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James Dean Bradfield recommended Fried by Julian Cope in Music (curated)

 
Fried by Julian Cope
Fried by Julian Cope
1984 | Pop, Rock, Psychedelic
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"It's really weird: I kind of had a bit of a problem with The Teardrop Explodes. I really didn't like them as a group, and it's very strange because our recording desk in Cardiff… I think Kilimanjaro was recorded on it. But as soon as Julian Cope left Teardrop Explodes I just completely turned onto him, and especially this record, because it's brilliant. There's some benchmark songs on here, which are hard for anybody to top. There's one called 'Bill Drummond Said' which is just fucking brilliant, and there's a song called 'Reynard The Fox', which is just… he does such a brilliant job of having a narrative of why he disagrees with something but pitching it in such a beautiful way. And there's 'The Bloody Assizes'; Julian Cope, now, has this afterlife of being this writer who seems to mix the high-rise block of ideas in his head with reality. It's really amazing. And he's become some sort of historian about myth and Krautrock, and I loved one of his quotes when he did an interview for this book: "I only look like this because I feel like such a cunt when I'm crying inside all the time." This record shows why he's such a brilliant solo artist. It's got a lovely, bucolic flintiness to it. There's something about it; you realise he's detached himself from his previous life and The Teardrop Explodes, and he's just out there in the woods doing something. And you cannot like a record which has a cover of the artist's… you know. Naked inside a big turtle shell on the cover. I remember it got really mixed reviews, but I think a lot of people do consider it a classic. I do; he's done other good stuff, but it's his best record."

Source
  
Lu. (Modern Faith, #1)
Lu. (Modern Faith, #1)
Beth Troy | 2017
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Where should I start…
The story of Lu was interesting. Beth Troy wrote the story in a way that made me feel like I was Lu; that I was the person going through struggles and learning to work through them. Lu is a strong character who knew what she wanted in life (or thought she did), she is a very dedicated person; someone dedicated to finding the truth, not just accepting what others tell her. Lu’s thought process was very realistic, and her thoughts were something that most of us think at one point or another in our lives, but that we very rarely voice. Beth Troy did a great job of giving voice to those thoughts and showing that there is a time for every season in life.
 I do wish that the ending of the book had been a bit different. I wanted Lu to not make the choices that she did, however, I understand that Beth Troy was showing that we all make mistakes and wrong choices in life. But that God will be there for us always, through the good choices and the bad.
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the frank spiritual battles, the well-developed storyline, and most of all for Lu.
*This book does contain some mild swearing, and some sexual content (nothing detailed, just implied). I do not particularly care for it, however, that stuff happens all around us. It is naïve of us to think otherwise. I relate it to how Rachel Hauck uses those elements of real life in her books to depict life without Jesus.
**I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.