my fave: crazy from the heat by dave lee roth -5 salutes to satan

quickly followed by the dirt by motley crue (good literature too)- 4.5 salutes

cronicles by bob dylan- 2 salutes but its nice to know what he read

the greatful dead by their manager- 1.5 salutes kinda sad but good summer of love stuff

there was a really good brian wilson/beach boys one but i forget what its called. there are heaps of shitty ones about them.

slash by slash- 1 salute dude cant remember shit

Rotten - No Black's No Irish No Dogs - rating 9/10 - awesome stuff - good that he included other peoples views even if they weren't flattering about him

Lemmy - White Line Fever - while this book gets a 10/10 for being about lemmy - would have liked more stories in there and more trash talking - 7/10

rolling stones - in their own words - great book, great read, 8/10

Johnny Cash AUTOBIOGRAPHY - not ''cash'' the biography - the autobiography of johnny cash is fucking fantastic - like sitting on the porch having a chat to the man - well that's the vibe i got anyways 10/10

aerosmith - walk this way - great band, great read 9/10

One of the surpringly best I've read (and I read a fucken lot of them) was ''Take It Like A Man'' Boy George biography. Dee Dee Ramones 3 are pretty good too, a blend of fact and fiction leaning more towards fiction.

slash - ok - not great - some interesting bits - some lame bits - 6/10

motley crue - the dirt - for a fun bit of reading 10/10, for true stories 5/10 - average 7/10

highway to hell - bon scott story - good read, good book - 8/10

murray englehart's ac/dc book - awesome 9/10

beds are burning - midnight oil - needed more of their personal conflict - 6/10

Stanley Booth's The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones is the best I've ever read, I think.

keith richards - victor bokris - well researched book but i've read it all before - 8/10

Victor Bokris bio on Lou Reed was pretty good I thought.

not long finished chris salewicz's redemption song about joe strummer, it doesnt shy away from the arsehole element of him. but recognises the talent.

was just flicking through hewitt's changing man about weller. don't know what he did to him, but it just seemed like hate on every page...

mott's ian hunter's diary of a rock n roll star was one of the funniest things i've ever read. wish i knew who stole my copy.

i wish i had my copy of that too monty

genius book

ian 'unter is tops

henry rollins - get in the van - 10/10 - awesome stories and the 2nd half where hank slowly loses his mind = awesome

Seconded for ''Get In The Van''...must get my own copy of that.

the crowded house one was an interesting insight into band dynamics when 1 guy writes the songs and makes a lot more money than the others.

Shakey is shows how odd Neil Young is. Brilliant but not always nice. A great read.

the one about Tim and Jeff Buckley - it was the first book by that author, on it shows. Didn't finish it.

Casualties of Rock - not full biographies - just short bits about Rock deaths. Entertaining.

dream brother - jeff and tim buckley - complete PILE OF SHIT

Warren Zevon - Dirty Life and Times - 8/10. In diary style. Top read

Slash - pretty crap: 5/10

Anthony Keidis - Not a fan of the band but pretty well written this 7.5/10

Ronnie Lane - 6/10

dream brother - jeff and tim buckley - complete PILE OF SHIT

biography can only be as interesting as its subject(s)....

murray englehart's ac/dc book - awesome 9/10

Agreed - probably the best researched book I have read.

Trynka actually tells you stuff you didn't know and there's a strong focus on the Stooges period.

montyclift said 16 seconds ago:

dream brother - jeff and tim buckley - complete PILE OF SHIT

biography can only be as interesting as its subject(s)....

this is true....

and when its about these two boring overrated....arrrgh....

i just don't get it i guess haha

i better add muzza's ac/dc book - if only coz i've got a personally dedicated copy from him...

I love Charles Shaar Murray's ''Boogie Man: The Adventures of John Lee Hooker in the 20th Century.'' Alternates between some good, solid biographical information (what there is of it!) and Murray's always entertaining rants about god know's what.

Elijah Wald's Robert Johnson bio ''Escaping the Delta'' is essential reading for pretty much everyone. A radical destruction and deconstruction of the myths that leaves you even more impressed with Johnson's achievements.

David Lee Roth - Crazy From The Heat - 10/10 for pure entertainment value

Motley Crue - The Dirt - ditto

Please Kill Me (The Uncensored History of Punk) - Legs McNeil, Gillian McCain - 8/10 Awesomely compiled, great read

Simon Napier-Bell - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me - 7/10 - This guy managed Marc Bolan, the Yardbirds and loads of others, very light hearted style, easy read, great stuff about the whole 60's london stones garage etc scene

Marianne Faithful - Faithful - 8/10 - even if you're not a fan of her music, this is a great read, i'm amazed she's still alive, and had alot more respct for her after reading this

Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991: Michael Azerrad - 8/10 If you have even a fleeting interest in 'indie' music from the 80's, this is a must read. Focusses on the DIY culture, 'college radio' and fanzines, and when 'alternative' meant just that.

Come As You Are - the Story of Nirvana - 7/10 Interesting focus on the whole seatte sund, not just Nirvana, and a gazillion times better than that other horrid one about Kurt 'Heavier Than Heaven'.

I'm With The Band: Confessions Of A Rock Groupie - 6/10. A bit like 'Almost Famous' - lots of stories about big 60's and 70's rock bands, the scene, groupies. Entertaining, but drags a bit.

Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair With The Bay City Rollers - Caroline Sullivan - 7/10. Not really a rock bio, but this chick tells all about the time in her teens she was embarrassingly obsessed with the Bay City Rollers and what she'd do to meet them in her teen hysteria. Very funny and sweet, she went on to become a 'respected' UK rock writer.

Stoned - Andrew Loog Oldham - 7/10 Ex Stones manager, great look into the 60's era stones and london rock scene of that time.

Still Stoned is good too.

Thumbs up to Murray's Acca Dacca book. I'm not a fan of the band but it's well done.

That Strummer book is a good 'un. As you say, monty, he's not afraid to tell all about Joe.

they're all very similar

lots of drug use
fucking lots of girls
memory loss of certain gigs
arguments with band members etc

No-one Gets Out of Here Alive (Jim Morrison) and Wonderland Avenue (Danny Sugerman) are excellent reads. Probably largely fabricated.

yeh noone gets outta here alive is pretty fabricated...

the book by john densmore was pretty good

Tony Fletcher's bio on Keith Moon - Dear Boy. A very good read but upsetting to find out what a real prick he was.

re Ian Hunter's book - great read. I have copy that I borrowed off someone and never gave back. He probably nicked it off Mayhem or Clift.

the book by john densmore was pretty good

There's one by Ray ''Maaaaaan'' Mazarek that pays out on Desnmore in almost every chapter. No wonder he won't play with them.

Chronicles by Bob Dylan is really quite great. I love the fact it's only barely scratching the surface.

The best Beach Boys biography is Peter Ames Carlin's Catch A Wave.

Shakey is great. I don't know what it is about Neil Young, but it was the first biography I've read where I just really related to the subject - his choices are often the kind of choices I'd make, his reactions are often the kinds of things I would do, and not always in a good way.

I recently read River's Edge by John D Luerssen, about Weezer. Painfully badly written, I struggled to get halfway through it before I gave up.

In terms of Beatles biographies the Bob Spitz book The Beatles is currently the gold standard.

Barman said 55 seconds ago:

the book by john densmore was pretty good

There's one by Ray ''Maaaaaan'' Mazarek that pays out on Desnmore in almost every chapter. No wonder he won't play with them.

yeh i got that one too

manzerek is a fucking chump - he annoys the shit out of me - interesting read - but such a fucking tool

and yeh its cause densmore had a go at him in his book tho - calling him ''father manzerek'' preaching the (bastardised by ray's) gospel of jim morrison hahaha

hillbong, that Big Star book I borrowed from you was pretty good, if rather depressing...

and yeh its cause densmore had a go at him in his book tho - calling him ''father manzerek'' preaching the (bastardised by ray's) gospel of jim morrison hahaha

I read the Densmore book ages ago. Can't recall any byplay between him and Manzarek but I can understand it. Necrophilia is involved.

Once I get over my David Sedaris phase atm I am going to sink my teeth into Motley Crue - The Dirt. Can't wait.

In terms of Beatles biographies the Bob Spitz book The Beatles is currently the gold standard.

I dunno - I don't think you can beat Hunter Davies' effort.

No-one Gets Out of Here Alive (Jim Morrison) and Wonderland Avenue (Danny Sugerman) are excellent reads. Probably largely fabricated.

they're more about sugerman trying to mythologise himself, morrison is fairly well covered on those grounds.

and yes, manzarek is one of the world's most self-serving human beings...

Once I get over my David Sedaris phase atm I am going to sink my teeth into Motley Crue - The Dirt. Can't wait.

I finally read this a month ago. 'Tis OK. I was thinking I might be more shocked though, going by the hype.

i'm still itching to read nikki sixx's herion diaries. cant see this happening anytime soon though. i'd have a crack at slashs book too even if ya's say it's shit. i didnt like lemmy's book. felt he was holding back from some real good stuff he could say.

i have a signed copy of wonderland avenue. i think it's a pile of junk.

fkn word monty

i hate how he changes morrison's views to reflect his own...

and apparently morrison really couldnt stand him in the end of it all...

i would love to read a book by krieger tho that'd be kinda cool i reckon

nikki sixx - the heroin diaries - kinda interesting - but a massive wank too 6.5/10

I dunno - I don't think you can beat Hunter Davies' effort.

Well, the Davies book is the official biography, and has all the pros and cons you'd expect as a result. The Spitz book is the result of an impressive amount of research, and is a bit more hardnosed.

i have a signed copy of wonderland avenue. i think it's a pile of junk.

well, it's about two junkies!

Speaking of junkies, I thought Tony Sanchez's ''Up And Down With The Rolling Stones'' expose of his boss Keef was a good read many years ago. I'm surprise Keef didn't organise a hit on him.

I'd read Slash's book before Nikki's. I thought Nikki Sixx's book was a pile of shit.

This one is hilarious. I was going to lend it to a colleague for her recent European trip but she got weird when she read the page about Dee Dee pissing all over the German groupie and her b/friend backstage.

Yeah Barman that ones awesome. I'm currently reading the silver one ''Surviving The Ramones''...they all kind cover the same stuff though, ''Poison Heart'' as well. Dee Dee verges on fabrication much more than the Jim Morrison one by Danny Sugarman. The tale about killing the customs guy and burying him in the snow because he didn't like Americans...c'mon Dee Dee that never happened...but it's a good read. Very funny stuff.

well deedee did have shock treatment...

That Keith Moon one Dear Boy is great, but yes, sad too...

Heroin Diaries is a wank, (how could he possibly remember all that detail if he was so off his head?) but still very entertaining read. Looks great to, nicely designed pages.

Pearl - Janis Joplin. Seriously good insight, including heaps about Hendrix, Morrison, Baez, Kristofferson, Clapton. 8.5/10

'Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky - Hendrix. Would have to be the definitive biography. I read it in less than a week, completely captivated. Great writing, too. 10/10.

I own Shakey but haven't yet read it. Seems when I ''lent'' it to Mr Hatts' Dad, he thought I have it to him.

please kill me is a great read - so much self serving crap in there its awesome

yes! 'catch a wave' -thats the one.

there was also one brian wilson personally 'wrote' with his crazy therapist which was super sad, mostly about the in the bed period.

simon napier bell- id forgotten about that guy black vinyl- 10/10 all about drugs and the pop that it made, plus possibly the best glimpses of excess...

Mick and Keith: Chris Salewicz

electric Gypsy/ Hendrix - was good, getting old now 7/10
shakey - keepin it real..but unreal, but real, but full of shit, but real - 10/10
some cheapy on Buddy Holly - good gruesome but 8/10
no-one here gets out alive - (doors/morrison) good when I was 21 hero worship, but some good shit 7/10

That Eric Clapton one was pretty damn good

just belted through mark everett from the eels' 'things the grandchildren should know'.

made me laugh out and cry out loud.