There’s a fascinating moral question at the heart of Griff Griffiths ‘I Was The King Of Spain.’ Is it possible to read a book highlighting a man’s mental illness not in a sympathetic manner but almost as a willing voyeur to his bad fortune? The more things that go awry in these pages in fact, the more you feel your eyes swiftly lighting up like fireflies.
Mental ill-health led author Griff to dramatically turn his rock 'n' roll lifestyle around - here he tells his story via a series of anecdotes which will leave you equally amazed and amused!
Griff was brought up in Croydon and in his teenage years he was part of the Croydon Punk and New Wave scene. In the 1980s he was a pop star in the band Strength (he had his own fan club) and led the rock ‘n roll lifestyle, complete with all its excesses.
Writing with a candour and honesty that makes his escapades totally compelling, the author takes his audience on a literary rollercoaster that prompts in them a raft of emotions – from astonishment to poignancy, and belly laugh guffaws to shedding a tear.
He seems to have been born to seek out the outlandish. In his imagination and in real life. He certainly admits to flights of fancy.
Verified Buy the book!!!! 🤣🤣🤣 I HATE READING!!!! But was curious… I was laughing out loud within minutes. There’s so many funny stories it’s just brilliant! 🤣 Taking on holiday to read again….! 🏖️😎 xx MA Pearson12 May 2023Verified King of Spain Fantastic book laughed all the way through!!! Highly recommend it!! Have met griff a few times through his band and and joy to chat too. This book will have you in stitches M. J. Dobson16 April 2023Verified A fabulous and funny account of an interesting life !! Couldn’t put it down and have loaned it out to share this great collection of anicdotes Regular user7 March 2023Verified A Life Well Lived! There is nothing conventional about Griff or the life he has lived. A colourful raconteur, a social butterfly, entrepreneur, artist, comedian and musician – it is not really surprising that he has lived such a diverse and entertaining life filled with many ups and downs.The book is full of ‘sliding doors’ moments some of which are coincidental, others have been skilfully manufactured but all are genuine and that makes this such a compelling read. Griff is one of life’s explorers, a generous spirit, always on the lookout for his next adventure, unafraid of failure and happy to experiment, a combination that constantly provides us with laugh out loud anecdotes and interesting tales or to use Griff’s analogy ‘dives into a beautiful swimming pool in the sun’.Whether you know Griff personally or not, you will not put this book down once you start reading it! Andy Hodgkinson28 December 2022Verified amazing life story I enjoyed every page of this book somthing very different and entertaining on every page. I Highly recommended very funny. mike foley15 December 2022Verified Compulsive Reading ! Thought I would start the book with a view to continuing daily but couldn't put the book down until I finished . Well worth a buy very anecdotal and reminiscent as I am of a simular age to the author. Volume 2 surely there must be more . Alan Dodds10 December 2022Verified Read from start to finish in a day Somewhere between Spike Milligan and Al Murrey, easily digestible, fascinating honest look into the life of this creative and spontaneous individual ... and what a lovely bloke as well. Wonder what the sequel will conjure up for the 2nd part of his life! Amazon Customer5 December 2022Verified A legend and story teller supreme, in his own words. If you want to read some great anecdotes and tales, told in an inimitable and hilarious style, this book is fantastic fun. A different life, lived to the absolute! Full disclosure - I have known the author for many years. Buy it! bobster5 December 2022Verified A collection of recollections I was curious about this book and purchased on a whim, It's good. Very good. Griff is obviously a funny guy and recounts his life stories with sharp observational wit. Succinctly told with a punchy delivery, he needs to explore a career as part of a comedy writing team. shhh2 December 2022