Scottish polymath Momus...has an uncanny ear for the cadence of a particular author ... Although it is sometimes challenging to locate actual events within each selection (capital N's help), the writing is so delightfully witty and truly captures the essence of its tribute that this is of little import ... Showing a prodigious awareness of the sweep of centuries of culture, this is an admirable conceit finely executed. It will have great appeal to anyone interested in new modes of autobiography as well as Anglophiles and devotees of Momus's musical, literary, and artistic talents.
A pop semistar reminisces in the voices of great writers in this dazzlingly off-beat memoir ... His narrative is a music industry picaresque, complete with grungy tours and art-school groupies, that falls gloriously short of superstardom. It’s also an inventive homage, presented as commentaries on Momus’s adventures in the personas and styles of dozens of writers, artists, directors and scientists ... This is that rare show-biz memoir that’s both entertaining and a literary triumph.
... the appearance by David Bowie, N’s 'lodestar, the single most decisive influence on his life,' is lovely, and it will make those who share the author’s love for him miss Bowie all the more ... Altogether a grand entertainment, effortlessly blending pop culture and high culture.
