At the feast

In 2003, two days after his now infamous interview with Phil Spector was published in the Daily Telegraph, Mick Brown heard that a woman had been shot and killed in the legendary pop producer’s mansion. Most journalists in his position would be exhilarated by their good fortune — the interview was the first that Spector had given in decades, and he had spoken openly about his unstable mental condition. But Brown’s reaction wasn’t to call up his agent and start cashing in. Instead, he panicked that Spector had read the interview and murdered the personal assistant that had organised it. Although he had no hesitation in suspecting the notorious gun-lover of murder, he also felt personally involved. Spector had clearly made a huge impression on the seasoned journalist — the disorientating charm with which he engaged Brown in conversation, and which is evident throughout this gripping biography, had left its mark.

The dead woman was in fact a Hollywood actress and model called Lana Clarkson, and the publication of Tearing Down the Wall of Sound has been timed to coincide with Spector’s murder trial. Despite covering his life and career in admirable detail, the book is inevitably overshadowed by the court case. Previous literature on Spector is peppered with lurid tales of gun-toting and kidnapping. Tearing Down the Wall of Sound gives these anecdotes the space they deserve — which is some, but not too much. The concentration on provable fact is unwavering, and the tone is consistently even. As a study of Spector’s character, it makes for essential reading. The Californian jury currently trying the man under the heat of the TV lights would do well to read it, if only for its even-handedness. Spector’s story is fraught with high emotion and excess, and it needs a sane, accomplished voice such as Brown’s to tell it.