Chris Difford

I have Squeeze's Greatest Hits in my online playlist, and vaguely knew a few of their more popular songs (I am around their age). Several months ago, I randomly decided to listen to that whole album. I became enamored of a few of the deeper cuts, and then worked my way through all of Squeeze's albums on Napster. Then the Difford/Tilbrook album, and Glenn's solo work. In all of this, there are maybe 10 cuts that I skip. I love the music, and it has (belatedly) become the soundtrack of my life.

Squeeze has toured the U.S. frequently throughout their career, and many performances have been captured on YouTube. Watching the videos, it became apparent that I needed to see them live, and I have a ticket for their concert in November. I also saw Glenn Tilbrook's mostly solo show (with his young sons) in August, and was thrilled to be there.

Glenn traditionally writes the music and Chris the lyrics. Glenn is the stronger and flashier singer and guitarist, with Chris singing an octave lower and playing serviceable rhythm guitar. I haven't listened to Chris's solo work, since I'm not wild about his very deep voice. I may still get to it, and could be pleasantly surprised.

Chris's literary voice is another story. His lyrics are top-notch, and I was eager to read anything he had to say. I own another book, Squeeze: Song by Song, which weaves personal details into specifics about each song (not including the 2 newest albums). Its existence may be why Some Fantastic Place is light on details about specific songs or the writing process.

Chris does talk about his life in some detail and breadth, but I felt I was missing something. He didn't needlessly pile on specifics about every tour and gig, but I didn't get a full sense of what it was like to perform. I also don't quite understand the ins and outs of his long relationship with Glenn. It's complicated, for sure. At one point, they didn't speak for about 9 years. The collaboration is currently going well, yet Chris says he has never been to Glenn's current house and doesn't even know where he lives.

Regarding the fabled "sex, drugs and rock and roll," there is a lot about drugs (and alcohol). Chris started dabbling in substances at an early age, and it got out of hand. He eventually went to rehab, and none other than Elton John helped with his recovery. He says he's now 25 years sober.

Chris mentions also attending rehab for relationship issues, but does not elaborate. He has been married 3 times, and seems happy with his current wife. There is almost nothing about groupies and wild rock star escapades, so I'll assume he's being a gentleman and sparing the reader any sordid details.

In sum, the book was interesting and the work of a skilled raconteur. Perhaps the missing pieces will be provided if Glenn also decides to put pen to paper.

(I received an advance copy from Net Galley.)… (meer)

This is an absolute must-read for any fan of Squeeze. If you're not a fan of Squeeze (shame on you), then this book will be meaningless. The book is a relatively brief biography of the band (focusing on its principal members Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook) broken down into time periods based on the band's studio albums. The heart of the book, however, is interspersed between the biographical entries. Ian Drury, acting as a sort of interviewer offers up songs from each of the albums, one-by-one, and gives Difford and Tilbrook an opportunity to describe the songwriting process, the recording process, how the band felt about the song or each other, and virtually anything else that came to mind. It is absolutely amazing the amount of dysfunction that Difford and Tilbrook apparently experienced and exhibited in such an amazing songwriting partnership. The opportunity to learn what songs really mean and the inspiration behind many of them is priceless for any fan of the band. Unfortunately, the interviews were conducted separately (for reasons that will become obvious as one reads the book). The book also includes lyrics for most of the Squeeze's album tracks. I wish that the book had included a thorough discussion of the songs on the "Difford and Tilbrook" album and on their respective solo work. I also wish that some of the terrific b-sides that Squeeze released would have been included. Nevertheless, for a Squeeze fan, this book is an important addition to the musical collection.… (meer)