliar la banda… y entonces es cuando se armo la gorda (que no es que ninguna señora con sobrepeso se enfundara un par de pistolas, no es eso) y no tardaron en llegar solicitudes.
Gracias a ello hoy contamos por ejemplo con Cova, que canta, baila y hace hasta spots publicitarios.
Con Rebeca tenemos un trato, ella nos proporciona penicilina para cuerpo y alma y nosotros le proporcionamos la mejor droga del mercado. De esa forma, siempre la tenemos enganchada.
Bea no canta mucho, pero siempre, siempre, siempre está ahí y por eso es única e inigualable.
Este grupo no sería lo mismo sin Patri y Leticia, que han conseguido emocionarme cantando (Cumpleaños feliz).
Marian es nuestra dosis diaria de locura y por tanto, hace que no solo el grupo, sino que el mundo sea mucho mejor.
Luego está el clan de las Anas (Ana A, Ana A. C, Ana B, Ana C, Ana N y Anna). No es ni un abecedario, ni un trabalenguas. Ellas tocan los instrumentos de viento (menos los buñuelos, que aun los sigo pidiendo sin suerte) porque son la brisa que todo grupo necesita.
Y el clan de las Blancas. Blanca F. P, que es la que siempre encuentra todo lo que perdemos por ahí y si me porto bien me da galletas; y Blanca F. G. que no hace nada. Bueno, canta y toca el acordeón, pero poco.
Nieves y Leire son las chicas más legales que conozco, y seguro que sin ellas estaríamos ya en la cárcel.
Cuando estamos un poco apagados, son Lluisa y Dolors las que se encargan de animar el cotarro y en las rarísimas ocasiones que no funciona, ahí está Yai para ponernos firmes. Con ella en el grupo nunca faltará el Rock and Roll.
María llegó, cantó y se quedó. Y nos escribe de vez en cuando para que se sigan produciendo grandes letras.
Hay que decir que la que más sabe de música del mundo es Estrella, que su propio nombre indica lo que es.
Angélica siempre está dispuesta a saltar al público, pero en realidad es Charo, su madre, la que le saca las castañas del fuego.
Jorge viene cuando quiere, pero cuando viene se nota.
Mónica toca el piano según su contrato los meses pares, pero últimamente siempre nos alegra verla aparecer justo antes de que baje el telón.
Victoria es la que trae la cerveza, así de indispensable es.
Carla e Isa se encargan del violín y eso significa que siempre son dulzura y alegría.
Meritxell, Aida, Fermina, Yoli, Carmen, Bernarda, Vanesa y Sonia son las percusionistas. Siempre están haciendo ruido (del bueno) y siempre con los bolsillos llenos de nueces. Son las que nos marcan los ritmos.
Astrid se fue de gira en solitario, pero para orgullo y felicidad de todos, ha vuelto a unir su voz a las nuestras.
No sé como Pedro y Andrés pueden ser los que toquen el bajo y el contrabajo con lo grandes y recontragrandes que son.
Deborah es la más polifacética y creo que por eso canta con pseudónimo. Ella es la calma en mitad de la tempestad.
Me vas a permitir que te diga que todo esto no existiría sin Tamara, que es la que mantiene la luz encendida siempre que parece que se va a apagar. Es la que lo hace brillar todo. Y básicamente lo hace todo. Imposible enumerar todo lo que hace cada minuto.
Y yo soy Juanjo. Tocar lo que se dice tocar, lo único que toco son las narices. Canto siempre que puedo y valgo muy pocos camellos, pero tengo algo realmente bueno: siempre sé rodearme de la mejor compañía.
Y ahora es cuando te digo lo que he venido a decirte: Si confías un poquito en mí y quieres conocer el día a día de una banda de rock, desde antes del minuto 0 hasta después del final, únete con nosotros al grupo de los Reyes Vagabundos, porque estamos seguros de que vas a vibrar mucho con este libro. Así que prepárate para saltar, gritar, levantar las manos bien arriba y hasta llorar con el mechero en alto. Los teloneros siguen su camino, pero el concierto está por empezar. Que caiga el telón (Que se desintegre el telón).
https://www.lalibreriaambulante.es/es...
September 1, 2015
Storia della fondazione, fatica per arrivare al successo, crisi esistenziali, litigi per soldi, droga, donne, diritti, musica, canzoni, disfacimento, crolli, abbandoni di un gruppo inglese/irlandese degli anni ottanta formato da tre ragazzi e una ragazza. Parte bene ma verso un terzo del libro si perde. Non prende, non coinvolge fino in fondo. Peccato. Bell'elenco di canzoni durante la narrazione, come poi recita la fascetta gialla aggiunta dall'editore: "... Gli appassionati saranno entusiasti di trovare in questo romanzo la più importante playlist dai tempi di 'Alta fedeltà'."
September 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2023
El camino al éxito puede ser un camino de rosas o un laberinto sin salida. Muchos empiezan sus andanzas sin mucha repercusión y acaban convirtiéndose en fenómenos mundiales consagrándose como estrellas. Otros empiezan con un éxito rotundo pero efímero y acaban en el olvido, viviendo solo en la memoria de unos pocos. Y de este mundo tan volátil y maleable nos habla Joseph O’ Connor en “Reyes vagabundos”, una obra al más puro estilo de “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” en el que se nos narra el auge y caída de “The Ships”, una banda de rock británica de los 80’s integrada por Sean, Trez, Robbie y el polifacético y camaleónico Fran Mulvey.
El conocimiento de Joseph O’ Connor sobre música dota a esta historia de un realismo hipnótico ya que podría ser la biografía de cualquier grupo que comenzase sus andanzas en los 80’s. Con referencias a grandes artistas como Bowie, The Rolling Stones o Patti Smith, la historia crece por si sola desde la adolescencia de estos cuatro chavales, pasando por años duros en los que la esperanza se perdía por momentos, hasta llegar al auge de su carrera, donde se convirtieron en estrellas de rock a nivel mundial. Y es aquí, en este punto, donde la ambición y las traiciones salen la luz tambaleando los cimientos de la banda y de sus vidas. El camino que antes recorrían juntos empieza a resquebrajarse. Cada uno busca cosas diferentes y la ambición puede hacer que las situaciones no se resuelvan de la mejor manera posible.
Años después de la disolución de la banda, Robbie se arma de valor y escribe sus memorias, contando como la banda llegó a su punto más álgido y como luego cayó cuesta abajo y sin frenos, lo que hizo que su vida derivara en la toma de una mala decisión tras otra. La fama puede corromper y cegar a una persona, hacer que se gane enemistades, y aunque con el paso del tiempo se de cuenta de que se comportó como un imbécil, arreglar las cosas puede ser algo que ya no tenga solución y solo queda vivir con ello hasta el fin de los días.
“Reyes vagabundos” es una obra brutal, escrita con maestría y que estoy seguro que a toda persona amante de la música enamorará desde la primera página hasta la última.
El conocimiento de Joseph O’ Connor sobre música dota a esta historia de un realismo hipnótico ya que podría ser la biografía de cualquier grupo que comenzase sus andanzas en los 80’s. Con referencias a grandes artistas como Bowie, The Rolling Stones o Patti Smith, la historia crece por si sola desde la adolescencia de estos cuatro chavales, pasando por años duros en los que la esperanza se perdía por momentos, hasta llegar al auge de su carrera, donde se convirtieron en estrellas de rock a nivel mundial. Y es aquí, en este punto, donde la ambición y las traiciones salen la luz tambaleando los cimientos de la banda y de sus vidas. El camino que antes recorrían juntos empieza a resquebrajarse. Cada uno busca cosas diferentes y la ambición puede hacer que las situaciones no se resuelvan de la mejor manera posible.
Años después de la disolución de la banda, Robbie se arma de valor y escribe sus memorias, contando como la banda llegó a su punto más álgido y como luego cayó cuesta abajo y sin frenos, lo que hizo que su vida derivara en la toma de una mala decisión tras otra. La fama puede corromper y cegar a una persona, hacer que se gane enemistades, y aunque con el paso del tiempo se de cuenta de que se comportó como un imbécil, arreglar las cosas puede ser algo que ya no tenga solución y solo queda vivir con ello hasta el fin de los días.
“Reyes vagabundos” es una obra brutal, escrita con maestría y que estoy seguro que a toda persona amante de la música enamorará desde la primera página hasta la última.
September 10, 2017
I liked this but didn't love it. O'Connor can be long winded, as I've found out before, and I felt the same issue in this book. Perhaps my penchant for actual music bios/ memoirs coloured my opinion on this as well - a few musical references, while accurate, grated with me as a result. An enjoyable enough read when I picked it up, but one of those books that I was finding other things to do rather than heading straight for it.
March 23, 2014
A novel structured as a musicians memoir, and like all memoirs, the narrator, Robert Goulding, is somewhat unreliable. The first third of this book is one of the funniest pieces I've read in a long time; it provoked belly aching, throat shredding, tear inducing helpless laughter in me. It's such an enjoyable part - the fizz of being young, broke and crazy about music, starting a band, creating songs - such a rush to read about.
As Rob ages, the mood darkens and loses some of it's early vim - but though it lacks the joy of the beginning, it is more contemplative in tone, so it works.
This is just a wonderful book - I want to force it into every single persons hand.
As Rob ages, the mood darkens and loses some of it's early vim - but though it lacks the joy of the beginning, it is more contemplative in tone, so it works.
This is just a wonderful book - I want to force it into every single persons hand.
August 13, 2014
This novel was practically written for me- about Irish people living in England, starting a band!? That's my life story! I always LOVE Joseph O'Connor's unique and believable way of telling a story, and creating completely original characters. This book tore me apart, from making me want to start a band when I go to university to putting me off playing with and therefore relying on others. I loved Robbie so much by the end that there were shameless tears at gruelling moments. It wasn't what I expected but this most recent novel of O'Connor's is definitely worth a read if you have a good taste in music.
October 9, 2018
Faux-memoir about being in a band from adolescence onwards by its lead singer. The milieu is roughly a decade before my day yet it feels timeless in all the right places. (I'm betting everyone knows at least one 'Shay.')
The memoir approach has its uses: it automatically shapes and paces the material, planing away the inessentials. It’s also realistic and quite self-depreciating - far from usual in novels of this type. It’s also a page-turner with a disgustingly high number of pithy phrases that sum up decades of experience.
The memoir approach has its uses: it automatically shapes and paces the material, planing away the inessentials. It’s also realistic and quite self-depreciating - far from usual in novels of this type. It’s also a page-turner with a disgustingly high number of pithy phrases that sum up decades of experience.
May 30, 2018
A truly wonderful book about the rise and fall of an Eighties rock band. Funny,sad and poignant with a satisfying ending. A must read for all my fellow music obsessives !
March 8, 2020
Robbie Goulding und Francis Mulvey lernen sich als Teenager in der Schule kennen und sind auf den ersten Blick so verschieden wie Tag und Nacht. Robbies Familie ist nach einem Schicksalsschlag aus Irland nach Luton unweit von London gezogen, Robbie und sein Bruder sind ganz normale durchschnittliche Jungs, die Eltern predigen traditionelle Werte wie Fleiß und Bescheidenheit. Fran wurde aus einem vietnamesischen Waisenhaus von einem englischen Paar adoptiert, hat mit 17 schon so einiges hinter sich und bewegt sich am liebsten außerhalb des Mainstream und kommt auch schon mal im Kleid zum Unterricht.
Die Verbindung zwischen den beiden ist ihre Liebe zur Musik, und schließlich gründen sie gemeinsam mit Sarah-Thérèse, Trez genannt, begnadete Cellistin, die auch noch andere Instrumente und das gesamte Spektrum von Klassik bis Folkrock beherrscht, und ihrem schlagzeugspielenden Bruder Seán eine Band namens The Ships in the Night.
Der Weg vom provisorischen Proberaum im Werkzeugschuppen von Robbies Eltern bis an die Spitze der Charts ist lang, weit und beschwerlich: Gigs am AdW vor desinteressiertem Publikum, zahlreiche auf Tour im Auto verbrachte Nächte, weil die Kohle nicht für Übernachtungen reicht, die Suche nach einer Plattenfirma und nicht zuletzt die vier so unterschiedlichen Charaktere, die immer wieder aneinandergeraten. Insbesondere Fran ist eine schwierige Persönlichkeit vom Typ Vulkan, der jederzeit hochgehen kann.
Und so ist es auch schon von Beginn des Buches an klar, dass es kam, wie es kommen musste, und die Band zerbrochen ist. Im Jahr 2012 steht ein Reunion-Konzert an, und Robbie erzählt im Rückblick die bewegte Geschichte der Ships, die nur sehr selten in ruhigen Fahrwassern gesegelt sind.
Kann die Geschichte einer erfundenen Band spannend sein, wo doch oft genug Bücher über existierende Musikgruppen eher öde daherkommen? Dieses Buch, das schönerweise dem leider schon verstorbenen Pogues-Gitarristen Philip Chevron gewidmet ist, beweist eindeutig das Gegenteil. Es macht Spaß, den Werdegang der "Ships" zu verfolgen, den O'Connor mit Liebe zum (musikalischen) Detail und viel Gespür für seine Figuren nachzeichnet. Schade nur, dass es den mitreißenden Folkrock, der da so liebevoll beschrieben wird, nicht tatsächlich zu hören gibt. (Die zahlreichen im Buch erwähnten Künstler sorgen aber auch so für eine hübsche Playlist.)
Allen geübten Englischlesern sei im übrigen die Originalversion ans Herz gelegt. O'Connor formuliert so witzig und treffend und urbritisch (alleine schon die kreativen Beschimpfungen und Flüche lohnen die Lektüre), dass es eine Freude ist und wohl in der Übersetzung nur verlorengehen kann.
Ein toller Ritt durch 25 Jahre Popkultur und das Leben des Erzählers!
Die Verbindung zwischen den beiden ist ihre Liebe zur Musik, und schließlich gründen sie gemeinsam mit Sarah-Thérèse, Trez genannt, begnadete Cellistin, die auch noch andere Instrumente und das gesamte Spektrum von Klassik bis Folkrock beherrscht, und ihrem schlagzeugspielenden Bruder Seán eine Band namens The Ships in the Night.
Der Weg vom provisorischen Proberaum im Werkzeugschuppen von Robbies Eltern bis an die Spitze der Charts ist lang, weit und beschwerlich: Gigs am AdW vor desinteressiertem Publikum, zahlreiche auf Tour im Auto verbrachte Nächte, weil die Kohle nicht für Übernachtungen reicht, die Suche nach einer Plattenfirma und nicht zuletzt die vier so unterschiedlichen Charaktere, die immer wieder aneinandergeraten. Insbesondere Fran ist eine schwierige Persönlichkeit vom Typ Vulkan, der jederzeit hochgehen kann.
Und so ist es auch schon von Beginn des Buches an klar, dass es kam, wie es kommen musste, und die Band zerbrochen ist. Im Jahr 2012 steht ein Reunion-Konzert an, und Robbie erzählt im Rückblick die bewegte Geschichte der Ships, die nur sehr selten in ruhigen Fahrwassern gesegelt sind.
Kann die Geschichte einer erfundenen Band spannend sein, wo doch oft genug Bücher über existierende Musikgruppen eher öde daherkommen? Dieses Buch, das schönerweise dem leider schon verstorbenen Pogues-Gitarristen Philip Chevron gewidmet ist, beweist eindeutig das Gegenteil. Es macht Spaß, den Werdegang der "Ships" zu verfolgen, den O'Connor mit Liebe zum (musikalischen) Detail und viel Gespür für seine Figuren nachzeichnet. Schade nur, dass es den mitreißenden Folkrock, der da so liebevoll beschrieben wird, nicht tatsächlich zu hören gibt. (Die zahlreichen im Buch erwähnten Künstler sorgen aber auch so für eine hübsche Playlist.)
Allen geübten Englischlesern sei im übrigen die Originalversion ans Herz gelegt. O'Connor formuliert so witzig und treffend und urbritisch (alleine schon die kreativen Beschimpfungen und Flüche lohnen die Lektüre), dass es eine Freude ist und wohl in der Übersetzung nur verlorengehen kann.
Ein toller Ritt durch 25 Jahre Popkultur und das Leben des Erzählers!
May 25, 2023
Indulgent. Unevenly paced. Long in the detail when we didn't need that much and noticeably short in the detail during a couple places where we def could have wanted more. Nonetheless: very very much fun.
July 20, 2023
No podría haberlo disfrutado más. Me parece un imprescindible para cualquier apasionado de la música; pero también para cualquiera que ame la vida, con todas sus risas y todas sus lágrimas, sus innumerables luces, pero también sus múltiples sombras. En definitiva, cien por cien recomendable.
September 28, 2017
I had two bites at Joseph O’Connor’s novel, hearing the first half on audiobook during a holiday then reading the paperback after finding a copy in Oxfam. As a result it was Ciarán Hinds’ restrained, confiding brogue that rose to me from the printed word, even when it was a woman speaking. For once my imagination, normally insistent on playing every part, did not complain. Being read to is a pleasure, even when the voice is inside one’s head.
The Thrill Of It All relates the slow ascent and rapid break-up of a pop group or rock band (the distinction a matter of opinion, a marker of allegiance and taste). It is mainly Robbie’s story, although the others also have their say. The least talented of the four (and nothing without them) he is somehow key to their success: peacemaker, ballast to larger egos, harmonic counterweight, rhythm-navvy: a sort of Ringo without the drums. His friendship with Fran, a Vietnamese-born outcast from foster care, lies at the heart of the book and the band. Fran is a genius and, in time, a monster, his demons (displacement, abuse) projected and magnified. There are echoes here of Lennon and McCartney, the one bitter and edgy, the other safer in every sense of the word. The group is completed by a sister and brother with more technical ability and perspective on the business. Rounded human beings take a back seat in music and fiction; but here, viewing the book as an album, Trez and Seán get a few tracks of their own. The chemistry between the four of them feels authentic, bearing in mind that we readers are a tough crowd, being experts in rock psychology from following our own favourite outfits as they fight, make up, splinter and reform. There is a script to be followed, certain niceties to observe, and O’Connor knows his stuff – on this and much else besides. In getting it right he seems to be telling the story of all groups and that part of our own lives as well.
Tellingly, it is the pre-fame sections of the book which work best. Robbie and Fran meet and grow up in Luton, depicted as a drab, small-minded town notable chiefly for not being London. But they transform it through their adventures into a semi-mythical landscape of suburban kitchens, grotty pubs, windy busking pitches and college corridors. Anyone who fled where they grew up but feels rooted all the same will recognise this sequence of get-me-out-of-here and take-me-back. This is their Hamburg phase, full of scallywag energy and irrational hope: having the dream, as many have found, is sweeter than living it. And in many ways the stand-out creation of the novel comes from this period in the person of Robbie’s dad. Jimmy is a shoe-in for Best Supporting Role, not only in his own right but on behalf of the Irish diaspora in England, doggedly tribal, modestly self-made. I laughed out loud when hearing his words spoken and did so again when reading them for myself. In fact, just thinking about him calling his son ‘Bridget’ makes my windpipe convulse.
The band’s brief spell in the limelight is harder to make original and therefore less gripping. Details of stadiums played, studio sessions with celebrity producers, the obligatory musical differences – for the first time one thinks: I’ve heard this before. And despite covering the longest period chronologically, the years after they split are skated over – necessary to prevent the book overrunning but lopsided, nonetheless. That said, there is some A-list name dropping and no let-up in the flow of musical opinions to agree with or shout down – the very essence of fandom. None of which is a plot spoiler, by the way. Because it leaves unanswered the question that arises regarding all ex-groups from the Beatles onwards: will they get back together? To know that you will have to read the book. Or submit to being spellbound by Mr Hinds.
www.brucejohns.co.uk
www.pickhatch.com
The Thrill Of It All relates the slow ascent and rapid break-up of a pop group or rock band (the distinction a matter of opinion, a marker of allegiance and taste). It is mainly Robbie’s story, although the others also have their say. The least talented of the four (and nothing without them) he is somehow key to their success: peacemaker, ballast to larger egos, harmonic counterweight, rhythm-navvy: a sort of Ringo without the drums. His friendship with Fran, a Vietnamese-born outcast from foster care, lies at the heart of the book and the band. Fran is a genius and, in time, a monster, his demons (displacement, abuse) projected and magnified. There are echoes here of Lennon and McCartney, the one bitter and edgy, the other safer in every sense of the word. The group is completed by a sister and brother with more technical ability and perspective on the business. Rounded human beings take a back seat in music and fiction; but here, viewing the book as an album, Trez and Seán get a few tracks of their own. The chemistry between the four of them feels authentic, bearing in mind that we readers are a tough crowd, being experts in rock psychology from following our own favourite outfits as they fight, make up, splinter and reform. There is a script to be followed, certain niceties to observe, and O’Connor knows his stuff – on this and much else besides. In getting it right he seems to be telling the story of all groups and that part of our own lives as well.
Tellingly, it is the pre-fame sections of the book which work best. Robbie and Fran meet and grow up in Luton, depicted as a drab, small-minded town notable chiefly for not being London. But they transform it through their adventures into a semi-mythical landscape of suburban kitchens, grotty pubs, windy busking pitches and college corridors. Anyone who fled where they grew up but feels rooted all the same will recognise this sequence of get-me-out-of-here and take-me-back. This is their Hamburg phase, full of scallywag energy and irrational hope: having the dream, as many have found, is sweeter than living it. And in many ways the stand-out creation of the novel comes from this period in the person of Robbie’s dad. Jimmy is a shoe-in for Best Supporting Role, not only in his own right but on behalf of the Irish diaspora in England, doggedly tribal, modestly self-made. I laughed out loud when hearing his words spoken and did so again when reading them for myself. In fact, just thinking about him calling his son ‘Bridget’ makes my windpipe convulse.
The band’s brief spell in the limelight is harder to make original and therefore less gripping. Details of stadiums played, studio sessions with celebrity producers, the obligatory musical differences – for the first time one thinks: I’ve heard this before. And despite covering the longest period chronologically, the years after they split are skated over – necessary to prevent the book overrunning but lopsided, nonetheless. That said, there is some A-list name dropping and no let-up in the flow of musical opinions to agree with or shout down – the very essence of fandom. None of which is a plot spoiler, by the way. Because it leaves unanswered the question that arises regarding all ex-groups from the Beatles onwards: will they get back together? To know that you will have to read the book. Or submit to being spellbound by Mr Hinds.
www.brucejohns.co.uk
www.pickhatch.com
February 5, 2016
La proprietà era un furto; la repubblica dei lavoratori l’avrebbe abolita. Da ognuno secondo le sue capacità – era il suo credo –, a ognuno secondo i suoi bisogni. Ma quando la sua tesi gli si rivoltò contro sotto forma della richiesta dell’amplificatore, diventò più thatcherista del Daily Mail nel suo accalorato rifiuto e nella difesa del possesso privato. «L’amplificatore è mio, capito?, ritardato che non hai voglia di lavorare»
LOL!!!
Qualche architetto che viveva a Perugia o in una canonica riconvertita sperduta in campagna aveva ritenuto che un palazzone neo-staliniano fosse la scenografia adatta per stimolare la fioritura della creatività giovanile.
OOOOO Ma dai! Un irlandese che conosce Perugia - e non aveva neanche visto Luisa Spagnoli!
LOL!!!
Qualche architetto che viveva a Perugia o in una canonica riconvertita sperduta in campagna aveva ritenuto che un palazzone neo-staliniano fosse la scenografia adatta per stimolare la fioritura della creatività giovanile.
OOOOO Ma dai! Un irlandese che conosce Perugia - e non aveva neanche visto Luisa Spagnoli!
June 7, 2019
I absolutely loved this book. O'Connor has created credible, flawed, but immensely likeable characters. He tells the band's story through their various voices and keeps the reader engaged as he reveals their respective fates. Humour is interspersed throughout the book. A fabulous read!
November 28, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime:
Joseph O'Connor's novel spans 25 years and charts the rise and fall of a rock band.
Joseph O'Connor's novel spans 25 years and charts the rise and fall of a rock band.
August 11, 2018
Unexpectedly touching.
March 23, 2025
Esta es la historia FICTICIA de una banda de punk en el Reino Unido de la década de los '80s. La historia sigue a Robbie Goulding, un adolescente irlandés criado en Luton, Inglaterra, que conoce a Fran Mulvey, un guitarrista carismático y medio salvaje. Juntos forman una banda, The Ships, a la que se suman Trez y Sean, completando un cuarteto lleno de energía, talento y tensiones latentes. La novela recorre su ascenso meteórico en la escena musical británica —inspirada en bandas como The Smiths o The Cure— y también su desintegración inevitable, marcada por el ego, las drogas, el amor y las heridas del pasado.
Escrita como si fuera una especie de memoir, Robbie narra los hechos con una mezcla de nostalgia, ironía y afecto. Hay entrevistas intercaladas, recuerdos fragmentados, anécdotas divertidas y momentos devastadores. No es solo una historia sobre una banda de rock, sino una exploración del paso del tiempo, del arrepentimiento, de la intensidad de la juventud y del poder redentor de la música.
Escrita como si fuera una especie de memoir, Robbie narra los hechos con una mezcla de nostalgia, ironía y afecto. Hay entrevistas intercaladas, recuerdos fragmentados, anécdotas divertidas y momentos devastadores. No es solo una historia sobre una banda de rock, sino una exploración del paso del tiempo, del arrepentimiento, de la intensidad de la juventud y del poder redentor de la música.
June 4, 2020
Dit boek kun je samenvatten als “de memoires van een fictieve band, verteld uit het standpunt van één van de bandleden”, wat je misschien al doet vermoeden dat muziek een vrij centrale plaats inneemt in het geheel. Ik moest me concentreren om alles goed te begrijpen (het Engelse woordgebruik was voor mij niet altijd eenvoudig) en waarschijnlijk heb ik tonnen muzikale referenties gemist door mijn gebrek aan kennis van popcultuur in de jaren tachtig, maar wat een verdomd geestig geschreven boek. Liefst zou ik het 3,5 sterren geven. 4 is dan weer net te hoog gegrepen omdat de personages niet altijd even doorleefd aanvoelen. In elk geval heb ik wel vaak binnensmonds moeten gniffelen met de hilarische beschrijvingen en dialogen.
June 12, 2022
I cannot praise this book highly enough. Not only is it beautifully written, it fizzes and hums with an effervescent and irresistible humour on almost every line. It is moving and laugh-out-loud funny in equal measure, which is a difficult trick to pull off. As an account of rock dreamers from that era, it simply spits authenticity. But O'Connor is a highly versatile writer, so if you are looking for something similar to, say, Shadowplay, you will be disappointed. Both are excellent novels, but if I didn't know better, I would find it hard to believe that they were by the same writer. In my humble opinion, Joseph O'Connor is simply the finest Irish novelist of his generation - and that's saying something.
February 2, 2025
Ya está. Acabé el mejor libro que he leído este año y apenas es febrero. Hace mucho no me emocionaba tanto una historia así. El rock es el telar de fondo, la novela va de todos los reveses, altos y dolorosos bajos en una amistad. Siempre le tendré cariño a Rob y Fran.
February 9, 2025
Gran libro, con mucho sentido del humor.
Un grupo de irlandeses que vivían en Luton en los 80.
Para gente que le gusta la música.
Un grupo de irlandeses que vivían en Luton en los 80.
Para gente que le gusta la música.
September 29, 2015
De rockroman lijkt een typisch Angelsaksisch gegeven, met als twee grote uitschieters natuurlijk Roddy Doyles The Commitments en Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity. Dat de Ier Joseph O’Connor ooit zijn eigen bijdrage zou leveren aan dit genre stond in feite in de sterren geschreven. Als broer van Sinéad hoefde hij in theorie zijn oor maar te luisteren te leggen bij zuslief om een rollercoaster van een boek in handen te hebben. Of hij dat ook gedaan heeft, weten we niet. De man staat er immers om bekend in het openbaar nooit over zijn familie te willen praten, maar fans van Sinéad willen we op voorhand al waarschuwen. Er komt in deze roman geen enkel personage voor dat ook maar iets met haar van doen heeft. Nee, O’Connor heeft voor een heel andere band gekozen, een meer klassieke, met Fran, een Vietnamees adoptiekind dat zich graag aan Bowie spiegelt als leadzanger, de Ierse Robbie op gitaar, celliste en “Oxfam Fatale” Trez op de bas en haar broer Séan op de drums. Samen vormen zij The Ships in the Night, genoemd naar een song van Roxy Music.
O’Connor heeft De nacht is jong de vorm gegeven van een autobiografisch geschrift van Robbie, waarin deze niet alleen zijn eigen dagboeken, maar ook interviews met de andere bandleden heeft verwerkt en waaruit blijkt dat - zoals dat met alle bands gaat - geen twee neuzen dezelfde kant uit keken en ieder zijn eigen interpretatie had van de feiten.
Robbie begint zijn getuigenis in de vroege jaren 1980, in Luton, het artificiële stadje niet ver van Londen. Thatcher is aan de macht, de toekomst lijkt op zijn best grijs en muziek is een manier om te reageren. Dat O’Connor zich terdege bewust is van de sociologische omstandigheden van die tijd mag blijken uit de manier waarop hij de tegenstellingen weet te duiden tussen de achtergrond van de bandleden, met Fran die thuis weggelopen is, de burgerlijke Trez en Séan en Robbie die moet opboksen tegen de onophoudelijke kritiek van zijn vader die een andere toekomst in gedachten had voor zijn zoon.
Zoals de meeste bands doorlopen ook The Ships in the Night het bekende parcours: de trage opgang, het succesalbum, de steeds groter wordende zalen, een wereldtoernee en de uiteindelijke split. En dan, vele jaren later, de eenmalige reünie, waaruit blijkt dat zo’n band uiteindelijk iets van een familie heeft en veel meer is dan een stel individuen naast elkaar. O’Connor weet het allemaal beeldend en tot in de details neer te zetten. Robbie is volgens zijn dochter een echte Ier die je zonder enige moeite onder de tafel kan vertellen en het boek staat dan ook boordevol sappige verhalen. Exemplarisch is bijvoorbeeld het relaas over Robbies eerste geliefde. Hij nam het meisje mee naar een voorstelling van Peter Shaffers Equus, omdat hij wist dat ze van paarden hield en hij had gehoord dat dit een thema was in het stuk. Alleen bleek het over een labiele jongen te gaan die er zachtjesaan achter komt dat hij een paard wil neuken, wat G. - zoals hij het meisje discreet noemt - zo shockeerde dat er een afscheidsbrief volgde.
Roddy Doyle schreef The Commitments in 1987 en Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity verscheen in 1995. O’Connor knipoogt naar beide boeken in zijn roman. Er is de aanstekelijke humor die aan Doyle doet denken, en er zijn de lijstjes waarvan Hornby’s boek vol staat. Mooi is bijvoorbeeld de lijst bestaande uit songs die Robbie aan Trez doen denken. Maar door zo expliciet naar boeken te verwijzen van twee of drie decennia geleden heeft O’Connor zijn roman ook iets gedateerds gegeven. We hebben hier te maken met een gezette burger van in de vijftig die op een vrij gemaakte en afstandelijke manier over de jaren tachtig schrijft, krijg je de indruk, en niet over iemand die in het dagelijkse Ierse leven staat. Om echt goed te zijn mankeert het De nacht is jong aan engagement en diepgang.
O’Connor heeft De nacht is jong de vorm gegeven van een autobiografisch geschrift van Robbie, waarin deze niet alleen zijn eigen dagboeken, maar ook interviews met de andere bandleden heeft verwerkt en waaruit blijkt dat - zoals dat met alle bands gaat - geen twee neuzen dezelfde kant uit keken en ieder zijn eigen interpretatie had van de feiten.
Robbie begint zijn getuigenis in de vroege jaren 1980, in Luton, het artificiële stadje niet ver van Londen. Thatcher is aan de macht, de toekomst lijkt op zijn best grijs en muziek is een manier om te reageren. Dat O’Connor zich terdege bewust is van de sociologische omstandigheden van die tijd mag blijken uit de manier waarop hij de tegenstellingen weet te duiden tussen de achtergrond van de bandleden, met Fran die thuis weggelopen is, de burgerlijke Trez en Séan en Robbie die moet opboksen tegen de onophoudelijke kritiek van zijn vader die een andere toekomst in gedachten had voor zijn zoon.
Zoals de meeste bands doorlopen ook The Ships in the Night het bekende parcours: de trage opgang, het succesalbum, de steeds groter wordende zalen, een wereldtoernee en de uiteindelijke split. En dan, vele jaren later, de eenmalige reünie, waaruit blijkt dat zo’n band uiteindelijk iets van een familie heeft en veel meer is dan een stel individuen naast elkaar. O’Connor weet het allemaal beeldend en tot in de details neer te zetten. Robbie is volgens zijn dochter een echte Ier die je zonder enige moeite onder de tafel kan vertellen en het boek staat dan ook boordevol sappige verhalen. Exemplarisch is bijvoorbeeld het relaas over Robbies eerste geliefde. Hij nam het meisje mee naar een voorstelling van Peter Shaffers Equus, omdat hij wist dat ze van paarden hield en hij had gehoord dat dit een thema was in het stuk. Alleen bleek het over een labiele jongen te gaan die er zachtjesaan achter komt dat hij een paard wil neuken, wat G. - zoals hij het meisje discreet noemt - zo shockeerde dat er een afscheidsbrief volgde.
Roddy Doyle schreef The Commitments in 1987 en Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity verscheen in 1995. O’Connor knipoogt naar beide boeken in zijn roman. Er is de aanstekelijke humor die aan Doyle doet denken, en er zijn de lijstjes waarvan Hornby’s boek vol staat. Mooi is bijvoorbeeld de lijst bestaande uit songs die Robbie aan Trez doen denken. Maar door zo expliciet naar boeken te verwijzen van twee of drie decennia geleden heeft O’Connor zijn roman ook iets gedateerds gegeven. We hebben hier te maken met een gezette burger van in de vijftig die op een vrij gemaakte en afstandelijke manier over de jaren tachtig schrijft, krijg je de indruk, en niet over iemand die in het dagelijkse Ierse leven staat. Om echt goed te zijn mankeert het De nacht is jong aan engagement en diepgang.
December 17, 2021
Book Review
The Thrill of it all by Joseph O’Connor
It is an age old story. Boy meets boy, they form a band, conquer the world, become rich and successful, one marries the other’s girlfriend, before a bittersweet reunion gig.
1980’s Luton is not the most exotic of places, but it was where Robbie Goulding met the much more mysterious and charismatic Fran Mulvey, and together with cellist Sarah, and her drummer brother Sean, the Ships in the Night are formed. Over the course of twenty five years, the novel follows the quartet’s mixed fortunes, both personally, and artistically.
Anyone who has been in a band, regardless of stature and success, will find something to identify with here, whether it arguments about money and artistic differences, letting each other have lives outside of the band, or the changes wrought by influences outside of the narrow confines of the band. O’Connor has bought the writing style, and love for characters that was rife within such works as The Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls to this story, that is about family, friends, love, and love for music and art in all of its forms.
The narrator is Robbie, and the book is his autobiography, so we look at his successes, and failures, the days spent on Top of the Pops, nestling in the charts with Wham, before a non-appearance from Sarah puts the skids on their upward trajectory, a move to America changes their fortunes again. Like the Police, all members had very successful careers after the band folds, but the front-man, gets the spoils, and although Robbie has his struggles with alcohol and drugs, he becomes clean and sober enough to write an autobiography that is packed full of vivid description, pathos, betrayal, redemption, and the healing power of friendship, electric guitars, and an audience.
The Thrill of it all by Joseph O’Connor
It is an age old story. Boy meets boy, they form a band, conquer the world, become rich and successful, one marries the other’s girlfriend, before a bittersweet reunion gig.
1980’s Luton is not the most exotic of places, but it was where Robbie Goulding met the much more mysterious and charismatic Fran Mulvey, and together with cellist Sarah, and her drummer brother Sean, the Ships in the Night are formed. Over the course of twenty five years, the novel follows the quartet’s mixed fortunes, both personally, and artistically.
Anyone who has been in a band, regardless of stature and success, will find something to identify with here, whether it arguments about money and artistic differences, letting each other have lives outside of the band, or the changes wrought by influences outside of the narrow confines of the band. O’Connor has bought the writing style, and love for characters that was rife within such works as The Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls to this story, that is about family, friends, love, and love for music and art in all of its forms.
The narrator is Robbie, and the book is his autobiography, so we look at his successes, and failures, the days spent on Top of the Pops, nestling in the charts with Wham, before a non-appearance from Sarah puts the skids on their upward trajectory, a move to America changes their fortunes again. Like the Police, all members had very successful careers after the band folds, but the front-man, gets the spoils, and although Robbie has his struggles with alcohol and drugs, he becomes clean and sober enough to write an autobiography that is packed full of vivid description, pathos, betrayal, redemption, and the healing power of friendship, electric guitars, and an audience.
January 14, 2016
So this is the difference. For a Joseph O'Connor book, this wasn't his best, but it was still so so good.
In Listowel this spring (2014 - http://wombatsdigit.com/w/2014/09/mee...) he talked at length about how he composes his books, how long it takes him to compose his books, how he speaks each sentence out loud to see if the cadence sounds right. *This* effort is what made the first... third of the book, where we get introduced to the players and their young selves and the author's love of music of the seventies bearable. I would go so far as to say enjoyable, even, because of that level of care paid to the sentences that make up the book, though it does feel like a little indulgence on the part of O'Connor, pinwheeling down the lane. For example, the part that he read out at Listowel, in which a young Robbie Goulding comes home late and drunk and gets a bollocking by his dear old dad, was very musical and funny and finely tuned... except it was a little bit long.
When the band comes together and moves to London things get really moving along and it becomes vintage O'Connor and I just got swept along by the current, instead of appreciating the technical details but lamenting the slow pace of the story. The people, Robbie, Trez, Fran, and Seán become living and breathing three dimensional characters and the story coalesces around Robbie and the thrill he's had of it all.
So if you're up for a little slog in the beginning, maybe some beautiful sentences and paragraphs, you'll pull through the other side into the kind of amazing stuff Joseph O'Connor regularly produces.
In Listowel this spring (2014 - http://wombatsdigit.com/w/2014/09/mee...) he talked at length about how he composes his books, how long it takes him to compose his books, how he speaks each sentence out loud to see if the cadence sounds right. *This* effort is what made the first... third of the book, where we get introduced to the players and their young selves and the author's love of music of the seventies bearable. I would go so far as to say enjoyable, even, because of that level of care paid to the sentences that make up the book, though it does feel like a little indulgence on the part of O'Connor, pinwheeling down the lane. For example, the part that he read out at Listowel, in which a young Robbie Goulding comes home late and drunk and gets a bollocking by his dear old dad, was very musical and funny and finely tuned... except it was a little bit long.
When the band comes together and moves to London things get really moving along and it becomes vintage O'Connor and I just got swept along by the current, instead of appreciating the technical details but lamenting the slow pace of the story. The people, Robbie, Trez, Fran, and Seán become living and breathing three dimensional characters and the story coalesces around Robbie and the thrill he's had of it all.
So if you're up for a little slog in the beginning, maybe some beautiful sentences and paragraphs, you'll pull through the other side into the kind of amazing stuff Joseph O'Connor regularly produces.
September 18, 2015
There's lots of things along the way with this book that I didn't think would grab me - the early passages around college life and the scraping around (for fun/money/lifestyle etc.), making mates & forming friendships, were terrific but, once it hit the passage of fame, I really thought I'd go off it. For one, the character & background of Fran Mulvey struck me as... implausible; I'm not saying the idea of the character and ethnic background of Fran *can't* happen but, when you're faced with someone as well-defined as Fran is in the book but still can't quite picture him in real life, you're gonna struggle wherever you encounter him.
The band itself was another facet I struggled with - bands CAN be melting pots of various influences, yet the Kinks/New Wave/Talking Heads/Ska/Clash/Reggae thing that we're expected to swallow with The Ships is a tricky dish to digest. I'm no doubt looking for a real-life parallel and, finding none (or at least, not in my musical experience), failing to see reality in this story.
All that said, this is nevertheless a lovely story - whilst Fran is thankfully despatched to the margins of the story partway through, the relationships of Robbie, Trez and Seán are what the important final third of the book is built around. It's sentimental and self-aggrandising, but this is fine because,
a) It's a fictional band
b) Rock 'n 'Roll IS sentimental
and most importantly, it knowingly and deliberately (unlike the film of The Commitments) ducks the obvious finale and settles for something a little more mundane, but plausible. I had even started to believe in Fran a little by that point!
A decent and engaging read.
The band itself was another facet I struggled with - bands CAN be melting pots of various influences, yet the Kinks/New Wave/Talking Heads/Ska/Clash/Reggae thing that we're expected to swallow with The Ships is a tricky dish to digest. I'm no doubt looking for a real-life parallel and, finding none (or at least, not in my musical experience), failing to see reality in this story.
All that said, this is nevertheless a lovely story - whilst Fran is thankfully despatched to the margins of the story partway through, the relationships of Robbie, Trez and Seán are what the important final third of the book is built around. It's sentimental and self-aggrandising, but this is fine because,
a) It's a fictional band
b) Rock 'n 'Roll IS sentimental
and most importantly, it knowingly and deliberately (unlike the film of The Commitments) ducks the obvious finale and settles for something a little more mundane, but plausible. I had even started to believe in Fran a little by that point!
A decent and engaging read.
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