Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.

By: Viv Albertine

Narrated by: Jasmine Blackborow

Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Sunday Times Music Book of the Year 

Rough Trade Book of the Year 

Mojo Book of the Year

In 1975, Viv Albertine was obsessed with music, but it never occurred to her she could be in a band, as she couldn't play an instrument, and she'd never seen a girl play electric guitar.

A year later, she was the guitarist in the hugely influential all-girl band the Slits, who fearlessly took on the male-dominated music scene and became part of a movement that changed music.

A raw, thrilling story of life on the frontiers and a candid account of Viv's life post-punk - taking in a career in film, the pain of IVF, illness and divorce and the triumph of making music again - Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. is a remarkable memoir.

©2018 Viv Albertine (P)2018 Faber Audio

Best Autobiography I have ever read

This is an amazing book. It's in two parts, one about her early time with the Slits, the 2nd about life as a mother and wife (and return to music again). The narrator's voice is excellent. It is so honest and inspires you to just be yourself.

"Not unless he wants to xxxx his mother" Shocking

A compelling book, and a story of survival. Especially the horror of her husband's words "not unless he wants to xxx his mother" when she tries to talk about her emotional closeness to another man. The sadness of two doctors who abused her, one emotionally - a Dr Shah who says "your husband doesn't love you" and another doctor who sexually abuses her, amid cancer terror. The sheer amount of cruelty that goes along with Viv Albertine's life, along with her own creativity, her own positive response and inevitable depression..... its just very compelling and challenging. Its a book that needs a few listens. I have to say that Jasmine Blackborow is excellent as a reader. She really is the best that I've heard. It is not HER fault that she pronounces Gill Scott Heron as JILL Scott Heron. It is not HER fault that she pronounces Polly Styrene, as Powe-leee…. The fault lies with those involved in the production of this audio book - presumably they were too lazy to research via youtube, into the era of this music and listen to interviews and thereby get the pronunciation right. How awful for Albertine to have written an excellent book, only to be let down by shoddy producers of the audio book.... !!!! How awful for us to have to cringe while we listen to it. Not the fault of the narrator. The fault lies with lazy producers.

Do you remember your whole life ?

The book could be cut in half , too much detail, great if there was an abridged version

A joyous read

I know little to nothing about the punk era but my husband said I would enjoy this and he was right. It’s a brilliant life story and later, a great account of a more mature woman still striving for her own identity and all the good stuff she deserves. Fantastic book!

Empowering read for any ex-Punk

As a female reader whose formative years happened in the late seventies - I fuc***g lived this book. It took me back not only to my black plastic sack mini dress days at The Marquee or The Hope and Anchor but also through the less dramatic later years, when black became beige for a while. But whether you were a diehard punk or even an aspiring one, Viv Albertine’s book rocks. While there is a lot of heartache in there, it also bursts with an unquenchable lust for life. I found it inspiring.

The reader, Jasmine Blackborow, is really excellent. She has a completely convincing delivery that’s kickass, but she knows when to tone it down and I never tired listening to her.

A refreshingly honest perspective.

A great book, reminded of my younger times and the confusion. Thankfully Viv has pulled through the early bit and the grown up bit and still has a great perspective on art, creativity and how women can be excluded from this process in tiny ways that demean and belittle.

I also agree also with her opening about aging musos writing autobiographies. Absolutely true but we are all twats in our own run down little ways. Nice to be reminded of it.

amazing book! honest as hell!

amazing book! relatable, honest as hell! loved it. blood, sweat and tears. a real biography of a great woman.

leaves a bad taste

Interesting in parts, and kudos for honesty, but I finished this book really disliking Viv Albertine a lot. Seems like a bit of an entitled ungrateful whiney sort of person that slept her way to fame and comfort and blames men for unhappyness and blames her father for her weak character. Doesn't even dignify her 17 year meal-ticket husband by using his name in this book. Calls him 'the husband' and blames his hard working and him building her a house for the demise of her marrige whilst shes off in tryna shag someone else. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.

Glad it eventually came out as an audiobook

I'm a listener not a reader so even though I'd heard and seen many reviews of this book when it came out (and bought the solo album that came out at the same time), I've only now caught up with this as an audiobook.
The book is really interesting and filled in a lot of holes in the various story threads that I read in music papers at the time. Viv's only a couple of years older than me so much of the early stuff rang very true.
Generally I thought the narration was excellent but ultimately it was the one thing that really grated about the book was the mispronunciation of some of the key players names, the main ones were Palmolive and Poly Styrene surely it's possible to make sure the narrator knows these things before starting out.
Overall - recommended and I'll be downloading Viv's second book soon.

Sounds like a novel

I didn't know much about this era and the sub-culture so it was an eye opener and I think I found it a bit shocking. I was engaged from start to finish and was entertained and amused. I didn't get the amoral attitudes, or was it a laissez faire way of life being depicted? Maybe the second book will explore the author's feelings and attitudes but I don't know if i'll get round to listening to more. It was a great listen though and a brilliant narration

EAT, PUNK, LOVE.

First half is a peerless account of the origins of London's Punk scene when a bunch of under dog Bash Street kids realised the door of opportunity was open for them and they grabbed it with abandon.
The second half though becomes an account of a middle aged woman searching to find herself through the rigours of IVF, cancer marraige and divorce. It's honest and well written but at times just leans too far into self-sympathy and self-justification.