Why read I Wanna Be Yours?

Book cover of I Wanna Be Yours

Book description

This is a memoir as wry, funny, moving and vivid as its inimitable subject himself. A joy for both lifelong fans and for a whole new generation.

'One of Britain's outstanding poets' - Sir Paul McCartney
'Riveting' - Observer
'An exuberant account of a remarkable life' - New Statesman

John…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked I Wanna Be Yours as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Pete Elderkin

Author

I found this book to have amazing detail, considering it goes back a long way, and I don’t know how John remembered it all. It’s an entertaining and intriguing book about his life and his amazing, honest story about becoming a performing poet, his battle with addiction, and his unique route to cult status.

From Pete's list on The best books about British rock music icons.

Rob Chapman

Author

Poet John Cooper Clarke came up with what I think is still the best definition of punk, “It gave us working class surrealists somewhere to go,” he said. Read his memoir, and you’ll see why.

There can’t be that many punks that served their apprenticeship in Bernard Manning’s notorious Embassy comedy club in Manchester. I love the portrait he paints of growing up in Salford in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s a world of corner shops, close working-class communities, and the eccentric characters that populate them. Coming from a similar world, I can strongly relate to that.

I enjoyed the…

From Rob's list on The best music books that will make you think differently about music and the people who make it.