Overview

'Will has finally written his masterpiece. I'm glad I could be of assistance' LAWRENCE 'Essential reading' JARVIS COCKER '****' MOJO 'One of the best music books I've ever clapped eyes on' MARC RILEY '10/10 - An extraordinarily empathetic study' UNCUT 'Magnificent' SPECTATOR Guardian Book of the Day A Foyles Top Ten Read for September 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, who released ten albums and ten singles in ten years before splitting up. 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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9781785120220

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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 'I can't tell you how good this book is' -- John Niven 'I've known Lawrence - off and on - since we were both in our teens, but I never really understood what makes his brilliant mind tick. I think I do now. A truly fabulous book about a truly unique and gifted man and one of the best music books I've ever clapped eyes on' -- Marc Riley '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 'There's success and there's failure but Lawrence's destiny was to be something uniquely in-between. A fascinating tale beautifully told.' -- Brett Anderson 'A litany of perceived slights, unrequited lust, milky tea and liquorice quests. Celibacy, control-freakery, glitter and grit. Lawrence is elusive and obsessive. The enigmatic auto-didact. This funny and often impossible tale of the romantic who always fails in love is grandiose, unflinching and low-rent. His world of vagrant glamour exists in the rare place where fame and destitution meet. It is champagne taste and beer money. Street-Level Superstar is a masterclass in self-sabotage from a connoisseur of 20th-century pop.' -- Adelle Stripe 'Lawrence is Britain's greatest enthusiast for the arcane and unloved, who can find magic in suburban sweet shops, high-end book shops, or Chas and Dave b-sides.' -- Bob Stanley 'Will Hodgkinson has written a brilliant and affectionate book about a year in the life of the mysterious pop legend Lawrence. As he accompanies him on a series of walks across various urban hinterlands, searching for records, liquorice and other clues about how the man under the blue vinyl visor became who he is today. This beautifully told zig-zag wandering biography is an utter joy from start to finish.' -- Caroline Catz 'This is a terrific book, I didn't want it to finish. Loved it, loved it, loved it!' -- Nige Tassell

'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 'I can't tell you how good this book is' -- John Niven '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 'There's success and there's failure but Lawrence's destiny was to be something uniquely in-between. A fascinating tale beautifully told.' -- Brett Anderson 'A litany of perceived slights, unrequited lust, milky tea and liquorice quests. Celibacy, control-freakery, glitter and grit. Lawrence is elusive and obsessive. The enigmatic auto-didact. This funny and often impossible tale of the romantic who always fails in love is grandiose, unflinching and low-rent. His world of vagrant glamour exists in the rare place where fame and destitution meet. It is champagne taste and beer money. Street-Level Superstar is a masterclass in self-sabotage from a connoisseur of 20th-century pop.' -- Adelle Stripe 'Lawrence is Britain's greatest enthusiast for the arcane and unloved, who can find magic in suburban sweet shops, high-end book shops, or Chas and Dave b-sides.' -- Bob Stanley 'Will Hodgkinson has written a brilliant and affectionate book about a year in the life of the mysterious pop legend Lawrence. As he accompanies him on a series of walks across various urban hinterlands, searching for records, liquorice and other clues about how the man under the blue vinyl visor became who he is today. This beautifully told zig-zag wandering biography is an utter joy from start to finish.' -- Caroline Catz 'This is a terrific book, I didn't want it to finish. Loved it, loved it, loved it!' -- Nige Tassell

''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 A Rebours. A fantastic, singular book.'' - Mat Osman ''There's success and there's failure but Lawrence's destiny was to be something uniquely in-between. A fascinating tale beautifully told.'' - Brett Anderson

'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 'There's success and there's failure but Lawrence's destiny was to be something uniquely in-between. A fascinating tale beautifully told.' -- Brett Anderson 'A litany of perceived slights, unrequited lust, milky tea and liquorice quests. Celibacy, control-freakery, glitter and grit. Lawrence is elusive and obsessive. The enigmatic auto-didact. This funny and often impossible tale of the romantic who always fails in love is grandiose, unflinching and low-rent. His world of vagrant glamour exists in the rare place where fame and destitution meet. It is champagne taste and beer money. Street-Level Superstar is a masterclass in self-sabotage from a connoisseur of 20th-century pop.' -- Adelle Stripe 'Will Hodgkinson has written a brilliant and affectionate book about a year in the life of the mysterious pop legend Lawrence. As he accompanies him on a series of walks across various urban hinterlands, searching for records, liquorice and other clues about how the man under the blue vinyl visor became who he is today. This beautifully told zig-zag wandering biography is an utter joy from start to finish.' -- Caroline Catz 'This is a terrific book, I didn't want it to finish. Loved it, loved it, loved it!' -- Nige Tassell

'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 'There's success and there's failure but Lawrence's destiny was to be something uniquely in-between. A fascinating tale beautifully told.' -- Brett Anderson 'A litany of perceived slights, unrequited lust, milky tea and liquorice quests. Celibacy, control-freakery, glitter and grit. Lawrence is elusive and obsessive. The enigmatic auto-didact. This funny and often impossible tale of the romantic who always fails in love is grandiose, unflinching and low-rent. His world of vagrant glamour exists in the rare place where fame and destitution meet. It is champagne taste and beer money. Street-Level Superstar is a masterclass in self-sabotage from a connoisseur of 20th-century pop.' -- Adelle Stripe 'Lawrence is Britain's greatest enthusiast for the arcane and unloved, who can find magic in suburban sweet shops, high-end book shops, or Chas and Dave b-sides.' -- Bob Stanley 'Will Hodgkinson has written a brilliant and affectionate book about a year in the life of the mysterious pop legend Lawrence. As he accompanies him on a series of walks across various urban hinterlands, searching for records, liquorice and other clues about how the man under the blue vinyl visor became who he is today. This beautifully told zig-zag wandering biography is an utter joy from start to finish.' -- Caroline Catz 'This is a terrific book, I didn't want it to finish. Loved it, loved it, loved it!' -- Nige Tassell

'Finally, Will has written his masterpiece. I'm glad I could be of service.' -- Lawrence '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 'There's success and there's failure but Lawrence's destiny was to be something uniquely in-between. A fascinating tale beautifully told.' -- Brett Anderson 'A litany of perceived slights, unrequited lust, milky tea and liquorice quests. Celibacy, control-freakery, glitter and grit. Lawrence is elusive and obsessive. The enigmatic auto-didact. This funny and often impossible tale of the romantic who always fails in love is grandiose, unflinching and low-rent. His world of vagrant glamour exists in the rare place where fame and destitution meet. It is champagne taste and beer money. Street-Level Superstar is a masterclass in self-sabotage from a connoisseur of 20th-century pop.' -- Adelle Stripe 'Will Hodgkinson has written a brilliant and affectionate book about a year in the life of the mysterious pop legend Lawrence. As he accompanies him on a series of walks across various urban hinterlands, searching for records, liquorice and other clues about how the man under the blue vinyl visor became who he is today. This beautifully told zig-zag wandering biography is an utter joy from start to finish.' -- Caroline Catz 'This is a terrific book, I didn't want it to finish. Loved it, loved it, loved it!' -- Nige Tassell

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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