+- Forums (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum)
+-- Forum: Doom Arts (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=6)
+--- Forum: Doom Books (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=13)
+--- Thread: Dark Luminosity: Memoirs of a Geezer by Jah Wobble (/showthread.php?tid=9003)
Dark Luminosity: Memoirs of a Geezer by Jah Wobble - King Bob - 09-26-2026
His real name is John Wardle. A pretty good musician' memoir, although he didn't talk that much about making the albums. It was more about his personal life. He grew up in council housing and went to school with John Lydon. They had two other close friends named John, and they nicknamed one of them Sid. He later became Sid Vicious, and Wobble later made a documentary called "Searching for Sid." Sid gave him the name Jah Wobble when he drunkenly mangled his name. He liked it and decided to use it when he joined Lydon in Public Image Ltd.
I felt some kinship with him on several points. He mentions being blown away by Burning Spear. (Although for him the song was "Marcus Garvey" and for me it was "Civilize Reggae.") He calls Dark Magus his favorite Miles Davis album (also a favorite of Bill Laswell) and I used to love that one too. And he calls Laswell's Radioaxiom maybe the best thing he played on, and I would agree (although his bass line on The Orb's "Blue Room" is right up there.)
Iron crotch gets a mention. His wife is Chinese - incidentally he says her father, Kui Hsuing Li, is considered one of the best bamboo flute players in China - and before their wedding they go to China to meet the relatives. They go to Guilin and he hears about a Qigong demonstration. He briefly explains what that might entail, adding "It can also refer to blokes pulling trucks along by their penises...."
Stylistically, he used an interesting organizing method. He would talk about some event, the follow it with a section in italics where he looked back on it from the time of writing and considered things like people's character and motivations, his take on it etc. It was rather effective.
Probably not of interest to any of you. Maybe TG. I got it from Recycle and they declined to buy it back. I'll try again, but if they pass, I'd happily pass it along.