UK Decay

[Ian Lee]

Excuse my butting in to your Christmas arrangements, but finally, my book is about to be published. See http://www.fast-print.net/bookshop/938/1000-gigs-a-life-well-lived

It is about the first 1000 gigs I went to (I now choose succinct titles). With a timeline from January 1978 - I was very late beginning- to June 1997. With anecdotes, images and name checks, it includes 3 gigs by The Resistors, 35 by UK Decay, 13 by The Statics and 16 by The Chronic Outbursts. And many more by many others.

I started to write the book on Tuesday 6 May 2008. Due to its' nature, there was no hurry to finish it, but it did take longer than expected. And then I had to find a publisher. All the established ones I submitted it to rejected me (I'm not a celebrity with a non-story to tell), so I eventually decided to link up with a print-on-demand publisher/printer. Then the proof reading took ages (and what's the chances I'll still find errors).

The book is full colour, A4 size, 144 pages, with a photo on the cover of a gig I was at in October 1981, taken from the stage.

The book will appear on the Amazon and Waterstones websites shortly. Feel free to notify any friend of yours who may be interested in this book.

It's been a long journey...but it feels great having created something!

Ian Lee

Blurb from the back cover:
This is the statistical story of almost twenty years in the late twentieth century of solid gig-going; a life spent listening and interacting to live music, the story made human by anecdotes arising from the gigs. This epoch includes the most thrilling of musical times, the post-punk era of 1978 to mid 1980s – a period of energy, adventure, originality and innovation, coupled with a growing political/social awareness.

The protagonist, however, did so much more besides during these near twenty years, and brief snippets of other events in his life are inserted accordingly. 2011 finds him still happily pursuing this path through life!

“What my brother has done here is akin to the mass observation projects that allow us to understand life and culture for past generations. The trouble is I can’t think of anybody else with such a widely eclectic take on contemporary music so I hope future sociologists don’t base their understanding of the 1980s based on Ian’s observations. They’ll think The Fall were important!” (Carl Lee).
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In a world of universal deceit, to tell the truth is a revolutionary act. Surely it is the way to progress- after all, if one tells the truth, one is sure, sooner or later, to be found out.