The Fun Lovin' Criminal by Huey Morgan (2025)
So how did Morgan get there? Well, after years of teasing, we finally get this book. To call it an autobiography in the traditional sense is probably not wise so we'll refer to it from here on as a memoir - which, to be fair, it says on the cover and makes a lot more sense to what the pages within actually contain. We learn that Huey grew up in a large housing project on the Lower East Side of Manhattan known as Stuyvesant Town - now an almost luxury condo situation, which speaks volumes about the gentrification that has happened in NYC, but that's for another day. We know this because he says an offhand sentence along the lines of "I grew up in a housing project called Stuyvesant Town". But what was it like to grow up in Stuyvesant Town? How was the neighbourhood during the 1970s when Huey made his bones? What was his home life like? We don't know, because he simply doesn't say. This is an early indicator into the level of depth and/or insight we can expect.
We learn that his father was not around, we learn that he was raised by a single mother as a result, we learn that he got into some trouble at a young age, but unfortunately none of this is expounded on, leaving more questions than answers. We also learn that Huey went to serve in the US Marines on what appears to be active duty, but where he served or in what capacity is also never made clear. In fact, you could probably fill an entire review with questions around what was left out of this story, so let's instead focus on what was left in.
There are interesting anecdotes aplenty and slowly, and somewhat organically, the story of Huey's life begins to reveal itself through a myriad of different circumstances, even though the reader will still be required to either make a few leaps or do additional research. This is a light read in the truest sense of the word. It breezes along and rarely dwells on any subject matter for too long - hence why I suppose it is considered a memoir in the first place. Probably the area that receives the most attention, and admirably so, is the mind state of someone who has come home from military service and attempting to integrate into civilian life once again. Morgan is quite open about some damaging mental health issues he apparently suffers and spends a great deal of time bouncing from one psychologist to another in attempts to understand his bad behaviour a bit better. What is this bad behaviour? Well, it's never made clear. But I promised not to talk about any of the book's unanswered questions so let's move on.
Somewhere in the mix of apparent New York streetlife and working odd jobs to stay afloat, Huey begins embarking on a musical career. Why is music important to him? When did he become a talented musician? What inspired his love of the artform to decide to create a band and dedicate his life to it?.....I'm doing it again. Sorry. Regardless, the Fun Lovin' Criminals eventually formed off the back of Huey's virtuoso guitar playing, and ability to write memorable hooks, and they begin to gain a local following. The music seems to be a witches brew of the mafia characters that Huey was vaguely around, the Hip Hop that was engulfing New York City at the time, and the outstanding musicianship of Huey and his bandmate Brian 'Fast' Leiser - a classically trained musician. Although America didn't really go for it initially, pretty soon Europe starting blasting classics like "Scooby Snacks" and "King of New York", leading the other side of the Atlantic to begin to take notice. It all culminates on a tour wherein they are flying on U2's private jet and living the life of international rockstars.
This might all sound interesting, and it is to a degree. There is just very little meat on the bone when it comes to this book as a whole. All of these things are delivered in a similar, sort of offhand, manner wherein we learn just enough to want to know more, then move swiftly on. Part of this is no doubt down to Huey's self-styled brand of unflappable cool guy (save his ill-fated appearance on Never Mind The Buzzcocks) and might also owe something to his training as a Marine. But sadly doesn't make for the most meaningful reading experience. It is somewhat refreshing to hear him talk openly about the struggles with his mental well-being post growing up rough and then having to become a killing machine for a country you have confused feelings for. It's just all so light that it's hard to feel anything about anything. I suspect that if you aren't already a fan enough to know some of the surrounding facts of his story, you'd be hard pressed to understand, or care about, anything in these pages at all. So, if you're a fan of his former band, and the man in general, there is probably just about enough interest to keep the pages turning. But in a novel where we get one sentence about his childhood and an entire chapter about his dog, you should know going in that this is going to be a surface-level endeavour.
This is real shame because there are many stories in here that you suspect could be novels of their own, if only the writer had the volition to go there. Instead we're left with a work that feels very much like a bare minimum effort to capitalise on his standing as a respected celebrity (in the UK, at least) and get some units shifting based on premise alone. Fortunately we still have the music, particularly their classic eponymous first album, to enjoy. But the overriding question you'll find yourself asking here is mostly "why?"
★★☆☆☆
JB.
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