To Hell With Poverty!

A sparkling, affectionate account of growing up with music in the 60s and 70s and, for a member of a band as intense and political as the Gang of Four, surprisingly self-knowing and immensely funny – Mark EllenTo Hell With Poverty! captures something of [Gang of Four’s] essence rare: fractious, discordant, thrilling * MOJO *Much like the group’s music and attitude, [To Hell With Poverty] stomps on any cliché and reinvigorates the form with a mix of earthy realism and elevated sociology * Classic Rock *King is an engaging anecdotalist * The Wire *Entertaining and revealing … it offers a deeply human portrait of its narrator, a creative force shaped by chaos, resilience and an unrelenting drive to make art. It is a personal and, at times, harrowing journey which provides insight into a band that contributed to the evolution of rock music and inspired generations * Louder Than War *Passionate, beautiful, and tragic … King allows his readers to experience the textures of life in postwar Britain through the story of one of its most important bands * The Battleground *Jon’s book is a treasure trove for any Gang of Four fan, offering vivid insights into the music, lyrics, performances, and spark and sparring of the band. But it’s the energetic writing and detailed painting of a lost world that makes this memoir stand out - 1950s Peckham; Leeds in the 1970s with its slums and squats; the liberation and camaraderie of art school; starting up a band from nothing but anarchic intent; touring the US when it was hand-to-mouth and precarious, potentially disastrous and unpredictably, unbeatably exciting… I’m not a fan of ‘rock anecdotes’, but Jon’s bristle with detailed observations on politics, art, street violence, ‘the biz’ and more, colouring the hi-jinks and the low blows with joie de vivre and righteous rage – Miki Berenyi

Jon King is a musician, songwriter, and Grammy-nominated art director in the band Gang of Four.

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