Faithfull: An Autobiography by
Marianne Faithfull
Live Lived To The Full
Marianne Faithfull singer, dope addict and lover of Mick Jagger and other
rich and famous people tells us her story, in a frank, revealing
autobiography.
Personal Review: Faithfull: An Autobiography by Marianne
Faithfull
This riveting autobiography charts Marianne Faithfull's life from her earliest
childhood dream to 1994. Along the way it also serves as a captivating
cultural history of swinging London in the 1960s and the music world in
subsequent decades. Marianne describes her family background,
dispelling many myths along the way, and provides an absorbing account
of how she entered the music business. The sequel, 2007's Memories,
Dreams and Reflections, takes the story further.
Her recollections of touring with the popular bands of the time are
fascinating, as is the way she entered the Rolling Stones circle. Her first

meeting with Bob Dylan is wonderfully juxtaposed with a much later
meeting in the 1980s when she explained every song on Broken English to
an admiring Dylan. The glimpses into the interpersonal relations of the
Stones are enlightening and poignant, specially the way she describes the
decline of the ill-fated Brian Jones.
She talks matter-of-factly about her relationship with Mick Jagger and the
notoriety she gained with various drug busts. Faithfull doesn't spare the
reader any of the detail of her long relationship with a breathtaking variety
of drugs, but the most arresting parts are when she relates particular
events and circumstances to specific compositions by Jagger and herself.
She discusses all the anarchy and hedonism of the times with a detached
air, observing that her generation wanted to see change everywhere but
none of them could quite figure it out and it all ended up as wretched
excess. The movie Performance and her song Sister Morphine are treated
in detail. The saddest part of her life was when she spent about 2 years
sitting on a wall in Soho, completely spaced out, but noting how kindly
people treated her.
The making of her country album Faithless, a huge hit in Ireland, is
described with flair, as well as her big comeback with Broken English in
1979. I really enjoyed her encounters with various musicians like the tragic
Tim Hardin who co-wrote the song Brain Drain on Broken English with Ben
Brierly. There's even an interesting snippet about Cristina Monet, wife of
ZE Records founder Michael Zilkha. Why'd Ya Do It, one of the most
controversial songs on the Broken English album, was written by poet
Heathcote Williams. Marianne had to beg him for hours to allow her to
record it, as he wanted Tina Turner to cover it!
There's no bitterness in any of Faithfull's writing; rather lots of humor and
witty observations. She is full of praise for musicians like Barry Reynolds
and Van Morrison with whom she has worked. As a great fan of hers and
The Stones, I am truly relieved that there were no life threatening sexually
transmitted diseases in the 1960s & 1970s because then a whole
generation of musicians would have been lost, what with all the intercourse
between everybody.
This book confirms why Faithfull is a true survivor and has developed into
an original artist with growing stature. The scandal is well balanced by
observations on the songs, the times, the making of the albums and the
films. There are 45 black and white photographs and a thorough index. I
also recommend Mark Hodkinson's biography As Tears Go By, an
informative read on her life and career up to 1991.
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