Earlier this week we asked readers to tell us about their favourite musical autobiographies. Here are a few of the responses we received.
Scott Homiak on A Drink with Shane MacGowan
Forget a rake. Shane MacGowan could have been a leaf blower at the gates of hell, and it still wouldn't have cleaned up the mess he made of his life on earth. A Drink With Shane MacGowan finds the notorious Celt-punk legend in conversation with his sweetheart, Victoria Mary Clarke, and the results are as captivating as they are brutal.
Like the best music autobiographies, MacGowan's book brings you close enough to tear up at the stench of rotten wisdom seeping from his famously toothless maw. Part memoir, part mission statement, and all horror show, MacGowan utilizes the format to reflect on his upbringing (fondly recalling his schoolyard tenure as the "Minister of Torture"), offer his two cents on everything in his periphery that he loves and loathes (heaping sympathetic praise on Laura Nyro, a "soulful, sweet little Jewish bitch from the fucking wrong side of New York") and not miss a single opportunity to toast his Irish lineage at the expense of the English.
Clarke frames the proceedings with a tongue-in-cheek narrative that structures the book like a play, while her dialogue with MacGowan is intimate but incisive, providing a necessary buffer for the unabated piss and circumstance.
Popbijoux on Black Postcards by Dean Wareham
Black Postcards is an account of growing up alongside the development of "indie" in late 80's in America, where Wareham was singer and songwriter with Galaxie 500. Wareham's bio covers not an extraordinary lifestyle, but the ordinariness of life as musician on the verge of a major break whose time doesn't quite come.
It details his middle class upbringing in New Zealand and then New York, his studies at Harvard where he met the other members of Galaxie 500, their excursions into Rough Trade records on the verge of bankrupcy. We grasp the out-of-reach tightrope between indie music and American radio, the transformation of small guitar bands into corporations, the demise of the major-label lifestyle, and a glimpse into Wareham's personality – a curious mix of detached cleverness, love for music, the air of a demoted bourgeois prince never quite at ease enough to make music that was either emotional or polished enough to connect with the masses profitably.
Chris7572 on Home Before Daylight by Steve Parish
Home Before Daylight provides a different perspective on the music world: the roadie's view. Having no musical ego to protect, Parish's account of his 25+ years as a member of the Grateful Dead's uniquely-permanent road crew and Jerry Garcia's personal roadie is a pretty honest account of the sex, drugs and rock'n'roll lifestyle of one of America's biggest bands.
As the Dead grew from a sixties' underground psychedelic dance band to selling out long runs at Madison Square Gardens on a regular basis, Parish witnessed all the highs and lows, the weird and wonderful, the pleasure and pain. He also had probably the closest personal relationship with Garcia of anyone around and the difficulties of dealing with a great musical talent who couldn't deal with his own demons suffuse the pages of this book with something approaching poignancy. You may not be particularly interested in Parish himself but his tale is fascinating.
Jane Gazzo on Take It Like a Man by Boy George
It's simply a great read from start to finish. Well written, well documented and well bitchy. Unlike some autobiographies that you read where the subject reveals little or nothing lest they get sued, George doesn't hold back on anything – his childhood, sexuality, teenage years, his relationship with drummer Jon Moss, success with Culture Club and subsequent drug taking and out-of-control substance abuse. It's an honest, refreshing and brilliant read..
Another thing … anyone who says Scar Tissue is the best music autobiography ever should be hung and quartered.
Sam Tipton AKA SamwiseTipitown on Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis
Scar Tissue is honest, poignant, and completely engrossing. The Chili Peppers frontman omits no detail: his father dealing drugs to rock titans such as Led Zep and The Who; the many crippling substance addictions, one of which claimed the life of his best friend; and the seriously monumental number of sexual encounters - Kiedis delves insightfully into his past and comes out with a sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll tale to rival any other.
It's not just about the spoils of the lifestyle though, and Kiedis' palpable infatuation with the music is also clear. He illuminates the inner-workings of one of the biggest bands of the last 20 years, revealing, for example, the inspiration behind Under The Bridge and the seminal album Blood Sugar Sex Magik which contained it. This is the only autobiography I've ever had the urge to read multiple times, simply because of the sheer amount of extremity, calamity, and hilarity within it; and also because at its core is a veritable love for music and life.
Clara Cullen AKA ClaraCullen on Drinking with Strangers by Butch Walker
Butch Walker is music's Clark Kent. By day he's best known as a super producer for the likes of Weezer, Pink and Katy Perry. By night, he ditches Pro Tools in favour of a Gibson banjo and transforms into a country singing, alcohol swigging, stage diving troubadour.
Drinking with Strangers is a must read for anyone interested in the greasy wheels of the music industry, and more importantly, how to survive it with your dignity intact. Packed full with hilarious highlights, including the now infamous "writing sessions" with a deranged Lindsay Lohan, and the story of how Southgang, Walker's 80s hair-metal band, sparked riots in communist China, are endlessly entertaining.
Walker, who knows music's pitfalls better than most, having been picked up and then dropped by numerous major labels over the past 20 years, has managed to carve out a rabid fan base on the strength of his consistent touring, DIY ethics and the merits of good song writing. Drinking with Strangers' real message is to remind music listeners candidly, that there's difference between a hit song and a good song.
• Agree or disagree with any of these suggestions? Have a better music memoir to recommend? Let us know below.
