Rock music, perhaps more than other musical genre, is full of urban legends, folklore and tall tales. Executive cars driven into swimming pools, televisions thrown from hotel windows and perverted sexual practices, all fuelled by copious amounts of illicit “substances”. However, the line between fact and fiction is often blurred, with some bad behaviour so beyond the realms of normalcy that’s it is hard to believe they really happened. That’s where Backstage Chronicles steps in. Compiled by Carl Miller, and featuring contributions by Judas Priest’s Ian Hill, the UK Subs Alvin Gibbs and other music industry types, this tome details the pros and cons of working with some of rock music’s biggest names, revealing some previously unheard tales which prove that fact is indeed stranger than fiction.
Featuring stories of working with Cat Stevens (and the only roadie to get a round of applause at Carnegie Hall), going down in legend as the man who refused entry to John Lennon at a party, the inside scoop on the (in)famous “Kiss Kasket”, to working on classic tours (such as the Priest/Maiden Point Of Entry jaunt) and all the chaos that ensued, Carl has assembled a kind of “how not to” guide to working in the music business. His early days working with The Foundations and The Average White Band tell of a more innocent time, an age before rampant Health & Safety, where bands and artists would often exist on a wing and a prayer, and throw caution to the wind. It was an age where the music industry was less a business (and more fun) and was populated by true mavericks and nonconformists (as opposed to today’s artists who are preoccupied with breaking new markets and tax returns) and that was exactly what made music far more interesting and, by extension, relatable. Later in the book other narratives are introduced to show that rock n’ roll never really grew up; Alvin Gibbs gives the inside story on how Guns N’ Roses covered the Subs’ ‘Down On The Farm’ and how the ever generous Subs vocalist Charlie Harper “brought” a £10,000 crate of beer.
This book is a very readable affair, the short chapters meaning that it can be consumed whole, or dipped in and out of as a bedside companion. It’s full of laugh out loud moments, such as Andy Cowan-Martin’s attendance at Bill Wyman’s wedding (the groom was 52, the bride 18), and Bill was gifted a zimmer frame! The very nature of this book will appeal to music fans whose fandom borders on obsession (i.e. fanatics) as Backstage Chronicles is a treasure trove of information and will give new insights into their favourite artists, but it’ll also appeal to the casual fan and, indeed, anyone who likes a good laugh. Thanks to Carl Miller & Co., Backstage Chronicles is your backstage pass.
- Backstage Chronicles is published by Astral Horizon Press and is available now.
