Barbed Wire Kisses

The Mary Chain were the best thing since punk rock' – Bobby Gillespie 'The Jesus and Mary Chain were integral to my musical development' – Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails Praise for Zoë Howe: 'A stunning reinvention of the rock memoir format. Zoë Howe bottles Wilko's lightning' – Dave Collins, Vive Le Rock, on Wilko Johnson: Looking Back at Me 'Brit-rock book of the year' – Gavin Martin on Typical Girls? The Story of The Slits Musically, culturally and in terms of sheer attitude, The Jesus and Mary Chain stand alone. Their seminal debut album Psychocandy would change the course of popular music, and their distinctive blend of psychotic white noise, dark lyrics and a pop sensibility continues to enchant and confound to this day. This book takes us behind the wall of distortion to reveal the fierce, frank and often funny tale of The Jesus and Mary Chain, told by the band members and their associates for the first time. Author Zoë Howe charts each step of the Mary Chain's journey up to the present day, chronicling the formation of the group, their incendiary live performances, the Reids' powerful songcraft and those famous fraternal tensions that would prepare Creation Records boss Alan McGee for the onslaught of the Gallaghers. Thirty years after the Mary Chain formed, it is time this influential group and sometime 'public enemy' had their say. Includes new and exclusive interviews with Jim Reid, Douglas Hart, Bobby Gillespie, Alan McGee, Murray Dalglish, Laurence Verfaillie, John Moore, Ben Lurie, Stephen Pastel and many others.