Marianne Faithfull - Memories, Dreams and Reflections

Marianne Faithfull

with David Dalton

FOURTH ESTATE London

Where to begin? Well, perhaps I should begin where I left off just about to start recording The Seven Deadly Sins. And around that time I was, of course, also dealing with the ramifications. Its weird the way people expect you to treat them in a book. I tried to be honest but that didnt always suit everybody. A few people were upset with what Id said usually about them. I guess I was meant to say I owe everything to A or Without B Id never have Well, Im sorry, but it wasnt that kind of book. One thing Ive learned from my last book is, its quite dangerous to summon up the past.

The one who really loved the book was Keith. Of course, he and Dylan are the stars of the book, so no wonder. I was puzzled when Bob mumbled that he didnt like it very much.

Are you joking? I said. Youre the bloody, fucking star of the book! Nitwit!

Anyway, the fourteen years since thebook have been, in many ways, a very tough time. Ive seen the death of a lot of good friends. Denny Cordell and Tony Secunda, for instance, who both were responsible for getting me to write my first book, have passed on.

Dennys way of getting me to write the book was to give me Jenny Fabians Groupie, a book Id read already, actually. I just looked at it and said, Denny, no! No, its not going to be like that. No way! And it wasnt.

Denny was a legendary producer and A&R man. He produced Joe Cocker, the Moody Blues, Leon Russell, Tom Petty, Bob Marley, Toots, and many others. Dennys illness was terrible. He was ill for a long time. Denny got hepatitis C while working as a gofer for Chet Baker. He got into smack for one year but it eventually caught up with him.

I had a bout with hep C, too. I was shattered for a year, but by the time I got it they had somewhat perfected the treatment, using interferon and other drugs that werent available when Danny got sick.

Tony Secundas death came unexpectedly. Tony was the visionary agent of my autobiography and a wonderful madman manager of the old school. Sailor Sam, as McCartney calls him in Band on the Run, managed Procol Harum, the Move, T Rex, and me (briefly) with wicked provocation and panache. And a couple of years later Frankie (that mad girl he married) died, too, poor thing. There but for the grace of God, as they say! How Ive made it this far myself, I have no idea. More of that later.

The saddest thing about getting old is the passing of your friends and lovers. Gene Pitney died. I liked Gene, he was a great shag and all that, but why did he die so young? He never drank or took a drug in his life. The odds of Gene dying in Cardiff poor sod are astronomical. I give him all honour and credit for the work he did, but what a place to shuffle off your mortal coil.

Then we began losing our parents. My father died in 1996 (my mother Eva had died in 1992). Keiths dad Bert, who I really loved, died recently and Micks father just died, too what a kind and gentle man he was. It was a serious moment for Mick. And I must say that both his mum and dad were really kind to me, and, well, lets just say I must have been a complete nightmare. I shudder to think. It wasnt as if Mick was this blameless soul exactly, but he wasnt like me, ever.

You start wondering about your own mortality when people begin putting you on the list of whos next in line. I remember going to David Litvinoffs funeral. Litz was a brilliant nutter, the catalyst for Performance and tutor in infamy to James Fox. Really the whole film is his style allusive talk and gangster vibe. Lucian Freud painted a famous portrait of him called TheProcurer. He was gay and didnt want to get old, so he killed himself. He committed suicide at Christopher Gibbss house on the Aubusson carpet Chrissy thought that was frightfully poor form.

I went to David Litvinoffs funeral with Christopher and Robert Fraser a long time ago but its something Ill never forget. We were in the limo having just come from the Jewish cemetery where wed watched Davids cremation it was all very sombre when Chrissy suddenly had a furious outburst. He looked at me and said: Well, I hope we never have to go through that again!

Peoples idea of my social life is greatly exaggerated. I think they expect scandalous scenes with famous, outrageous people. You know, And then when Gore Vidal sat down with a line in front of him, he said to me and so on and so forth. Well, okay, I admit its fun going to Sheryl Crows Christmas party and seeing, I kid you not, Salman Rushdie talking to Heidi Fleiss, but for the most part my life isnt like that at all. Really. (You can believe me or not.)

Where was I? Oh yes, my lack of a social life. Well, its true I have settled down just a bit. After I finished my autobiography I met Franois, while I was recording a song called La Femme Sans Haine. Philippe Constantine, who invented world music for Richard Bransons Virgin Records, wanted me to do a duet with Ismal L. Duets are something I never do, actually, but it turned out very well. Never got released, though, but I did meet Franois and fell in love.

Oscar Wildes famous line, I can resist anything but temptation!, used to be my mantra, but, after a year and a half in which Ive suffered the seven plagues of Egypt (and made four records and five movies), Ive decided to modify my wilful approach to life. But first, let me tell you all about my wicked, wicked ways.