david shen

A fascinating portrait of the punk-inspired, hugely talented artist from Chatham. Funny, moving... and at times...deeply uncomfortable, as we traverse his childhood and learn about his growing up, joining a band and becoming an artist. Plenty of live footage from his time in The Headcoats, Buff Medways, Mighty Caesars, and much interesting analysis from Shane MacGowan, director Larry Clark and former bandmates. Deep, compelling but also hugely entertaining and funny. Childish is a great sport, btw !

An absolutely page turning read. A slim book about a young man who aimlessly and hilariously goes through life in a rock n'roll version of Catcher In the Rye meets Diary of a Nobody. Unafraid to litter the text with obscure post-punk references and embarrassing anecdotes, this is a very funny, readable and actually quite sad account of growing up in North London. It's written as an A-Z but it is cleverly chronological and functions as a novel rather than something to dip in and out of. If you like Killing Joke, Hawkwind and Swedish Lesbians, this book by Graham Bendel might very well be for you.

A very intense, funny and scary novel. Fast-paced throughout and very much scans like a cult B-movie, though cleverly written. It's about a literary agent who's young and not very good at his job, and so he has an opportunity to publish a very famous artist's first novel......except instead of gaining fame, notoriety and women....our protagonist ends up getting involved in murder, and other things that really do send a shiver up one's spine. The book has a cover drawn by Clive Barker (Hellraiser), which is an added bonus.