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The Story of The Streets

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The Story of The Streets

By: Mike Skinner
Narrated by: Mike Skinner
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Summary

'This book is going to try and get as close as possible to the full story of what informed the noise of The Streets. Obviously that's something I should be fairly well-qualified to know about, and I'm going to be as honest as the publisher's lawyers will allow.'


With the 2001 release of The Streets' debut single 'Has It Come To This?' the landscape of British popular music changed forever. No longer did homegrown rappers have to anxiously defer to transatlantic influences. Mike Skinner's witty, self-deprecating sagas of late-night kebab shops and skunk-fuelled Playstation sessions showed how much you could achieve simply by speaking in your own voice.

In this thoroughly modern memoir, the man the Guardian once dubbed 'half Dostoevsky . . . half Samuel Pepys' tells a freewheeling, funny and fearlessly honest tale of Birmingham and London, ecstasy and epilepsy, Twitter-fear and Spectrum joysticks, spread-betting and growing up. He writes of his musical inspirations, role models and rivals, the craft of songwriting and reflects on the successes and failures of the decade-long journey of The Streets.

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No one sounds like Mike Skinner, and as his famous timbre begins, you do find yourself thinking, a 3 minute song is fine, but will I be able to stand a whole books worth of his monotone? And then you listen to what he's saying and you know that no-one else could read it. Every sentence about his music reminds you of the music itself, as his vocals *are* the streets. His words and the way he says them, that's what made me a fan in the first place.

This is a brilliant insight into the UK music business, from a man who is intelligent, articulate, humble when necessary, interesting, and above all, incredibly normal, with a brilliant, objective view on life, served with a slice of acerbic wit.

A hard way to make an easy living

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As a Streets fan I found this book very insightful. Mike poetically opens up in a way I’ve never seen before.

My only issue was Mike’s monotonous voice, the lack of emotion makes following the story difficult at times.

Very insightful got anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of Mike

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Have read this book at least 10 times. Mike is such an interesting man and it was such an interesting time.
I will definitely read again for many years to come.

timeless

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I’d followed The Streets through their commercial years and enjoyed their music.

Ironically, I used to meet my then-to-be wife at the gate at 8 - and she was always late.

It was a soundtrack I used to play in the car, in the gym, chilling around the house...

I was pleased to see Mikes book appear on my list - and even happier to hear it was narrated by himself; having just been disappointed with my last listen when I realised Howard Marks didn’t in fact narrate his final memoirs.

If you read this Mike, which I doubt you would ever indulge in something so self indulgent - well done - and thankyou.

I missed your reunion tour - my now current girlfriend - the one after my then-to-be wife - doesn’t get hints - and it became a disappointing Xmas when I’d opened all my gifts not to find tickets in there.

Maybe another time eh?

A reminiscent account of the band that was

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More than just a musician
A really interesting man
With many ups & downs
Thanks Mike
I loved it.

What a geezer.

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