SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Joe Strummer discussion forum. Latino Rockabilly War, Mescaleros and more!
rudebhoy
User avatar
Bang Ice Geezer
Posts: 195
Joined: 16 Jun 2008, 6:31pm

SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by rudebhoy »

Off on holiday tomorrow, have just got this for the Kindle, should be some good 101ers stuff in it. Anyone read it?



Book Description
Publication Date: 15 May 2013
Richard "snakehips" Dudanski. Real name Richard Nother, b. 1952, Isle of Sheppey, U.K.
Finishing a degree in zoology at Chelsea College in 1974, was invited by his friends to occupy the vacant drum stool of a fledgling rock band rehearsing in the basement of a neighbouring squat…
This musical memoir traces the author’s life in the corrugated-iron clad ruins of West London’s Squat Land during the two years immediately prior to the Punk Explosion of ’76, playing with Strummer’s seminal garage band “The 101’ers” in the spit-and-sawdust music bars of the capital. The thrills and spills of a crazy, quirky, hand-to-mouth existence gives way to relative disenchantment with the oncoming of the Punk Uprising, which for the author represents, at least partly, a sell-out to the Machiavellian Managers, as much as the vaunted revolution in British popular culture.
After an aborted venture with the iconoclastic “Tymon Dogg and the Fools”, a stint with Lydon’s metal box period “Public Image Limited”, a term with the Dantesque-dub of “Basement Five”, Dudanski’s tale relates the ups and downs of his involvement in a myriad of bands forming part of a fringe underground London scene through the late 70's and 80’s - “Bank of Dresden”, “The Raincoats”, “The Tesco Bombers”, "Vincent Units", “The Decomposers”, and his eventual move from London to Granada...

Marky Dread
User avatar
Messiah of the Milk Bar
Posts: 58881
Joined: 17 Jun 2008, 11:26am

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by Marky Dread »

rudebhoy wrote:Off on holiday tomorrow, have just got this for the Kindle, should be some good 101ers stuff in it. Anyone read it?



Book Description
Publication Date: 15 May 2013
Richard "snakehips" Dudanski. Real name Richard Nother, b. 1952, Isle of Sheppey, U.K.
Finishing a degree in zoology at Chelsea College in 1974, was invited by his friends to occupy the vacant drum stool of a fledgling rock band rehearsing in the basement of a neighbouring squat…
This musical memoir traces the author’s life in the corrugated-iron clad ruins of West London’s Squat Land during the two years immediately prior to the Punk Explosion of ’76, playing with Strummer’s seminal garage band “The 101’ers” in the spit-and-sawdust music bars of the capital. The thrills and spills of a crazy, quirky, hand-to-mouth existence gives way to relative disenchantment with the oncoming of the Punk Uprising, which for the author represents, at least partly, a sell-out to the Machiavellian Managers, as much as the vaunted revolution in British popular culture.
After an aborted venture with the iconoclastic “Tymon Dogg and the Fools”, a stint with Lydon’s metal box period “Public Image Limited”, a term with the Dantesque-dub of “Basement Five”, Dudanski’s tale relates the ups and downs of his involvement in a myriad of bands forming part of a fringe underground London scene through the late 70's and 80’s - “Bank of Dresden”, “The Raincoats”, “The Tesco Bombers”, "Vincent Units", “The Decomposers”, and his eventual move from London to Granada...
Yes I have the physical copy and it's a good read.
Image

Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.

"Without the common people you're nothing"

Nos Sumus Una Familia

white man
User avatar
Graffiti Bandit Pioneer
Posts: 1855
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 6:12pm
Location: Penshaw Manor

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by white man »

I'm taking Billy Idols and Viv Albertines with me.

Marky Dread
User avatar
Messiah of the Milk Bar
Posts: 58881
Joined: 17 Jun 2008, 11:26am

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by Marky Dread »

white man wrote:I'm taking Billy Idols and Viv Albertines with me.
Viv's is good let me know if Billy's is worth a read please.
Image

Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.

"Without the common people you're nothing"

Nos Sumus Una Familia

Low Down Low
Unknown Immortal
Posts: 4921
Joined: 21 Aug 2014, 9:08am

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by Low Down Low »

The Viv Albertine book is the best music memoir I've read in years. In fact struggling to think if one better, James Fearnleys was ok but annoyed me in places.

Silent Majority
Singer-Songwriter Nancy
Posts: 18702
Joined: 10 Nov 2008, 8:28pm
Location: South Londoner in the Midlands.

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by Silent Majority »

Low Down Low wrote:The Viv Albertine book is the best music memoir I've read in years. In fact struggling to think if one better, James Fearnleys was ok but annoyed me in places.
Fearnley's a man who writes above his weight class. A bit like HP Lovecraft.
a lifetime serving one machine
Is ten times worse than prison


www.pexlives.libsyn.com/

Low Down Low
Unknown Immortal
Posts: 4921
Joined: 21 Aug 2014, 9:08am

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by Low Down Low »

Silent Majority wrote:
Low Down Low wrote:The Viv Albertine book is the best music memoir I've read in years. In fact struggling to think if one better, James Fearnleys was ok but annoyed me in places.
Fearnley's a man who writes above his weight class. A bit like HP Lovecraft.
He certainly has pretensions. It's those perfectly remembered conversations from the most boozed up band in history 30 years on that really got my goat.

white man
User avatar
Graffiti Bandit Pioneer
Posts: 1855
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 6:12pm
Location: Penshaw Manor

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by white man »

Marky Dread wrote:
white man wrote:I'm taking Billy Idols and Viv Albertines with me.
Viv's is good let me know if Billy's is worth a read please.
half way through Billy's. The man has seen and done a lot. Never knew he spent the first years of his life in New Jersey hence the drawl. Was also shagging don letts' girlfriend during the roxy days where he built the stage. hola from Portugal

Marky Dread
User avatar
Messiah of the Milk Bar
Posts: 58881
Joined: 17 Jun 2008, 11:26am

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by Marky Dread »

white man wrote:
Marky Dread wrote:
white man wrote:I'm taking Billy Idols and Viv Albertines with me.
Viv's is good let me know if Billy's is worth a read please.
half way through Billy's. The man has seen and done a lot. Never knew he spent the first years of his life in New Jersey hence the drawl. Was also shagging don letts' girlfriend during the roxy days where he built the stage. hola from Portugal
Hola! enjoy your break.
Image

Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.

"Without the common people you're nothing"

Nos Sumus Una Familia

rudebhoy
User avatar
Bang Ice Geezer
Posts: 195
Joined: 16 Jun 2008, 6:31pm

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by rudebhoy »

Enjoyed Dudanski's book.

He seemed very bitter towards Joe for leaving the 101ers, mainly because he thought they had a good shot at making it big. He also makes out he could have got the job drumming for The Clash if he wanted it, but turned it down as he couldn't stand Bernie. Not sure how near the truth that is.

It was good to see that he and Joe made up within a couple of years, and were good mates thereafter. Bit of a theme there with Joe.

The stuff from his spell in PIL is interesting. He paints Levine in a pretty bad light (if you are reading, sorry Keith!).

All in all, a pretty good read.

rudebhoy
User avatar
Bang Ice Geezer
Posts: 195
Joined: 16 Jun 2008, 6:31pm

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by rudebhoy »

white man wrote:
Marky Dread wrote:
white man wrote:I'm taking Billy Idols and Viv Albertines with me.
Viv's is good let me know if Billy's is worth a read please.
half way through Billy's. The man has seen and done a lot. Never knew he spent the first years of his life in New Jersey hence the drawl. Was also shagging don letts' girlfriend during the roxy days where he built the stage. hola from Portugal
met Billy Idol in Falkirk in 1978. He was a right twat! Only interested in the girls who were there, had no time at all for anyone else.

101Walterton
User avatar
The Best
Posts: 21973
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 5:36pm
Location: Volcanic Rock In The Pacific

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by 101Walterton »

rudebhoy wrote:Enjoyed Dudanski's book.

He seemed very bitter towards Joe for leaving the 101ers, mainly because he thought they had a good shot at making it big. He also makes out he could have got the job drumming for The Clash if he wanted it, but turned it down as he couldn't stand Bernie. Not sure how near the truth that is.It was good to see that he and Joe made up within a couple of years, and were good mates thereafter. Bit of a theme there with Joe.

The stuff from his spell in PIL is interesting. He paints Levine in a pretty bad light (if you are reading, sorry Keith!).

All in all, a pretty good read.
Have read that before (can't remember where). Joe tried to get him in the band but he wasn't interested.

Marky Dread
User avatar
Messiah of the Milk Bar
Posts: 58881
Joined: 17 Jun 2008, 11:26am

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by Marky Dread »

101Walterton wrote:
rudebhoy wrote:Enjoyed Dudanski's book.

He seemed very bitter towards Joe for leaving the 101ers, mainly because he thought they had a good shot at making it big. He also makes out he could have got the job drumming for The Clash if he wanted it, but turned it down as he couldn't stand Bernie. Not sure how near the truth that is.It was good to see that he and Joe made up within a couple of years, and were good mates thereafter. Bit of a theme there with Joe.

The stuff from his spell in PIL is interesting. He paints Levine in a pretty bad light (if you are reading, sorry Keith!).

All in all, a pretty good read.
Have read that before (can't remember where). Joe tried to get him in the band but he wasn't interested.
Me too and you have to remember they had got their shit together and recorded demos at Pathway and released a single on Chiswick. They were riding high on the coattails of Dr. Feelgood and with Joe's energy could've given Eddie & the Hot Rods a run for their money.
Image

Forces have been looting
My humanity
Curfews have been curbing
The end of liberty


We're the flowers in the dustbin...
No fuchsias for you.

"Without the common people you're nothing"

Nos Sumus Una Familia

white man
User avatar
Graffiti Bandit Pioneer
Posts: 1855
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 6:12pm
Location: Penshaw Manor

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by white man »

rudebhoy wrote:
white man wrote:
Marky Dread wrote:
white man wrote:I'm taking Billy Idols and Viv Albertines with me.
Viv's is good let me know if Billy's is worth a read please.
half way through Billy's. The man has seen and done a lot. Never knew he spent the first years of his life in New Jersey hence the drawl. Was also shagging don letts' girlfriend during the roxy days where he built the stage. hola from Portugal
met Billy Idol in Falkirk in 1978. He was a right twat! Only interested in the girls who were there, had no time at all for anyone else.
Its sex drugs and rock and roll with Idol. Or at least it was. Once he left the stage it was drugs and girls. Mind you he wouldn't have been spoilt for choice concerning the latter in Falkirk ;)
VA's book it a belter mind. It actually gets more interesting after her music career ground to a halt.

white man
User avatar
Graffiti Bandit Pioneer
Posts: 1855
Joined: 15 Jun 2008, 6:12pm
Location: Penshaw Manor

Re: SQUAT CITY ROCKS - Richard Dudanski

Post by white man »

Reading Chrissie Hyndes now.

Post Reply