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Insurrectionary Cell

By: Claire Biddles

The short-lived but lore-heavy career of early 1980s northern synth-pop duo Soft Cell is catalogued and reappraised in a compelling new oral history, from working-class 1970s Leeds to the excesses of downtown New York City in the 1980s.

Marc Almond displayed a ‘rare and brave’ flamboyance. (Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns)

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In Todd Haynes’ 1998 masterpiece Velvet Goldmine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ David Bowie–inspired character is asked about the construction of his successful pop persona. ‘Man is least himself when he talks in his own person,’ he quips, directly quoting Oscar Wilde. ‘Give him a mask and he’ll tell you the truth.’ In Patrick Clarke’s astute new […]

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In Todd Haynes’ 1998 masterpiece Velvet Goldmine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ David Bowie–inspired character is asked about the construction of his successful pop persona. ‘Man is least himself when he talks in his own person,’ he quips, directly quoting Oscar Wilde. ‘Give him a mask and he’ll tell you the truth.’ In Patrick Clarke’s astute new […]

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In Todd Haynes’ 1998 masterpiece Velvet Goldmine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ David Bowie–inspired character is asked about the construction of his successful pop persona. ‘Man is least himself when he talks in his own person,’ he quips, directly quoting Oscar Wilde. ‘Give him a mask and he’ll tell you the truth.’ In Patrick Clarke’s astute new […]

In Todd Haynes’ 1998 masterpiece Velvet Goldmine, Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ David Bowie–inspired character is asked about the construction of his successful pop persona. ‘Man is least himself when he talks in his own person,’ he quips, directly quoting Oscar Wilde. ‘Give him a mask and he’ll tell you the truth.’ In Patrick Clarke’s astute new […]

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