The One and Only Peter Perrett, Homme Fatale

Book excerpt: An incredible love story, as well as a tale of hard-core rock and roll, The One & Only features an introduction by long-term fan John Cooper-Clarke, an extensive additional chapter, plus exclusive interviews with the reclusive Peter and his wife, Zena, and previously unseen photographs.Considered one of the great character studies in rock literature, few biographies get as close to their subject matter as The One & Only. Charting a musical career founded in criminality and impossible behaviour, alongside the survival of a now 40-year marriage despite both partners' chronic heroin addiction and Perrett's outrageous infidelity and pernickety expectations, this startling account of the enigmatic Peter Perrett and The Only Ones is shockingly candid and poignant. No ordinary rock n' roll story, Nina Antonia chronicles the ascent, retreat and eventual redemption of one of contemporary music's most ephemeral yet enduring figures. The One & Only also traces the dangerous rise of heroin use amongst a coterie of musicians surrounding Perrett, including Johnny Thunders and Sid Vicious.