Frank: The True Story that Inspired the Movie – Jon Ronson

Genre: Non-fiction/Music/Journalism/essay
Pages: 72
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Opening Line:

“One day in 2005 I was in the park with my little boy when my phone rang.”

I started this the night of 17th May, and finished it on the 18th May. I’d read it in two sittings, but I’m pretty sure that if I’d started reading it, say, on a Sunday morning, I would definitely have finished it by Sunday afternoon.

Contained within these 72 pages are a variety of images to illustrate Jon’s writing, and what or who is he writing about? Who is the Frank in question?

Frank Sidebottom. Known to younger me as ‘that cartoon guy with the funny name’. I was born in the wrong era to be a Frank Sidebottom fan, and my reason for reading this is because Jon Ronson wrote it. Why did he write it? Because ‘[b]etween 1987 and 1990 [he] was the keyboard player in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band.’

Frank Sidebottom aka Chris Sievey

This is a must for anyone who is a fan of Frank, or for anyone who recognizes the big fake head and wants to read more about the man underneath the head. What I liked most about this book was the discussion about Frank and Chris being separate people, with Frank being Chris’ alter-ego. I love the idea of having an alter-ego, so those parts really got my attention, and the book has not only shed some light on this distinctive character, but also changed my perception of what Frank symbolizes.

The reason I have given this 4 stars is simply because although I found it an interesting read, I don’t particularly enjoy/seek out writing related to the music industry. I even own books about bands that I consider favourites, but I haven’t read them. When it comes to music, I think the best thing to do is give it a listen.

I’ve never heard a Frank Sidebottom song, and after reading this I’m going to change that!

Link to the book on Goodreads:

Frank: The True Story that Inspired the Movie

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Image taken from The Telegraph