Listen free for 30 days
-
Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn
- Narrated by: Brett Anderson
- Length: 5 hrs and 24 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Entertainment & Celebrities
People who bought this also bought...
-
Coal Black Mornings
- By: Brett Anderson
- Narrated by: Brett Anderson, Matt Thorne
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listen to the end for an audiobook exclusive: Brett Anderson in conversation with Matt Thorne, author of Prince. Brett Anderson came from a world impossibly distant from rock star success, and in Coal Black Mornings he traces the journey that took him from a childhood as 'a snotty, sniffy, slightly maudlin sort of boy raised on Salad Cream and milky tea and cheap meat' to becoming founder and lead singer of Suede. Anderson grew up in Hayward's Heath on the grubby fringes of the Home Counties.
-
-
A memoir of Brett Anderson
- By Anna Lloyd on 01-03-18
-
Creation Stories
- Riots, Raves and Running a Label
- By: Alan McGee
- Narrated by: Phil McKee
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan McGee's role in shaping British musical culture over the past 30 years is hard to overstate. As the founder of Creation Records, he brought us the bands that defined an era. A charismatic Glaswegian, who partied just as hard as any of the acts on his notoriously hedonistic label, he became an infamous character in the world of music.
-
-
Quality
- By jonathan on 09-05-20
-
Sing Backwards and Weep
- By: Mark Lanegan
- Narrated by: Mark Lanegan
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Mark Lanegan first arrived in Seattle in the mid-1980s, he was just 'an arrogant, self-loathing redneck waster seeking transformation through rock 'n' roll'. Little did he know that within less than a decade, he would rise to fame as the front man of the Screaming Trees, then fall from grace as a low-level crack dealer and a homeless heroin addict, all the while watching some of his closest friends rocket to the forefront of popular music.
-
-
Compelling and sad
- By Mr. S. Burgess on 16-05-20
-
Record Play Pause
- Confessions of a Post-Punk Percussionist: The Joy Division Years
- By: Stephen Morris
- Narrated by: Stephen Morris
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before he was responsible for some of the most iconic drumming in popular music, Stephen Morris grew up in 1960s and '70s industrial Macclesfield, on a quiet road that led seemingly to nowhere. Far removed from the bright lights and manic energy of nearby Manchester, he felt stifled by suburbia and feared he might never escape. Then he joined Joy Division - while they were still known as Warsaw - a pioneer of the rousing post-punk sound that would revolutionise 20th-century rock.
-
-
Absolutely bloody fantastic
- By John Grandin on 06-09-20
-
Set the Boy Free
- By: Johnny Marr
- Narrated by: Johnny Marr
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Johnny Marr was born in 1960s Manchester to Irish immigrant parents and knew from an early age that he would be a musician. Forming his first band at 13, Marr spent his teenage years on the council estates of Wythenshawe playing guitar, devouring pop culture and inventing his own musical style. It wasn't until the early '80s, when Marr turned up on the doorstep of a singer named Steven Patrick Morrissey, that both a unique songwriting partnership and the group recognised as one of the most iconic bands of all time were formed.
-
-
exactly as you would expect from Johnny Marr...
- By Craig C on 04-11-16
-
Face It
- By: Debbie Harry
- Narrated by: Debbie Harry, Clem Burke, Gary Valentine, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Debbie Harry is a musician, an actor, an activist and the iconic face of New York City cool. As the front-woman of Blondie, she and the band forged a new sound that brought together the worlds of rock, punk, disco, reggae and hip-hop to create some of the most beloved pop songs of all time. As a muse, she collaborated with some of the boldest artists of the past four decades. The scope of Debbie Harry’s impact on our culture has been matched only by her reticence to reveal her rich inner life - until now.
-
-
Excellent
- By Ian2504 on 06-10-19
-
Coal Black Mornings
- By: Brett Anderson
- Narrated by: Brett Anderson, Matt Thorne
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listen to the end for an audiobook exclusive: Brett Anderson in conversation with Matt Thorne, author of Prince. Brett Anderson came from a world impossibly distant from rock star success, and in Coal Black Mornings he traces the journey that took him from a childhood as 'a snotty, sniffy, slightly maudlin sort of boy raised on Salad Cream and milky tea and cheap meat' to becoming founder and lead singer of Suede. Anderson grew up in Hayward's Heath on the grubby fringes of the Home Counties.
-
-
A memoir of Brett Anderson
- By Anna Lloyd on 01-03-18
-
Creation Stories
- Riots, Raves and Running a Label
- By: Alan McGee
- Narrated by: Phil McKee
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alan McGee's role in shaping British musical culture over the past 30 years is hard to overstate. As the founder of Creation Records, he brought us the bands that defined an era. A charismatic Glaswegian, who partied just as hard as any of the acts on his notoriously hedonistic label, he became an infamous character in the world of music.
-
-
Quality
- By jonathan on 09-05-20
-
Sing Backwards and Weep
- By: Mark Lanegan
- Narrated by: Mark Lanegan
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Mark Lanegan first arrived in Seattle in the mid-1980s, he was just 'an arrogant, self-loathing redneck waster seeking transformation through rock 'n' roll'. Little did he know that within less than a decade, he would rise to fame as the front man of the Screaming Trees, then fall from grace as a low-level crack dealer and a homeless heroin addict, all the while watching some of his closest friends rocket to the forefront of popular music.
-
-
Compelling and sad
- By Mr. S. Burgess on 16-05-20
-
Record Play Pause
- Confessions of a Post-Punk Percussionist: The Joy Division Years
- By: Stephen Morris
- Narrated by: Stephen Morris
- Length: 12 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Before he was responsible for some of the most iconic drumming in popular music, Stephen Morris grew up in 1960s and '70s industrial Macclesfield, on a quiet road that led seemingly to nowhere. Far removed from the bright lights and manic energy of nearby Manchester, he felt stifled by suburbia and feared he might never escape. Then he joined Joy Division - while they were still known as Warsaw - a pioneer of the rousing post-punk sound that would revolutionise 20th-century rock.
-
-
Absolutely bloody fantastic
- By John Grandin on 06-09-20
-
Set the Boy Free
- By: Johnny Marr
- Narrated by: Johnny Marr
- Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Johnny Marr was born in 1960s Manchester to Irish immigrant parents and knew from an early age that he would be a musician. Forming his first band at 13, Marr spent his teenage years on the council estates of Wythenshawe playing guitar, devouring pop culture and inventing his own musical style. It wasn't until the early '80s, when Marr turned up on the doorstep of a singer named Steven Patrick Morrissey, that both a unique songwriting partnership and the group recognised as one of the most iconic bands of all time were formed.
-
-
exactly as you would expect from Johnny Marr...
- By Craig C on 04-11-16
-
Face It
- By: Debbie Harry
- Narrated by: Debbie Harry, Clem Burke, Gary Valentine, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Debbie Harry is a musician, an actor, an activist and the iconic face of New York City cool. As the front-woman of Blondie, she and the band forged a new sound that brought together the worlds of rock, punk, disco, reggae and hip-hop to create some of the most beloved pop songs of all time. As a muse, she collaborated with some of the boldest artists of the past four decades. The scope of Debbie Harry’s impact on our culture has been matched only by her reticence to reveal her rich inner life - until now.
-
-
Excellent
- By Ian2504 on 06-10-19
-
Remain in Love
- By: Chris Frantz
- Narrated by: Chris Frantz
- Length: 15 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Chris Frantz met David Byrne at the Rhode Island School of Art & Design in the early 1970s. Together - and soon with Frantz's future wife, Tina Weymouth - they formed Talking Heads and took up residence in the grimy environs of Manhattan's Lower East Side, where their neighbours were Patti Smith, William Burroughs and a host of proto-punk artists who now have legendary status.
-
-
Amazing
- By Anonymous User on 15-01-21
-
I Wanna Be Yours
- By: John Cooper Clarke
- Narrated by: John Cooper Clarke
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Cooper Clarke is a phenomenon: Poet Laureate of Punk, rock star, fashion icon, TV and radio presenter, social and cultural commentator, reluctant national treasure. At 5 feet 11 inches (116lb, 32in chest, 27in waist), in trademark suit jacket, skin-tight drainpipes and dark glasses, with jet-black back-combed hair and mouth full of gold teeth, he is instantly recognisable. As a writer his voice is equally unmistakable and his inimitable dry Salford drawl shines through the prose.
-
-
Fabulous!
- By Sue ONeil on 16-10-20
-
How to Write One Song
- By: Jeff Tweedy
- Narrated by: Jeff Tweedy
- Length: 3 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There are few artistic acts more mysterious than writing a song. But what if a shift in perspective - and some practical guidance - could overcome that mystery? Anyone wanting to experience more creativity and mindfulness will be inspired to do just that after listening to How to Write One Song. Why one song? The difference between one song and many songs isn't a charming semantic trick - it's an important distinction that can simplify a notoriously confusing art form.
-
-
Truly Inspiring
- By Anonymous User on 30-11-20
-
The KLF
- Chaos, Magic and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds
- By: John Higgs
- Narrated by: John Higgs
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The strange tale of the death, life and legacy of the hugely successful band. They were the best-selling singles band in the world. They had awards, credibility, commercial success and creative freedom. Then they deleted their records, erased themselves from musical history and burnt their last million pounds in a boathouse on the Isle of Jura. And they couldn't say why.
-
-
This book Is worth listening to several times
- By Michelle S. on 09-04-18
-
Crossroads
- In Search of the Moments that Changed Music
- By: Mark Radcliffe
- Narrated by: Mark Radcliffe
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Standing at the crossroads - the Mississippi crossroads of Robert Johnson and the devil's infamous meeting - Mark Radcliffe found himself facing his own personal crunch point. Aged 60, he had just mourned the death of his father, only to be handed a diagnosis of mouth and throat cancer. This momentous time in his life, and being at the most famous junction in music history, led Radcliffe to think about the pivotal tracks in music and how the musicians who wrote and performed them.
-
-
Thoroughly enjoyable meandering saga
- By JJC on 03-01-20
-
Hell Is Round the Corner
- By: Tricky
- Narrated by: Gavin Osborn, Kirris Riviere, Lucy Price-Lewis
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tricky is one of the most original music artists to emerge from the UK in the past 30 years. His signature sound, coupled with deep, questioning lyrics, took the UK by storm in the early 1990s and was part of the soundtrack that defined the post-rave generation. This unique, no-holds barred autobiography is not only a portrait of an incredible artist - it is also a gripping slice of social history packed with extraordinary anecdotes and voices from the margins of society.
-
-
Tricky had a tough upbringing, but shines through
- By ben on 17-11-19
-
Acid for the Children
- By: Flea
- Narrated by: Flea
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The strange tale of a boy named Flea starts in Rye, NY. It was all very normal. But soon his parents divorced and his mother Patricia remarried a jazz musician. Flea's stepfather frequently invited musicians to his house for jam sessions which sparked Flea's interest in music. The family moved to Los Angeles, where Flea became fascinated with the trumpet, idolising musicians like Miles, Dizzy, and Louis....
-
-
amazing + beautiful
- By stephen on 31-05-20
-
Broken Greek
- By: Pete Paphides
- Narrated by: Pete Paphides
- Length: 18 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Pete's parents moved from Cyprus to Birmingham in the 1960s in the hope of a better life, they had no money and only a little bit of English. They opened a fish-and-chip shop in Acocks Green. The Great Western Fish Bar is where Pete learned about coin-operated machines, male banter and Britishness. Shy and introverted, Pete stopped speaking from age four to seven and found refuge instead in the bittersweet embrace of pop songs, thanks to Top of the Pops and Dial-a-Disc.
-
-
Pop and chips
- By Rachel Redford on 11-04-20
-
Overpaid, Oversexed and Over There
- How a Few Skinny Brits with Bad Teeth Rocked America
- By: David Hepworth
- Narrated by: David Hepworth
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Beatles landing in New York in February 1964 was the opening shot in a cultural revolution nobody predicted. Suddenly the youth of the richest, most powerful nation on earth was trying to emulate the music, manners and the modes of a rainy island that had recently fallen on hard times.
-
-
Another Fantastic Book
- By H Lingard on 06-01-21
-
Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division
- By: Peter Hook
- Narrated by: Peter Hook
- Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by the attitude and energy of punk, Peter Hook and school friend Bernard Sumner joined lead-singer and lyricist Ian Curtis and drummer Stephen Morris, and with some cobbled-together instruments, they created their own unique sound. In 1980 they had released two albums and were on the cusp of touring America when Ian Curtis committed suicide. In this no-holds-barred account, Peter Hook gives us the inside story of life with Joy Division. He talks with candour and reflection about Curtis's suicide and covers the band's friendships and fall-outs....
-
-
Superb!
- By simmering123 on 02-04-16
-
Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.
- By: Viv Albertine
- Narrated by: Jasmine Blackborow
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
"Not unless he wants to xxxx his mother" Shocking
- By Sniffy and Particular on 24-02-19
-
This Searing Light, the Sun and Everything Else
- Joy Division: The Oral History
- By: Jon Savage
- Narrated by: Liam Gerrard
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jon Savage's oral history of Joy Division is the last word on the band that ended with the suicide of Ian Curtis in Macclesfield on May 18, 1980. It weaves together interviews conducted by the author, but never used in the making of the film Joy Division, which told the story of the band in their own words, as well as those of their peers, collaborators, and contemporaries.
-
-
Perpetuates the myth
- By Voice of reason on 20-03-20
Summary
The trajectory of Suede - hailed in infancy as both 'The Best New Band in Britain' and 'effete southern wankers' - is recalled with moving candour by its frontman Brett Anderson, whose vivid memoir swings seamlessly between the tender, witty, turbulent, euphoric and bittersweet.
Suede began by treading the familiar jobbing route of London's emerging new 1990s indie bands - gigs at ULU, the Camden Powerhaus and the Old Trout in Windsor - and the dispiriting experience of playing a set to an audience of one. But in these halcyon days, their potential was undeniable. Anderson's creative partnership with guitarist Bernard Butler exposed a unique and brilliant hybrid of lyric and sound; together they were a luminescent team - burning brightly and creating some of the era's most revered songs and albums.
In Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn, Anderson unflinchingly explores his relationship with addiction, heartfelt in the regret that early musical bonds were severed, and clear-eyed on his youthful persona.
'As a young man...I oscillated between morbid self-reflection and vainglorious narcissism', he states. His honesty, sharply self-aware and articulate tone makes this a compelling autobiography and a brilliant insight into one of the most significant bands of the last quarter century.
Critic reviews
"A compelling personal account of the dramas of a singular British band." (Neil Tennant)
More from the same
Author
Narrator
What listeners say about Afternoons with the Blinds Drawn
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Liam_H
- 24-11-20
an emotional rollercoaster
I love suede they were my band in my mid to late teens. Brett once again succeeds with telling the story of a seminal band and his fractious relationship with Bernard Butler and addiction.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 23-11-20
Just trash.
Lovely prose filled trash! Brett Anderson writes as well, or even better than established 'authors' of today.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mrs Claire Hewitt
- 18-06-20
Sublime
Brett writes in a way that paints a vivid picture, he describes a scene so clearly you feel you might be in a room with him. A brilliant book.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Baxter
- 08-04-20
My Dark Stars
A spectacular journey into the half-world of fin de siecle rock music and beyond. Brett's powerful writing style and heartfelt narration transport you to another time and place. If you love his band, enjoy autobiographies, or just have an interest in tales of remarkable rock music don't hesitate to listen. The past is indeed a foreign country.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- mattyuu99
- 30-01-20
Beautiful writing, honest and endearing
Literally in Brett Anderson's own words this charts the very, euphoric, ups and the desperate, dark, downs of an iconic and influential band. This rise and fall is in no way sugar-coated but stunningly relived with both fondness and vital honesty. An absolute must.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Alison harte
- 26-11-19
Outstanding!
A comfortable listen to an honest account of Suedes venture through the music industry! Including all the ups and downs, well worth a listen!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- KA ALVAREZ AGUILAR
- 22-10-19
excellent account of Suede's journey.
very honest and genuine account of Brett Anderson's Journey. What I like about this, its that he doesn't glorify addiction like in other rock star autobiographies. He seems like a very honest man with a lot of principle
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jacqueline Gilmore
- 20-10-19
how many "dear friends" you say?
My husband and I really enjoyed this 2nd memoir from Brett. i couldn't agree more that as dear a friend Tony Hoffer is to me as well, he was the WRONG producer to work with Suede at a pivotal time in their realising it was time for Suede to stop for awhile. To exit out on creative confusion and no one to shine a light on it. Brett is a great story teller!! He often reminds me of the character in The Young Poisoners Handbook sometimes. Forever waiting for the dream of his diamond to save him from himself.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- R. O. T. Pink
- 15-10-19
Nostalgic, honest and perceptive
Brett Anderson’s second memoir is great for Suede fans but also a fascinating listen concerning late 20th and early 21st century music in general. He is frank about what he sees as his and the Suede’s failings and also insightful about the good moments. He provides his perspective on the role of the press and the way in which some bands find success and others are sucked away into obscurity, as well as on musical and literary influences. He refers to his desire to avoid the standard good time party filled Rock’n’roll biographies and write a more personal thoughtful account. He has achieved his goal.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- S Tickner
- 13-10-19
Everything I needed
From 1992 I've craved this level of detail and the background to the beautiful thing that is Suede. Brett delivers it with an honesty and candour that is moving (esp towards the end). It's Suede's journey but it also parallels my own as a fan over those years. I loved the descriptions of how albums, singles and b sides all evolved from seedling ideas into the epic fully formed and (mostly) wonderful end products. All of it fascinating. All of it entertaining. Some of it funny. Some of it tragic. It ticked every box for me, as a fan. I pray that pt3 will follow. I'm now off to go through the back catalogue once more. Any criticisms? Does Brett overdo the adjective/adverb count sometimes?.... Possibly. Does he read it slightly too fast? Easily resolved by turning speed down to 0.9 for the audiobook. Summary: It's a blissful gem of a book if you've loved Suede like I have
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- toomanybarts
- 19-02-20
Great. Brett narrating makes this
Without Brett Anderson narrating I would’ve probably just read this book. Hearing him tell his story with such honesty and hearing the intonation in his voice as he recalls difficult moments made the listening that much more enjoyable.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Stephen Q.
- 08-11-19
Book/Audiobook of The Year
For me, Suede was one of those life-altering bands that had made a major impact. After reading and thoroughly enjoying Anderson's first book, I was looking forward to his chronicle of the halcyon years for his band, from the pinnacle of success to the sputtering halt in 2002. I ended up purchasing the Kindle edition and the audiobook so that I could be fully invested in absorbing every word. In a descriptive, almost prose-like style, Anderson took me on a journey that started with the euphoria and success of the first album to the lackadaisical ambivalence of their fifth release. Anderson details the relationship with Bernard Butler and how things went astray, which was amazing to me because I always wanted to know what truly happened. Truly not your typical autobiography, which was appreciated. Left me looking forward to the next one by Anderson, if there is going to be one more. Hope so.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Nathan Duin
- 08-10-19
Fantastic
Afternoon With the Blinds Drawn is sublime and every bit as great as Coal Black Mornings, which I did not think would be possible. Highly recommended.