Never Understood

The Jesus and Mary Chain

By: William Reid, Jim Reid

Narrated by: William Reid, Jim Reid

William and Jim Reid, brothers and founding members of The Jesus and Mary Chain—a band that bridged the gap between the punk explosion and the emergence of grunge and Britpop—chronicle the chaos, confusion, and stories behind their music.

For five years after they’d swapped sought-after apprenticeships for life on the dole, brothers William and Jim Reid sat up till the early hours in the front room of their parents’ East Kilbride council house, plotting their path to world domination over endless cups of tea, with the music turned down low so as not to wake their sleeping sister. They knew they couldn’t play in the same band because they’d argue too much, so they’d describe their dream ensembles to each other until finally they realized that these two perfect bands were actually the same band. The name of that band was The Jesus and Mary Chain.

The rest was not silence, and picking up those conversations again more than forty years later, William and Jim tell the full story of one of Britain’s greatest guitar bands for the very first time – a wildly funny and improbably moving chronicle of brotherly strife, feedback, riots, drug and alcohol addiction, eternal outsiders and extreme shyness, that also somehow manages to be a love letter to the Scottish working-class family.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 William Reid and Jim Reid (P)2024 Hachette Books

Critic reviews

“A wonderful book, most enlightening. Jim and William were outsiders among outsiders and being in a band was life or death for them. Somehow against all the odds they created one of the most iconic bands of all time and easily some of the most sublime music of the ‘80s.”—Roisin Murphy

“Art ignites in the mind and, in the case of the Mary Chain, churns relentlessly on to the center stage. Perhaps the definitive outcasts-saved-by-rock 'n roll story.”—Irvine Welsh

“Forget Phil Spector's wall of sound—the Jesus and Mary Chain didn't know where to stop, and it led to the most exciting sounds to come out of the UK in a generation. Here is the story of the Reid brothers’ rollercoaster life. Scream if you want to go faster—they’ll almost certainly oblige.”—Ian Rankin

“An epic story about the Reid brothers’ war against the world and themselves. An odyssey of rock and roll, class, addiction, self-crucifixion, and resurrection. As diseased and beautiful as their music. I couldn’t put it down.”—Bobby Gillespie

Funny and informative

I’m a fan since 1985, I enjoyed all the pre fame stories as well as after the notoriety . Thank you for the insight to your music and life! I will always be an avid Jesus and Mary Chain fan, keep the music coming.

A huge amount of complaining throughout the book. I love JAMC but, sheesh, there is a fair amount of "woe is me"

I love hearing about the history of the band. but unfortunately, they glossed over one of their best albums which is darklands. I would have loved to hear more about what went into the making and inspiration behind that album. I was also surprised at the extreme glorification about drug use and alcohol. I loved that the authors read the book. it made their stories more authentic and the experience that much more personal.

Loved it

William and Jim Reid are fantastic narrators. Enjoyed every minute of this very funny and self aware memoir.

Makes you want to blow the stars from the sky

A honest and endearing memoir from one of the greatest bands of all time. The damage and joy and everything in between

A slog to get through

Go read “Sing Backwards and Weep” by Mark Lanegan for a good memoir. This is a narcissistic boring
disappointment.