Midge Ure

I really enjoyed this, especially with Ure narrating it himself. Love a Glaswegian accent.

Like many, I discovered Ultravox at a young age (I was 18, and picked up Rage In Eden mainly because I loved the cover), and they quickly became a favourite of mine.

But there's so many behind the story stories with Midge...including how he went from "James" to "Midge".

The thing I think I enjoyed the most was how humble he was, for a guy behind so many successful endeavours (Visage, picking Ultravox up off the floor, Band-Aid, Live-Aid, etc.). He could literally have detailed success upon success and pat his own back, but he's a funny, humble man.

And why he's only been awarded an OBE and not a knighthood, I have absolutely no idea.

Great read.… (meer)

3 1/2 stars: Good

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From amazon.com: " From poor, working-class roots in Scotland, to one of the most successful musicians of his generation, Midge Ure has spent over 25 years both at the cutting-edge and behind the scenes in the music industry. Midge also spearheaded Live Aid - the biggest concert the world has ever seen - and "We Are The World" USA for Africa, which raised over $100 million for famine relief. Few are better placed to offer real insights into the rock'n'roll business over the last quarter of a century: the characters, the business, the lifestyle and the trappings - including the dream house he built in Montserrat which was wiped out by Hurricane Hugo and rebuilt only to be buried by a volcano. " [this doesn't even mention that he was the driving force behind Visage and the popular era of Ultravox].

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I enjoyed reading this book. He overall seems to be a humble man who takes responsibility when he made mistakes, and talks with the tone of someone who's been up and down in life. The most interesting chapters to me were the chapters on how he and Bob Geldof came up with the Band Aid idea, and the actual implementation of it. Old friends, they each needed each other in order to get the idea implemented. He is also very open about his struggle with alcohol, and ultimately how he got sober after many years.

A good book, but nothing extraordinary. As he himself says in his song "dear god" "I'm a simple man with simple words to say". He does write about issues which I like, and perhaps it surprised me that he is not more issues driven in his personal life? Band Aid being an exception, and he knows its Geldof's thing, not his. He's a guy who loves making music, which he's done since he dropped out of school at 15, and he's seen both the highs and lows of fame, women, marriages, divorce, alcoholism and sobriety. Worth the read for a fan; I hope to see him live soon.… (meer)

Being part of the audience most attuned to receiving a Midge Ure memoir, I loved this book. I know that most people in America don't know who he is but being a fan from his Ultravox days I relished each of the chapters. It took me quite a while to get through it as I intentionally put it down for days at a time to think about my own memories during that time. Ure has several passages where he passes through Los Angeles, Disneyland, and Central and Northern California. Unfortunately, like many in the business, he happened to pick up a vice there which later turned into an addiction (alcohol). This memoir is well written, detailed with his own feelings and observations of many contemporary artists. Not overly-serious in tone, Ure brings the excitment of playing music for a living to those like myself who marvel at the creative process and its impact on our lives. Ure was raised Christian but professes nothing now and states that he will allow his daughters to chose their own faith tradition should they so desire. During his recovery from alcohol addiction, he implies that the higher power to whom he must turn to (12 step doctrine) is the god of creativity.… (meer)