Andrew Weatherall — A Disco Pogo Tribute
There aren't many producers, DJs or artists in history who warrant 320 pages devoted to photographs, insights, interviews and stories from their life and work.
A Disco Pogo Tribute to Andrew Weatherall is a substantial hardback, with 320 pages and more than 200 pages of new material alongside material from the earlier Jockey Slut tribute.
There is a lot of story here.
For plenty of artists, a book of this magnitude could probably do with an editor. With Weatherall, it's harder to imagine what you'd leave out.
Not just the obvious musical milestones, but the people, places, friendships, ideas, obsessions and side roads that made up a career that seemed to constantly move somewhere unexpected.
And that's what makes this more interesting than simply another book about an influential DJ. We don't really need to explain here how talented, influential or visionary Andrew Weatherall was. The music says that already. From Boy's Own and Primal Scream through The Sabres of Paradise and Two Lone Swordsmen, through decades of productions, remixes and DJ sets, there's more than enough evidence.
Instead, this feels like an opportunity to get closer to the person behind all of that. The stories, photographs and recollections give a sense of someone who remained curious without being precious, who could be deeply knowledgeable without needing to demonstrate it, and who seemed remarkably comfortable following his own instincts.
He knew what he liked. He knew what he didn't like. He was prepared to go down rabbit holes, change direction and follow an idea simply because it interested him.
He didn't seem particularly concerned with doing things the way they were supposed to be done. And perhaps that's what makes this feel like a celebration rather than simply a retrospective.
A celebration of humility and staying true to your convictions.