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Frank
- The True Story that Inspired the Movie
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
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Frank
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Summary
In the late 1980s Jon Ronson was the keyboard player in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band. Frank wore a big fake head. Nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity. This became the subject of feverish speculation during his zenith years. Together, they rode relatively high. Then it all went wrong.
Twenty-five years later and Jon has co-written a movie, Frank, inspired by his time in this great and bizarre band. Frank is set for release in 2014, starring Michael Fassbender, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Domhnall Gleeson and directed by Lenny Abrahamson.
Frank: The True Story that Inspired the Movie is a memoir of funny, sad times and a tribute to outsider artists too wonderfully strange to ever make it in the mainstream. It tells the true story behind the fictionalized movie.
Jon Ronson is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. He is the author of four best sellers, Them: Adventures with Extremists, The Men Who Stare at Goats, The Psychopath Test and Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries, and two collections, Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness and What I Do: More True Tales of Everyday Craziness. He lives in London and New York City.
What listeners say about Frank
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-02-21
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Best £1.83 you'll spend today unless you've obtained the sticky back plastic (and the other components needed) to build your very own flux capacitor and have successfully opened a time traveling vortex A-road to 1983.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jonathan Wilson
- 07-04-22
Excellent
My only complaint is that it wasn’t long enough! It was excellent! Classic Ronson doing his usual witty, funny and honest journalism!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. Casey
- 01-02-15
What's not to love?
Jon Ronson at his warm, funny & insightful best. If you don't know about the marvel that was Frank Sidebottom you're in for a treat.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 28-05-16
An extended newspaper article.
In reality, this is more of an extended newspaper article to promote the film. I've even heard some of the exact same audio on podcasts such as This American Life. That said, it is worth the £2 I paid for it. Jon Ronson is an acquired taste in voice, but I'm a big fan of his voice so enjoyed the performance thoroughly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- james
- 29-09-19
great stories as always.
I remember frank sidebottom from the 80's, but was too young to remember the humour, this book and the film are great.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kaggy
- 03-05-14
The the really interesting part of the 80s
Listening to Jon Ronson tell a story is like being lucky enough to sit next to the most charismatic guest at a wedding. Don't kid yourself that this is a one trick pony. In a very short time he covers a wide range of anecdotal stories about the outsiders of the music scene. Some are funny, some are sad and some are simply astonishing. I can't wait to see the film.
I defy anybody listening to this not to want to investigate further into The Shaggs.
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 18-06-20
Short but sweet
A short but entertaining insight into the enigma of Frank Sidebottom. Having been a bit of a fan in my teenage years I found it interesting to hear a little more about the man behind the mask. Jon Ronson delivers it his hallmark style which adds to enjoyment
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jenny R
- 18-06-18
Fantastic short but sweet
Really great short story. Typically entertaining! Goes beyond Frank’s story into fringe bands/musicians in a fascinating, informative and educational way.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Marie
- 02-02-14
Transit van trip down the backstreets of music
Where does Frank rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Short book, but entertaining and interesting - possibly like the legendary Frank Sidebottom - a love or hate thing.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Steph H
- 01-05-16
Funny and Interesting
I never 'got' the whole Frank Sidebottom thing when it was happening. I'd only shortly moved to the UK and I don't think I had the 'history' here to appreciate it. I did however find this story very Interesting. Mark has a great way of expressing himself and telling a story which comes across as very low key, but he really gets the point across of what he's trying to say. Well worth a listen and have added others of his books to my wishlist.
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