Overview

Longlisted for the Penderyn Music Book Prize Rough Trade Book of the Year Uncut Book of the Year Mojo Book of the Year A Guardian Book of the Year A Daily Mail Book of the Year A Financial Times Book of the Year A Resident Book of the Year A Telegraph Book of the Year A Daily Express Book of the Year 'Will has finally written his masterpiece. I'm glad I could be of assistance' LAWRENCE Lawrence is the greatest pop star who never made it, his dreams of glory thwarted over the past five decades by bad luck and self-sabotage. At sixty-one, he set off on a new mission: to escape poverty, obscurity and the humiliation of kids at the bus stop laughing at him by writing a smash hit. But what is the cost of a dream? In 1980, Lawrence formed Felt, releasing ten albums and ten singles in ten years. In 1991, he reinvented himself with novelty-pop outfit Denim. Signed to EMI, riding the wave of Britpop, in 1997, Denim's song 'Summer Smash' became Radio 1's Single of the Week and looked like a sure-fire hit. Then Princess Diana was killed in a car crash. All copies were melted down. Crushing depression, addiction and homelessness followed... but in the face of it all, Lawrence never gave up. In Street-Level Superstar, bestselling author and journalist Will Hodgkinson follows Lawrence as he rebuilds his life. He gets mistaken for an old lady by an amorous pensioner, is reduced to dragging sacks of 2p coins to his local bank and wanders through London's distant suburbs in search of lyrical inspiration. As they walk together down rain-soaked streets, Will tells the story of Britain's most eccentric cult star. Will he write the greatest song the world has ever known before the year is out? And was it worth sacrificing everything - family, relationships, health, sanity - for art?

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9781785120237

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Reviews

'Finally, Will has written his masterpiece. I'm glad I could be of service.' -- Lawrence 'This book will make you laugh and cry - Lawrence is a monument to the power of Pop. The best and the worst of it. Essential reading.' -- Jarvis Cocker 'In a music world awash with fakes, straights and careerists on the make, Lawrence is that rare creature - an artist committed to realising his vision no matter how many humiliations and bad rolls of the dice he's had to endure. Lawrence is the one true poet of austerity Britain and Will Hodgkinson's wonderful book captures the essence and strangeness of the man.' -- Bobby Gillespie 'Street-Level Superstar has the same sense of discipline and whim as Andy Warhol's From A to B and Back Again, with a hint of the entirely personal philosophy of Huysman's À Rebours. A fantastic, singular book.' -- Mat Osman 'I can't tell you how good this book is' -- John Niven

Author Information

Will Hodgkinson is author of the music books Guitar Man, Song Man, The Ballad of Britain and In Perfect Harmony. He is a regular contributor to the Guardian, Mojo and Vogue and presented the Sky Arts television series Songbook. Since 2010, he has been chief rock and pop critic for The Times.

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