Joint memoir by Simple Minds founding members traces the band’s rise to international fame
Our Secrets Are The Same is the remarkable joint memoir by Simple Minds founding members Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill.
The book follows the fantastical, chaotic, and global adventures of two friends who met in an estate in Toryglen, on Glasgow’s southside when they were just eight years old and went on to found one of the most influential bands of the 20th century.
From their pioneering art-rock early days to the sublime New Gold Dream album… From the quintessential 80s hit Don’t You Forget About Me, globalised by the Brat Pack’s Breakfast Club to 60 million albums sold globally and No.1 hits the world over, Simple Minds makes up a vital part of the world’s cultural tapestry.
Enduring Friendship
In a world increasingly divided, and amid a loneliness epidemic that’s making it difficult for people to connect, Jim and Charlie’s story is one of enduring friendship, and the love between two men who found family in each other amid the anarchy of rockstardom.
Their story traces the arc of working-class aspiration, social change, chemical awakenings, cultural infiltration, unwavering drive and thrilling creative fusion. Along the way, there are brushes with David Bowie, Bob Dylan, U2 and Nelson Mandela. Breakfast with Alice Cooper. Dinner with Lou Reed. And a few scrapes with the boys in blue.
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.
This isn’t just 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.
Our Secrets Are The Same, by Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill with Graeme Thomson, is published 2 October 2025. Pre-order here
Featured image credit: Simon Emmett
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