Syd Barrett: Crazy Diamond - Mike Watkinson and Pete Anderson

 

I know I've read some other bios on Syd, but it's been long enough that I do not really remember (and, in fact, there appears to be nothing on this blog, which means it was quite a while ago) but I found this at a good price and wanted to refresh myself with the psyched-out man and his story.

Growing up as a gifted visual artist, Syd (funnily, this nick-name was given him when, as a youngster, he hung out at jazz clubs) fell in love with rock'n'roll like millions of others and started a few bands, and fairly quickly fell in with Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright - along with David Gilmour, who was an early friend and a sought-after local guitarist well before Syd made a name for himself.

Unlike millions of other, though, Syd delved deeply into LSD and while it made his pop tunes highly psychedelized, it also affected his psyche itself and robbed him of his personality, per those who knew him before his experimentations. This combined with the stress of sudden stardom with the hits "Arnold Layne" (highly controversial although I still can't comprehend how anyone understood that this song was about transvestitism solely from the fairly obscure lyrics) and especially "See Emily Play", strained Syd's mental equilibrium. It didn't take long for his unpredictability to cause him to be booted from his own band, but then he recorded - with the help of Gilmour - two solo records before leaving the music business altogether for a life of isolation.

The authors' obvious challenge was to create a book based on a reclusive character whose final recorded work was released in 1970 and who refused to speak to anyone in the ensuing years. They do manage to keep your interest for the rest of the story with random anecdotes and a basic timeline of his comings and goings over the years.

This is not overly sensationalized and seems to give a fairly truthful account of the man, his art and his life over the years. Well worth checking out for fans!

recommended gigs

 Friday May 28 - Cromm Fallon and the P200 and Dead at Midnight at the Double Down

Saturday May 29 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Gravy Train Saloon

Wednesday 6-2-21 - the Reeves Brothers at Saddle'n'Spurs

Friday 6-4-21 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-5-21 - The New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 6-6-21 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-7-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-14-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-19-21 - Soldiers of Destruction, Talking Bombs, Tasty Nuggz at the Double Down

Monday 6-21-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-28-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-5-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 7-7-21 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast returned to the Double Down with Green Fuz and more!

Monday 7-12-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-19-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-26-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 10-8-21 - the Dickies with the Sheiks of Neptune at the Dive Bar

Pink Floyd Echoes

 

While I truly dig early Pink Floyd - particularly the Syd Barrett work - through at least UmmaGumma, the Dark Side of the Moon and later records never really resonated with me, other than as passable - or even good - FM radio, background sounds. So, this two-CD "best of" set has quite a bit that doesn't do much for me, personally. While it has some early, excellent and sometimes hard-to-find material - "See Emily Play", "Arnold Layne", "Astronomy Domine", "Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun", "Jugband Blues", "Bike", and more, the rest is dominated by DSOTM and later jam-ridden numbers. Also, frustratingly, and certainly intentionally so that you would be forced to sit through songs that you might skip otherwise, the set is not even close to being set up chronologically, giving jarring flips from Syd sounds to the polished FM fodder.

Of course, those who dig the later work will dig this, but if you already have DSOTM, you probably already have most of the tunes that you would pick this up for. One would think that there are better, chronological comps out by now - guess I'll have to investigate that!

RIP James Harman

JAMES HARMAN DIES AT THE AGE OF 74

---

Sick on You - Andrew Matheson

 

This is another book that I've seen around for quite a while but just finally got around to picking up. Andrew Matheson was the singer for (London's) the Hollywood Brats (confusing, yes), who later morphed into the punk-pop band the Boys (who you've heard the title song by, no doubt).

After working in a mine, of all places, to earn enough money to make the move, Andrew departs from the wastelands of England to London, trades in his Vox guitar for a Strat and an AC30 amp (once he has seen T.Rex), checks out the competition at the Marquee and puts together his own version of a rock'n'roll band, re-trading his new equipment for a PA system.

Andrew's writing is actually pretty engaging - it's almost like these stories are being told drunkenly at the local pub - he's funny, more than a little obnoxious, a bit self-deprecating yet egotistical, realistic about the band's look'n'sound, and has plans, which slowly come to fruition, more or less, as band members change and he finds like-minded'n'dressed individuals who want a bit more than playing blues covers to drunken punters. Of course, it's tough going in the early 70's for a club-level glitter band (a genre that has barely started at the time) and most of the members' time is spent scrounging just to survive.

Their escapades while barely scraping by in rat-infested squats are almost too much to believe, but considering the time, I suppose it is all possible. An honest-to-gawd (although maybe not too honest) manager with actual money to spare turns up and things start hopping, but problems continue, as well. After receiving far more chances than most bands get in a lifetime, and after surviving many perilous, scarcely credible adventures, the group manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and dissolve after every record company turns them down and their management gives up and disintegrates, as well.

Highly captivating and often relatable (with the exceptions of the times when they have money and opportunities to burn) and a good insight to the trials'n'tribulations of a rock'n'roll band trying to make it in the 70's - and many obstacles never change, no matter what the era. Certainly a great companion to the Hollywood Brats CD! 

recommended gigs

 Friday May 21 - Fuck Face at the Double Down

Friday May 21 - Johnny Zig and the Force at the Gold Mine Tavern

Saturday 5-22-21 - Shanda and the Howlers and the Holy Smokes at the Double Down

Friday May 28 - Cromm Fallon and the P200 and Dead at Midnight at the Double Down

Saturday May 29 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Gravy Train Saloon

Friday 6-4-21 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-5-21 - The New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 6-6-21 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-7-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-14-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-19-21 - Soldiers of Destruction, Talking Bombs, Tasty Nuggz at the Double Down

Monday 6-21-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-28-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-5-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-12-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-19-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-26-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 10-8-21 - the Dickies with the Sheiks of Neptune at the Dive Bar

The Hollywood Brats

 

Once again, I am fairly astonished that I have not written about this one before, seeing as I've owned it for ages. I pulled it out since I am reading the singer's (Andrew) autobiography and the record is always a fun time. I think I first heard about this group (which later became the punk-pop band, The Boys) from Jeff Dahl's I Was a Teenage Glam Fag album and since theirs was one of the few songs I didn't know, I figured I needed to search them out. 

Born in the early 70's, they obviously took their look'n'style from the New York Dolls and the British glam scene but their sound is certainly pre-punk - possibly even snottier than the Dolls! Opening with the tune that Dahl covered, "Chez Maximes", they prove that they were the template for many-a-band to follow - loud guitars, chant-along chorus and high-energy chaos abounds - definitely a mix of glam and what would become punk rock. Bringing the tempo down to a more middle ground, they embark on their own teenage lament, "Another School Day", with poppier hints of some of the 50's songs they once covered, there's a bit of Stones-ian swagger in "Nightmare", which also bears some resemblance to some of the Boys' tunes with vocal sassiness and riffin' guitars, and ironically, they throw in a short Stones-ish acoustic, slide-blues (bemoaning their "Empty Bottles")  despite singer Andrew's distaste for the genre.

But they are moving again in "Courtesan", another bit of 70's bluster that culminates with some neat call'n'answer, next, there's a heavy'n'peppy version of the Crystals "Then He Kissed Me" (obviously, well before Kiss covered it), that they do without changing the sex of the beau, which I sure went over well with some of the drunken punters they were performing for at the time! "Tumble With Me" ended up in the Boys repertoire, but here it is considerably slower, but still a heavy, melodic stomper with some fine 70's leads licks, and they produce pure power pop in the oddly-named yet 60's-ish "Zurich 17" (one of their best, most melodic numbers, with an homage to girl groups in the repeated "be my baby" refrain), and move into early Flamin' Groovies-kinda territory for "Southern Belles" mixed with some pop-isms they again incorporated in their later incarnation, "Drowning Sorrows" is a bit of a rip of the Stones' take on "Love in Vain" mixed with their "I Got the Blues" before the fine finale of "Sick on You", which worked much better as a punk tune than a grossly glam number!

The production could be a little better, but generally the sound is pretty good - plenty of loud guitars and snotty vocals, although the keyboards are buried in the mix somewhat. I do think that the guys improved as they became the Boys and stream-lined'n'fine-tuned their songwriting a bit, but this is still a fun example of a previously lost 70's high energy rock'n'roll band!

Glyn Johns - Sound Man

 

As the subtitle informs us, Johns has been a producer/engineer for the stars since the height of rock'n'roll - the 60's and the 70's and beyond. I've known his work forever, so have been interested in finding this book ever since I knew of its existence and thought it was appropriate one to follow Kenney Jones' autobiography.

Glyn wanted to be a singer/musician himself, but instead true happenstance found him a job in the engineer's seat, where, considering that this was the 60's in London, he almost immediately started working with big names. In fact, his first solo job was engineering a session (not musical, however) for Lawrence Oliver! 

He started to bring in talent on his own and, since he was rooming with Ian Stewart, the first group he brought was the Rolling Stones! That session did not work out, but he had a long-lasting relationship with the band, Andrew Loog Oldham, Andrew's label Immediate, and many others. Glyn has some excellent tales of working with the Stones in the studio - their strengths, their habits, personalities as well as truly intriguing and fascinating tales of other giants of the time, including the Beatles, Led Zep, and innumerable others. The most fascinating part for me is when he gives some technical details - such as what mics he uses for drums and the placement he prefers. 

He becomes a producer, as well, often donning both hats in the studio, and the names he records is truly astounding - check out his partial discography in the back of the book for a jaw-dropping list of albums! Of course, by the 80's he becomes a bit disillusioned (rightfully) with the state of shitty-sounding popular music and tries to make some accommodations, brings in some others to help "modernize" the sound (including, at times, his son, who also becomes a known producer, engineer and musician), continues to work with older musicians who understand good sound, and at times, takes a bit of a break. The later years are, naturally, not as compelling as the 60's and the 70's, but it's good to know that he has been able to continue to make a living throughout and even stay reasonably healthy (he quit smoking as part of a bet with Keith Moon - Keith lost).

If you're not one to peruse the fine print on albums, you might not be familiar with the man's name, but it would be impossible not to know his work! This is a pretty great one, overall! 

Tav Falco and the Unapproachable Panther Burns - Conjurations: Seance For Deranged Lovers

 It's never a good bet to try to second guess Tav Falco. His influences are wide'n'varied and few of his records resemble each other, except for the esoteric presence of Mr. Falco. On this release, he gathers together a French-based band, adding piano, harpsicord, bandoneon (a concertina used in tangos) and cello to a selection of guitars and mostly minimal percussion. A good portion of the album is somewhat mellower than some Panther Burns releases, mostly due to lack of percussion, or the drums being mixed down to a quiet level, but there are a few raucous, blues-based tunes to keep you guessing throughout!

The proceedings begin with the downright pretty, keyboard-laced "Ballad of the Rue de la Lune", showing Falco's romantic side, and from there we move into the slinky, noisy, slide-blues tale of a double agent in "Sympathy For Mata Hari" followed by another lovely, quiet ballad, "Chamber of Desire", highlighted by Tav's poetic lyrics, then you are literally jarred out of your reverie by the wild, Elmore James-like "Administrator Blues", kind of an update on "Bourgeois Blues". We all know that Tav loves a good tango, so he then provides the ominous "Tango Fatale", we get a minor-key trip on the Orient Express Railroad chugging through "Budapest", a "Secret Rendezvous" that barely disguises the true face of a tango, the "Garden of Medicis" moves from a revolving blues-riff to a calliope-like interlude and back again, the "Lady From Shanghai" is another seductive femme fatale who moves about on her tip-toes, sneaking through this film noir, while the devilish epic "Gentleman in Black" creates more olden-day blues, perhaps the most evocative of the original Panther Burns. There's a Johnny Cash-like country blues in "Phantome Demoiselle" and the finale is a simple, yet unusual, minor-key melodic ballad that is essentially the title track, "Conjuration of Masques".

The dramatic liner notes gives a glimpse into the mind of the unapproachable, furnishing a bit more of the storyline and the influences, from film to books to the city itself. Tav's unique presentation is always stamped on any Panther Burns release and here he proffers a number of characters for your entertainment. There is nothing like the Panther Burns and every offering belongs in your collection!

RIP Lloyd Price

Lloyd Price, Singer And Early Rock Influence, Dies At 88 

---

recommended gigs

 Friday 5-14-21 - the Rhyolite Sound at Soul Belly BBQ

Saturday 5-15-21 - the Dead Dolls at the Rusty Spur

Sunday 5-16-21 - The Delta Bombers, Dead at Midnite, Twilight Atomics at the Gravy Train Saloon

Sunday 5-16-21 - Slim Cessna Facebook Live 12:00 Pacific Time

Friday May 21 - Fuck Face at the Double Down

Friday May 21 - Johnny Zig and the Force at the Gold Mine Tavern

Saturday 5-22-21 - Shanda and the Howlers and the Holy Smokes at the Double Down

Friday 6-4-21 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-5-21 - The New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 6-6-21 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-7-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-14-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-19-21 - Soldiers of Destruction, Talking Bombs, Tasty Nuggz at the Double Down

Monday 6-21-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-28-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-5-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-12-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-19-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-26-21 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 10-8-21 - the Dickies with the Sheiks of Neptune at the Dive Bar

Let the Good Times Roll - Kenney Jones

 As the subtitle reminds us, Kenney was, of course, the master drummer in the Small Faces, the Faces and, for a time, in the Who. He also has done session work galore over the decades and is one of the legends of the day that is still with us. He also seems to be an intelligent and personable ex-Mod, with plenty of stories to tell, although for an American, some of his British-isms can be difficult to decipher!

Having fallen for music early on, Kenney initially had hoped to buy a banjo to play in a skiffle group but when the one he had his eye on was no longer available, a friend let him play his drums to cheer him up. Immediately hooked, he bought a set on hire without his parents knowledge - until they were delivered, of course - but he was so enthralled that they couldn't say no to him. Of course, it paid off as he had a hit song with the Small Faces by the time he was 16!

Innumerable adventures ensue, of course, and, as I've said countless times, it is always super exciting to read about bands' rise to fame in the 60's, with crazy travel schedules, screaming females, TV appearances and experimental recordings. What a time to be alive and in a highly successful rock'n'roll combo! By the time the Small Faces became the Faces, though, the stories devolve into crazed r'n'r hotel antics, mostly. Goofy fun, but not as entertaining and captivating as the early years for me, as we've heard many of these or similar stories at the time.

After dissolving the Faces, there was an ill-fated Small Faces reunion (which Ronnie Lane refused to be a part of) and then, just as Kenney was hoping for a change in a laid-back country-rock band, he was asked to join the Who and "who" could refuse that! I didn't remember all of the details of this time, and Kenney's point of view is interesting, on everything from Roger's hesitations to the tragedy in Cleveland and all sorts of other events.

Of course, all things come to an end and the post-Who section is somewhat standard old-rocker fare - trying to get back old royalties'n'rights, playing now'n'again, health issues galore, deaths'n'births, etc. Certainly, part of the story and it needs to be told, but not overly engaging, to be frank.

But, fun stuff, overall, despite my nit-picks. Kenney seems pretty likeable, in general, and as the last remaining member of the Small Faces, I wish him many more years on this planet of ours!

The Who Sell Out Box Set

 I'm sure that everyone who would be interested in this box set probably knows all about it already, but we just received it and it is a terrific package! Five CD's, a couple of 7" picture sleeve 45's, assorted memorabilia, and a 12" hard cover book packed with photos and info make it pretty damn impressive. 

The 5 CD's include mono and stereo versions of the albums, both packed with tons of extra tracks, along with CD 3's outtakes and early versions, CD 4 being "The Road to Tommy" with 68 recordings and A's and B's - and the 5th containing Townshend's personal demos - something that I always dig hearing and apparently these were previously unreleased - this is a real highlight of the set.

There's a lot of duplicate material, of course, and probably a majority of the songs (not necessarily the mixes or versions) have appeared on one Who compilation or another, but there are a variety of different mixes, including single mixes, outtakes, studio chatter, a number of commercials that I never heard before and lots more that appear here for the first time. 

Obviously, this is for Who fanatics, but fans will certainly want this and while it ain't cheap, it's actually pretty damn reasonable for what you get. If you think you want it, then you definitely want it!

Bob Dunn - Steel Guitar Classics

 Every so often I come across something new'n'different to me and I put it in a wish list and when I find a good deal on it, I'll buy it even when I don't remember how or why I came across it in the first place. This is another example of that! I have become a sucker for well played steel guitar over the last few years and this CD has been in my list for a while and I just got it. According to Wikipedia, Dunn was "a pioneer Western swing steel guitarist" and he was one of the first to record an electrically amplified instrument!

This 24 song compilation does not focus solely on Dunn, but showcases his work with a number of projects where his steel guitar adds a fine flavor to the proceedings. I would say that "Western Swing" pretty much encapsulates the style here in general, but there are some tunes that are more bluesy ("St. Louis Blues" being an obvious one), some are more Tin Pan Alley-ish, some are jumpin'n'jivin', some are ballad-y but they all share his distinctive style. He doesn't always get a chance to show off - his playing fits the mood of the song - but when he does, he is mighty impressive!

A number of the tunes remind me of songs (especially ones like "Mary Jane") that R.Crumb's band would do (in fact, I'm certain that Crumb has done some of these) - whatever style you want to call that - so fans of his band, as well as fans of early country and Western swing in general will most likely dig this. I found it at a discounted price and it's a fun one!

NItty Gritty Dirt Band - Will the Circle Be Unbroken

 The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is, naturally, most well known for their major hit song, "Mr. Bojangles", which gave them the credence with the record company to produce this special three-LP set. What started as a collaboration with the famous banjo player Earl Scruggs ended up (with Earl's help) including a monumental list of stars of early Americana, Country and Bluegrass, who had mostly fallen out of favor by the early 70's when this was initially released. With a roll call that included Roy Acuff, Mother Mabelle Carter, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Merle Travis, Pete Kirby, Norman Blake, Jimmy Martin, Vassar Clements and others, this is an incredible achievement by a bunch of West Coast hippies who had to win the favor of some of the classic artists, some of whom were a bit hesitant of this experiment.

To say that the experiment was a success would be an understatement, though! The NGDB were extremely respectful and faithful to the original artists and arrangements and even the signature sounds from back in the day. They recorded live for 6 days, with the musicians generally sitting around in a circle, capturing the sound and style of the original recordings, although with better equipment, of course!

While the instrumentation is quite similar to the originals, there are often more harmony vocalists, adding a fuller and, frankly, sometimes better sound to the songs. There are some extra instrumental breaks, as well, since there are sometimes more players than the artists had initially. But, anyone who enjoyed the music of these older artists will certainly dig these recordings, as well. The songs still ring true, without any attempt to "modernize" them.

The NGDB did a great, reverential job here and I'm certain that they helped to bring these artists to a wider and younger audience. I love this stuff myself and am glad I finally picked up this set!

recommended gigs

 Saturday 5-8-21 Thee Hypnotiques at the Usual Place

Saturday 5-8-21 - Suburban Resistance, Crimson Riot at the Double Down

Friday 5-14-21 - the Rhyolite Sound at Soul Belly BBQ

Sunday 5-16-21 - The Delta Bombers, Dead at Midnite, Twilight Atomics at the Gravy Train Saloon

Sunday 5-16-21 - Slim Cessna Facebook Live 12:00 Pacific Time

Saturday 5-22-21 - Shanda and the Howlers and the Holy Smokes at the Double Down

Friday 6-4-21 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-5-21 - The New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 6-6-21 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-19-21 - Soldiers of Destruction, Talking Bombs, Tasty Nuggz at the Double Down

The Hi End - Class Kicks

 The Hi End is High Class, 70's-styled, chugglin' rock'n'roll with plenty of power'n'energy and nods to a lot of the stars of that decade, with more than a passing reference to the highly underrated Brownsville Station, of all bands! Of course, there are plenty of other influences, not the least being pre/proto punk bands like the Dictators, especially Ross the Boss' guitar wailin' (they even steal a line from the Dics in "Blood Red Lips", where Curt does his best Ross-isms). There's cool'n'sassy call'n'answer chantin' in the opening "Lookin' For Some Kicks", plenty of swagger and soulful/"Gimme Shelter"-ish female backing vocals in "Nervous Breakdown", hep 70's rock with fret-flyin' guitar licks in "Perfect Company", "It's a Long Way Down" is kinda a Rose Tatoo-like cross between Gary Glitter and "Tobacco Road", maybe a bit of Brownsville Station bluster in "Get in Touch" and they kinda throw everything but the kitchen sink (I lost count of the influences lingering in this one!) in the high-energy "Identity Riot".

Chunky power chords dominate the heavy "Feel My Need", while "One Day At a Time" is practically the Runaways doing power pop, followed by the smokin' "Blood Red Lips", where I really hear some Cub Koda vocal influences, "The Way She Moves Me" is surprisingly melodic (vocals and guitar) for another struttin' rocker, they get a bit moodier, although no less rockin', in "To Be Alive" and conclude the r'n'r festivities with 70's punk-like "A Way of Life".

If you dig high-energy, well-played, 70's rock'n'roll with hot-shot guitars interspersed with a wild ride of a rhythm section and sassy vocalizings, this is the place to be! We need more pure rock'n'roll in the world today!

Richard Lloyd - Everything is Combustible

 Richard Lloyd is, of course, best known for his guitar work in the groundbreaking band, Television, which brought the new wave of punk bands to CBGB's (the stage of which was literally partially built by Lloyd) and beyond. Lloyd went on to plenty of other work and plenty of other addictions'n'incarcerations and seems to be a somewhat unhinged or at least unearthly individual.

While he begins the book by saying how bored he gets with other autobiographies (this, he says, is a memoir, the difference being that these are his memories of events that he is not attempting to validate in any way) by their history lessons, so he gives a brief overview of his parents and then begins talking about his early life. He claims to have memories of highly intellectual'n'esoteric thoughts when he was as young as one, with a certainty that he had been somewhere before this earthly life, and claimed that he could leave his body, control his breathing and perform other rather extraordinary feats that he would stop only when he would fear that he could not control them any longer.

The story is not very linear, for instance he jumps from being a small child trying his first cigarette with a friend to junior high/high school, where he has already tried a number of drugs including heroin without any background into these experiments. His mind obviously bounces around continuously, from reminiscing about making explosives (he still has scars) to playing drums, then guitar, to drugs to sex and to his innumerable other interests.

As a teen he finagled his way into plenty of music shows and saw'n'met innumerable legends, including Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix, as you could in the 60's and the 70's! He drifts around the country, returns to NYC and simply by happenstance, comes across Terry Ork, Richard Hell and Tom Verlaine and changes the course of history! Besides music, he is an accomplished alcoholic and drug abuser by this time and makes plenty of excuses for this behavior.

What always amazes me about the early punk bands is that, although they were a rebellion against the excesses of the early 70's rock scene, the record companies were still in that mind-set and practically threw money at the groups that they signed - plenty of tour support, travel expenses, recording budgets and so much more that most bands can't even conceive of these days. Television did well initially, but I'm sure that Elektra did not recoup its investment, and the group broke up shortly after its second album.

Lloyd certainly had more opportunities than any one person should be allotted, and he cheated death numerous times, did more drugs and took more chances, was flown around the world to record and perform, received album offers, toured with up'n'coming and happening artists and much more. As I mentioned, he has non-musical interests that he recounts, as well, and he goes into detail about many different subjects as his mind wanders throughout the book.

Certainly a captivating read of a fascinatingly bizarre'n'talented individual. Sometimes I wonder if stories of abuse and near-death (multiple times) like this one serves as a warning or makes others want to emulate the lifestyle since he still survived only on rock'n'roll. I guess that is for the reader to decide!