Ian Brown Already in Me: With and Without the Roses

First of all let me preface this with a bit about (my perception) of Michael O'Connell - he's definitely what I would term 'a Muso'. A Muso is someone who lives and breathes music: they analyse the composition and lyrics of music to the most minute degree and are more often than not downright sycophantic when it comes to the bands/ musicians they admire. Although Muso's often bore me to tears (and I have several friends I regard as Musos), I really respect and admire them for their intricate and specialised knowledge. "Already In Me" is a great book about Ian Brown and the Stone Roses - an English indie band of the 1980's and 1990's. Michael O'Connell meticulously details the rise of the band and their ultimate decline as only a true fan (and Muso) ever could. He describes the various characters and their motivations and abilities well and does not shy away from the internal conflicts that eventually lead to the collapse of the band. I was only just out of my teenage years when the Stone Roses were at their height and in all honesty were the real kick-starters of what was to become the 'Madchester' Scene. Although I bought, loved and played their debut over and over I was never a follower type fan in the sense of Michael O'Connell, partly because I'm not a Muso, partly because I was more into the much smaller 'Grebo' Scene that had it's stronghold in the West Midlands (UK); and partly because even though my background is staunchly working-class, I've never been 'the lad' type, an image the Stone Roses probably unconciously promoted. This too is explored in part in the book along with how they paved the way for Oasis, something that Noel Gallagher has more or less conceded. Taking this into account I read this book over three days. I'd always thought of Ian Brown as a strutting braggart, and the book while acknowledging that he was (and to a degree still is), he is also portrayed as a much more complex and intelligent figure. I think he's someone I'd dislike intensley upon first meeting, but warm to him incredibly as I got to know him. There are flaws in this book, personally I feel that Michael O'Connell excuses much of what Ian Brown did, but hey I guess I would and do for certain people I admire. Nevertheless I think Micheal O'Connel does a more than adequate job of being as impartial as possible - in fact i feel he was overly generous towards some of the incredibly elitist - one could say classist' musical press of the era. Overall though a very good read, well paced ............. and it made me like Ian Brown.

Good account of one of the most interesting UK singers of the 90's.