# Recommend me a musicians biography



## 1%er (Oct 3, 2016)

Since retiring I have taken to reading and have enjoyed a number of books about bands or musicians from my record buying days (60's 70's and 80's). If you have any recommendations of good books about bands, musicians or industry insiders from those decades I'd be interested.

So far this year I have read:
Heaven and hell my life in the eagles by Don Felder
Play on by Mick Fleetwood
Freddie Mercury by Lesley-Ann Jones
The life of Lou Reed by Howard Sounes
A Biography of Jimi Hendrix by Charles Cross
Clapton the Autobiography by Eric Clapton
Conversations with Jimmy Page by Brad Tolinski
The life of Keith Moon by Tony Fletcher
Inside out by Nick Mason
Life by Keith Richards
Mick Jagger by Philip Norman

I have these as ebooks in MOBI and EPUB format, if you PM me......................


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## danny la rouge (Oct 3, 2016)




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## alan_ (Oct 3, 2016)

Miles Davis the autobiography with Quincy Troupe
If you were interested in Jazz music at all this book gives a tour of all the scene, the players, the music and is a crash course in a particular slice of life


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## alan_ (Oct 3, 2016)

I dont believe it
Im sitting with it on my lap ATM


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## danny la rouge (Oct 3, 2016)

alan_ said:


> Miles Davis the autobiography with Quincy Troupe
> If you were interested in Jazz music at all this book gives a tour of all the scene, the players, the music and is a crash course in a particular slice of life


He cusses out everyone. I particularly like it when he calls Steve Miller a "sorry assed cat" and a "non playing motherfucker".


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## twentythreedom (Oct 3, 2016)

The one by Anthony Keidis (Chili Peppers) is good


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## DaveCinzano (Oct 3, 2016)

_Head-On/Repossessed_ by Julian Cope - it's two books in one, the first focusing on his youth and early success in The Teardrop Explodes, the second on his subsequent solo career. Lots of funny stories about him being a dick, but often in a charming way.


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## souljacker (Oct 3, 2016)

Motley Crue - The Dirt
Led Zep - Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis

I've got a really good Stones one too but cant remember what it's called. Freaky Dancing about Bez from the Happy Mondays is also an excellent read.


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## Santino (Oct 3, 2016)

Shannon O'Keefe's biography of Yurts is considered the definitive treatment of the subject, but Daisy Flake's Scissor House Blues is a good introduction to his music and the wider scene (and is considerably shorter).


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## rubbershoes (Oct 3, 2016)




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## rubbershoes (Oct 3, 2016)

If you can get over most people in it being complete arses


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## 8den (Oct 3, 2016)

"Wouldnt it be nice"; Brian Wilson's account of the early days of the Beach Boys, up till his mental collapse and rampant drug abuse and tentative recovery is hands down one of the best books I've read period.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 3, 2016)

danny la rouge said:


> View attachment 93369



I have that right beside me. Aint started it yet.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 3, 2016)

Best music bio i ever read is Thelonious Monk - The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D.Kelley. I have written about this before on Urban, it is also one of the best books I have ever read.


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## Steel Icarus (Oct 3, 2016)

'See a little light: A trail of rage and melody' by Bob Mould is a great book


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## Steel Icarus (Oct 3, 2016)

As is 'Unfaithful music and disappearing ink' by Elvis Costello


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## Lord Camomile (Oct 3, 2016)

danny la rouge said:


> View attachment 93369





alan_ said:


> Miles Davis the autobiography with Quincy Troupe
> If you were interested in Jazz music at all this book gives a tour of all the scene, the players, the music and is a crash course in a particular slice of life





Cheesypoof said:


> Best music bio i ever read is Thelonious Monk - The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D.Kelley. I have written about this before on Urban, it is also one of the best books I have ever read.
> 
> View attachment 93372


Right, that's Dad's birthday and Christmas sorted...


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## metalguru (Oct 3, 2016)

I've just read two very good autobiographies by female musicians:

Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys - Viv Albertine (the Slits)
The Rise, The Fall and the Rise - Brix Smith (The Fall/Adult Net)

Both books were really engrossing and had moments that stayed with me afterwards. I really think in particular that the Viv Albertine book is something exceptional.


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## discokermit (Oct 3, 2016)




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## oryx (Oct 3, 2016)

metalguru said:


> Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys - Viv Albertine (the Slits)



This, plus:
Tracey Thorn - Bedsit Disco Queen
Patti Smith - Just Kids


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## discobastard (Oct 3, 2016)

This is great if you were into the late 80s/early 90s industrial stuff.  Kind of niche, and also very funny.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Concrete-Bulletproof-Invisible-Fried-Revolting/dp/0966406559


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## Wookey (Oct 3, 2016)




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## metalguru (Oct 3, 2016)

I'm interested in the new book *Playing the Bass with Three Left Hands* by *Will Carruthers* of Spacemen3. It's been getting good reviews.

And one of my favourite books years ago was a book about touring with Nico towards the end of her life in the 80s:
*Nico, Songs They Never Play on the Radio* by *James Young.*


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## not-bono-ever (Oct 3, 2016)

Maybe not exactly hagiographic, but Albert Goldmans stuff on Elvis and Lennon are an engrossing read


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Oct 3, 2016)

I love musicians autobiographys but have yet to find a biography that I have really liked.
The fallen is perhaps the closest, but reads like a long spralling egotistical nme article most of the time. Works well as an accompaniment to mark e smiths (ghost written) renegade.

Julian Cope's two autobiographys were very entertaining, but both had dissappointing wrap ups.
Adam Ants is great.
Shit I just remembered I left girl in band (Kim Gordon's book) in a venue on Thursday. One chapter to go. Bum. Ok not mega interesting, just fun to hear about rock stars talking about the mundane things they also have to do.
I oddly really enjoyed midge ures book. He led a much more interesting life than I realised, and seemed like an ok guy.
Oh and I recommend Dave Davies autobiography for comedy value. He quite clearly thinks a load of these horrible or embarrassing things he did were cool. Then it falls off a cliff at the end with some great ufo stuff.


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## Casually Red (Oct 4, 2016)

Hammer of the Gods ..led zep..was a decent read .

Eta

Righto, someone said that already .

And, bloody hell, ...What Happened Miss Simone ? . About Nina Simone.

Really tough to read in places but bloody brilliant .


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## Sprocket. (Oct 4, 2016)

Thumbs up for Clothes Clothes Clothes etc by Viv Albertine.
Also maybe not everyone's favourite artist but enjoyed Touching From a Distance by Deborah Curtis about Ian Curtis and Joy Division, tough in places.
Revolution in the Head by Ian MacDonald is a biography of each song written by The Beatles and their place in the culture of the period. Excellent read.


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## D'wards (Oct 4, 2016)

Although the man is quite the tosser, with not much of a music career, Bob Geldof's book is a great read. Its called Is That It.
It must be getting on 30 years old now, written whilst he was still with Paula, not so long after Live Aid


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## Chilli.s (Oct 4, 2016)

The 3 I'v enjoyed recently have already been mentioned: Viv Albertine, Mac Maclagan and The Dirt.


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## Reno (Oct 4, 2016)

These are not so much cradle to grave biographies, but two fantastic book which are about life on the road as a touring band and the lack of glamour if you are not on top of the musical food chain, are always on the move, don't have to comforts of a glitzy tour bus and have to stay in the cheapest fleapits (and sometimes on a fan's sofa if your manager forgot to book you a hotel).

The Nico one manages to be both hilarious and eventually surprisingly moving, chronicling the last seven years of her life touring (by her keyboardist), her frequently erratic behaviour and all the eccentric characters who were part of her life, long after The Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol. I especially enjoyed the chapters when she lived in Brixton in the 80s because I lived nearby and sometimes saw her and John Cooper Clake having coffee at the Ritzy. Not just a great book about a musician, but one of my favourite books of all time.

The Dean Wareham (Galaxy 500, Luna) autobiography is very astute about the strains put on a band when they have to spend 24/7 together under frequently trying circumstances and why bands and relationships break up under that pressure. Unlike with many books about bands breaking up, Wareham has no axe to grind, there is a melancholy quality to his writing.

Both books are not just informative, they are beautifully written.


 

And the two Patti Smith autobiographies are already classics of the genre, simply brilliant:


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## colacubes (Oct 4, 2016)

+ 1 for The Dirt 

Also recently ready 'Bedsit Disco Queen' by Tracey Thorn which was excellent.


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## spliff (Oct 4, 2016)

I seem to remember this as being pretty interesting.





Long time since I read it though.


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## billy_bob (Oct 4, 2016)

Lowside of the Road by Barney Hoskyns, about Tom Waits, is pretty good. Waits, and his wife Kathleen Brennan, guard his mythology incredibly carefully and didn't authorise the book, but Hoskyns manages surprisingly well without their cooperation, and I think strikes a balance - nowhere near hagiography at one extreme or sensationalist take-down at the other - which many music biographies I've read fail to achieve.

Bass Culture by Lloyd Bradley is a history of reggae rather than a biography, but is one of the best books about music I've read.

Andy Kershaw's autobiography is entertaining - better written than a lot of autobiogs and often very funny. Quite possibly a load of self-serving lies, of course (he has a lot of axes to grind) but that's true of most memoirs.


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## DaveCinzano (Oct 4, 2016)

billy_bob said:


> Bass Culture by Lloyd Bradley is a history of reggae rather than a biography, but is one of the best books about music I've read.



In a similar vein Dave Haslam's _Manchester, England _is a very readable biography of a place from its inception to the modern day, with the accent on working class culture and specifically music/going out.


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## colacubes (Oct 4, 2016)

billy_bob said:


> Lowside of the Road by Barney Hoskyns, about Tom Waits, is pretty good. Waits, and his wife Kathleen Brennan, guard his mythology incredibly carefully and didn't authorise the book, but Hoskyns manages surprisingly well without their cooperation, and I think strikes a balance - nowhere near hagiography at one extreme or sensationalist take-down at the other - which many music biographies I've read fail to achieve.
> 
> Bass Culture by Lloyd Bradley is a history of reggae rather than a biography, but is one of the best books about music I've read.
> 
> Andy Kershaw's autobiography is entertaining - better written than a lot of autobiogs and often very funny. Quite possibly a load of self-serving lies, of course (he has a lot of axes to grind) but that's true of most memoirs.



Sounds like London by Lloyd Bradley is also excellent.  History of black music in London over the last 100 years covering everything from calypso, jazz, afrofunk, Lovers Rock right through to jungle and grime.


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## billy_bob (Oct 4, 2016)

colacubes said:


> Sounds like London by Lloyd Bradley is also excellent.  History of black music in London over the last 100 years covering everything from calypso, jazz, afrofunk, Lovers Rock right through to jungle and grime.



*adds to reading list*

The fact that Bass Culture was the second thing that occurred to me even though it's more than 15 years since I read it says something. I read a lot of books and few of them stick in my mind so clearly after that much time has passed.

e2a: though I might give Leader, the autobiography he co-wrote with Gary Glitter in the 90s, a miss


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## May Kasahara (Oct 4, 2016)

Paradoxical Undressing by Kristin Hersh is excellent - funny, fascinating, and the writing glows.


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## DaveCinzano (Oct 4, 2016)

billy_bob said:


> Andy Kershaw's autobiography is entertaining - better written than a lot of autobiogs and often very funny. Quite possibly a load of self-serving lies, of course (he has a lot of axes to grind) but that's true of most memoirs.



There's something of the Dave Clifton about him these days


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## Nanker Phelge (Oct 4, 2016)

Great read.


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## chilango (Oct 4, 2016)

24 Hour Party People by Tony Wilson is an obvious but entertaining book.

I also enjoyed 45 by Bill Drummond.


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## chilango (Oct 4, 2016)

Oh and Get in the Van by Henry Rollins


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## 1%er (Oct 4, 2016)

Thanks for all the suggestions, some that look very interesting and I'll be downloading soon,  other I have read, some years ago when books were real and not a button on my phone


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## Voley (Oct 4, 2016)

metalguru said:


> Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys - Viv Albertine (the Slits)


I loved this too. Great book.


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## spliff (Oct 4, 2016)

Here comes everybody - James Fearnley about the 
Pogues is good.


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## Mumbles274 (Oct 4, 2016)

Good thread, haven't read a bioig for a while. Think the last one was the keith Richards one, which i didn't finish as found it got a bit dull with the detail about chords in songs. Early part was good though.

I also enjoyed the keith moon one.. Dear Boy

One that sticks in my mind though is a Gerry Garcia biog. For some reason i remembered the title as gratefully dead but searching for that title doesn't find it. Couple of passages i remember are the band doing nitrous in  baseball stadium changing room as the mayor walked in and a scene with keith moon digging his way through a hotel room wall (maybe his hotel?) To get to Garcia's heroin stash.. Or something like that


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## spliff (Oct 4, 2016)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> Adam Ants is great.


Great book, really exposes himself with an honesty that is disarming.


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## hot air baboon (Oct 4, 2016)

discokermit said:


>



...bloody hell....


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## discokermit (Oct 4, 2016)

hot air baboon said:


> ...bloody hell....
> 
> 
> View attachment 93413


wow. i think i lost my copy. shit.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 4, 2016)

chilango said:


> I also enjoyed 45 by Bill Drummond.



that is great.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 4, 2016)

rubbershoes said:


> If you can get over most people in it being complete arses



i have it - masterpiece of writing and captures a zeitgeist of a time in Laurel Canyon.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 4, 2016)

Lord Camomile said:


> Right, that's Dad's birthday and Christmas sorted...



THRILLED to hear it - the Monk one is out of this world.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Oct 4, 2016)

spliff said:


> Great book, really exposes himself with an honesty that is disarming.


I think that sentence is indeed the essence of the book. I kind of wish it took a bit longer over the punk section, really getting to see how that all took off. Like a lot of these music books, it jumps suddenly from not being in a band to being famous. .  . Maybe that's how it happens.


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## ska invita (Oct 4, 2016)

Robert Elms was always talking on the radio about a certain jazz (auto?)biography that was the funnest read possible, in that a lot of it was totally made up and exaggerated...wish i could remember whose it was......full of wild man deabuchery madness


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## Ming (Oct 4, 2016)

Another vote for The Dirt.
Crazy From the Heat by Dave Lee Roth (best front man in the world(Van Halen).. has a few good stories)
Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azerrad (about US underground indie music 81-91 so Black Flag, Husker Du etc)
The Manual (How to have a number one record the easy way) by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty (not a biography but a fun read by the KLF)


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## killer b (Oct 4, 2016)

Lords of chaos, about the church burning, murderous nazi black metal scene in 1990s Norway.


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## SpookyFrank (Oct 4, 2016)

ska invita said:


> Robert Elms was always talking on the radio about a certain jazz (auto?)biography that was the funnest read possible, in that a lot of it was totally made up and exaggerated...wish i could remember whose it was......full of wild man deabuchery madness



That'll be Charles Mingus - Beneath the Underdog. Mingus' voice is so engaging it doesn't really matter how much of it is true. I rate it higher than Miles Davis' book.


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## ska invita (Oct 4, 2016)

SpookyFrank said:


> That'll be Charles Mingus - Beneath the Underdog. Mingus' voice is so engaging it doesn't really matter how much of it is true.


Yes! Now you say it thats come back to me! youve read it yeah?


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## ska invita (Oct 4, 2016)

hot air baboon said:


> ...bloody hell....
> 
> 
> View attachment 93413


Heres one for £13 All the Rage: My High Life with the "Small Faces", the "Faces" and the "Rolling Stones" by Ian McLagan: Pan Books 9780330376730 Paperback - Greener Books
though Amazon own Abe books too, so still fuckeries


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 4, 2016)

Ian Dury's biography is good. I'm so sad he didnt live to write his own. Apparently the first words were 'Hallo Sausages.'

https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Drugs-Rock-Roll-Life/dp/0711986444


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

Billie Holiday's (very famous) autobiography (written with her friend William Dufty) is brilliant. Based on her monologues and with wry humour,  and probably embellished. She also talks very candidly about her drug taking ( i wrote a review of it before probly on book thread or Billie one) You cannot but love this book. I really recommend it


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

There was another book out a few years ago, which concentrates solely on Billie's music (on my shelf, i am in bed). Its not a biography but i preferred it. Maybe not the thread for it, as its more about the musicality.


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## ska invita (Oct 5, 2016)

colacubes said:


> + 1 for The Dirt


big extract here: The Dirt: the confessions of Mötley Crüe


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## Dr. Furface (Oct 5, 2016)

chilango said:


> 24 Hour Party People by Tony Wilson is an obvious but entertaining book.


And after that, read this. Brilliant.


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## billy_bob (Oct 5, 2016)

Dr. Furface said:


> And after that, read this. Brilliant.



I just read Hooky's autobiography, Unknown Pleasures. It's a bit rubbish.


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## billy_bob (Oct 5, 2016)

ska invita said:


> big extract here: The Dirt: the confessions of Mötley Crüe



I was looking forward to Mötley Crüe _confessing _to how those girls were all sociology PhDs and refused to sleep with them, and they were drinking blackcurrant juice all along, and the first thing they did when they arrived at a new hotel was check which direction Mecca was so they could pray correctly.

But all it was was the usual guff about shagging and coke.


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## danny la rouge (Oct 5, 2016)

SpookyFrank said:


> That'll be Charles Mingus - Beneath the Underdog. Mingus' voice is so engaging it doesn't really matter how much of it is true. I rate it higher than Miles Davis' book.


That's one I've always meant to read but never got round to. 

I'm off to investigate abe books now...


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

The Aerosmith ones are good (I am not a fan of their music, but read them anyway).

Joe Perrys one is *My Life in and out of Aerosmith * https://www.amazon.com/Rocks-My-Life-out-Aerosmith/dp/1476714541
Surprisingly entertaining, a great Christmas read

Steve Tyler's *Does the noise in my head bother you?  *https://www.amazon.com/Does-Noise-H...F8&qid=1475655641&sr=1-1&keywords=steve+tyler


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## SpookyFrank (Oct 5, 2016)

ska invita said:


> big extract here: The Dirt: the confessions of Mötley Crüe





> *Tommy Lee, drummer*
> 
> The 1987 Girls, Girls, Girls tour was the raddest time I ever had in my life, or at least I think it was, because nothing stands out but a blur of insanity. We had a huge-ass jet, we had endless cash, and we could do whatever we wanted. We partied like clockwork, bro. For a while, we even had this drug kingpin following the tour bus in an exotic Excalibur with a licence plate that said: DEALER. Whenever we got out of the bus, he would suddenly appear with his diamond-packed Rolex, gold chains and a token couple of bitches on each arm, throwing bundles of coke to everyone in the band and crew. He was the pimpest drug dealer ever and he always had his party hat on. But the record company flipped out and told us he had to go because he was a magnet for cops and trouble. We were sorry to see him leave, but dealers and pimps and partied-out freaks were a dime a dozen on that tour.



This is what I would write if I was trying to take the piss out of a bunch of also-ran hair metal twats who thought they were the biggest band in the world back in the 80's because they were off their tits on coke.


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## rutabowa (Oct 5, 2016)

this is a classic
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mister-Jelly-Roll-Fortunes-Inventor/dp/0520225309


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## rutabowa (Oct 5, 2016)

as is this
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bix-Legend...ks&ie=UTF8&qid=1475656370&sr=1-2&keywords=bix


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## rutabowa (Oct 5, 2016)

killer b said:


> Lords of chaos, about the church burning, murderous nazi black metal scene in 1990s Norway.


yeah this is wicked. I mean it is a pretty great story so it would be hard to mess up.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

I have around six books on the Doors (read over about 25 years)

*Ray Manzarek's *autobiography is really great  and wonderfully captured (although seems to be a sugarcoated version of the Doors)

*John Densmore's* two ones are also great, and seem more warts n all, realistic - the second one was written in 2013 and about the trial over the licensing of their name and legal stuff, although i enjoyed it

I have about three groupie ones - the best written is* Patricia Kenneally's* Strange Days: My Life with and without Jim Morrison (she is a proper fantasy writer - in every sense of the word...but a clever woman)

*Love Him Madly* by Judy Huddleston is a good snapshot of a lost time, but disturbing

*Feast of friends *- essays from Jim Morrison's friends is the best Doors one

*No one here gets out alive *- very famous, changes your life at aged 12, which is probably the target audience. *Wonderland Avenue, *Danny Sugarman's later, literary book about drugs and descent in Laurel Canyon in the last 60's early 70's is better cos he is such a fantastic writer

*Paul Ferrera's* Flash of Eden - more about him than Jim but there is a good chunk about life in Laurel Canyon, the Doors in LA fim school etc. I have a few more, and the one from The Door's bodyguard to be released next year should be great.

Still waiting for *Robbie Krieger's* autobiography....Robbie of course being the elusive musical mastermind and chief songwriter...


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## billy_bob (Oct 5, 2016)

SpookyFrank said:


> This is what I would write if I was trying to take the piss out of a bunch of also-ran hair metal twats who thought they were the biggest band in the world back in the 80's because they were off their tits on coke.



I'm not sure it's possible to take the piss out of Mötley Crüe more effectively than they are already inadvertently doing themselves.


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## rutabowa (Oct 5, 2016)

I doubt very much it is inadvertent


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## billy_bob (Oct 5, 2016)

rutabowa said:


> I doubt very much it is inadvertent



OK, define inadvertent.

Probably they noticed at some point that being utter dickheads was working out OK for them, financially and sexually, and that was part of their motivation. I'm not sure they're really Chris Morris or Christopher Guest in disguise though.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

ska invita said:


> big extract here: The Dirt: the confessions of Mötley Crüe



Not into Motley Crue but it has been recommended to me....as amusing, entertaining, etc. I'm sure I'll get round to it

If someone hasnt already said it, *Life *by* Keith Richards* is pretty good.

Other well knowns...*John Lydon's* two autobios are also good (No Irish, no blacks no dogs, and more recent one from 2013 - especially his few pages on Bowie).

Syd Barrett first bio, *Madcap, the half life of Pink Floyd's lost genius, *by* Tim Willis* is great.

But best (and only other Syd one) * 'A very irregular Head: The life of Syd Barrett' *by Rob Chapman, is excellent.

https://www.amazon.com/Does-Noise-H...F8&qid=1475655641&sr=1-1&keywords=steve+tyler


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## butchersapron (Oct 5, 2016)

killer b said:


> Lords of chaos, about the church burning, murderous nazi black metal scene in 1990s Norway.


Just a pity it's written by a pair of far right racist twats.

edit: i reckon a better 'scene biography' might be England's Hidden Reverse: A Secret History of the Esoteric Underground.


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## killer b (Oct 5, 2016)

butchersapron said:


> Just a pity it's written by a pair of far right racist twats.


Oh dear. Not that then.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

Sprocket. said:


> Also maybe not everyone's favourite artist but enjoyed Touching From a Distance by Deborah Curtis about Ian Curtis and Joy Division, tough in places.



I liked Touching from a distance - very sad, yes.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

*Bob Dylan's Chronicles Vol I and II *also great - poetically written.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

*Love, Janis *(Janis Joplin's letters to her family) is great. Her sister helped put it together.


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## Limejuice (Oct 5, 2016)

I've taken copious notes from this thread.



I have a soft spot for Sting's Broken Music - A Memoir.

There's not much about the Police or tantric sex. Mostly it's about his background and paying his early dues.

I like it mainly because he was born a few streets away from me, and later went to the same school. In the school part, he pays a handsome tribute to "Tiny" McGough who taught both of us English, and in part accounts for his usually elegant lyrics.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

If the OP is in London, and I still lived there, you could come round to my house and take your pick....


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

rubbershoes said:


>



*Take it like a Man* is a fantastic read! Recommended to me on a beach in Cuba, by a really blokey bloke too. He also did a second one, which was a fun bitchfest and more about his djing. Great too, mind you.


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## metalguru (Oct 5, 2016)

The Janis biography "Going Down with Janis" by Peggy Caserta is scurrilous, but quite entertaining.

It famously opens with the line: "I was stark naked, stoned out of my mind on heroin, and between my legs giving me head was Janis Joplin".


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

metalguru said:


> The Janis biography "Going Down with Janis" by Peggy Caserta is scurrilous, but quite entertaining.
> 
> It famously opens with the line: "I was stark naked, stoned out of my mind on heroin, and between my legs giving me head was Janis Joplin".



Is that the chick who was her girlfriend and drug buddy? i didnt know there was this book! I find often the 'friends' bios are more gossipy but some can surprise you. I will order it anyway, thanks

On my list (thinking of Janis name) 'Little Girl Blue' - but this one is about The Carpenters. I think it will be upsetting but supposed to be good.

Earlier this year, I read *Neville Staple's* autobiography, which was witty and amusing. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Original-Rude-Boy-Borstal-Specials/dp/1845135423

And *Horace Panter's* one, called Ska'd for life, I think. He was quite a conservative fellow, and always duped into doing interviews on behalf of the band. His descriptions of the feeling of playing music are wonderful though. Of course, waiting in vain for Jerry Dammers one....


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## metalguru (Oct 5, 2016)

Cheesypoof said:


> Is that the chick who was her girlfriend and drug buddy? i didnt know there was this book! I find often the 'friends' bios are more gossipy but some can surprise you. I will order it anyway, thanks



Yes it is. It's quite interesting in bringing out the developing lesbian scene in San Francisco at that time.

I found the book very cheap in a second hand book store - I wouldn't spend a lot of money on it.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

metalguru said:


> I found the book very cheap in a second hand book store - I wouldn't spend a lot of money on it.



I would actually love to read it (not least for the cover!) but its crazy expensive from amazon!!!  A rare find!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_s...lias=aps&field-keywords=going+down+with+janis


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 5, 2016)

chilango said:


> 24 Hour Party People by Tony Wilson is an obvious but entertaining book.



Cant believe i aint read that. Will order it! thanks for the reminder.


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## billy_bob (Oct 5, 2016)

Limejuice said:


> I've taken copious notes from this thread.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Was it him who had an illicit relationship with a girl half his age then?

Did he really "start to shake and cough, just like the old man in that book by Nabokov"?

And more importantly, does this count as one of those elegant lyrics?


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## alan_ (Oct 5, 2016)

Limejuice said:


> I've taken copious notes from this thread.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Is that Cullercoats / Whitley Bay or thereabouts


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## Limejuice (Oct 5, 2016)

alan_ said:


> Is that Cullercoats / Whitley Bay or thereabouts


Yes, thereabouts.


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## rubbershoes (Oct 5, 2016)

This is not a musician's biography


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## Wilf (Oct 5, 2016)

Chris Salewicz's (sp?) on Joe Strummer is really good (Redemption Song).  He's a journalist/writer, but he knew Strummer personally, so it's much more than the usual _journo on rockstar_ biog. 

The Hendrix one mentioned in the OP is good. 

Can't remember much about it, but enjoyed this one on Robert Johnson
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Escaping-D...475673146&sr=8-3&keywords=robert+johnson+book

Carol Clerk's The Saga of Hawkwind is amusing.

Read one on the Smiths that was great - not Morrissey's own book, but.... can't remember who. 

Similarly a biog of Black Sabbath which was okay... but can't remember the name. Started Iommi's own book, but it was a bit pedestrian.

Thread has reminded me: _must_ read the viv albertine book.


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## ringo (Oct 5, 2016)

Best music writing I've ever read:
*Coming through Slaughter *by  Michael Ondaatje

Based on the life of cornet player Buddy Bolden, one of the legendary jazz pioneers of turn-of-the-twentieth-century New Orleans, Coming Through Slaughter is an extraordinary recreation of a remarkable musical life and a tragic conclusion. Through a collage of memoirs, interviews, imaginary conversations and monologues, Ondaatje builds a picture of a man who would work by day at a barber shop and by night unleash his talent to wild audiences who had never experienced such playing. But Buddy was also playing the field with two women, and inside his head was a ticking time-bomb which he was unable to stop.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Coming-thr...5201&sr=1-1&keywords=coming+through+slaughter

I hated The Dirt. Or at least hated them so much it was painful to read.


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## alan_ (Oct 5, 2016)

Limejuice said:


> Yes, thereabouts.


I used to know someone on the Marden estate (near the Sandpiper) and she used to say Sting was from over there (pointing)


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## Limejuice (Oct 5, 2016)

alan_ said:


> I used to know someone on the Marden estate (near the Sandpiper) and she used to say Sting was from over there (pointing)


He was born in Wallsend and moved to Tynemouth in his teens.


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## souljacker (Oct 5, 2016)

The rolling stones one I mentioned in page one of this thread is up and down with the rolling stones by Tony Sanchez. That's rather good.


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## May Kasahara (Oct 5, 2016)

I quite enjoyed Lemmy's autobiography, although it gets a bit samey after a while. The running gag about his drummer being hospitalised on every tour made me laugh.

The Anthony Kiedis book made me want to punch windows, but I think that's largely because he is such a colossal bellend.


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## William of Walworth (Oct 5, 2016)

Haven't go round to reading this yet (it's upstairs ) but I should soon ...


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## Wilf (Oct 5, 2016)

May Kasahara said:


> I quite enjoyed Lemmy's autobiography, although it gets a bit samey after a while. The running gag about his drummer being hospitalised on every tour made me laugh.
> 
> .


I enjoyed it but it was an odd sensation reading it.  A lot of the passages sounded like word for word renditions of the tales he told in programmes and youtube clips.  I realise that stitching those together is pretty much what any journo writing a rock biog does, but it seemed a bit odd given that Lemmy himself was co-author.  Presumably it was him reciting his tales and the co-author acting as scribe rather than really shaping the book.


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## 8ball (Oct 6, 2016)

Bono: The Biography By Laura Jackson. 9780749922450 | eBay


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 6, 2016)

The newish Bowie one, by Paul Morley is on my shelf (first chapter read). It's written very much from a fan's perspective and we are talking serious worship here. Now I'm pretty fanatical about music but you have to cast a critical eye over someone's back catalogue (eg: I'm a major Prince fan but have never liked his flamboyant guitar playing much,  i also dislike the song Purple Rain).  Morley is a very lyrical writer, but I will be wanting more than some frothy fanboy love letter.

 That said, I enjoy Paul Morley's soundbites as a cultural commentator which is one of the reasons I bought the book. From flicking through it, around halfway though it looks like more of a chronology of Bowie's life and music, which is good. It's quite long - around 450 pages - but will get through it and report back

https://www.amazon.com/Age-Bowie-Pa...=1475743600&sr=1-1&keywords=bowie+paul+morley


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## rutabowa (Oct 6, 2016)

ringo said:


> Best music writing I've ever read:
> *Coming through Slaughter *by  Michael Ondaatje
> 
> Based on the life of cornet player Buddy Bolden, one of the legendary jazz pioneers of turn-of-the-twentieth-century New Orleans, Coming Through Slaughter is an extraordinary recreation of a remarkable musical life and a tragic conclusion. Through a collage of memoirs, interviews, imaginary conversations and monologues, Ondaatje builds a picture of a man who would work by day at a barber shop and by night unleash his talent to wild audiences who had never experienced such playing. But Buddy was also playing the field with two women, and inside his head was a ticking time-bomb which he was unable to stop.
> ...


ah this sounds like something i should read. here's a link with one of the bios i posted above,


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## hash tag (Oct 8, 2016)

I can't help feeling that a lot of "poetic licence" and bragging rights have gone into books about the Stones, Zep, the Who Etc.
The book I would add to this thread is Reckless, Chrissie Hynde. A solid, down to earth biog by someone who clearly loves music
and how she worked her way up. Bit dour/warts n all at times, but a great read.
Seeing @Cheesypoofs post, loved the Ian Dury book, the film was also brilliant and with full support of his family.


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 8, 2016)

oryx said:


> This, plus:
> Tracey Thorn - Bedsit Disco Queen
> Patti Smith - Just Kids



Is Just Kids any good? I don't rate her music but its got to be a good read as she has lived an interesting life and is a writer first. I must say Patti Smith's name has cropped up here and there in other people's biographies and she comes across as an all round decent human being.


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## Sir Belchalot (Oct 8, 2016)

Cheesypoof said:


> I must say Patti Smith's name has cropped up here and there in other people's biographies and she comes across as an all round decent human being.



She wasn't that keen on the young Ari Up


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## Cheesypoof (Oct 8, 2016)

Sir Belchalot said:


> She wasn't that keen on the young Ari Up




mental! Int that the girl from the Slits? Her mam is married to Johnny Rotten who said in his recent biography that the daughter was totally nuts!


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## danny la rouge (Oct 8, 2016)

ringo said:


> Best music writing I've ever read:
> *Coming through Slaughter *by  Michael Ondaatje
> 
> Based on the life of cornet player Buddy Bolden, one of the legendary jazz pioneers of turn-of-the-twentieth-century New Orleans, Coming Through Slaughter is an extraordinary recreation of a remarkable musical life and a tragic conclusion. Through a collage of memoirs, interviews, imaginary conversations and monologues, Ondaatje builds a picture of a man who would work by day at a barber shop and by night unleash his talent to wild audiences who had never experienced such playing. But Buddy was also playing the field with two women, and inside his head was a ticking time-bomb which he was unable to stop.
> ...


I have to say it lost me. I just couldn't get on with it. It's the kind of writing that gets raved about by critics but that I can't actually follow. Its only short, but I've just found my copy to check where I got to. My bookmark is still at p118. By that time I was skim reading trying desperately to find some kind of thread. I had no idea what he was saying. 

The first clue should have been the page with the sonographs of dolphin sounds at the beginning.


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## bimble (Oct 8, 2016)




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## oryx (Oct 8, 2016)

Cheesypoof said:


> Is Just Kids any good? I don't rate her music but its got to be a good read as she has lived an interesting life and is a writer first. I must say Patti Smith's name has cropped up here and there in other people's biographies and she comes across as an all round decent human being.



Yes, it's great. She writes really well and gives a good description of her early life and bohemian life in 60s/70s New York.


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## blossie33 (Oct 9, 2016)

oryx said:


> Yes, it's great. She writes really well and gives a good description of her early life and bohemian life in 60s/70s New York.



Totally agree.
I'm not really a Patti Smith fan, I picked the book up in a Charity shop as it looked interesting and really enjoyed reading.


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## 1%er (Oct 9, 2016)

Cheesypoof said:


> If the OP is in London, and I still lived there, you could come round to my house and take your pick....


Thanks for the offer but I live in NE Brazil


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## Kaka Tim (Oct 10, 2016)

don't bother with Noel Redding's book " are you experienced?". He spends most of it moaning about being owed money and  what a bummer it was being in a band with hendrix cos of long van journeys, bad motels and the fact that his own talent - and subsequent solo career  - got overlooked. To be fair he does say that when he first met hendrix he recognised that "he could play a bit".

(i think i remember seeing an interview with Lemmy where he said that redding was a twat).


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## Spod (Oct 25, 2016)

thanks for the tip didnt know he wrote one - but why is it over £40 on Amazon I wonder. Out of print? But then so is the kindle version? 



chilango said:


> Oh and Get in the Van by Henry Rollins


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## Spod (Oct 25, 2016)

*These are great (assuming 'band' books count)*

Trampled Underfoot (Led Zeppelin) - Barney Hoskins
I am Ozzie - Ozzie Osbourne
Duff McKagen autobiography 
Long Hard Road into Hell - Marylin Manson
Morrissey autobiography
Slash - authobiography 
*
as per other recommendations, agree these are great. *
The Dirt - Motley Crue 
How not to run a club- Peter Hook
Scar Tissue - Anthony Keidis


*read and recommend avoid IMO*
Chapter and Verse - Bernard Sumner
Shane McGowen autobiography (basically a transcript of a pissed ramble to his girlfriend but not in a good way)
iron Man - Tony Iommi 
Sean Ryder and Bez autobiography


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## hash tag (Oct 30, 2016)

The Walls Come Tumbling Down by Daniel Rachel has been added to my list. It is not a biog but covers 16 years from '76 to '92. It starts with the controversy with Clapton (immigration) and Bowie (nazi memorabilia) and covers the Red Wedge, Anti Nazi League Rock against racism stuff. I heard the autor on the radio this morning and it sounds facisinating.

Walls Come Tumbling Down by Daniel Rachel review – where have all the political musicians gone?


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## krtek a houby (Oct 31, 2016)

All with their moments of self indulgence and wankery but all very readable.


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## rubbershoes (Oct 31, 2016)

8ball said:


> Bono: The Biography By Laura Jackson. 9780749922450 | eBay



How absorbent are the pages?


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## blossie33 (Oct 31, 2016)

Poor Bono, I almost feel sorry for him.


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## hash tag (Nov 1, 2016)

Don't like the Moz? Just in time for Christmas (how quaint) Johnny Marr unveils details of autobiography, Set the Boy Free


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## blossie33 (Nov 1, 2016)

I work close by to the offices of the publisher of the Marr book - saw they had a delivery of about five huge pallets of that book a couple of weeks ago.


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## rutabowa (Nov 1, 2016)

dunno if it's already been mentioned but "Hellfire" the nick tosches book about Jerry Lee Lewis is a fine read.


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## rutabowa (Nov 1, 2016)

Victor Bockris on Lou Reed is a good solid biography.


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## 5t3IIa (Nov 1, 2016)

hash tag said:


> Don't like the Moz? Just in time for Christmas (how quaint) Johnny Marr unveils details of autobiography, Set the Boy Free


He was on Today prog this morning, in Manchester library in their The Smiths _section_ and pointing at books going "Lies...lies...lies...oh, that ones OK"


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## Casual Observer (Nov 1, 2016)

Just finished Will Carruthers' book (Playing Bass With Three Left Hands). A very funny, honest and sad account of his time in the band. 

The best music biography I've read recently was Andrew Matheson's Sick On You. Matheson was the crooner, co-songwriter and main nutter in the Hollywood Brats, a band who recorded one perfect album in 1973 and then split when they could find a label to put it out. This man is a seriously good writer and the book is pretty much constantly hilarious. 

Another very good recent book was Viv Albertine's Clothes, Music and Boys from a couple of years ago. Harrowing in parts but very enjoyable.

All time favourite might be Mick Farren's Give The Anarchist A Cigarette which must be getting on for 20 years old now.

Both Luke Haines books are also worth seeking out, particularly Bad Vibes (the first one).


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## rutabowa (Nov 1, 2016)

Casual Observer said:


> The best music biography I've read recently was Andrew Matheson's Sick On You. Matheson was the crooner, co-songwriter and main nutter in the Hollywood Brats, a band who recorded one perfect album in 1973 and then split when they could find a label to put it out. This man is a seriously good writer and the book is pretty much constantly hilarious.


oh yeah that is a killer book! the guy is such an unashamed dick ha.


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## oryx (Nov 21, 2016)

I've just finished 'Torn Apart: The Life of Ian Curtis' by Mick Middles and Lindsay Reade.

It gives a great feel for the early days of the band and of what Curtis was really like, told by people who knew him (one of the writers is Tony Wilson's ex-wife and the other a music journalist). As well as the obvious - intelligent, sensitive and a deep thinker - he was also funny, sociable and along with the others quite a lad, but also just a really nice, humane bloke who cared a lot about the people he worked with as a disability resettlement officer and really struggled with his imploding marriage/affair and with his epilepsy diagnosis.

As well as the human angle, the descriptions of the live gigs, life on the road and how the music came about make it a highly recommended read.

As you can imagine, the end of the book is devastating, in its telling as well as the subject matter.


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## colacubes (Nov 22, 2016)

William of Walworth said:


> Haven't go round to reading this yet (it's upstairs ) but I should soon ...



This just reminded me that I read The Fallen by Dave Simpson recently:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002VNFNOM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

In it he goes back and tries to track down every single member of The Fall over the years.  Good book


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## William of Walworth (Nov 23, 2016)

Casual Observer said:


> Another very good recent book was Viv Albertine's Clothes, Music and Boys from a couple of years ago. Harrowing in parts but very enjoyable.
> 
> All time favourite might be Mick Farren's Give The Anarchist A Cigarette which must be getting on for 20 years old now.
> 
> Both Luke Haines books are also worth seeking out, particularly Bad Vibes (the first one).



All great ideas, especially the Viv Albertine one -- I've been looking out for that for a while and  now you've reminded me


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## blossie33 (Nov 24, 2016)

I saw this in a bookshop at the weekend, just come out I think.
I'd like to read it but I'm not paying £20 for the hardback - will have to look in the library or wait for the p/b (or a charity shop purchase if lucky!)

It's got very good reviews on Amazon USA.


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## Pickman's model (Nov 24, 2016)

Steve Jones's "lonely boy: tales from a sex pistol" is very good


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## Riklet (Nov 24, 2016)

Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson is a fun read, loved it when younger.


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## hash tag (Nov 30, 2016)

Just remembered THE Sensational Alex Harvey . Great band to see live. Very hard working band and one of the few bands that were happy to support a Slade gig and risk the wrath of their fans. Very interesting insight into the band if not brillianty written.


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## blossie33 (Nov 30, 2016)

Looks good 
Loved Alex Harvey


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## metalguru (Nov 30, 2016)

Yes - I also enjoyed Steve Jones's autobiography. A lot deeper than I thought it would be. Going through the alcohol/substance recovery programme has really forced him to think about his life.


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## hot air baboon (Dec 11, 2016)

had this one yet ?  picked it up today in a charity shop - looks fascinating & absolutely crammed with photos which is always a big plus in a non-fiction book...


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## hash tag (Jan 9, 2017)

The rock journalist who wrote this was on the radio last night and certainly had a tale to tell, starting by camping outside his front door and being asked in for a cup of tea to interviews in later life. I expect to give it a try.  https://bookshop.theguardian.com/hero-429079.html


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## D'wards (Sep 13, 2017)

Just finished Head On by Julian Cope - absolutely superb.

He is very honest about things, including what an arsehole he was to people. 

He went from being anti-drugs to taking so much LSD its a wonder he got anything done at all.

I'm not a fan of the Teardrop Explodes but it made no difference, he is a pretty unique character in a sea of drugged out musicians.


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## hash tag (Jun 15, 2018)

I heard Kenny interviewed about this on the radio recently; might be worth a read. Let the good times roll Let The Good Times Roll: My Life in Small Faces, Faces and The Who - The Who


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## ringo (Jun 15, 2018)

Anyone read this yet?


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## hash tag (Oct 17, 2018)

It's out now, just in time for Christmas. I have not seen any reviews yet


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## 1%er (Oct 17, 2018)

hash tag said:


> It's out now, just in time for Christmas. I have not seen any reviews yet


Yes it looks like a good read, I started a thread about it the other day, I'll be downloading it soon


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## hash tag (May 4, 2019)

This is not a recomendation
 
Seriously, I am now on a mind to go and get hammer of the gods, I think it's about time.


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## Spod (May 8, 2019)

Mobi's autobiography is new out. Read a review and some extracts and it sounds more debauched that Motley Cruu's 'The Dirt'. Who would have thought it? Just look at him, its the quiet ones you have to watch.


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## hash tag (Nov 10, 2019)

It's that time of the year again and if I were to pick any of the latest release (complete with pictures)...Iggy
'Til Wrong Feels Right by Iggy Pop | Waterstones


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## hash tag (Aug 10, 2020)

He's dead, its authorised but as much as I love the Ooo, this does not sound good








						The Ox by Paul Rees review – the Who’s bass player behaving badly
					

A life of John Entwistle sidelines his musical virtues in favour of his egregious sins against women – not least his wife




					www.theguardian.com


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## Lorca (Aug 10, 2020)

Can recommend Cosi Fanni Tutti's (of Throbbing Gristle, Coum Transmissions and Chris and Cosey fame) autobiog 'Art Sex Music' The late GPO doesn't come out of it well though. 
Would be interesting to read a biography of GPO btw, fascinating and flawed person as they were.


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## Hollis (Aug 10, 2020)

I'm quite tempted to get Phil Collins's "Not Dead Yet"... I need some light entertainment... and I fail to see how this can't contain some covering the prog rock years of Genesis, and Phil's 80s solo career.


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## Hollis (Aug 10, 2020)

D'wards said:


> Just finished Head On by Julian Cope - absolutely superb.
> 
> He is very honest about things, including what an arsehole he was to people.
> 
> ...



Superb book - if you like that, chances are you'll like Luke Haines's 'Bad Vibes'.


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## Hollis (Aug 10, 2020)

Another I really want to read is Russell Senior's take on Pulp.


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## billy_bob (Aug 11, 2020)

Spod said:


> Mobi's autobiography is new out. Read a review and some extracts and it sounds more debauched that Motley Cruu's 'The Dirt'. Who would have thought it? Just look at him, its the quiet ones you have to watch.



Well, that went well


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## Roadkill (Aug 11, 2020)

I don't much like his music, but Boy George's autobiography is quite a good read.  He's _so_ catty!


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Aug 11, 2020)

Hollis said:


> Superb book - if you like that, chances are you'll like Luke Haines's 'Bad Vibes'.


Head on is ace as is the follow up. I was originally more keen on reading the second book because that is where I first got into Copey. Both slightly fall flat at the end but then what is the climax to an autobiography?


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Aug 11, 2020)

Spod said:


> Mobi's autobiography is new out. Read a review and some extracts and it sounds more debauched that Motley Cruu's 'The Dirt'. Who would have thought it? Just look at him, its the quiet ones you have to watch.


Moby? I had to work with him once, he's a fucking tool. Obnoxious twat. I think he's honesty the worst celebrity I have ever met.   Also I have the DAT 'backing' track for his 'live' performance on later with Jools Holland. . . . it's basically everything with the vocals slightly lower in the mix.  No live instruments.


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