"Se il mondo fosse giusto, io oggi non sarei una pop star. Me ne starei in qualche pub di Stoke-on-Trent, a chiacchierare su come cantavo bene da bambino. Per fortuna, il mondo non è affatto giusto." (Robbie Williams) "Essere famosi nel ventesimo secolo significa venire bersagliati da piccole bugie, giorno dopo giorno. Essere famosi nel ventunesimo secolo è come ritrovarsi intrappolati in un libro con un narratore inaffidabile, e cercare in ogni pagina di spiegare che la storia è diversa. Come si fa a non desiderare, ogni tanto, che le cose non stiano così?" (Chris Heath)
No other pop group in recent history has faced fame with such intelligence,
humour and shrewdness as the Pet Shop Boys. it is an unusually intimate
portrait of two maverick British musicians always reluctant to compromise.
'There was a time when the Pet Shop Boys seemed to exist entirely on radio,
television and in magazines.
Focusing on the lesser-known narrative of the Holocaust, this book presents a well-researched and clearly articulated account of the Shoah by Bullets. It sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of this tragic history, offering readers a compelling exploration of the events and their implications. The author's meticulous approach ensures that this important story receives the attention it deserves, making it a significant contribution to Holocaust literature.
The Pet Shop Boys are one of the most successful and unusual bands of the last five decades. They are the pop duo that proves pop music can be modern, ecstatic and playful as well as serious and intelligent, winning them legions of devoted fans throughout the world. In 1989, Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe invited journalist Chris Heath and photographer Lawrence Watson to shadow them around Hong Kong, Japan and the UK as they embarked on their first-ever tour. This book is the result: an immersive portrait giving access into the duo’s inner sanctum, showing them in brilliantly observed detail as they work, relax, gossip, argue and occasionally try to make sense of what they do. ‘As clear a picture as could be wished for of the seething mass of elegant contradictions that is the Pet Shop Boys’ on-the-road experience.’ Independent on Sunday ‘This superbly reported book transcends tired rock journalism cliché. It’s about what it means to be a pop star, what it means to be a Pet Shop Boy… how to love pop, hold it to a higher standard and subvert its expectations.’ Laura Snapes
Ever since a sixteen-year-old boy called Robert Peter Williams joined a boy band and was told his new name, he has been Robbie Williams. It has been twenty years now. Twenty years of singing, songwriting and performing. Twenty years of adventure, mischief, hiding and self-exposure. Twenty years of triumph, mishap, uncertainty and irrepressibility. Twenty years of searching for the right balance between growing up and gloriously refusing to grow up. 'It's like it happened to someone else' he says, as if he needs to remind himself that it did happen. But it really did. Here is the evidence
A vivid and detailed story of the real highs and lows as Robbie has found his way forward, that is unprecedented in its intimacy and honesty, the uncensored and compelling portrait of the man as you've never seen him before
Ich glaube, es ist so: Am Anfang tut man alles, um ein Star zu werden, und den
Rest seiner Karriere verbringt man damit, als Star zu überleben. Wie er zum
Star wurde, beschrieb Robbie Williams 2004 in seiner Autobiographie Feel,
einem weltweiten Bestseller. In seinem neuen Buch schildert er, was danach
passierte. Wie er gegen Depressionen und Alkoholismus kämpfte, sich aus dem
Popgeschäft zurückzog, UFOs beobachtete und die Einsamkeit suchte, wie er
Ehemann und zweifacher Vater wurde und nun, nach der Versöhnung mit seinem
musikalischen Partner Guy Chambers, mit seinem elften Album The Heavy
Entertainment Show wieder in die Öffentlichkeit zurückkehrt. Auch sein neues
Buch entstand in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Musikjournalisten Chris Heath, der
Williams in den vergangenen Jahren intensiv begleitete, ihn beim Komponieren
und im Umgang mit seinen Kindern beobachtete. Daraus entstand ein intimer,
unzensierter Bericht über den Robbie Williams der vergangenen zehn Jahre; eine
Reportage über den Popstar und Privatmann und darüber, was es heißt, als Star
zu überleben. Denn Robbie ist zurück - Vorhang auf! Es ist das Tagebuch eines
modernen Entertainers und seiner unsteten Gedankenwelt, die Geschichte eines
Popstars, der versucht, sich selbst wiederzufinden, nachdem er aus dem
Vorruhestand zurückgekehrt ist. Es ist wahr, lustig, manchmal traurig, gut
geschrieben und sehr unterhaltsam. Ich hoffe, dass die Menschen Spaß daran
haben. Robbie
Denby Dale and Upper Denby - Unknown and Unseen is the last of this ever-popular series of books and includes around 200 previously unpublished photographs of the area. Also included are the stories of three local families, namely the Gaunts, Turtons and Seniors who have a long and fascinating history in the area. Further details include the stories and competition entries for the Denby Dale and Upper Denby brass bands and the men who led them. The story of Upper Denby club is told for the first time, and a historical miscellany includes information dating from 1343 up until 1812. Furthermore, the previously forgotten story of the Denby Dale branch of the British Legion is also told for the first time, using its archive which was luckily saved from destruction when the Denby Dale band hut was demolished in the 1970s. The minutes include details from the Second World War and evoke a vivid picture of the time, with blackouts, rationing, the home guard and the deadly consequences of the war for the local soldiers. This book is essential reading for anyone researching family connections in the area, but will also appeal to all those with links to Denby Dale and Upper Denby, as well as nostalgia lovers of the district in general.
