Bedsit Disco Queen

How I Grew Up and Tried to Be a Pop Star

By: Tracey Thorn

Narrated by: Tracey Thorn

Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

The Sunday Times top ten bestselling memoir of Tracey Thorn's 30-year pop career with Marine Girls and Everything But The Girl, and her collaborations with Paul Weller, Massive Attack and Todd Terry.

'I was only sixteen when I bought an electric guitar and joined a band. A year later, I formed an all-girl band called the Marine Girls and played gigs, and signed to an indie label, and started releasing records. Then, for eighteen years, between 1982 and 2000, I was one half of the group Everything But the Girl. In that time, we released nine albums and sold nine million records. We went on countless tours, had hit singles and flop singles. I've seen myself described as an indie darling, a middle-of-the-road nobody and a disco diva. I haven't always fitted in, you see, and that's made me face up to the realities of a pop career.'

From post-punk teen-band rivalry in suburban Hertfordshire to international chart-topping success via a shared bedsit in Hull, and three decades of touring and making music, this is the funny, perceptive and candid true story of how Tracey Thorn grew up and tried to be a pop star.

©2013 Tracey Thorn (P)2014 Hachette Audio

A treasure of insight

For a while I've been an EBTG fan. Thorn's book shines a light on a brilliant career but most of all a music fan as well.

Delightful!

A fun description of a unique experience in the music biz. Tracey stays true to herself and makes songs that resonate with real experience because of it. The rare tale from this era told by a woman, too! #feminist #music #england #popstar #memoir #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Real but also magical… a must have for any Tracey and EBTG fan

You just get to follow along and imagine what she went through and lived as an an artist and musician as well as partner and mother, and her ups and down. Truly enjoyable.

Great Book, Very Raw

In this book Tracey peels back the layers and shares who she really is. It's refreshing to see she isn't just another big headed glitzy musician. She's real and raw and suffers from the same anxieties most people do. I didn't think I would like the book, but it was written very well and honestly just a really good book.

Unusual, but interesting!

What did you love best about Bedsit Disco Queen?

That Tracey wrote and narrated it

What did you like best about this story?

That it wasn't a gossip-fest or tell-all, but a genuine description of what it was like for her to become a musician. If you like books like this, a GREAT one is Ann & Nancy Wilson's book - give it a try!

Have you listened to any of Tracey Thorn’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, of course I knew her work, but had not seen any interviews, etc. I didn't really understand the title of the book though

Any additional comments?

I wished Tracey would have described her relationship with Ben in more detail (I am a romantic and think it's great they are still together after all these years!). I also liked how there were a few snips of music in the book

It was a memory for us all who were there listening

Tracey is an extraordinary story teller, and her voice perfect for the telling. Thank you

Insightful autobiography

What made the experience of listening to Bedsit Disco Queen the most enjoyable?

Tracey Thorn reading her own book in her own unique voice

What was one of the most memorable moments of Bedsit Disco Queen?

Tracey's recounting of the dark times surrounding her husband's critical illness

Which scene was your favorite?

Tracey's retelling of the circumstances behind the scenes of recording Everything but the Girl's _The Language of Life_

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Definitely!

Everything and the book

This was really easy to listen to, I totally get what she was going through. I absolutely adored everything but the girl and listen to them fervently. I knew about Ben Watts illness This gave me more insight and to how Tracey lived it. Tracey is a legacy who didn’t sell out.