Scan barcode
letters2vera's review
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
5.0
probably the best autobiography you’ll ever read. david j haskins is a a highly intelligent, eloquent, and well-read man (ie his fervent mentions of william s burroughs) — all of this is palpable in the way he writes. and by that i mean, it’s all just so immersive, descriptive, but funny and authentic at the same time. he recounts thirty years of his career with absolute ease. by the end it almost feels like you were there, like you could easily engage in a conversation with the band members, and feel as if you’d known them for years (there definitely is a very parasocial prospect to reading this).
but honestly it’s a little hard to put to words how incredible and exclusive this book is. just the whole aspect of it is very personal. and by that i mean VERY personal. you get to know bauhaus itself from the absolute roots, from the very humble beginnings, and david does not shy away from the nasty details. whether they are the bad or the good, whether the band is at a high or at a low. ranging from decades-lasting drug addictions, through infidelity and bizarre black magick (still unsure of what that is?) rituals and superstitions, to peter’s egotistical narcissism — you’ll get to know it all.
one more thing i very much appreciated was david offering the necessary background and meanings to the lyrics !! it’s all the little things you won’t find anywhere else on the internet. and sometimes you really need it, because most bauhaus songs read like actual poems, with profound messages and a ton of symbolism and metaphors (peter’s fishcake song on their first exquisite corpse being no exception. what a work of art.)
going through the entire discography i’d play the tracks into my headphones, while reading a specific part that mentioned them — it was a four dimensional, out of body experience.
and by the end, especially since the band ends on such bad terms, you’re reading about how they know it’s the very last time they’re playing together, and it leaves you with a profound and lingering feeling of something akin to grief. an impactful ending to an impactful journey.
did i say i love bauhaus to death. . ?
did i say i love bauhaus to death. . ?
riley_2502's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
(I dont really like rating memoirs) I love bauhaus so I was very interested to read about them from a member's perspective! David J's writing is also pretty good which was nice. I really wish there was more about Love and Rockets in the middle, but his experiences with black magick were also interesting to me. The last section was especially sad to read because I really hope to see them live someday, its unfortunate that it always devolves into such head butting when they reunite :( hopefully throughout the years they'll be able to have short-lived reunions
muninnherself's review
4.0
Ha, this is quite fun. I mean I know they say you shouldn't write about tripping... and actually that's probably true. Or only once per book. More than that is quite self-indulgent.
Still, I can forgive that because this is a fun read. I love a music autobiography, partly because being in bands looks cool but seems to be less cool, which is interesting. Also David J knows loads of interesting people, of course, Genesis P Orridge and Alan Moore particularly fascinating. Oh and Peter Murphy is a right character.
I'm fond of Bauhaus although they'd split up some time before I discovered them - this is quite nice in some ways, though, as it makes a band's history accessible, you're not chasing them, if that makes sense. Of course before the internet it was almost impossible to know anything about a band unless they were interviewed, so you'd piece things together from sleeve art and song titles and what other people could tell you.
The magic stuff is also interesting, and now I've read that story about David and Alan and the summoning from at least three different people, which is another thing I love, the alternative view. I'd just read three or four other books about magic when I read this as well which was serendipitous.
Anyway, if you're a fan I'd recommend it, otherwise if you're interested in the late 70s/early 90s alternative music scene, goth, magic or Northampton, it's well worth reading.
But it's true, no one cares much about other people's trips - so unless you're a really, really brilliant writer you should keep that stuff to a minimum. :)
Still, I can forgive that because this is a fun read. I love a music autobiography, partly because being in bands looks cool but seems to be less cool, which is interesting. Also David J knows loads of interesting people, of course, Genesis P Orridge and Alan Moore particularly fascinating. Oh and Peter Murphy is a right character.
I'm fond of Bauhaus although they'd split up some time before I discovered them - this is quite nice in some ways, though, as it makes a band's history accessible, you're not chasing them, if that makes sense. Of course before the internet it was almost impossible to know anything about a band unless they were interviewed, so you'd piece things together from sleeve art and song titles and what other people could tell you.
The magic stuff is also interesting, and now I've read that story about David and Alan and the summoning from at least three different people, which is another thing I love, the alternative view. I'd just read three or four other books about magic when I read this as well which was serendipitous.
Anyway, if you're a fan I'd recommend it, otherwise if you're interested in the late 70s/early 90s alternative music scene, goth, magic or Northampton, it's well worth reading.
But it's true, no one cares much about other people's trips - so unless you're a really, really brilliant writer you should keep that stuff to a minimum. :)
More...