The peoples' democratic blog of Matt Hayward

If you’re like me you’ve been told about this book a few times, but wrote it off because you’re not a huge Chili Peppers fan. It’s is defintintely worth a read though. Because yes, Kiedis notoriously can’t sing in tune but god damn can he write.
Admitedly I’m yet to finish this book. Though [...]

Arguably the best and most interesting rock bio I’ve read. No question. Yes it’s approx 900 pages (no appendices thank you Mr Wyman), just a larger than life summary of a larger than life bloke. This book is so well done it kind of saddens you to think that we’re living in a world without [...]

Bass players: cognizant but clearly not relevant. You’ve been warned!

Well lo and behold, who ever thought we’d see a bio from this guy. Truth be told it’s a good read – well most of it. The last 100 pages or so are a bit rough. So much so, he gives his recipe for Shepherds’ pie. That’s not just writers’ bloc that’s bone idle laziness. [...]

Yes I’m a huge Bon Scott fan. No I’m not a big Brian Johnson fan. After reading this book though, there’s probably no one else in the world I’d rather have a beer with. In much the same vein as the Top Gear guys put out books of their newspaper columns, this book is short [...]

Er, frankly not what I expected. Here’s the breakdown:

2% about James May and the Jeremy Clarkson
5% childhood
5% getting to Top Gear
13% Top Gear pre-accident
75% ‘the accident’

Don’t get me wrong, of course I expected it to be about the accident. But much like the Walk the Line movie about Johnny Cash, I expected a big crescendo [...]

Not very often does a producer get a mention beyond the liner notes of an album. But somehow Phil Spector became a music legend. From mentoring Brian Wilson, to producing John Lennon, right up to the Ramones, he’s had one of the most enviable, albeit patchy careers in the music biz. Don’t go thinking [...]

Yes peeps yet another rock star bio to review. This phase I’m going through has lasted about 4 years now! In short, don’t hold your breath waiting for a Mick or Keef autobiography. Those guys will be taking their tales to the grave no question. But Ronnie is the ever chirpy, affirmable and lovable [...]

According to the Wikipedia, this book was compiled from something like 12,000 pages of notes from the Roth man himself. If that’s the case, the co author can take a bow. Because this book is a bit dated (1997) but it’s one of the best reads in rock history. In fact with the recent reunion, [...]

This book can be summarised in a few quick points: Axl Rose is a twat and never let a junkie tell you about his heroin habit. Don’t get me wrong. The Gunners truly the were the soundtrack to my adolescence and I think Slash rocks. Only I had no idea how big a smacker the [...]