Episode 1

Written and read by Tracey Thorn.

Tracey Thorn's memoir charts a personal and musical journey that takes us back to her teenage diaries and the thrill of punk, juggling school homework with interviews with the NME as part of all-girl group The Marine Girls and the DIY indie music scene of the late 1970s. She has experienced the highs of stardom and been dropped by her record company. She has spent a career struggling with the challenge of combining artistic integrity, personal politics and feminism with the music industry hunger for chart success. This is an insider's insight into the music industry over thirty years, but above all it's a very personal story which has Tracey's relationship with Ben Watt at the heart of it.

Today, how the do-it-yourself ethos of punk first influenced the teenage Tracey to become the guitarist in a band while still at school - and before she could even play her instrument.

Abridged by Alison Joseph
Produced by Allegra McIlroy.