Give The Anarchist A Cigarette
(Mick Farren)
In a sentence, Give the Anarchist a Cigarette takes the form
of a semi-autobiographical account of the hedonism and subjective anticlimaxes
of the Sixties and the Seventies. This account is often comical, often dark,
but always insightful, and Farrens? modest intellectualism radiates
through the prose/narrative structure. The various stories and anecdotes that comprise this
(borderline fiction) work stem from Farrens? many guises through the
years as a performing and recording musician, pulp journalist, poet and
militantly revolutionary Beatnik. This results in a concoction of tales
that are authentic, whilst being entertaining and personal. His many
brushes with various rock 'n' roll personalities provide both a uniquely
perceptive understanding of the British cultural environments of the eras,
whist maintaining a consistently shrewd and objective analysis of these
climates and the changes that they saw.
Whilst it
remains essentially a memoir, Give the Anarchist a Cigarette provides
philosophical monologue, social commentary and political opinion, and Farrens?
candid cynicism shines throughout the writing.
An ironic
sense of (black) comedy can also sometimes be detected, as if Farren himself
has some dark side occasionally in need of a poke, but this as well leads the
reader to the feeling that somehow they are getting closer to the truth.
Flower
Power is intellectually dismantled, and Mick Farrens? role as Proto-Punk figurehead
is treated with a certain self-mocking.
However,
his style is perhaps not enough to keep the pages turning if the subject matter
is of no direct interest to the reader.
Often egotistical, occasionally even narcissistic, Farren alone may be a
finite source of interest, and his persona is inextricably connected with the
cultural history and the many yarns that make up the bulk of the work.
Although
the content is often funny, and Farrens? style is light-hearted, some readers
will also find the 400-plus pages of similar reference hard going.
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