If all has gone to plan, I am at The Big Chill Festival with Misses E and M.  So while I’m having my own musical interlude, I thought I’d share another one (of sorts) with you.

As I’ve mentioned before, oohh about 8 million times, I was a 90s kid.

A 90s kid as in I was 15 in 1990, so my teens and early to mid 20s was spent in cherry red Doc Martens, opaque tights and either little black dresses or long floral numbers, twinned with crocheted cardys or mouldering vintage leather jackets I rescued from Charity shops.

I was an Indie kid to the very core.  From the moment I heard The Senseless Things, Wonderstuff, Mega City 4 and Lemonheads at 17, I felt elated by the buzz of fast guitars, a crashing snare and a bouncy sing along tune.  Thursday nights were spent at Rock City.  My reading material was mainly the NME and Melody Maker, and I tended to spend any spare dosh on singles.

So when Virgin books asked if I’d like to review Jo Whiley’s Autobiography, I jumped at the chance.

Why?

Well,  Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq (pronounced Stoooyve L’Mack) fronted Radio One’s Evening session from 1993 to 1997.  They played everythng that was hip and trendy…if you were an Indie kid.  They showcased Britpop, ligged with music’s big boys and girls, and were mates with the cool people.

As the years have passed, somehow Jo Whiley has remained kind of cool.  She’s still at radio one, albeit recently in a new slot.  She has 4 gorgeous kids, the oldest born in 1992, the youngest in 2008.  She’s presented Top of the Pops, brought to us the joy that at times is The LIve Lounge, and has sat on a hay bale in a muddy field with the wonderful and sadly missed “John Peel”, and been a judge on E4’s Mobile Act Unsigned.

She often comes across a bit awkward and scatty, but in my opinion this is actually quite endearing as it conveys the message of ‘normal’ and approachable, so I was interested to see whether her book would echo this, or if the ‘real’ Jo Whiley would surprise me.

She doesn’t.  But that’s ok.

The voice that tells her story is completely familiar.  She writes as she speaks.  She is matter of fact, humble, self effacing and seems to have a quiet appreciation for good music.  I loved her eclectic taste and her openness, and the fact that, well, she comes across a bit geeky really.

I enjoyed the playlists that accent different parts of her life.  ’The goth years’, ‘Coco’s birth’, ‘Frances’ – her much loved sister who suffers from ‘cri du chat‘ and has been a huge and irrepressible influence on Jo and her family.  Jo’s description of her relationship with her sister is honest and very moving and more than anything highlights the importance of family, a thing that has perhaps helped her to remain grounded.

As you would expect there are a plethora of musical anecdotes, from the time she booked L7 on The Word where one of them decided to bless the late night Friday show viewers with some full frontal nudity, to the time Girls Aloud came to tea.  And she talks with some degree of pride about The Little Noise Sessions, a series of Charity shows she has organised with Mencap, ‘the voice of learning disablility’ a cause she works closely with.

Her story is at times moving, sometimes funny and is illustrated by 2 groups of glossy photographs that show Jo with family, friends and musical legends, as well as bad haircuts, bad outfits and a few seriously cheesy tongue-in-cheek poses.

As someone who has always liked Jo Whiley, I’ve really enjoyed this insight into her life and her career.
I love that she still seems normal and real and likeable, as well as hardworking, passionate and a little bit ambling at times.

My one criticism would be that at times I felt Jo repeated herself which made me wonder how much time was spent on the editing of this book, but I suppose you could also argue it means she definitely put it together herself.

If you’re a fan of Jo Whiley, a lover of live music, or a 90s kid then it’s likely you’ll find something in this book to enjoy.  And even if you’re not, you might be pleasantly surprised.