Suede: The Biography: The Authorised Biography

by David Barnett

The definitive story of Suede. From the early beginnings and instant tag of the 'new saviours of rock n' roll', to lead singer Brett Anderson's relationship with Justine Frischmann who - to the delight of the national press - transferred her affections to rival band Blur's Damon Albarn; the arrival of guitar supremo Bernard Butler and the ensuing chart-topping singles, albums and sell-out tours; Bernard's subsequent departure at the height of their fame and narcotic excesses; right up to the present day, getting back together in 2010 for a series of concerts then a new album, "Love & Poison" covers Suede's entire career.

Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, Music Biography, London, Pop Culture

498 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The captivating concealed-autobiography of a toothy prick's adventures in the underworld and underbelly of 1990s Britpop's occasional darlings, Suede.
Or Swayyyyyde, as I prefer to call them.

If you are interested in the 90s UK music scene, and this band's sometimes Roman Empire, sometimes Reginald Perrin, -esque rise and fall within it, then you will like this book!

Worth the price for the photographic evidence of David's peacock-cockatoo-hairdo alone!

[Tom Boniface-Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This guy knows his stuff

Written by one of the closest sources possible to the band, there is no doubting the validity of the writer’s knowledge on Suede, and this makes for a fantastically detailed read.

I would be interested in a more objective look at the band too.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biographies of pop stars, lets be honest, are usually, at best, tabloid trash that rarely appeal to a wider audience than the subject's fans. In that sense, it's hard to imagine anyone who didn't at least obsess over a Suede song or two relating to Love and Poison. It's not just a biography of a band that 99.99999999% of the universe hasn't heard of, its a biography written by that band's largest living fan. As an assistant to their manager, he spent a great deal of time touring with them, getting to know the various members, and meeting the people the songs were about. This biography is as much a biography of David Barnett as it is a biography of Suede, and in that sense, it is actually interesting. His wit is truly biting, and he spares nobody, himself included, in his scathing commentary. The band themselves, however, come off as shallow, petulant, spoiled and reasonably boring. An accidental Spinal Tap, a silly parody of themselves. Barnett should be credited with not glorifying the authors of his favorite songs, and revealing just how ordinary and greedy and piggish they really are. He does a good job of revealing the bland normality behind the seedy image the band worked so hard to promote for themselves. Ultimately, the book is like a long goodbye letter from a select few of us who once loved this band. It's probably not accessible to anyone who didn't fall in love for the first time to "Wild Ones", those who cared one way or the other why Bernard left, and those who really, for whatever reason, want to read a book that probably would have been better if it had been a biography of its author. David Barnett probably could write a good book about how music can shape life, love and identity. It'd be funny as hell, too.

NC

[Jeff Howells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suede remain one of my favourite bands. I remember vividly their appearance at the Brits (which at the time was still a cosy back slapping corporate event). I've seen them 3 times: I saw them on the Dog Man Star tour (which introduced their new guitarist Richard Oakes) and was lucky enough to see their comeback gig at the Royal Albert Hall. It's the best gig I've ever attended, there was so much love in the room for them that night which considering they'd almost become the forgotten band of the 'britpop' era was immensely gratifying. I also saw them at Brixton when they played 'Coming Up' in its entirety - another excellent gig. This is several levels up from the normal 'cut & paste' Music Biography. The author was a fan/friend/employee of Suede. It's a reissue of a previous book, but instead of undertaking a rewrite the author uses footnotes to add new thoughts & views to the narrative. This actually works quite well. It's certainly not a white wash, it doesn't stint on either the drugs nor the arguments. The band were great and this book does them justice.

[ghaliah majid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a huge fan of Suede which led me to assume that I wouldn’t really enjoy reading this book HOWEVER I was completely wrong. I’ve been in a book slump and this book got me out of it, I’m genuinely surprised by how much I ended up loving it !!!

[Niklas Pivic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written by a Suede fan. As such, it's a bit of a hagiography, drug abuse and wasted time aside. Still, it's an often funny read about a band that exploded from abject poverty into extreme fame, mainly thanks to the intense partnership between Bernard Butler (guitarist and songsmith) and Brett Anderson (singer and songsmith).

As Barnett acts bitchy throughout the book, and occasionally got me to think "oh, when will his self-obsessed ass get edited the right way?", he actually annotated his own words from the first print of this book, when it was called "Love and Poison". An example:

The then deputy editor of the NME later confided that, while he enjoyed the book, there were far too many Smiths song references in it for his liking. I counted seven in the first three chapters alone so he may well have had a point.

There's also a lot of taking the piss out of himself in this book, for which Barnett deserves credit. From the preface:

The lion's share of Love & Poison, the first edition of this book, was diligently thrashed out over the long hot summer of 2003 on a diet of Stella Artois and Camel Lights. Unleashed in September of that year, just as the band were disintegrating, it was an instant critical and commercial success and quickly became part of the Suede mythos; increasingly so in recent years when copies became impossible to get hold of, exchanging hands for silly money on eBay and Amazon. Of all the many flattering reviews, the one that meant the most came from Brett Anderson in the form of a no-nonsense email: “The book moved me. Nice one. xBrett.” Indeed, Suede’s singer was the only member of the band to request precisely zero changes to the original manuscript whatsoever, intuitively understanding that the biography’s unblinking snorts-and-all candor made up for the occasionally schizophrenic nature of its prose. (Although I did once see a copy inscribed in his unmistakable hand with the message “This book is crap!” and I’m not entirely sure he was joking).

There's always been a good way from Anderson in terms of retaliation, or just answering idiots:

“Throughout the whole of growing up there was a very vivid undercurrent of violence,” Brett agrees. “They always called me queer. I quite liked it, actually, because when you’re insulted by someone you consider a complete piece of shit, how can it be an insult?”

It is quite lovely to follow the band's formation at times:

“Young guitar player needed by London based band. Smiths, Commotions, Bowie, PSBs. No musos. Some things are more important than ability. Call Brett.” Two people responded. One was “a guy who had a guitar”. The other was a skinny 19-year-old called Bernard Butler.

Speaking of seeking people for the band, a drummer was needed:

“Well, I’m sorry but I’m afraid we’re a London-based band.” “That’s not a problem, I’ve worked with London-based bands before, I can commute. It’s only a couple of hours on the train.” “Who have you worked with then?” “A band called the Smiths. My name’s Mike Joyce.”

Also, when Suede was coming together, Justine Frischmann, playing rhythm guitar and being Anderson's girlfriend, decided to leave both the band and Anderson, going instead for Damon Albarn of Blur:

Remarkably, these circumstances, far from destroying the band as might be expected, actually brought its core elements closer together. “It was a weird period because we’d split up and because of that me and Bernard got closer as well because I didn’t have Justine any more as a friend,” says Brett. “Alan has always been a great friend and was there for me and Bernard was there for me as well, he was there for me as a friend. In the early days me and Bernard were good friends and it’s something that people might not know now. There was a weird period where she was still in the band. I was writing songs like ‘Pantomime Horse’, which wasn’t directly about her, but it was a celebration of my own tragedy. It was definitely kicked off by the fact that I was fucking depressed and stuff like ‘He’s Dead’... I couldn’t have written them if I was happy, they were the product of an unhappy mind.” “’I would die for the stars she said,’ that was a reference to Justine choosing Damon over Brett because he was famous and stuff,” adds Alan. “The lyrics are pretty self-explanatory.”

Simon Gilbert's journal recants some of the most notorious aspects of the band circa the time when they completely broke up with Bernard Butler—or possibly when Butler broke up with them:

June 6: Brett is completely pissed off at the studio. Understandably.
June 7: Meeting at studio with Brett, Saul, Ed, Charlie and myself
June 8: Charlie went to see Bernard – ‘Brett’s obviously a paedophile because he asked ‘Lisa her age, on her birthday!’
June 9: Spoke to Bernard. Seems he has snapped out of it. For now.
June 10: Butler is apparently recording all his telephone conversations.
June 11: E x 4. Coke x 1. Acid x 2.

Still, the band got better and worse.

All in all, this book is a ride, although Barnett's style is its forté as well as its curse; homely as well as far too fan-y, it's a give and take relationship: it gives off a lot of fun, but it's simultaneously like hanging out with a guest that refuses to leave your party. If you hang on, you'll be rewarded, especially if you like Suede and raucous recounts.

[Sylvain · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is interesting as it recounts the tale of one of the most influent British band of the 90s. However, I must say, I got bored quite a few times through it. One can only take so much of "drama, drugs, more drama, more drugs". The number of times we read they were doing drugs doesn't make it rock n'roll. Just plain boring. Actually some of the book makes some of the band members totally superficials since you only read about their drug frenziness, not much else. In that regards, it's quite surprising how the band members never really seemed to step back and realise how much they are responsible for most of what happened to them. During the Butler's era, the book implies that Bernard was clearly annoyed at them for partying and getting on drugs so much. It seems the other band members didn't understand this and were unfair to him in that regards.

On the music side, the book doesn't go into details much about most of them either until well into Head Music. Up to that album, it talks more about inner drama of the band, which can be sometimes informative, but not much about the creative process. I know Bernard Butler refused to be part of the book and I can see why, David Barnett is rather obsessed by who shagged whom and whether or not he was at any given gig. That was boring too after a while.

Fortunately, after Head Music, the book is much more interesting regarding the creative process. I enjoyed the chapters leading to the release of "A new morning".

I don't know if it's the book's fault or not but the band members never really seem to be united much. They were too happy to complain and drop their band mates. Maybe it's the way it's being told but the members never sounded very inspiring as a band. It was a bit saddening.

It's a good book and it made me want to listen to Suede songs I had probably overlooked but I was expecting more than just drama facts.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suede vocalist Brett Anderson once described the career of rock band being formulaic: a story of struggle followed by success, followed by disintegration.

'It’s like the life cycle of a frog. It’s utterly predictable," he said.

Although he chose a more reflective approach for his own memoirs, this predecessor, written by David Barnet, a fan who became part of their entourage, takes a more traditional route.

It is meticulous in its detail and clearly methodically researched and jigsawed to present the band's chronology. Its 'colour' comes by way of the many and varied interviews - sadly Bernard Butler the key omission. How different would this book have been if he had co-operated? Perhaps a contrasting story would have been revealed.

The Suede story charts the band's many successes, it's pressures, the destructive nature of its relationships and the effect of drugs, drugs and more drugs - an ingredient which crucially fractured band dynamics and creative processes almost beyond repair.

My only criticism of this book would be the slightly repetitive nature of its later chapters, the descriptions of the band imploding during the recording of their final album and arduous touring which led to greater division, were somewhat drawn out.

This book was originally published in 2003 and later updated with annotations by the author, making it intriguingly autobiographical and humorous...although sometimes diverting from the flow of the original text.

For those of us who experienced the impact of Suede when they first came to prominence, this book reflects and echoes that miraculous time, the effect that had on their fans and the legacy they left behind which served as a soundscape to our lives.

[Shon McDonnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Suede a little less now...

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ricky Gervais managed Suede? No kidding.

[Luigi Dall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read about the seminal band which created three now classic albums and a whole poetic world of council houses, drugs, sex, old fashioned romanticism and legendary songs.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly serviceable, if unremarkable, biography of Suede, that self-sabotaging purveyor of alternative rock/pop that shone brightly through the 90s. Barnett was closely involved with the band, having written the Suave & Elegant fanzine, before joining their management team, so he was able to interview most of the band at length. The notable exception is former guitarist Bernard Butler.

Barnett sometimes lets the hyperbole overtake his writing, but he's a fan, so that can be forgiven to an extent, but it does make for a less than objective take on the band than might otherwise be. That said he does a good job of telling the band's rise to fame, getting some good interview material from Anderson, Oakes, Codling, Osman and Gilbert as well as former bandmate Justine Frischmann and various friends and hangers on.

The first half of the book, which covers their beginnings, meteoric rise and first couple of albums to the point where Butler (who comes across as a bit of a dickhead tbh) goes off the rails and quits is the best part. After that it becomes a run through album, tour, drug addiction, self-sabotage and repeat.

The edition I read ends with the band announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2003 and with a reconciliation of sorts between Anderson and Butler and the prospect of a solo album. Barnett has since updated the book to cover the 2011 reunion tour and subsequent (and quite excellent) Bloodpsorts album.

So, not the best biography of a band, but a good read. If you're a fan you'll love it, if you're a casual, interested listener there may well be better books about Suede and Britpop out there.

[Veerle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being late at the Suede party (I arrived 25 years after everybody else) and suffering from a post tour comedown, this book was the perfect cure. It's a treasure trove full of facts about the rise and fall of one of my favourite bands' first career halve from someone who was (partially) there.

What I loved the most was the brutal honesty. It isn't a glittered-up fairy tale, but a rocky road with highs (in all possible ways) and lows, fantastic gigs, success, bad decisions, fights and shaky relationships. I learnt quite a lot about drugs as well along the way :)

I often laughed out loud, especially with the myriad of footnotes in the lovely revised edition, but also with the way the band looks back at it.

Sometimes it's maybe a bit too Brett-focused for me. I just loved the Simon and Mat comments at the beginning and Richard's dry comments, so I was missing the rest of the band's view at times.

[Tim Trewartha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am going through a Suede phase at the moment, so this is the 3rd time I have read this book. And it's good, a bit corny in places, but that it more to do with the author's style than anything. I suppose my biggest disappointment with this revised edition is that Barnett has decided not to update the book. The first edition came out just before the band first split up in 2003, so doesn't deal with split, the years 2004-2010 before the reunion, and their excellent comeback album, Bloodsports. There are a bunch of footnotes added which does deal with some of that, but not in any great detail. Perhaps there will be a 2nd volume?

[Jordan Phizacklea-Cullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benefiting from being written by someone who has worked closely with the group for most of their career, this is a refreshingly irreverent and enthusiastic (to the point of anorak-ism) biography of one of the most important British bands of the last 30 years. Originally published shortly before Suede's disintegration in 2003, it's been comprehensively updated (mostly through footnotes) to bring it up to date for their 2010 reunion and in many respects benefits from this hindsight.

[Graham R Atherton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dogman4star

Haha... see what I did there?
If you like Suede it’s a great book.. if you don’t then you won’t be reading it anyway.
It’s pretty brutally honest..
Q. Just how many songs has Brett written about drugs..?. I lost count..
or was I lost in tv?
Anyway I’m off as Europe’s my playground
TTFN

[C.K. Martin]

Some major frustrations with this bio - repetitive concentration on the band's drug use to a highly tedious degree and then many unsympathetic, ignorant mentions of Neil Codling's ME/CFS from various people (including band members) who felt he should've been able to pull up his socks and get on with things.

[Emma K · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my old favorites.

I used to follow Brett Anderson on his twitter account, which turned out to be fake after 3 years. Lol.

Love their relationship, rebellion and betray.
Their poison is so powerful and chemical, Animal Nitrate always in mind.

[Jago · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant, made me re-listen to every Suede, The Tears, Bernard Butler, Artmagic, McAlmont & Butler and Brett Anderson track I can find.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

informative and best book on band

[Jan De la Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a review of the re released version of the book.

"I would not have found each other over the gulf of miles, finding that common ground in a band like Suede and it's always more than just a connection to some songs, it's an attitude and an ethos and it defines something in you that makes you connect really strongly to other people".

This book slipped through my fingers the first time around and the re released (and corrected and augmented) one it's really great. New material was entered strictly as footnotes so the original narration is preserved. Is a marvelous work of critical adoration and leveled skepticism for the band, their music and the people behind it all. 

Is a powerful recollection of facts and history behind songs that have touched me pretty deeply. I could understand now why some of them have this almost chemical reaction on my mood, eroding of exploding, whenever I listen to them. I guess the public of this book it's a pretty closed community of uberfans but as one of them, I enjoyed this stroll on memory lane while it lasted. 

Now I have to gift this one to my Flashboy and keep making beautiful and everlasting connections with Suede as soundtrack... for at least another couple of decades.

[Gregarious cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great look into a band that, like Joy Division, Big Star and Suicide, eventually get its recognition as one rocks greats as each year passes (Shirts at Hot Topic soon!).
Although his "being there" adds some great first hand perspectives, this book suffers from the author being too close to his subjects, which is why it's only a 4 star rating from me.

[Sam M · Rating 1 out of 5]

As a fan of the band I really wanted to like this book but didn't find it an easy or particularly interesting read. Abandoned.

Essentially the story behind how the of the the best band of the Brit pop era rose to fame & infamy. Find out what parties they went to and how many drugs they took along the way....

[DeanJean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to explain my four star rating. Unashamedly, I like gossip. However, its content ensures a definite place for light, casual reading and revealing "omg did he really-" moments and nothing much. Still, it's worth a fun read.

[Reya (Andrea) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for fans. It's surprising some of the connections they made in the industry, while being unable to quite reach success. The writing is poor, but the stories are great.

[Emperorstephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me it is a brilliant book but I can't speak objectively as it is a book on my favourite band.

[Isobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

really great book, would recommend this to any suede fan.
very interesting and well written.

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

The band of so much excess and amazing music, Barnett's writing gets you interested and helps you reignite your interest in their timeless tunes.