Jim Kerr

The long-awaited memoir by Simple Minds frontman, Jim Kerr, and his consigliere, Charlie Burchill.

The long-awaited memoir from Simple Minds' founder members and lifelong collaborators, Jim Kerr and Charlie BurchillA candid, moving and kinetic story of self-realisation through the power of music, Our Secrets Are The Same is the remarkable joint memoir by Simple Minds' founder members, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill. It not only reveals the inner workings of one of the most innovative and successful British bands of the past half-century, but the deeply personal tale of an extraordinary friendship which powered teenage dreams into visionary action.Exploring key songs, places, years and events in the Simple Minds story, and told in the distinct voices of both men, Our Secrets Are The Same explores a bond which has encompassed stratospheric highs and humbling lows, marriages and divorces, fatherhood, fickle fame, tricky inter-band dynamics, the occasional explosive bust up, and a ruthless streak to rival the Sicilian Mafia.Their connection is grounded in shared experiences and a set of values and codes so deeply ingrained they don't need to be spoken. For Our Secrets Are The Same is not just the story of two rock stars, but of two sons, brothers, partners and parents who have never forgotten where they come from. Two men who have remained deeply bonded to their roots and each other, while fulfilling a teenage dream to form a world-class live band and take their music around the globe.Fascinating and funny, evocative and inspiring, this unforgettable memoir captures a unique journey through life and music, and a friendship like no other.

In 1964 best friends Jim Kerr and Blair Campbell left their sheltered life in small-town British Columbia to explore the world together. Short on cash but high on youthful hubris, they made their way across North America, through Europe, North Africa and the Middle East-all on just over two dollars a day. Offering a rare first-hand account of historical moments including post-independence Algeria, pre-1967 War Jerusalem and a divided Berlin, Meet Me in Cairo invites you to join two ragtag hitchhikers on the journey of a lifetime.". . . 264 days later - having taken 1,459 rides; sold their blood twice for survival money; slept in homes of distant family relations and pen pals, an orphanage, boats, jails, seedy hostels and hotels; and been faced with situations that could have had them arrested (or worse), all on only $2.06 per day - neither Kerr nor Campbell] are the same person that left home. Meet Me in Cairo has captured this most popular rite of passage for young people of North America in the '60s . . . . It is a story of self- discovery and of coming of age at a time when doing so in this way was a rebellion against the status quo . . . . It] is the story of two young people exploring a world of possibilities they never knew existed . . . and through it all uncovering meaning and potential in their own lives."- Excerpt from foreword by Ray Chatelin, award-winning travel writer, author of The Seattle and Vancouver Book: A Complete Guide