best/worst rock biographies

Marianne Faithfull
The Dirt (Motley)
Tainted Life (Mark Almond)
Rotten
that Albert Goldman one on John Lennon (but factually suspect)
Highway to Hell (Clinton Walker's bio of Bon Scott)

Worst:
Robbie Williams
Lemmy's one (such a shame, was looking forward to it)

Why do we never get any bios of techno artists? I'd love to read Derrick May's bio. Maybe it's too soon.

I quite liked "Bad Seed," about Nick Cave (obv.). There's an XTC one that's alright.

Not sure it counts, but I still find "The Dark Stuff" by Nick Kent pretty amusing.

Beneath the Underdog is awesome, too, but music is barely mentioned.

the Bill Harkleroad bk about the Magic Band is really bitter.

my fave Beatles book is the one by JL's buddy Pete Shotton, In My Life.

somebody break down what the good Rolling Sones books are?

& does anyone remember The Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia of Rock? good times.

David Lee Roth's Crazy From The Heat is my fave rock autobio by far. Hysterical. You'll gain a new respect for the guy.

You stole my answer! (It is superb.)

Neal Karlen's book on Babes in Toyland is a surprisingly wonderful slice-of-life story that captures a time and place without reaching for it. And Lori Barbero is now an eternal heroine.

Oh and thanks Anthony, I'll pick up Shakey next time I'm in that store.

Looking forward to Rob Halford's, still being written.

Other than that, I've recently enjoyed "Crazy Diamond - Syd Barrett & The Dawn Of Pink Floyd" by Mike Watkinson and Pete Anderson and also "Down The Highway The Life Of Bob Dylan" by Howard Sounes.

Right now, I'm sitting on "Miles Davis" by Ian Carr. I'm sure it'll be good but I know I'll have to buy another 10 albums as a result!

James Young's Nico book -- how many different titles has this book been published under? -- variously known as "The End" and "The Last of the Bohemians" -- is yet another tragically hysterical firsthand account.

Ingeborg Schober's Amon Düül II bio, "Tanz der Lemminge" is really underrated. Nice interviews, some incredible anecdotes, and she wonderfully evokes all the socio-political goings-on of late 60s/early 70s West Germany. You'll have to know German in order to read this one, as it's never been translated into English, as far as I know. (I could be wrong.)

Worst bio? The Jim DeRogatis Lester Bangs book is fucking terrible. (Like anything else you'd expect from the pen of Jim DeRo.) Richard Meltzer's chapter on Bangs in "A Whore Just Like the Rest" is far more insightful, more cutting, more affectionate even.

I find the John Szwed Sun Ra bio to be tedious and boringly pedantic. Of course this is what you expect from an uptight academic. There's no humour in the writing whatsoever. Sure, there is a lot of useful info and all that, but Szwed embarrasses himself badly when he reveals himself to know fuck all about rock music. (He calls Can a "space rock" band inspired by the Arkestra. Huh?! Amon Düül II, whom he also laughingly calls "space rock", well, Szwed spells it Amon Dul, etc., etc.)

Just about everything by Diedrich Diedrichson (has any of his writing ever been translated into English?) is always good for something. Sometimes unintentionally funny, though.

Maybe this next one is both the best and the worst. A few years ago I picked up this amazing artifact for nothing at a flea market. It's a thick American magazine titled "John Lennon: 1940-1980", one of the many (certainly) quickie-cash-in "tributes" which immediately followed in the wake of Lennon's death. (This one is dated December 1980; these ghouls wasted NO time getting this piece of crap out on the shelves.) It has the absolute WORST writing I've ever read in my life. I keep it for this reason alone. It's full of mawkish, badly written smug remembrances by aging ex-hippies on the brink of yuppiedom, writing things like "I didn't listen to my beloved Beatles for a six-month period after Lennon said he was more popular than Jesus", and "'Strawberry Fields' sounded too weird to me at first. The Beatles had outdistanced us, thanks to a certain sweet smelling herb, but we caught up." Add badly reproduced color photos, more typos than you can shake a stick at, and we're talking CLASSIC.

Hell yes.

On the unintentional comedy scale, Angie Bowie's first(?) book is right up there.

Shakey knowledge of krautrock aside, I really dug the biography - I didn't find it too tedious, and it was certainly packed with information.

But it's not just krautrock -- Szwed falters horribly whenever he attempts to say anything about Ra's influence on rock. John Szwed obviously knows nothing about the subject. I wouldn't attempt to write anything about, say, jazz from 1920-1950 or C&W from any era, because I am confident that I really wouldn't know what the fuck I'm talking about.

I'd actually give a decent shout to the Billy Bragg one, 'Still Suitable For Miners'. It's a bit too "he's a good bloke", but readable with it.

I think the Tony Bennett one that was bought for me several years is one of the worst I've read, although I've got a Bauhaus one (Dark Entries?) which is so fawning it's incredible.

Is there a decent Scott Walker one? I've only got 'A Deep Shade Of Blue', and feel there must be a better book about Scott out there.

I can't recall him saying that much about rock music when I read it but he's really gd on jazz and relating it to developments in classical avant-garde.

I can see what you mean in respect to the dryness of the writing but the whole thing is so well researched -- he interviews as many associates/musicians as he can, and the story is so damn great and the guy is so fascinating that I found it a real quick and enjoyable read.

But anyway: what was ra's 'influence' on rock? I mean, maybe leading by an example -- as in setting up this commune of ppl to work together on improvisations and group sound; which, as far as i can tell, wz only adopted by some ppl in krautrock and maybe beefheart (but that could also be relaetd to a 60s countercultural mindset). Even his work as a whole is odd in relation to jazz too, i find.

Also, Miles Davis' autobiography is an entertaining and enlightening read. To give a little of the flavor of the book, I always think of a photo caption that read (quoting from memory) "This was our line-up at Birdland in 1949. Standing at left is Symphony Sid, another motherfucker I never could stand."

How's "Hip Priest", by the way?

sorry xpost, back to sun ra's influence on rock

Best (individual) - Chuck Berry: The Autobiography
Best (group) - Hammer Of The Gods: The Led Zeppelin Story (Steven Davis)

Worst - No One Here Gets Out Alive (Jerry Hopkins)

Hopkins' David Bowie & Jimi Hendrix biographies were just as poorly written as his Jim Morrison bio was, but at least those two were fairly compelling subjects, so the books retained some inherent interest. Never read his Elvis bio, and certainly don't intend to.

I liked Shakey for the original interviews with Neil Young, but had a major problem with the author inserting himself into the narrative. It seemed to me that he wanted to sniff Neil Young's armpits and then tell him why they stank.

I call it biographer's disease (it has some resemblance to executor's disease, but that's another thread): thinking you're a genius because you're writing a book about one.

Worst = the lemmy one. A terrible dissapointment. Just crass and stupid and boring.

I read a new book on Paul Simon, and it was really fucking bad. Can't remember the author right now.

some pretty lousy Kurt Cobain ones out there iirc

A ton of them came out in 1994 to capitalize on his death. Those definitely sucked shit.

By the way, if anyone's curious how gross Bob Mould's autobiography is, there's a few pages devoted to the very specific finances of his production royalties on Husker Du's two Warner Brothers records, and how due to a legal settlement, Greg Norton received a portion of that money, when IT WAS BOB MOULD WHO TRULY DESERVED THAT $11,551

eesh, sounds reallllly entertaining.
get in the van is great, for real. still need to read that black flag bio stevie wrote. i've been re-reading a bunch of joe carducci stuff lately, so i'm in the mood. also want to read kristin hersh's recent bio. sort of thought it would show up at my local library, but i guess i'll have to buy it.
mentioned on a james brown thread but the new bio, the one, is really good so far.

It's not a bio but I'm halfway through Making Rumours, Ken Caillat's new memoir of the making of Rumours. It will be way too light on the dirt for most readers, I think (though there is dirt). But he is very thorough about describing just about everything they did in the studio to make the record.

that sounds pretty dope actually. lots of rock bios are light on production, unless it involves snorting coke off a mixing board.

Haven't seen any mention of John Einarson who's done some pretty great ones notably the Arthur Lee Forever Changes co-write of his posthumous.ly released memoirs. Also the Mr Tambourine Man Gene Clark one I'm currently reading. I read his Buffalo Springfield one a couple of years back and enjoyed that too.

Jefrey Lee pierce's Go Tell the Mountain is entertaining but not necessarily reliable.

enjoyed Long Strange Trip and Searching For the Sound on the Grateful Dead too.

Rick Brown & Mike Stax's Like, Misunderstood was an interesting read though it spends much more time on his life in India post draft-dodging than on the band. the 3 part history of the band in the Ugly Things mag is very good too.

think I'll think of others later

oh cool, that arthur lee thing is good? will have to seek it out.

Think it was one of the better books I've read. Really fills in a lot of details. Einarson's expansion helps matters greatly.

They were a band with a lot of rumours circulating and not much published on. So reading this was marvellous.

Wish I'd picked up the Castle compilation I saw in I think Dublin Tower years ago though it could have been London somewhere. & I think it was a compilation not just an issue. Seemed large booksize.

Almost certainly When Giants Walked The Earth by Mick Wall.
― my father will guide me up the stairs to bed (anagram), Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Yup...that's the one.

Anyone read the Mick Fleetwood autobio? It's OOP.

i read a good chunk of it over the course of an hour or two in a library once. It's good light reading. some cool stories. not too in-depth, if i recall correctly.

What abt the tell-all by ex-gf of Lindsey?

Whats the best Kinks Bio?

Dave Davies' one is not too bad. At one point he talks about how he was having sex and he damaged his penis.

Remembered Colin Harper's Dazzling Stranger which is mainly the Bert Jansch bio but also covers the Edinburgh & London folk scenes.

Also really enjoyed Rob Young's Electric Eden which has a lot of great stuff on the 60s Britfolk stuff as well as the earlier folk revival.

Grit, Noise and Revolution by David A. Carson was pretty great on various Detroit acts. Does give several bios of people while covering the area's scene from the mid 50s to mid 70s.

jon savage's OOP authorized kinks bio is really good.

Jon Savage did a great Kinks book in the mid 80s think its called The Official biography. not sure if it's still remotely available.

Reminds me I really enjoyed Paolo Hewitt's the Young Mod's Forgotten Story on The Small Faces. Took me about 10 years to manage to get hold of it.

Thinking of books that took me forever to get the Einsturzende Neubauten history Hor Mit Schmorzen was greta, MAy also be long gone & I think there's been a new official one since.

Just finished The Fallen and yes, it does feel like a blog-to-book conversion but it's a damn good book on The Fall.

Anyone else read Kristin Hersh's Rat Girl? Really liking it so far.

xp The Jon Savage Kinks bio is really well done, but maybe could use a little distance, being officially authorized and all. On the other end of the spectrum, however, is John Mendelsohn's embarrassing The Kinks Kronikles which features transcriptions of heated phone conversations between John and a former Kinks manager on the subject of whether the latter would like to be interviewed for the book.

Reading Ray and Dave Davies' autobios back-to-back is amusing for the ways in which they're very differently nutty.

Have had Hersh's under the Parodoxical Undressing title for a year or so but not gotten to it.

So it doesn't really seem like their is a definitive Kinks bio currently in print. A bit odd.

There's a day by day Kinks chronology thing, if that's any use. I picked mine up very cheaply which might mean it was going out of print though.

I did find one released last year by Nick Hasted called You Really Got Me but still for such a major band there is a bit of a dearth. I wonder if thats cos the Davies bros are difficult - no one seems to have much good to say about Ray. Maybe I'll have to read his and Daves books.

Was thinking there was one just released, thought I saw reviews of one in the UK monthlies recently. must be that Hasted one then?

What abt the tell-all by ex-gf of Lindsey?

A few lovely anecdotes about drinking champagne during the Tusk sessions and doing coke with Stevie in the car.

I started reading the Zeppelin one today. Every time I come across the name "Mickie Most" I want to throw that shit out the window.

Just finished one that's so boring (reviewed under embargo so can't name it) that it makes me wonder if I ever want to read a single-artist bio, as opposed to a memoir, again.

Smoothed: The Epic of Rob Thomas

Puttin' On Duritz: The Counting Crows Story

Okay I can't top that.

Just recently read Buddy Guy's forthcoming When I Left Home which contains a lot of interesting stories - unfortunately, it's written in Negro dialect. I'm not joking. Half the time it reads like a transcript of an old Amos 'n' Andy routine.

kudos tyler. That's killer.

haha, i feel like i stole it from someone, so kudos to that person I've forgotten.

Duff McKagan's memoir on G'N'R is pretty great!

RIP Johnny Rogan

I've never read any of his books, but he's contributed quite a bit to a lot of reissues I still own. Given the nature of those contributions, I get the impression he's one of the best researchers in rock history, performing the grueling, unsung work of compiling complete and accurate sessionographies and discographies while detailing every bit of minutiae that separates one mix or take from another as well as finding out why said recording was left in the vault.

Obituary, the Smiths anecdote is a bit surreal - I guess court proceedings for Joyce's lawsuit was open to the public.

I finished the first volume of the Byrds one a year or two ago. It’s a great work for reference for the reasons you give—it even covers bootlegs—but it was so exhausting in its detail that I won’t ever read it again; I’ll just dip into it when I need to check something or want to read about the period whatever LP I’m spinning came out in. Hard to believe he wrote another huge book on the solo members! I admire it a hell of a lot even if I have little desire to read pages and pages about Firefall or what various members did in the 1980s.

His Ray Davies biography from a few years ago is good, but he gets hung up on certain things - he keeps mentioning (in a smarmy way) how miserly Ray is, because he doesn't buy rounds at the pub or something.

Oh, and the opening post in this thread is correct - Bebe Buell's book is the worst I've ever made myself finish. It was, however, useful as a compendium of the insulting names that Elvis Costello had for Prince.

!

His Ray Davies biography from a few years ago is good, but he gets hung up on certain things - he keeps mentioning (in a smarmy way) how miserly Ray is, because he doesn't buy rounds at the pub or something.

I once worked with a guy who was in a band with one of Ray Davies' daughters and I know for a fact that that is true!

I'm sure it's true, is it worth mentioning over and over in a biography? (I don't go to pubs.)

Not specifically the buying rounds in pubs bit but just him generally being a comically tight-fisted millionaire.

Hard to believe he wrote another huge book on the solo members!

it's only on the members who've died!

Now that he's dead, Rogan will write biographies of the living members of the Byrds.

Not specifically the buying rounds in pubs bit but just him generally being a comically tight-fisted millionaire.

That's more funny when I think about the time he ran after that mugger who robbed his girlfriend - it always struck me as an impressively chivalrous act, but one can joke that he was after a tenner she owed him.

Good dot-connecting!

I'm pretty sure Rogan underlines that connection in his book!

Ha, yes, just found that section.