Book description
I Know This Much - by Gary Kemp, Spandau Ballet's prime mover - is
simply the freshest, most exciting and best-written memoir to arrive for years.
Gary's story begins in North London, where the Kemp family rented a
home with no bathrooms and chickens in the yard. After a couple of
failed attempts to kill his brother Martin, his parents gave him a
guitar for Christmas.
From schoolyard battles between the Bowie Boys and the Prog Rockers to
Mrs Kemp's firm insistence on net curtains, from acting for the
Children's Film Foundation to manning a fruit and veg stall on
Saturdays, Gary brilliantly evokes an upbringing full of love,
creativity and optimism.
As the Thatcher years begin, Gary's account of the outrageous London
club scene centred around the Blitz and Billy's is just sizzling. Out of
this glamorous mayhem of kilt-wearing mascara'd peacocks would emerge
Spandau Ballet - the band that would define the era, and hold high the
victorious standard of the New Romantics.
Gary's thrilling journey with Spandau Ballet would see them record
worldwide hits such as True, Gold and Through the Barricades, play the
biggest stadiums in the world, and take to the stage in togas when their
luggage gets lost in flight. Stallions, supermodels and dwarves would be
hired for video shoots, and through it all, Gary records the wonderful
friendships, and the slowly-building tensions that would eventually see
five old friends facing each other in court.
I Know This Much tells the story of Spandau Ballet, but it's far more
than a book about being in a band. Whether it's meeting Ronnie Kray
before filming The Krays, sketching out the fashions and subcultures of
the day, or hanging out with Princess Diana, this book offers a story on
every page. And all the more so because it's all written - brilliantly -
by Gary himself. Gary Kemp is the prime mover, songwriter and
guitarist with Spandau Ballet. Among his most famous compositions are
True, Gold and Through the Barricades. The band has sold over 30 million
records, tapes and CDs worldwide. Gary has also enjoyed a succesful
screen career - he starred in The Krays alongside his brother Martin.
