A BRUISED BUT BRILLIANT STORY !
"There’s a line in Our Secrets Are The Same that hits harder than any chorus Simple Minds ever wrote: ‘We never set out to be famous. We set out to get out.’ That, to be blunt, is the heart of Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill’s joint memoir — a bruised but brilliant story of an almost fifty-year friendship that built one of Britain’s most successful, and often misunderstood, bands. From their pioneering art-rock days through the ’80’s stadium pomp, the confusing ’90s and their re-emergence as a world-class live band, the pair tell their story in alternating voices, with a tension that is often palpable. Kerr, ever the philosophical frontman, writes like a man still trying to understand how he arrived at this point, whilst Burchill’s sections are often drier and, at times, a contrast to Kerr’s. Between them, you feel the uneasy chemistry that fuelled the band’s rise — and very nearly tore it apart. The story isn’t always pretty; there’s ego, exhaustion, label interference, and the demise of many relationships along the way.
Their story follows the band from their working-class Glasgow backgrounds to brushes with Bowie, comparisons, friendships and rivalry with U2 to their political support for Nelson Mandela. In places, the book hums with regret. The lost years of the late ’90s — when the title Our Secrets Are The Same was mooted for an abandoned album — become a metaphor for everything the band tried to say but couldn’t. But this isn’t just a story of two rock stars, but one of two sons, brothers, partners, and parents who have never forgotten their roots, with Kerr stating “I know him better than I know anyone, including my family,” when talking about their relationship.
The book is written in an appealing way, with enough humour and anecdotes to keep the reader engaged. There’s genuine wit too: tales of record execs in Armani suits panicking over ‘too many minor chords,’ or hotel-room feuds defused by cups of tea and gallows humour. Our Secrets Are The Same proves a tough, soulful read from two survivors who’ve learned that the truest anthems are the ones you share in your head after the crowd has gone home.
Simple Minds
A BRUISED BUT BRILLIANT STORY !
"There’s a line in Our Secrets Are The Same that hits harder than any chorus Simple Minds ever wrote: ‘We never set out to be famous. We set out to get out.’ That, to be blunt, is the heart of Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill’s joint memoir — a bruised but brilliant story of an almost fifty-year friendship that built one of Britain’s most successful, and often misunderstood, bands. From their pioneering art-rock days through the ’80’s stadium pomp, the confusing ’90s and their re-emergence as a world-class live band, the pair tell their story in alternating voices, with a tension that is often palpable. Kerr, ever the philosophical frontman, writes like a man still trying to understand how he arrived at this point, whilst Burchill’s sections are often drier and, at times, a contrast to Kerr’s. Between them, you feel the uneasy chemistry that fuelled the band’s rise — and very nearly tore it apart. The story isn’t always pretty; there’s ego, exhaustion, label interference, and the demise of many relationships along the way.
Their story follows the band from their working-class Glasgow backgrounds to brushes with Bowie, comparisons, friendships and rivalry with U2 to their political support for Nelson Mandela. In places, the book hums with regret. The lost years of the late ’90s — when the title Our Secrets Are The Same was mooted for an abandoned album — become a metaphor for everything the band tried to say but couldn’t. But this isn’t just a story of two rock stars, but one of two sons, brothers, partners, and parents who have never forgotten their roots, with Kerr stating “I know him better than I know anyone, including my family,” when talking about their relationship.
The book is written in an appealing way, with enough humour and anecdotes to keep the reader engaged. There’s genuine wit too: tales of record execs in Armani suits panicking over ‘too many minor chords,’ or hotel-room feuds defused by cups of tea and gallows humour. Our Secrets Are The Same proves a tough, soulful read from two survivors who’ve learned that the truest anthems are the ones you share in your head after the crowd has gone home.
Dave Roberts: www.godisinthetvzine.co.uk/
Our Secrets Are The Same (Jim Kerr & Charlie Burchill) was published by Constable in October 2025: www.simpleminds.com/
pic: Chris Leslie www.chrisleslie.com/
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