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as brett anderson shows me into his tiny
ramshackle west london flat, the strains of acker bilk waft up from
his record player. “do you know anything about vera lynn?” he
says, stepping over a pile of decidedly shabby coats. “i tried to
buy her version of the white cliffs of dover today, but i came back
with this instead.” he nods his fringe at the stereo as stranger
on the shore fades into nothing. perhaps anderson has discovered
irony; one doesn’t expect the lead singer of suede to have such
peculiar weaknesses. but then maybe one does. “i like
anything,” he says, rather petulantly. “pop music has become all
about cool, about kids wearing sunglasses. we were never like that,
suede were never cool.”
it
is a cold, rainy february night, a monday, just a little after
seven, bedsitland. these three small rooms are where anderson, 26,
has lived for the past two years, during which time he has
unwittingly – some would undeservedly – become the most idolized
pop star in britain. he has recently acquired a larger home in north
london, but for reasons of convenience we are sitting here in
notting hill, crouched on ricketly chairs, drinking instant coffee
from cocktail glasses and trying to ignore the intermittent comings
and goings of his neighbours. tonight, like many before it, anderson
is surrounded by paper-thin walls. |