Rock n Roll biographies - Best and worst?

[MrBen]

Was going to post under What's ED reading? but figured this subgenre was worthy of it's own thread. I've often hugely enjoyed a book about those whose music I like (but don't actually love) and vice versa, with some notable disappointments.

I enjoyed Hacienda - How not to run a club by Peter Hook more for the nostalgia/historical nature and how a band basically funded a giant pill fueled party for 15 years within a spectacularly badly run business (Factory).

I didn't enjoy Slash's biography. Should have been good given the mans stature but I just found it downright boring!

[El Pibe]

I generally avoid autobiographies as find them either boring, self-justifying egomania, or both; the music industry seems particularly bad for this.

That said Danny Sugarman's Wonderland Avenue was a passably entertaining path to excess/rock bottom type read.

[Otta]

Know exactly what you mean about Slash. The man is my guitar hero, but the book was pretty dull (with the exception of a few stories).

Life - Keith Richards is pretty good, although I felt a bit like he never went in to enough detail about the stuff I wanted to know about, and too much detail about the stuff that bored me.

Faithful - Marianne Faithful is bloody great!

[Otta]

Ozzy is great for funny stories.

[Jah Lush]

I thoroughly enjoyed Life - Keith Richards but then he is a big hero of mine too. Marianne's book Faithful is also an excellent read as well. Agree about Wonderland Avenue. I let you into a little secret. The girl in book is an old mate of mine. Also, see Danny Sugarman's biog The Doors.

There are plenty more in this genre that I can recommend.

Diary Of A Rock N Roll Star - Ian Hunter (waves at HonaloochieB).

Stones Touring Party - A Journey Through America With The Rolling Stones - by Robert Greenfield. A great tale of rock n'roll excess with the Stones at their debauched, hedonistic peak.

The Dirt - Motley Crew. I'm not a fan of the band at all but it another great tale of excess.

Keith Richards - Victor Bokris.

Keith Richards - Barbara Charone.

All The Rage - Ian 'Mac' McLagen. One of the best I've read. From the man who tickled the ivories for the Small Faces, the Faces and plenty of others including Bob Dylan and the Stones.

Last Orders Please - The Faces by Jim Melly.

Rotten - No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs by John Lydon.

Memoirs OF A Geezer - Jah Wobble

Bad Vibes - Luke Haines - an absolutely hilarious pisstake of Britpop.

Jeff Beck - Crazy Fingers by Annette Carson.

People Funny Boy - The Genius Of Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Brian Jones - Who Killed Christopher Robin? By Terry Rawlings. Gets to the truth behind Brian's death.

The Dark Stuff - Nick Kent. Memoirs and interviews with the great and the good in the 70s from the NME's finest.

Bob Dylan - Behind The Shades (Take Two). The definitive Dylan biog.

Up And Down With The Rolling Stones by Tony Sanchez. Also known as Keith's drug dealer.

Andrew Loog Oldham - Stoned. See also the follow up 2Stoned.

Bad Seed by Ian Johnson. Very good biography of Nick Cave.

Nico - Songs They Never Play On The Radio by James Young. - An absolute little gem of a book.

Bird Lives! The High Life And Hard Times Of Charlie "Yardbird" Parker by Ross Russell.

True Adventures Of The Rolling Stones by Stanley Booth. - 69 tour, Altamont and all that.

Keith: Till I Roll Over Dead by Stanley Booth.

Mick N' Keith by Chris Salewicz.

Jools Holland - Barefaces Lies. Yes, really this is very good. Witty and full great anecdotes.

Bobby Womack - Midnight Mover - The True Story Of The Greatest Singer In The World.

Guns, Cash & Rock n Roll (The Managers) by Steve Overbury. Local author and also my good friend and quaffing partner.

I'm sure I've missed a few but I'll probably be back to mention them at some point but I've got things to do.

[david_carnell]

Cash by Johnny Cash.

I'm with Rob in High Fidelity on this one. All time top 5 books.

[giggirl]

I second Marianne Faithful's biog. I read it a long long time ago and it was a real page-turner. I tend to ignore autobiographies on the whole because people generally have such big fat egos.

[Otta]

I think what makes Marianne's book stand out is that she went from top of the world, to pretty much as low as you could get, and then crawled her way back up. A truly interesting story, as opposed to "yeah, we got mashed, and fell over on stage. Rock n fucking roll man".

[taper]

Aren't most of those cited autobiographies?

Best biography is Hammer of the Gods

[Otta]

Not a book, but ''Lemmy" the movie gives quite an interesting insight in to the workings of a rock legend, and genuine loon!

[MrBen]

"Lemmy" is a fantastic film. Not least to enjoy the brummie Brit in America culture clash.

Also not a book is: Anvil,The Story of Anvil

A hilarious and touching account of a briefly great metal band looking to relive past glories.

[El Pibe]

I watched Quiet Loud Quiet, a documentary following the Pixies after they reformed to the end of the first tour.

A bunch of middle aged people moping about and occasionally harping on about their various neuroses did not an entertaining experience make. (apparently the film makers have said they couldn't believe how boring it would all end up).

There were a couple of very good musical interludes though.

[giggirl]

I will second Anvil. Saw it last year. Touched my heart. Funny, absurd and heartbreaking by turns.

[taper]

Lemmy's from Burslem/stoke isn't he? So not a Brummie. Same as Robbie Williams, Slash and Discharge. There's a supergroup in there somewhere.

[jctg]

Julian Cope's 'Head On' is very funny.

[Jah Lush]

A few more I can recommend.

Moon The Loon By Dougal Butler - his former chauffeur and general factotum.

Dear Boy: The Life Of Keith Moon by Tony Fletcher.

Stone Alone by Bill Wyman. A meticulous delve into Bill's Stones diaries and archives.

Johnny Thunders - In Cold Blood by Nina Antonia.

Chuck Berry - Autobiograghy - The first and original rock & roll poet.

Ginger Geezer - The Life Of Vivian Stanshall by Lucian Randall & Chris Welch. To quote Stephen Fry: "One of the most talented, profligate, bizarre, absurd, infuriating, unfathomable and magnificent Englishmen ever to have drawn breath."

[steveo]

London Babylon by me isn't bad

[Jah Lush]

Guns, Cash & Rock n'Roll is better. Already namechecked it for you. Usual fee.

[Otta]

Do like what he says about the Beatles and The Stones.

 

[sanity girl]

Another recommendation for Wonderland Avenue by Danny Sugarman. I have a copy if anyone wants to borrow it.

[titch juicy]

got a bit bored with Keith Richards book, but it was well written enough

For outright bitterness it's a close call between 'Renegade: The Lives & Tales of Mark E Smith' and 'A Drink with Shane Macgowan'.

I'm not a fan of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, but Antony Kiedis' Autobiography is an eye-opener.

I'm a big fan of 'Nick Drake- The Biography' by Patrick Humphries

Also loved 'Cash: The Autobiography'

[oimissus]

not something I read a lot of but I thought England's Dreaming by Jon Savage (about punk) and John Peel's autobiography were both fantastic.

[Jah Lush]

I agree with you on both those choices. England's Dreaming is the definitive book on punk and the Sex Pistols. A fabulous read.

[KidKruger]

Not quite Rock n Roll but Joe Jackson's autobiography was well written. Obviously not the 'sex n drugs' kinda story but interesting nevertheless since it traces his development from new-wave angst band leader to composer.

[Jah Lush]

Catch A Fire - The Life Of Bob Marley by Timothy White. - Almost forgot this one. An excellent biog.