As one who has spent more than his fair share of time on stage, behind the mixing desk, in the crowd and in the van over the last 15 years, I expected to find lots to like in this book of first-hand tales of the oh-so-glamorous life of the aspiring rock musician. Author Evan Kanarakis is to be commended for the range of musicians he talked to for this book, from 'couldabeens' to 'never-weres' to 'remember-thems', across all musical genres. All the expected bases are covered - disastrous gigs, tour madness, 'Yoko' girlfriends, drummer jokes - but somehow it almost always falls flat. Only once when reading this collection did I laugh out loud, and then I was rolling on the floor. I won't spoil the story, but suffice to say it involved a bag of white powder that wasn't what it seemed! Perhaps it was the quality of the tales rather than the re-telling that is lacking? Or perhaps that even amateur and aspiring musicians take themselves more seriously these days, or that we've heard it all before. Nonetheless, as a Christmas present for a young (or not so young) muso or fan, this book will find a readership.

Tim Coronel is AB&P's assistant editor. C. 2003 Thorpe-Bowker and contributors

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