Jumpin' Jack Flash by Keiron Pim

[Nigeyb]

This forthcoming book might well be of interest to Hamiltonians, and which I heard about from none other than Paul Willetts…





Jumpin' Jack Flash: David Litvinoff and the Rock’n’Roll Underworld by Keiron Pim

Jumpin' Jack Flash: David Litvinoff and the Rock’n’Roll Underworld will be the first book published about David Litvinoff (1928–75), who has been described as ‘one of the great mythic characters of ’60s London’ – outrageous, possessed of a lightning wit and intellect, dangerous to know, always lurking in the shadows as the spotlight shone on his famous friends. Flitting between the worlds of music, art and crime, he exerted a hidden influence that helped create the Kray twins’ legend and Lucian Freud’s reputation as a man never to be crossed; connected the Rolling Stones with London’s dark side; redirected Eric Clapton’s musical career; and shaped the plot of the classic film Performance by revealing his knowledge of the city’s underworld, a decision that put his life in danger.



Litvinoff’s determination to live without trace means that his life has always eluded biographers, until now. This extraordinary feat of research entailed 100 interviews over five years, with everyone from Eric Clapton and Marianne Faithfull to James Fox and ‘Mad’ Frankie Fraser: the result is by turns wickedly funny, appalling, revelatory and moving, and epic in its scope as it traces a rogue’s progress at the interface of bohemia and criminality from the early Fifties to the Seventies. It is also an account of Keiron Pim’s determined pursuit of Litvinoff’s ghost, which took him from London to Wales and Australia in a quest to reveal one of British pop culture’s last great untold stories.

Right up my street - what about you?

[Nigeyb]

Five star review in the Daily Telegraph....


Jumpin' Jack Flash by Keiron Pim, review: 'revelatory'

Who, exactly, was David Litvinoff? The impressive list of character references in this extraordinary book gives some indication of just how singular a creature he was, and the mind-boggling diversity of the worlds in which he moved.

To Eric Clapton, he was a savant and a teacher, who had a deeper grasp of literature, painting and music – particularly vintage blues – than anybody Clapton had ever met. Francis, Lord Harlech pays tribute to his “razor-sharp mind”. The aesthete and dandy Christopher Gibbs remembers him as “a prodder and goader and winder-upper... a stranger to conventional morality”. To the painter Lucian Freud he was “repulsive”.

Rest here....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what...

[Nigeyb]

^ 100 pages in and loving it, loving it, loving it.


I highly recommend it for all lovers of London lit.

[Mark]

I'm about fifty pages behind you, Nige, and couldn't possibly hope for a more engaging read. The sort of book that makes me want to pause life in order to do nothing but read through to the last page.

Recommended with confidence, particularly for those amongst you who've long wondered about the variety of party tricks George Melly was able to perform -- both at will and on command -- with his genitals.

[Nigeyb]

^ Ol' George Melly was quite the character. That particular party trick had me chuckling.


I saw him once play live on Brighton Pier, sadly his clothes stayed on. Then again, perhaps, as he was knocking on a bit by then, we were spared.

Have you got to the bit when Melly is giving a talk at the ICA? David Litvinoff's opening question, before he'd even started, is a classic...

"Is it alright to w*nk?"

[Mark]

I'd just read that ICA bit and closed the book as the subway was pulling into the station this morning.

Incidentally, there's a rare bit of David Litvinoff footage here, at the 0:56 mark... that's him on the back of the car, in shorts and hat...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wop9S...

[Nigeyb]

Thanks so much Mark. I meant to have a look for the vid. Well done for spotting DL - some outfit he's got on there.

A wonderful little film - complete with ludicrous British Pathe commentary

[Mark]

The thing I like most about his outfit in that particular film clip is that it would be inexpensive enough for the more impressionable among us to emulate.

By the way, Nigel, if you haven't already read it, I strongly recommend chasing Jack Flash with Emanuel Litvinoff's wonderful 'Journey Through a Small Planet.'

[Nigeyb]

Mark wrote: "The thing I like most about his outfit in that particular film clip is that it would be inexpensive enough for the more impressionable among us to emulate."

And I trust you will be doing just that Mark.

For those not lucky enough to own this book yet, here is our man leading the band at the inaugural Soho fair in 1955, Litvinoff appeared in the carnival parade dressed in skimpy shorts and a bearskin hat....

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016...

Mark wrote: "By the way, Nigel, if you haven't already read it, I strongly recommend chasing Jack Flash with Emanuel Litvinoff's wonderful 'Journey Through a Small Planet.."

I haven't read it however I shall be putting that right - there's a copy in my local library. Thanks so much.

[Mark]

I found 'Journey Through A Small Planet' to be faultless, as well as damn-near peerless. Emanuel Litvinoff shared Patrick Hamilton's gift for evocatively transporting his reader to a time and a place in quite a masterful fashion. It's a book that's not so much read as experienced, and I'm sure you'll truly enjoy it.

[Mark]

The Kray stuff is mostly old news to me, but the contents regarding Lucian Freud are quite revelatory for me... I had absolutely no idea that he was so, erm, connected.

I might need to search out a biography on him...

[Nigeyb]

^ Yes indeed - that was a surprise to me too


This book constantly fluctates between fascinating, funny, appalling, and sad. Quite something, overall.

I've just read the bit on Performance which was great

Annoyingly I have to put it aside for a few days whilst I read another book for me book group which we're discussing next week.

Ah well - it'll be worth the wait

By the by, Breakfast with Lucian: The Astounding Life and Outrageous Times of Britain's Great Modern Painter looks like it might be worth a read

[Mark]

Yeah, I saw that one on Amazon UK, and looked like it might approach his life from the angle that I'm interested in... ie: not strictly an art angle.

As for Jumpin' Jack, its diversity and range is one of the things that's keeping it so interesting to me. I'm just hoping, perhaps against hope, that the bits concerning Eric Clapton are kept to a minimum.

[Nigeyb]

^ The Clapton bit is quite short and more interesting than you might expect (unless there's more later)

[Mark]

The thought may very well vanish after I've read the entire book, but at this point, about 150 pages in, it seems to me that the title and, much more so, the subtitle, are incredibly cynical marketing ploys. To pigeonhole the book as a "rock music book," at least on first glance, is to do a great disservice to a brilliant book.

[Nigeyb]

Mark wrote: "To pigeonhole the book as a "rock music book," at least on first glance, is to do a great disservice to a brilliant book."

I agree. I'm now up to page 230 and, whilst he knew many a musical mover and shaker, it is but one part of a more varied and interesting set of intersections and relationships.

I should also add that I am still really enjoying this book. Highly recommended. Litvinoff is shedding a new light on an era I thought I knew pretty well.

[Nigeyb]

David Litvinoff and the Teifiside blues...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAhUI...

^ The Cardiganshire village of Llanddewi Brefi is generally known for two things: St David, and Little Britain's Daffyd, the "only gay in the village". But there's a third David connected with the village back in the late 60s and early 1970: David Litvinoff.

Martin Sharp's Yellow House - Timeline...

http://yellowhousetimeline.blogspot.c...

Albie Thoms remembers creating "The Yellow House" artist community in 1970s Sydney....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PayX5...

[Mark]

Many thanks for the trove, Nigel... I won't have to look very far for diversion over the next few hours.

The more I think about it, the more I feel quite certain that an updated and revised version of the book will see publication within the next few years.

[Nigeyb]

^ I'd read it Mark


I've just finished Chapter 9 which concludes with Litvinoff's appearance in "Sunshine City" by Albie Thoms - you can see a clip of DL's appearance @ 2 mins in this clip...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9x_x...

Keiron Pim transcribes the whole interview at the end of the chapter and it gives a great insight into how DL gained his reputation.

[Nigeyb]

p326 …and so, the end is nigh, both of this book & DL’s life. The book muses on both a life, and an era, and much that flowed from each, variously funny and sad, light and dark. A monstrous, infuriating, charming, evil, amoral, insightful, inspirational and fascinating man - and a marvellous read.

[Mark]

Flipped the final page during this morning's commute, and submitted the following review...

A biography which, in its scope and breadth, serves as a fascinating history of Victorian through mid-Seventies London, with David Litvinoff as its central figure. Existing in the shadows, Litvinoff rearranged 1960s London society through having connected Chelsea aristocracy [Jagger, Clapton], Soho bohemians [Freud, Bacon] and East End criminality [Reggie, Ronnie], often finding himself running from or suffering the consequences of the results. Lovingly researched, imminently readable, Keiron Pim has set the bar incredibly high, delivering much more than promised.

[Nigeyb]

^ Great review Mark. Thanks. I'm not far behind you, Only 20 or so pages to go.


How much did you like Litvinoff? Do you think you could have been friends with him had your eras and geographical locations coincided?

I think I would have been very drawn to him but in addition to being a fast talking scenester who, as you say, connected and inspired all manner of disparate people, he was also an amoral monster. I have very mixed feelings about him. Every time I think of Ricky Levesley I shudder, and to a lesser extent I imagine Rowley Davidson also suffered quite a bit. And there was the throwaway comment that he'd cruise the streets to find borstal runaways for Ronnie. Some of this stuff was par for the course back then, but I remain very disturbed by his cruelty, as well as dazzled by his hustler chutzpah. Ultimately though, I can't shake the thought that, for all his gifts, he was a bully and a sexual predator with an impressive address book. Dunno, Too harsh?

Either way, it's a great read, and probably a five star read too, but I wish I could get some of the darker aspects out of my head.

[Nigeyb]

Finished!




Click here to read my review

5/5

[Mark]

That's a good question. The short answer is no, probably not. He was probably one of those people who were more easily tolerated, and liked, from a safe distance. Although, really, it might also be a matter of the older I get, the more wary and selective I've become as regards who to let into my life and who not to.

I'm sorta reminded of an evening in 2007, when we were somehow invited to a very small and exclusive gathering for patrons of the arts to listen to Malcolm McLaren speak in someone's ridiculously over-priced Manhattan apartment. I knew that Malcolm had a number of despicable personality traits, but went along for the experience. I learned that evening that his true gift was his ability to charm the pants off anyone of his choosing. Not in a literal sense. My pants not only stayed on, but they stayed zipped and buttoned and belted. In the space of maybe fifteen minutes, he charmed Karen and I onto his side, despite our having known better.

Anyhow, I've a strong feeling that David Litvinoff possessed much the same ability, which most people in his circle[s] eventually saw through, grew tired of, and then moved on. So, yeah, I think your assessment is just about right.

Really enjoyed your review. I think I need to sit down and watch Performance and Villain at the weekend!!

[Nigeyb]

^ Thanks Mark


That McLaren comparison is brilliant and I suspect you're right - when the charm starts, at least on first meeting, it would be hard not to respond

Many moons ago I noticed Malcolm McLaren and then girlfriend Lauren Hutton dancing next to me in a Brighton club - and really not a very glamorous one. I still cannot quite work out how they came to be there. They seemed to be having fun though and Malc was dancing for a good 30 minutes. No one else seemed to clock who he was either.

I'm going to watch Performance and Villain again soon. Performance is pretty much etched into my psyche after a good 10 + viewings over the years (only exceeded by The Man Who Fell To Earth, and The Warriors (strange but true) - I love that film and it was one of the early films on VHS). Anyway I digress. Despite having a pretty strong recollection of Performance I need to view it with the insights from this wonderful book.

Have a great weekend.

[Nigeyb]

I've just started a book called...


One of the Family: The Englishman and the Mafia

...which I am pretty sure I came across whilst reading Jumpin' Jack Flash: David Litvinoff and the Rock’n’Roll Underworld

It's been on my shelf for a few years now so I can't be 100% sure

Anyway it's already a bit of classic and I'm still on his childhood/teenage years - in just those few years he's had an eventful and extraordinary life. It's engrossing stuff.

I know he goes on to manage Black Sabbath and, via a chance encounter, became deeply embroiled with the Genovese crime family.

Here's the blurb....

At Ronnie Kray's funeral, London crime expert John Pearson saw a man he didn't recognise - but who all the notorious criminals present deferred to.

This is the remarkable true story of that man: 'the Englishman'.

Investigations revealed that the Englishman was never mentioned in any of the previous books on organised crime, not because he wasn't involved, but because everyone was too scared to speak his name. Moreover, he was as legendary a figure on the streets of New York as on the streets of London.

Pearson persuaded the mysterious criminal leader to talk to him - and the result was a story even more extraordinary than that of the Kray twins. Here Pearson reveals the true story of the Englishman who became the adopted son of Joey Pagano, the head of one of the major New York crime families. Here the Englishman tells the story that no-one else dared to tell.

[Mark]

Nigeyb wrote: "I've just started a book called...


One of the Family: The Englishman and the Mafia

...which I am pretty sure I came across whilst reading [book:Jumpin' Jack Flash: David Litvinoff..."

Duly noted, and added to my growing list. Thanks!

[David]

Ooh, I'll be having some of that. Thanks Nigey.

[Nigeyb]

I suspect you'll love it David


Wilf is currently managing Black Sabbath!

[Mark]

Seems that this year will finally see the publication of another one from Keiron Pim... Endless Flight: The Life of Joseph Roth

From the publisher --
The brilliant, mercurial, self-mythologising novelist and journalist Joseph Roth, author of the European 20th century masterpiece The Radetzky March, was an observer and chronicler of his times. Born and raised in Galicia on the eastern edge of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, his life's decline mirrored the collapse of civilised Europe: in his last peripatetic years, he was exiled from Germany, his wife driven into an asylum, and he died an alcoholic on the eve of the World War II.

With keen insight, rigor and sensitivity, Keiron Pim delivers a visceral portrait of Roth's internal restlessness and search for belonging, from his childhood in the town of Brody to his Vienna years and his unsettled roaming of Europe. Exploring the role of Roth's absent father in his imaginings, and his attitude to his Jewishness, Roth's biography has particular relevance to us now, not only in the growing recognition and revival of his works, but also because his life's trajectory speaks powerfully to us in a time of uncertainty, fear, refugee crises and rising ethno-nationalism.

Pre-order here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/178378509...

[Nigeyb]

Thanks Mark


I know virtually nothing about Joseph Roth

Are there any fans in the house?

Any recommendations?

According to the blurb above it's The Radetzky March which is best known and most acclaimed

As it's KP, I'll certainly have a gander at Endless Flight: The Life of Joseph Roth but £25 is too expensive for a subject that I'm currently not especially drawn towards. Hopefully my library will get a copy, or there will be a paperback or kindle edition to follow.

Have you already splashed the cash Mark?

[Mark]

I haven’t, no, mainly because I know nothing of Joseph Roth apart from his name. Then again, that’s more than I knew about David Litvinoff, so, in the hands of Keiron Pim, that’s not much of a discouraging factor.

Still, am planning to hold off for a cheaper price, hopefully a paperback edition will be forthcoming.