Like most
people with an interest in the mod scene I have always been fascinated and
intrigued by the enigma that is Pete Meaden. From my first introduction to him
in the pages of Richard Barnes' “Mods” to the snippets of information provided
since then, I have wanted to know who he was what motivated him, where he had
come from and what he did after the 60s up until his untimely death. It was
therefore with great excitement that I awaited the release of “I’m The Face”.
This book
sadly does not meet any of my expectations. The attention to detail - so much a
part of the mod ethos- is sadly missing. Mistakes are evident throughout the
text: one of the most glaring is the photograph used to show the Meaden penned
45 “Zoot Suit/ I’m The Face”. Unfortunately, instead of showing the 1964
single, an image of a later reissue is used. Even the most basic Google search would
bring up the original and a copy could easily be sourced to use.
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| Pete Wilky - 'I'm The Face' Author |
Each section
of the book is littered with examples of why the author believes he and Meaden
are similar. These statements are not needed. I got the impression that Mr.
Wilky felt that his readers would want to know as much about him as the subject
matter; I have to applaud his own delusional self-belief and the fact that he
sees himself as a “natural leader and influencer of men”. The further into the
book I read, the more I felt the title was being used as a description of how
the author sees himself and not Pete Meaden. Similarly, Mr Wilky’s constant
rants about the modern music industry and the state of politics were completely
unnecessary. I did also start to wonder if he was being paid to use the
interrobang: its constant usage began to annoy me after the first chapter. It
is reminiscent of my son learning a new word and using it in every sentence.
The repetition of the same text throughout the book also indicates poor proof
reading.
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| Neil Lee |
What the
book does succeed in doing is filling in some of the gaps in my own knowledge
of Meaden’s life. Much of it quotes other peoples work directly: many of these
sources I was already familiar with but some I look forward to reading. Also,
some of the photographs used were new to me. Although I do wonder if maybe his
life would better suit a chapter in a future book about the mod scene or early
days of the Who.
In the
hands of somebody like Paul Anderson or Paulo Hewitt this book could have been
so much more. Unfortunately what we have is a complete mess that has left me
disappointed and with the sense that a great opportunity has been missed. If
2014 was a high point for releases of modernist related literature then with
the release of this book 2015 is the low point.
If you buy one mod related book
this year then don’t make it this one.
Written by Neil Lee
PHK - in the time since Neil submitted this review to The Modernist Society Blog, Light & Dark Publishing have removed 'I'm The Face' from their website and shop!
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