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Boy About Town By Tony Fletcher

George Orwell once wrote “An autobiography is only to be trusted when it reveals something disgraceful. A man who gives a good account of himself is probably lying, since any life when viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats.” I’ve used Orwell’s quote not only because he was such a big influence on the writing and politics of Paul Weller and subsequently The Jam fans - like the author - who were inspired to pursue their musical/literary aspirations, but also because the quote can be applied to Tony Fletcher’s excellent memoir of adolescent angst and musical obsession. Although Fletcher successfully ran Jamming Magazine, played in a band that would later support The Jam and be produced by Paul Weller, he confesses to being a flabby fleshed, innate scruff with a high-pitched whine, and for the most part comes across as more Adrian Mole than Andrew Loog Oldham. Aside from his physical shortcomings, he was also constantly thwarted in his obsessional quest to lose his virginity and was frequently bullied - there is a particularly harrowing chapter in which he describes not only the systematic beatings, but also having his bedroom curtains set on fire. The fact that Fletcher had so much to contend with makes his success even more remarkable and you constantly find yourself rooting for him as he constantly battles to overcome all of these adversities.

 

‘Boy about Town’, for the most part, centres on the trials and tribulations of Fletcher’s adolescent years as a fledgling publisher. From an initial print run of fifty black and white, six page, and clumsily photocopied fanzines – published whilst he was still at school - Jamming grew over the course of nine years to become a well-respected, monthly, full colour, A4 music magazine with a circulation of 30,000. His love of music and an almost naïve self-belief would also result in him bagging interviews with the likes of Pete Townshend, The Damned and The Jam, incredibly, whilst the fanzine had a print run of only 1000. Unfortunately - considering the messages in Paul Weller’s songs – many Jam fans had adopted tunnel vision in their musical tastes, so what is interesting about Fletcher, is that he had an astonishingly eclectic taste in music at such an early age, which naturally led to his John Peel-like enthusiasm for championing obscure bands in the magazine.

Although Fletcher had a good schooling and was raised in comfortable surroundings, he constantly found himself in the eye of the storm as it were, and the book captures the brooding sense of violence which seemed to hang over London in the late seventies, early eighties: a direct result of ruthless Tory policies, mass unemployment, subsequent social unrest and musical tribalism. Paul Weller would brilliantly capture the atmosphere of ‘fear and hate’ in the lyrics to The Jam track ‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street’, and the bellowed final word of the song would give name to Fletcher’s band - Apocalypse.

 

The title of the book, of course, takes its name from the ‘Sound Affects’ Jam track and Weller/Jam fans will find the book fascinating, particularly the chapters in which Fletcher recounts being present during the recording and playback of The Jam albums ‘Setting Sons’ and ‘Sound Affects’ and more importantly being welcomed into the inner circle of the Woking trio. Although Fletcher was far from the carefree spirit described in the lyrics of the Jam song he certainly took one of the lines to heart: ‘I want to do what I want to do, and I want to live how I want to live’, and that is what comes across strongly in the book, namely the purity of his youthful idealism and his unwavering belief that anything is achievable.

 

There are so many things to enjoy about ‘Boy About Town’, not least from a personal point of view, as having published a fanzine for over a decade I could relate – with much knowing mirth it has to be said - to Fletcher’s publishing predicaments, such as being let down by printers and trying to meet print deadlines (in one chapter he recounts the moment of his first publishing coming of age – his first ‘all-nighter’.)  As a memoir it is surprisingly candid, wryly funny, occasionally harrowing, yet always honest in its descriptions of failed teenage romances, the eroding of childhood friendships and the meeting of musical idols for the first time. As expected, it is brilliantly written, and will appeal not only to Weller/Jam fans and fellow musos, but also to anyone interested in the loves, dreams and passions of an ‘almost famous’ absolute beginner in late seventies, early eighties London.

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