Ticket to the World: My new music memoir behind-the-scenes of Spandau Ballet and the 80s

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If you imagine five boys in the playground, there’s always going to be one guy that’s going to take the brunt of the jokes. He took up writing in the late 1990s as part of his psychological recovery from those tumours, and next week publishes his third book, Ticket to the World – My 80s Story.

Ticket to the World by Martin Kemp | Waterstones

Martin read the introduction to this and then it switched to someone else which I was disappointed with. Journeying through Martin Kemp’s reminiscences and influences of this unforgettable time, he shares his personal anecdotes and reflections on the social, cultural and political climate underpinning the eighties,” says the publisher. At 61, actor, presenter and musician Martin Kemp has been in a hit band, starred in movies, reality TV, a top soap and documentaries.

He fell in love with Shirlie from the comfort of his living room while watching her dance with Wham! A few of my friends said: ‘I don’t know what they’ve done but they’ve put something in, instead of taking something out. I really enjoy a good autobiography and having read Martin and Shirley’s previous book, i thought I’d give this a go. Really interesting book by what sounds like a proper nice bloke, interspersed with really cool anecdotes. Martin Kemp is professor of the History of Art at Oxford University, and the author of many books including The Science of Art, Visualizations and the recent Leonardo.

Ticket to the World by Mr Martin Kemp | Waterstones Ticket to the World by Mr Martin Kemp | Waterstones

He wrote a letter that went something like: “Dear sir, can you release Martin from his apprenticeship because he wants to be a pop star. When you are 18 and 19, with thousands of kids banging on the windows, you are laughing at those moments. Now that he is mostly playing himself – in books, and in all those reality TV shows and presenting roles – he feels much better about being recognised. The idea has stuck with him, because on this basis, he’s “about six times removed from that kid” of the 80s. Ticket to the World is my time-warp trip down memory lane, reliving that truly unforgettable decade.Fist fights sound like a failure of mediation, but maybe they were the best form of communication available. Each year started of with a list of things that were out that year and then Martin Kemp told us about what he and Spandau were doing then. And, sounding as if he is remembering how things were settled in childhood, adds: “We take it in turns. It wasn’t just about the band, but about the music scene and also what was happening in the UK culturally.