Dandy in the Underworld

I got this book on the recommendation of a guest on "The Book Show" and I have to say that I enjoyed it, for such a short book it did take me some time to read but it was not a case of seeming like it dragged out for ages it was worth the time spent, due to the subject matter this is not going to be for everyone but if your not offended by tales of sex ,drugs and rock n roll (well punk actually) told with a shall we say colourful choice of words you should at least find this book entertaining , ok it's not a prize winner but for an auto biography written by a celebrity (I use that term loosely as I had never heard of S.H before this book) it is very well written with some good quotes thrown in for good measure , I can honestly say this books worth your hard earned cash .
Ps
I did not use the word bohemian in the review so im use it hear just because it describes this book so well bohemian

Funny in parts... but couldn't get through (0/0 people found this helpful)

Well, the title of this review says it all, really.

Sebastian Horsley pontificates about his misbehaviour and drug abuse, philandering, snobbery, and buying sex like it is going out of style.

Unfortunately, the majority of the book is stolen from others: Marc Bolan (the title and much else...), Quentin Crisp, even Oscar Wilde is honoured with the flattery of imitation.

Couldn't get to the end, or, in fact, the middle...

In response to the sour little review below this one (0/2 people found this helpful)

Forgive me for finding this review unconvincing. Sebastian Horsley's life - including having nails driven through his hands and being put up on a cross thousands of miles from home - might be called many things, not all of them complimentary, but uninteresting?? Horsley writes with poetic savagery and rapier wit; the book is dark, tormented, ugly at times; it is dizzying, flambuoyant, larger than life like its author; at times it is touching and deeply sad; nobody is spared, including Horsley himself. He has taken up his heroic journey in this life in a way that so many men are afraid to do nowadays - tirelessly seeking confrontation and consummation, making real what most people, like our mealy-mouthed reviewer, could not even contemplate. That we all live in the shadow of the abyss is true; that some, like Sebastian Horsley, have the talent, courage, audacity - and, let's face it ladies - the stunning good looks - to dance in velvet at the edge of the abyss is a tonic indeed in our weary, spineless age. So come on, Mr Reviewer, admit it: you feel small and resentful in comparison to such a life: how else could you possibly justify calling it uninteresting?

Boring life and terrible writing (1/3 people found this helpful)

Please don't bother reading this book. Contrary to what others have said, Mr Horsley has not had a very interesting life. He dwells on his drug addiction and relationship with an ex-con (yawn) whilst neglecting the more interesting characters such as his father and grandfather. All of this might be forgivable if he had any talent as a writer. Unfortunately he does not.

Filthy Gorgeous (1/2 people found this helpful)

Like Russell Brand, Sebastian Horsley is an ex-junkie sex fiend. But even though he's not a professional comic, Horsley's tale is funnier, despite being several million degrees darker and more dangerous, and consequently, a far better read than Brand's comparitively perky booky-wook. Horsley writes like a dream - no, make that a nightmare - and spares nothing in the details of his hellish life, showing a degree of self-knowledge that you don't read in many autobiographies, and an extraordinary life of extreme privilege and extreme unhappiness, too. He's lived it so you don't have to, and after you've read his book, you'll love Horsley as much as he does.

Sebastian Horsley

Reader Reviews:

A Good Read (If your into that sort of thing) (0/0 people found this helpful)

Funny in parts... but couldn't get through (0/0 people found this helpful)

In response to the sour little review below this one (0/2 people found this helpful)

Boring life and terrible writing (1/3 people found this helpful)

Filthy Gorgeous (1/2 people found this helpful)

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