''Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star'' is
Ian Hunter's written-as-it-happened account of
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fail ...
's 5 week November-December 1972 U.S. tour. The book was published 18 months later in June 1974, just as Hunter was leaving the band to embark on a solo career. It chronicles the endless traveling, hotels, sound checks, performances and, notably, strips away the glittering facade of the rock star that the music industry PR machine would have music fans believe.
Hunter delivers a distinctly British perspective as he encounters the diverse American cultural landscape. Already in his 30s and a show biz veteran, Hunter offers not only the usual clichés, but also mature, hard-won insights into the rock game.
As if aware of his own future career arc, Hunter warns, "It may look flashy, but it's over and you are finished before you know it - if you aren't already broken by one thing it will be another... The rock business is a dirty business full stop." (page 52, 1996 edition)
With Mott the Hoople riding a Top 5 hit song (the
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
-penned "
All The Young Dudes
"All the Young Dudes" is a song written by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, originally recorded and released as a single by the English rock band Mott the Hoople in 1972 by Columbia Records. Bowie produced the song, which he had given to ...
") and sharing
Tony Defries' MainMan Management "family" with rising superstar David, Hunter offers an inside look at Bowie circa late 1972. When their paths cross as on November 29th in Philadelphia before 2,000 fans, Bowie would join the band on stage to sing harmony on "Dudes". Hunter comments, "David looks tired, but great... he's the only star I know who regularly suffers from malnutrition... Innocence, cruelty, the nearness yet the distance, all the qualities of the star he is — only he knows what he pays for this coveted title, but I've sometimes caught glimpses of the sadness". (page 51, 1996 edition)
Out of print for years and difficult to find, ''Diary'' achieved
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
status. Eventually, Ian's wife Trudi bought the rights as a surprise for Ian.
A near identical ''Diary'' was re-published in 1996 by
International Music Press with a new foreword by
Andrew Collins. A review in the October 1996 issue of
Q magazine
''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. '' ...
ventured that it "may well be the best rock book ever".
Books about rock music