PHIL MANZANERA – REVOLUCIÓN TO ROXY
A WAY WITH MEDIA
BOOK REVIEW BY AARON BADGLEY
Phil Manzanera made his name by being an original member of Roxy Music and a key player in a revised Pink Floyd. But there is so much more to his story than his talent as a guitarist and those bands. Revolución To Roxy is his memoir, and he goes way beyond the years as a professional musician, telling a story that is so remarkable and fascinating that it makes for an incredible story. This is a book that this reader could not put down. It is beautifully written and so fascinating that the old term ‘page turner’ really applies.
Manzanera’s story about his parents’ (his mother from Colombia, Dad from England) meeting and marriage is beautiful and is a brilliant way in which to set the story and the tone of the book. His childhood in Cuba and residing before and after Castro’s rise to power is riveting and Manzanera tells the story in a matter of fact, sometimes amusing, manner. The same can be said when he writes about his siblings, his mother, and his father’s untimely death. He goes from heartbreak to having the reader smile in a matter of pages.
That is the beauty of Revolución To Roxy, yes the Roxy Music story is in there, and his relationship with Bryan Ferry and his deep friendship with Andy MacKay is extremely well documented. Fans who have wanted to know about Eno’s departure from the band will not be disappointed. But it is his time with David Gilmour as a solo artist and Pink Floyd that is extremely eye opening. Manzanera, again, tells his story and leaves any analysis up to the reader. Perhaps most fascinating is when Manzanera writes about his solo career and the bands he produced (including Split Enz) both in English and the volume of Spanish recordings in which he recorded.
Manzanera is a gifted writer and great storyteller. When he writes about being related to a famous Jewish pirate and the secret his paternal grandmother carried with her, one finds themselves deep into his world and perhaps gives a little insight to his music and his art. Certainly, he expresses his joy in working with Spanish artists and returning to Cuba to perform with Moncada, which allows him to return to his childhood home. It is a moving and emotional story.
With Revolución To Roxy, Manzanera has written one of the finest memoirs within the rock genre. Stories about the times he played with Bob Dylan, David Gilmour, Robert Wyatt, Tim Finn and Brian Eno just make the book more sweeter, because the real story is Manzanera.
ISBN: 978-1-78324-281-8
PURCHASE REVOLUCIÓN TO ROXY VIA
