Bad Wisdom by Bill Drummond & Mark Manning

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Okay, I have just finished this book and I'm surprised at how fucking angry I am with myself for having done so. For having been lured into the hype ("hype" = "Bill Drummond is involved"). For the sheer timewastage involved. For the huge, huge disappointment at the wasted potential. I was disgusted with the parts writ by Z, and annoyed with myself for feeling disgusted, letting it get to me, being unable to grasp that mentality and somehow becoming the "stupid woman" for it, and FUCK YOU ASSHOLE I'M NOT THE PROBLEM YOU ARE!!! and that's the kind of thing that makes a mess of your teatime, I only wanted to be entertained god dammit. In fact the reading was a real plod at first (why didn't I bail out THEN? cos I stupidly PAID for this wad of pulp) but when I got halfway through and started reading each chapter with all Z's parts together then all Bill's, everything went far faster. I did enjoy Bill's entries (I loved 45) and it's easy enough to skip over the Z gorefests so the book might have been all right reading just the Bill stuff, but THEN, total letdown of a stupid halfassed not-particularly-apologetic waffle non-ending. So much could have been done with this material (by both authors), but did they fuck. And one of the pages has a fold in it so I can't send it back.

― Poppy (poppy), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 07:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Right, I won't be getting that book then.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 07:41 (twenty-two years ago)

it's hilarious and filthy. highly recommended

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 09:01 (twenty-two years ago)

written elsewhere: Not only was it harder to keep each (quite different) story separate, but this gave the effect of a perfectly ordinary guy, sittng there picking his nose, but behind that there was total fucking carnage in his head (if not in reality). All this was couched in generalizations of men and their inherent misogyny and it made me think, do all men secretly have these horrible thoughts? ... I'm confronted with the notion that yes, maybe every man is a rapist, maybe every man secretly fears and hates all women, that simply being a woman is reason enough for someone to hurt or kill me.

This Jekyll & Hyde thing is what really bothered me at first, it made this contradiction feel threatening. Mostly because of the book format, certainly the misogyny is no worse than many other books/films. Reading each story separately made both stories far more entertaining.

After all this, though! After the book ended, I was left thinking, but what happened? did they save the world? They could have written a far more detailed and coherent account of, well, all the stuff they brought up, Elvis at the lighthouse, where they found the second and third notes of the Lost Chord, get into some really detailed, complex ley line stuff, but it seemed like they kind of forgot all about their divine mission and just wanted to get the book done. True perhaps, but don't admit it to us after setting up such a fantastic idea.

― Poppy (poppy), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 09:34 (twenty-two years ago)

forgot all about their divine mission and just wanted to get the book done

Sort of like the KLF/JAMMS stuff. Start the project, great. Halfway through, go umm oh shit, and bail.

eg. White Room film, Pure trance 12" series, etc...

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 31 December 2003 09:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Definitely not justified, but truly ancient then? Bill's just not 'the Man' then thes days, is that right?

― herbalizer12 (herbalizer12), Thursday, 1 January 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"Bad Wisdom" should be on Jackanory.

― DV (dirtyvicar), Thursday, 1 January 2004 23:34 (twenty-two years ago)

btw what is jackanory?

― Teen Challenge Drug Addict Choir (mjt), Friday, 2 January 2004 04:55 (twenty-two years ago)

I got the thing cheap at one of those $3 book tables that shows up periodically in the malls around these parts, but still haven't brought myself to read it, because...well, I'm scared that it'll be terrible. After reading Poppy's comments I don't have any added incentive to start, now. Nuts.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 2 January 2004 18:49 (twenty-two years ago)

is this book widely available?
i loved 45

― robin (robin), Friday, 2 January 2004 20:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Robin, email me your postal address and I'll send you my copy if you like.

― Poppy (poppy), Friday, 2 January 2004 20:26 (twenty-two years ago)

one year passes...

Anyone read this http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1840681160/ref=pd_nfy_fr_gw_nr/202-3499338-1607047 yet? I didn't even know it existed.

― Affectian (Affectian), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:46 (twenty years ago)

fuckin a!

― jimmy glass (electricsound), Thursday, 18 August 2005 10:51 (twenty years ago)

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