Book info

• Title Just for One Day
• Author Louise Wener
• Year 2010
• Genre Memoir

Just For One Day takes you on Louise Wener’s musical odyssey from awkward 80s suburban pop geek to 90s jet-set Britpop goddess. Of course, once she’s living the dream at the height of Britpop’s glory, things aren’t quite how they appeared from the other side. With her band Sleeper, Louise goes from doing gigs in toilets to gigs in stadiums, and on to the big interviews, constant touring and endless excess via Top of the Pops. These are the hilarious adventures of a girl’s journey through Britpop, from the embarrassments of growing up to trying to remember what on earth it was you really wanted while eating Twiglets backstage and enviously eyeing up Damon Albarn’s plate of foreign cheeses.

Thoughts

This came highly recommended to me by my husband, an unusual occurrence as he’s not a huge fan of book reading. However, the inside scoop of a 90s Britpop band is exactly the kind of thing he likes and he reckoned I would enjoy it too. He’s not wrong!

It took me a while to get into it, and there were heaps of references and cultural things that I didn’t get, but everything I did understand, I loved. It has a refreshing honesty, about everything - the early, days, relationships, rock and roll, drugs, and the aftermath.

It’s interesting to read about a band that almost made it big, but sort of ricocheted away from stardom in that fickle world of show business. The end made me said because, despite the fact they all seem much better, and are all still friendly, it wasn’t their fault it all went wrong. I can’t get my head round why anyone would think it’s a good idea to double the price of the competition, but hey, I’ve never worked for a record company.

A great book, a strong recommendation, one I pass on to everyone else - assuming you’re interested in the music world of the 1990s.

Rating: 4 / 5