Frank Sidebottom Out of His Head: The Authorised Biography of Chris Sievey

Click the link for a clip from the upcoming movie, ''Frank''. "Starring Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scoot McNairy (three more reasons this one is well on our radar), and directed by Lenny Abrahamson (the filmmaker behind the critically acclaimed "What Richard Did"), the film follows Jon who joins an eccentric pop band and heads with them to a cabin in the woods to record an album. Leading them all is the mysterious and talented Frank (who just happens to wear a giant fake head) and his sidekick, Clara. Needless to say, it''s the recipe for creative tensions and more. In this scene, Jon explains how Frank''s methods could lead the group to greatness..." Chris Sievey, who played Frank Sidebottom, is to feature in a biopic in 2014. An article in The Guardian by Jon Ronson, a former member of Frank''s band, tells his story and mentions the book. "Frank Sidebottom was possibly the strangest pop star in history. Jon Ronson, who played in his band, and has co-written a film inspired by the character starring Michael Fassbender, remembers Frank''s creator Chris Sievey as being even more eccentric than his papier-mache alter ego." There has never been an artist quite like Chris Sievey or his ''fantastic'' comedic alter ego, Frank Sidebottom. Whether pushing for chart action while fronting his former band The Freshies or allowing the bombastic Sidebottom to wreak anarchy and chaos on television, radio or with the Oh Blimey Big Band, Sievey''s mischievous muse seemed to obey no boundaries. Yet it was only after Chris''s untimely demise in 2010 that the extent of his infl uence became fully apparent. The emergence of Jon Ronson''s film, "Frank", Steve Sullivan''s exhaustive documentary "Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story" and the bizarre erection of the Frank Sidebottom statue in his native Timperley last October -- before 2,000 devotees -- all combined to make this the most extraordinary stories of recent decades. Yet Chris found difficulty in being Frank. The people whose careers he helped begin or inspire: Chris Evans, Mark Radcliffe, Caroline Aherne, Steve Coogan, Jon Ronson to name a few -- all went on to a achieve a degree of fame and fortune that Chris never managed. That said, Frank was so successful, compared to his other projects, that Chris often seemed estranged from his own comic creation In this unorthodox biography, legendary journalist Mick Middles draws on his thirty year friendship with Sievey to gain further insight into this most charismatic of artists. Family members, fellow musicians, fans and acquaintances help trace Chris''s career from Timperley to Hollywood.

• | Author: Mick Middles
• | Publisher: Empire Publications Ltd
• | Publication Date: Nov 06, 2014
• | Number of Pages:
• | Language:
• | Binding: Hardback
• | ISBN-13: 9781909360242
• | ISBN-10: 1909360244