When a shorter version of this book about The Stranglers’ week-long incarceration after a post-gig riot at Nice University was published 30 years ago, under the title Much Ado About Nothing, drummer Black focused on the treatment the band received and the appalling conditions of the cells to which they were confined.
Though not especially well-written, it succeeded in painting a chilling portrait of how “punks” were perceived by the authorities determined to quell even the slightest threat of youth rebellion. With hindsight, however, Black’s research has revealed that the group’s arrest was hardly “nothing”, and was in fact the flashpoint for a lengthy face-off between university students and the French government.
The 30-page epilogue to this new and re-titled edition clearly and concisely charts the months leading up to the riot, when both students and teachers took to the streets to oppose sweeping changes to the education system. Some of Black’s conspiracy theories may be a bit fanciful (as most conspiracy theories are), but he nonetheless brings context to how a British band unwittingly got caught in the crossfire.
