Ian Brown once of acclaimed indie band the Stone Roses, has become a successful solo artist and self-proclaimed ‘King Monkey’. This biography by Michael O’Connell traces Brown’s life from growing up on the outskirts of Manchester to his current highly successful solo career, with a big chunk of ‘Madchester’ thrown in.

Concentrating on the Stone Roses era, O’Connell seeks to place Ian Brown as the most significant member of the band, citing the huge success of his solo work as the yardstick (only Mani has gone on to achieve a credible music career with Primal Scream – John Squire’s Seahorses floundered in early 1999 after only one album and Reni disappeared from the scene after leaving the band in 1995). Squire’s drug taking was a constant cause of upset within the group, Brown being adamantly against Class A narcotics.  Squire left on 1 April 1996, describing his departure as “the inevitable conclusion to the gradual social and musical separation we have undergone in the past few years”.

In 1998, Ian was sentenced to four months imprisonment for an air-rage incident while flying back from Paris. His time in Strangeways is fully documented here and there are some shocking tales of violence. Brown was looked after inside; the Governor ordering him to “get writing”, but the episode clearly affected him and this is reflected in his subsequent album, ‘Golden Greats’.

The book chronicles the life of Ian Brown so far, complete with pictures. The break-up of the Stone Roses after only two albums was a crime – for many reasons, the band were destined to split and the contractual and legal fiasco certainly didn’t help matters. The fact that Brown has gone on to have a thriving solo career shows that his musical influence is loved by the masses, with or without the Roses. Long live King Monkey.