Post by Lord Emsworth on Oct 27, 2024 14:27:55 GMT
Just finished Berlin's memoir
Bertie Marshall (aka Berlin) was a member of the Bromley Contingent who were early adopters of the Sex Pistols, whose number included Siouxsie Sioux and Steve Severin of The Banshees, and some of whom can be seen in the background of the infamous Bill Grundy interview.
The primary focus of the book is 1975-1977. To my surprise, Berlin never really did anything. Life happened to him. He took a lot of uppers and downers, wore lots of make-up, turned tricks, abused his long suffering parents, and drifted about living in squalor or back at his parents Bromley home.
Siouxsie Sioux adopted him immediately prior to punk and so he was there at the birth of the scene and yet, somehow, managed to miss significant moments. His shyness, self absorption, drug dependency, and intrinsic lack of any motivation seem to have stymied him from the off.
Still we get interesting reports of early Pistols gigs, the experience of going to Louise’s the lesbian club, an amusing takedown of Philip Sallon, and a fabulous description of the party he had at his parent’s house when still just 15 and (not surprisingly) in the absence of his folks. Siouxsie’s encounter with Berlin’s concerned middle aged suburban neighbour is truly memorable.
That said, this is 200 page memoir is pretty inessential and of primary interest to those who want to dig a bit deeper into UK punk lore.
The primary focus of the book is 1975-1977. To my surprise, Berlin never really did anything. Life happened to him. He took a lot of uppers and downers, wore lots of make-up, turned tricks, abused his long suffering parents, and drifted about living in squalor or back at his parents Bromley home.
Siouxsie Sioux adopted him immediately prior to punk and so he was there at the birth of the scene and yet, somehow, managed to miss significant moments. His shyness, self absorption, drug dependency, and intrinsic lack of any motivation seem to have stymied him from the off.
Still we get interesting reports of early Pistols gigs, the experience of going to Louise’s the lesbian club, an amusing takedown of Philip Sallon, and a fabulous description of the party he had at his parent’s house when still just 15 and (not surprisingly) in the absence of his folks. Siouxsie’s encounter with Berlin’s concerned middle aged suburban neighbour is truly memorable.
That said, this is 200 page memoir is pretty inessential and of primary interest to those who want to dig a bit deeper into UK punk lore.
