Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star

by Ian Hunter
Independent Music Press. £7.95 (UK)

Diary of a Rock n Roll Star This paperback book is now on the shelves of UK bookshops after an absence of some 15 years or so.

Q Magazine (them again) call it "...the greatest music book ever written". Their justification for this is based on the fact that this book, unlike many rock n roll tomes of the period and since, is actually written by the performer; by the guy suffering the drudgery and the glamour of life on the road promoting a hit record, rather than something either written by a rock journalist or ghost-written by such for a top star. It seems realistic and very authentic.

And Hunter gets it all over so well. If your a Mott fan or just a rock fan and you have never seen this book, then you are missing out. Honest.

It is a documentary of Mott the Hoople as they undertake a mini and hastily organised tour of the US tour 'All The Young Dudes', in November and December 1972 (both the album and single had just charted). The line-up is the original quintet and this impressive cast is augemented by Stan Tippins, road crew, drivers,Tony Defries, Bowie, Kieth Moon, Frank Zappa, Joe Walsh and so on.

In amongst it all, you can tell that Hunter is falling in love with America; the band have been there before, but of course this time it is limos and all the trappings of being rising stars with a major, so it is a different America. Interestingly, he already rates Cleveland above other locations.

It is full of interesting little asides and tit-bits, the bands consuming passion for pawn shops and guitar bargains, Hunter calling women 'chicks' (he was still doing so on the BBC In-Concert gig in 1989 recently released by Windsong), Ralphers fear of flying, Bowie observations, the buzz of a great gig and the hell and pandemonium of a bad one.

Worldwide Availability

For details of availability outside of the UK, we suggest that you e-mail Independent Music Press, where you can also order the book yourself via mail order.

Alternatively, try your local amazon.com

Article

Half Moon Bay reader Per Stam has already prepared an article using "Diary..." as a reference.