Chrissie Hynde - Böcker

By the time she was 14, Chrissie Hynde knew she had to get out of Akron, Ohio. Her perfect ’50s American childhood upturned by a newly acquired taste for rock ’n’ roll, motorbikes and the ‘get down boys’ seen at gigs in and around Cleveland – Mitch Ryder, the Jeff Beck Group, the Velvet Underground and David Bowie among the many.Wrapped up in the Kent State University riots and getting dangerously involved in the local biker and drug scenes, she escaped - to Mexico, Canada, Paris and finally London where she caught the embryonic punk scene just in time not only to witness it first-hand, but more importantly to seize the opportunity to form her own band, the Pretenders.Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Vivienne & Malcolm, Ray Davies … on every page household names mingle with small town heroes as we shift from bedroom to biker HQ; from squat to practice room; from pub gig to Top Of The Pops – the long and crooked path to stardom, and for the Pretenders, ultimately, tragedy.That Chrissie Hynde is alive to tell the tale is, by her own admission, something of a miracle. Throughout she is brutally honest, wryly humorous and always highly entertaining. She has written one of the most evocative and colourful music memoirs to be published in recent years.

‘I always thought I would get into painting, but I got waylaid by rock ’n’ roll. Finally, I thought, “Now’s the time.” As soon as I was in a situation where I could be alone and paint without any interruptions, I just couldn’t stop.’ – Chrissie Hynde‘These paintings wake me up, show me life, make me want to get up and do something.’ – Brian Eno‘The fact that Chrissie is a great musician underpins her painting in a variety of ways... She learns by doing and in the process her work becomes more distinctive and compelling, an expression of the life force within made visible.’ – Tim Marlow, Royal Academy of ArtsIn November 2015, Chrissie Hynde, the singer, songwriter and leader of The Pretenders, produced an oil painting of a ceramic vase. Fulfilling an intention that she would, one day, dedicate herself to painting, it would prove to be the starting point for Hynde’s first body of work, nearly ­­200 canvases in all. These paintings are shared for the first time in Adding The Blue.With Forewords by visionary musician and artist, Brian Eno, and The Royal Academy’s artistic Director, Tim Marlow, Adding The Blue is captioned throughout with Chrissie Hynde’s thoughts and reflections. Beginning with still life studies and culminating in vibrant abstract compositions, Chrissie Hynde’s Adding The Blue is a beautiful volume of paintings that are, in Eno’s words, ‘full of life, love and discovery’.