Suede: Love and Poison: The Authorised Biography

A perfectly serviceable, if unremarkable, biography of Suede, that self-sabotaging purveyor of alternative rock/pop that shone brightly through the 90s. Barnett was closely involved with the band, having written the Suave & Elegant fanzine, before joining their management team, so he was able to interview most of the band at length. The notable exception is former guitarist Bernard Butler.

Barnett sometimes lets the hyperbole overtake his writing, but he's a fan, so that can be forgiven to an extent, but it does make for a less than objective take on the band than might otherwise be. That said he does a good job of telling the band's rise to fame, getting some good interview material from Anderson, Oakes, Codling, Osman and Gilbert as well as former bandmate Justine Frischmann and various friends and hangers on.

The first half of the book, which covers their beginnings, meteoric rise and first couple of albums to the point where Butler (who comes across as a bit of a dickhead tbh) goes off the rails and quits is the best part. After that it becomes a run through album, tour, drug addiction, self-sabotage and repeat.

The edition I read ends with the band announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2003 and with a reconciliation of sorts between Anderson and Butler and the prospect of a solo album. Barnett has since updated the book to cover the 2011 reunion tour and subsequent (and quite excellent) Bloodpsorts album.

So, not the best biography of a band, but a good read. If you're a fan you'll love it, if you're a casual, interested listener there may well be better books about Suede and Britpop out there.