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Rock (auto)biographies


Rod in Toronto
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Who´s a fan of rock star biographies? I´ve read a few:

 

David Le Roth - Crazy From the Heat

 

Sammy Hagar - Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock

 

Sting - Broken Music

 

Stewart Copeland - Strange Things Happen

 

Andy Summers - One Train Later

 

Scott Ian - I´m the Man

 

Glenn Hughes - The Autobiography

 

Dave Mustaine - A Life in Metal

 

Any others you can recommend?

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The one that I still consider the best and most funny is White Line Fever by Lemmy, and I truly recommend it. It will make you burst with laughter when you least expect it.

 

Bill Bruford's autobio is, as you would expect it, very deep and technical and literate. It's a bit "cold" but surely interesting, especially the chapter titled "So how it was working with Robert Fripp?", that it's probably the first chapter you wanna read anyway.

 

Tony Iommi's was a bit of a letdown, it's all "we wrote this, we toured that" but with some truly great stories in between. The prose unfortunately is quite dull (blame it on the journalist, not on Tony).

 

In an alt-rock setting, I read some years ago E's autobio, the guy from Eels. He's a good writer but really, do you need to read the story of the life of the guy from Eels? Better stick to the songs.

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I've read and definetely recommend:

Rod Stewart - Rod: the autobiography

Johnny Winter - Raisin' Cain

Rick Wakeman - Grumpy Old Rock Star

Status Quo - XS All Areas

Brian Johnson - Rockers & Rollers

 

 

 

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I'd like to recommend George Best autobiography too: not a musician, but a Rocker anyway!

As a Brazilian you should love football (the original version not played with hands, for the ones on the western shore of 'the pond' and north of El Paso...)

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We in Brazil were always curious about the hype with this George Best dude...he was never famous around these shores. But I know he´s like the Keith Moon of football, so his bio might actually be worth checking out.
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http://themusicmamas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/NO-ONE-HERE-GETS-OUT-ALIVE.jpg

 

 

A gripping bio of James Douglas Morrison. Extremely fascinating.....

Edited by Principled Man
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I just read (for the 4th time), "Cash: The Autobiography" by Johnny Cash.

 

It is amazing...

 

...an eye witness to American history (1930s to the late 1990s) and the birth of rock and roll.

 

A wonderful story about redemption, grace and second chances.

 

I'm reading a book entitled, "Anchored in Love", which is about June Carter Cash.

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I also read Billy Idol's autobiography for the second time.

 

Talk about a book about second chances!

 

It was very well written and just a good read.

 

Billy watched the birth of Punk and, in my opinion, was one of the pioneers.

 

I highly recommend this one!

Edited by ReGorLaTroy
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Some of the biographies I recently read are:

 

John by Cynthia Lennon

Wonderful Tonight by Patti Boyd Harrison Clapton

Brian Jones by Laura Jackson

Dear Boy (Keith Moon biography) by Tony Fletcher

 

Some of the Autobiographies I've recently read are:

 

Pictures of an Exhibitionist by Keith Emerson

Street Play by Danny Saraphine (original Chicago drummer)

Who I am by Pete Townsend

 

I've read many more but I can't remember right now. When I get one of these books, I read for hours without putting them down.

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Damn I wish I could read. According to LABT the only word I can decipher is the word "female".... ;)
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The Dear Boy book on Keith Moon was theraputic for me... it might have been Lorraine who recommended it if my memory serves correctly. I took Keith Moon's death very hard, but the book helped me see his destructive ways and personality and somehow eased my pain, if that makes any sense...
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I also read Billy Idol's autobiography for the second time.

 

Talk about a book about second chances!

 

It was very well written and just a good read.

 

Billy watched the birth of Punk and, in my opinion, was one of the pioneers.

 

I highly recommend this one!

 

That one was on my list as well...Billy certainly looks like a guy who has stories to tell!

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HEy, I´m not sure if it counts as a biography, it´s more like an account of a certain timespan in someone´s life, but Neil´s Ghost Rider is just amazing.
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When I get one of these books, I read for hours without putting them down.

 

Thats the case with me as well...the only part that sometimes drags a little bit is the beginning of these books before the subject at hand joins the band he´s connected to. I´m currently reading Scott Ian´s "I´m the Man", and most things prior to him forming Anthrax are quite boring.

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I think I mentioned this in another thread but I liked Duff McKagan's "It's So Easy: and other lies", his autobiography. It's well written and he's an interesting guy. He was worried that they were having their Guns N Roses royalties ripped off, so he went from leaving school in 10th grade to taking upper level college accounting classes to figure out his money. He now runs a business advising other rock musicians about their finances, among other things; (oh and decided to invest in Microsoft, Starbucks and Amazon way early! Some people have luck!) Good book.
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Dirty Rocker Boys-Bobby Brown

 

I am Ozzy- Ozzy Osbourne

 

Fleetwod-Mick Fleetwood

 

Of the lot above I'm the Man has been the best so far-Scott is a riot.

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I've enjoyed...

 

Neil Young, Shakey

Bob Dylan, Chronicles

Keith Richards, Life

Townes Van Zandt, To Live is to Fly

Townes Van Zandt, A Deeper Blue

Gregg Allman, My Cross to Bear

Yes, Close to the Edge

Nick Drake, the Biography

Tim Buckley/Jeff Buckley, Dream Brother

Tim Buckley, Blue Melody

Graham Nash, Wild Tales

Pete Townshend, Who I Am

Michael Bloomfield, If You Love These Blues

Lester Bangs, Let it Blurt

Pink Floyd, Pigs Might Fly

 

I've read a ton of books on Springsteen; I used to be a fanatic.

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I enjoyed the hell out of those

http://i1253.photobucket.com/albums/hh597/greyfriar2112/MaxRockRoadshow_fb_web_zpstmam2pmd.jpg

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I've enjoyed...

 

Neil Young, Shakey

Bob Dylan, Chronicles

Keith Richards, Life

Townes Van Zandt, To Live is to Fly

Townes Van Zandt, A Deeper Blue

Gregg Allman, My Cross to Bear

Yes, Close to the Edge

Nick Drake, the Biography

Tim Buckley/Jeff Buckley, Dream Brother

Tim Buckley, Blue Melody

Graham Nash, Wild Tales

Pete Townshend, Who I Am

Michael Bloomfield, If You Love These Blues

Lester Bangs, Let it Blurt

Pink Floyd, Pigs Might Fly

 

I've read a ton of books on Springsteen; I used to be a fanatic.

 

I'm glad to see someone else here knows Tim Buckley. I have a few of his earlier albums. I loved him. It's a shame what happened to him.

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