Six Books that Tell the Truth about Rock’n’Roll

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6 books

So, you think it’s all red carpets, VIP lounges and endless adoration, huh? This booklist provides a backstage pass to the grittier side of rock and roll.

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You Can't Always Get What You Want

My Life with the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and Other Wonderful Reprobates

Sam Cutler, 2010

When the Rolling Stones staged a concert at Altamont Speedway in 1969 and the Hell’s Angels ran amok, they left behind Cutler, their tour manager, to sort out the bloody mess.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

The Life and Times of Warren Zevon

Crystal Zevon, 2009

I’m not sure I’d ask my ex to tell my sordid life story when I’m gone, but Warren ‘Werewolves of London’ made a bedside pact with his former wife, and she delivered, with a lot of help from his friends (and foes). Makes you wonder how Zevon reached 56.

Trouble Boys

The True Story of the Replacements

A story of missed opportunities, tragedy, and booze. And even more booze. My liver started to ache as I read about the underground band that could have / should have been famous.

The Mansion on the Hill

Dylan, Young, Geffen, Springsteen and the Head-on Collision of Rock and Commerce

Fred Goodman, 2003

Behind Dylan, Springsteen, and Young were zealous kingmakers, dealmakers, and deal-breakers whose egos and ambitions were the equal of the stars they represented.

Wonderland Avenue

Tales of Glamour and Excess

Danny Sugerman, 2020

This just goes to show that having Jim Morrison and Iggy Pop as your role models (and running buddies) might not necessarily be the optimum move for your own chances of survival.

Dirty Deeds

My Life Inside and Outside of AC/DC

Mark Evans, 2012

Want to know what it’s like to be in a rock band that’s on the verge of going supernova — and then get fired? The bass player from the classic AC/DC line-up comes clean.