I am jon ronson, author of the psychopath test, lost at sea, them, the men who stare at goats and now frank, the film and short ebook. I think this is the only book that ive read from cover to cover in under 40 minutes. Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. An article in the guardian by jon ronson, a former member of franks band, tells his story and mentions the book. A great book for lighter collectors with a wide interest. Frank sidebottom and jon ronson, birmingham, the 1980s. Sporting a fibreglass cartoon head, frank played by chris sievey would perform strange beatlesqueenbruce springsteen covers with his oh blimey big. In the late 1980s jon ronson was the keyboard player in the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band. Frank sidebottom out of his head is a fascinating and bittersweet read, and is very highly recommended.
Sporting a fibreglass cartoon head, frank played by chris sievey would perform strange beatlesqueenbruce springsteen covers with his oh blimey big band, of which jon ronson was the keyboardist. Jon ronson talking frank with harry sievey in timperley 5751 views tribute to frank sidebottom 4742 views frank sidebottom, the opening of the statue, timperley 4649 views frank sidebottom 4700 views frank sidebottom statue unveiling 201020 4794 views. Jon ronsons books include the new york times bestseller the psychopath test. The books sleuthing cant really take flight until mr. Frank sidebottom wore a papiermache head and sang pop covers in a nasal twang. The true story that inspired the movie is a 2014 nonfiction book by jon ronson, which describes his time with musiciancomedian frank sidebottom as a keyboardist in his band in the late 1980s, as well as the inception of the 2014 movie frank, for which he cowrote the script. The true story that inspired the movie is a memoir of funny, sad times and a tribute to outsider artists too wonderfully strange to ever make it in the mainstream. To be totally frank, jon ronsons interests are on the margins.
The chris sievey story is the offiicial documentary of. Pepper knew my father, the exotic beatles part two, and revolution no. Talking truth and fiction in frank with jon ronson the atlantic. Frank sidebottom, best known for performing with a big fake head with a cartoon face painted on it, was a cult favorite in the united kingdom and is the subject of the new movie frank, cowritten by. He recently published an ebook, frank, telling his story. The true story that inspired the movie in 2014, a memoir of his time in the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band. Frank riffs on the pop curiosity frank sidebottom the. Shop for vinyl, cds and more from frank sidebottom at the discogs marketplace. From the bestselling author of the psychopath test comes a characteristically humorous story of a musician on the margins. Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers franks creator chris sievey as being. High quality frank sidebottom inspired greeting cards by independent artists and designers from around the world.
Really, though, he was musician and comedian chris sievey, and writer jon ronson played keyboards for him in the late 80s. The chris sievey story is the official documentary about maverick manchester comedian frank sidebottom, and the life and art of his hidden creator chris sievey. The journalist, writer and broadcaster is a man who is selfdescribed as nebbishy but. The true story that inspired the movie is a 2014 nonfiction book by jon ronson, which describes his time with musiciancomedian frank sidebottom as. Them was longlisted for the guardians first book award, until it was disqualified for not being, strictly speaking, his first book he grew up in cardiff and began his journalistic career as an awardwinning columnist for. Frank sidebottom was a banjo playing character portrayed by comedian chris sievey of the 80s indie band the freshies. A quartercentury later, ronson has written a movie called frank.
Adventures with extremists 2001, and the psychopath test 2011. The film was written by jon ronson and peter straughan, and was based on ronsons experiences playing in sieveys oh blimey big band. The psychopath test spent the whole of 2012 on the uk bestseller list and ten weeks on the new york times bestseller list. Affable investigator of the often lonely, always fascinating outliers on pop cultures scattergraph, jon ronson spent the late 80s in frank sidebottoms oh blimey big band after a chance phone call while interning. Frank sidebottom was the stage name and persona of the english comedian and musician chris sievey 19562010. The film, titled frank, was cowritten by journalist and broadcaster jon ronson, who spent three years playing keyboards in sidebottoms oh blimey big band in the late 1980s. Jon presents a oneman show frank story telling the true story behind the new acclaimed fictionalized movie cowritten by him and starring michael fassbender and maggie gyllenhaal. In the late 1980s i was the keyboard player in the frank sidebottom band. View all restaurants near frank sidebottom statue on tripadvisor. This became the subject of feverish speculation during his zenith years. His book captures perfectly that rarest of journeys when an onlooker got to see. How connected do you want the film to be with frank sidebottoms own legacy. You cant find any lighters in this book but it is an important. It was released theatrically in ireland and britain on 9 may 2014 and on dvd.
Jon ronson born 10 may 1967 is a welshamerican journalist and documentary filmmaker whose works include the men who stare at goats 2004, them. Jon ronson is a nonfiction author, documentary maker and screenwriter. Frank sidebottom, best known for performing with a big fake head with a cartoon face painted on it, was a cult favorite in the. The true story that inspired the movie, jon ronson reflects on his days playing keyboard for the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band. Twentyfive years later and jon has cowritten a movie, frank, inspired by his time in this great and bizarre band. Thats a really good question, and having read the book.
Jon ronson recalls his own glory days in the entertainers band. Stream adfree or purchase cds and mp3s now on amazon. Jon ronson, who worked with sievey, published frank. Lets get a statue of frank sidebottom in timperley. Frank sidebottom lyrics all the great songs and their lyrics from frank sidebottom on lyrics. Adventures with extremists, the men who stare at goats, the psychopath test, and lost at sea have all been international bestsellers.
A funny, sad and true story about jon ronson, frank sidebottom and other outsider musicians. A ten minute edited version of frank sidebottoms new tv showtimperley tv. The true story that inspired the movie by jon ronson. Unique artwork for posting words of wisdom or decorating your wall, fridge or office. The visage on the headmask, with its large blue eyes, bright red lips and perfectly plastered down sideparted black hair. Today, another kind of strange book from the writer who makes the bizarre seem funny, jon ronson. The head is lovingly made with paint and felttip pen.
F or three years, in the late 1980s, i was the keyboard player with the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band. In his new book jon ronson learns the skills for spotting psychopaths. After a tweet from jon ronson, frank was saved from a paupers grave by the donations of an army of fans, both young and old. Frank sidebottom and the man behind the mask bbc news. It tells the true story behind the fictionalized movie. Jon ronson books list of books by author jon ronson. The book s timeline spans more than a quarter of a century and includes cameos from sieveys family and friends as well as the likes of mark e smith, steve coogan, jon ronson, caroline aherne, chris evans, mark radcliffe, and, er, bros. The character was instantly recognisable by his spherical head, styled like an early max fleischer cartoon. Being a fan of jon ronson, i was looking forward to frank despite only having a passing interest in frank sidebottom. Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers.
He has been described as a gonzo journalist, becoming a fauxnaif character in his stories he produces informal but sceptical investigations of controversial fringe politics and. Having played keyboards in sidebottoms band for three years, ronson knew sievey well. Ronson covers a lot of territory a bit too much, and at times the book meanders. Frank sidebottom statue west timperley 2020 all you. The 2014 film frank was largely inspired by the frank sidebottom character, telling the story of a young wannabe musician who joins a group led by the enigmatic frank michael fassbender. We personally assess every books quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Frank sidebottoms story of musical chaos and mental instability is both hilarious and moving. The typeface can be read from the moon, theres scant information in the book, and its basically a long article. Jon ronson, the bestselling author of the psychopath test and the men who stare at goats, has spent his life exploring mysterious events and meeting extraordinary people. The film frank was loosely based on the character and jon ronson was even in the original frank sidebottom i would recommend that you have a look at some material on youtube to give yourself an understanding of the child like comedy involved and then try to believe that he supported bros and unfortunately gary glitter both accounts are hilarious.
In the late 1980s jon ronson was the keyboard player in the frank sidebottom. I have had lower back pain all week but the muscle relaxant is wearing off and im less groggy and so ama. Frank is a 2014 black comedy film directed by lenny abrahamson, produced by david barron, ed guiney and stevie lee and written by jon ronson and peter straughan. Discover book depositorys huge selection of jon ronson books online. A visit to a porn shoot arranged by one princess donna dolore, while amusing, offers few insights into the. Frank sidebottom was a novelty act from the manchester music scene of the late 80searly 90s. Nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity.
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