Reckless

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I thought I knew a lot about the Pretenders. After all, I've listened to this band since I first heard "Brass in Pocket" on the radio in the late 1970's. I've even seen them four times. Yet I still had no idea about a lot of the things Pretenders leader/vocalist/rhythm guitarist Chrissie Hynde writes about in her 2015 autobiography Reckless: My Life as a Pretender. "Reckless" is an apt title in this case, for Hynde lived a very reckless lifestyle early on: drugs, booze, sex, rape, a nomadic lifestyle, all revolving around an obsession with music, all of which Hynde discusses with brutal frankness. Meanwhile, as you read, you'll notice the seeds of Pretenders songs forming early on. You can see, for instance, "Tattooed Love Boys" coming a mile away, long before the actual "Tattooed Love Boys" incident. Reckless covers Hynde's life up to the passing away of original Pretenders James Honeyman-Scott (guitar) and Pete Farndon (bass,) both from drug overdoses. I research a hell of a lot of music, but for some reason, I only had a basic knowledge of the Pretenders. Reckless brought me up to speed, so to speak. I'm glad I read it.