If this extract is anything to go by, Lush vocalist/guitarist Miki Berenyi's forthcoming book Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success will be a perfect companion piece to Luke Haines' Bad Vibes: Britpop And My Part In Its Downfall.
Like Haines, Berenyi is nicely spicy on the subject of Britpop, unafraid to name and shame the most odious individuals during a period when music was "hijacked by elitist dickheads", infantile behaviour ruled, there were ego-fuelled rivalries between bands and the only recognised measure of quality/success was record sales.
And like Haines, she admits to being embittered, because Lush, like the Auteurs, predated Britpop but found themselves unwittingly sucked into it and swept along by currents they couldn't control.
For Berenyi, though, the biggest problem was the "constant, relentless sexualisation" she experienced at the hands of journalists, photographers and other musicians - a reminder that Britpop, far from being a progressive force, went hand in hand with the rise of lad culture: "The claim that Britpop celebrates sassy women in bands is a veneer."
It's worth quoting the last two sentences of the excerpt in full, just to savour them: "So: sorry for being a party pooper, I know a ton of you had a blast, but I fucking hate Britpop and I'm glad the whole sorry shit-fest ended up imploding. I just wish it hadn't done so much damage while it lasted." You and me both, Miki.
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