biography books rock stars

The 50 Greatest Rock Memoirs of All Time

By Rob Sheffield

Rob Sheffield

Funny thing about rock & roll memoirs: They tend to have the same plot. Our heroes begin with big dreams about making it as rock stars. There’s the sleazy bars, the cheap motels, the shady managers. Then they get a taste of the big time: hit records, limos, drug orgies, groupies, diseases, the works. What could go wrong? Craaaash! But, hey, Elizabethan revenge tragedies all have the same plot too, and nobody complains when the royal family gets butchered in the final scene. Great rock memoirs don’t always come from great artists: Sometimes it takes one-hit wonders, losers, hacks, junkies, crooks. Every rock & roll character has a story to tell. Here are 50 of our favorites.

Steven Tyler: ‘Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?’ (2011)

If you can find a single coherent sentence in this book, write and tell the publisher, so they can correct this error in future editions. But happy hunting, because Steven Tyler’s brain is located, as he puts it, “in the way-out-a-sphere.” From Aerosmith to American Idol , Tyler has been “61 Highwayed and I did it my wayed; Little-Willie-Johned and been-here-and-goned; million-dollar riffed and Jimmy Cliffed; cotton-picked and Stevie Nick’d.”

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Nikki Sixx: ‘The Heroin Diaries’ (2007)

This one gets the “truth in packaging” award — Nikki Sixx does so many drugs in this book it should come in an aluminum-foil dust jacket. It’s more personal than The Dirt , but just as juicy. It might be cheating to mention  The Heroin Diaries on a list like this, since there’s barely any mention of his music, but anyone even vaguely interested in Mötley Crüe is going to be fine with that.

Alice Bag: ‘Violence Girl’ (2011)

A Chicana punk coming-of-age story from East L.A., where a barrio kid named Alicia Armendariz starts a hardcore band called the Bags, battles her way to the stage, then finds she has to keep on battling. Raised on the Mexican ranchera records of her immigrant parents, baptized in 1970s glam rock, Alice Bag thrives on her confrontational dust-ups with the slam-dancing mosh pit crew, in her pink dress and high heels. For her, it’s all about “the giddy adrenaline rush of the fight.”

Billy Idol: ‘Dancing With Myself’ (2017)

Billy Idol seems to show up at least once in every Eighties-Nineties memoir, usually when some sort of pharmaceutical dessert is consumed. So it’s only fitting he wrote his own. Hell, Billy’s index has more drama than most books: “Idol, Billy, cocaine use of,” “GHB overdose of,” “hair of,” “police anti-crack sting,” “violin lessons of.” From “White Wedding” to “Cradle of Love,” his purple prose is a thing of beauty, as when an early punk romance breaks up because the drugs “dashed my hopes on the rocks of desire as the sea poured into our kingdom.” No matter where he is, Billy never idles.

Debbie Harry: ‘Face It’ (2019)

The Blondie grande dame has told her story before — most notably in Making Tracks , her great 1982 photo-history with Chris Stein and Victor Bockris. But Face It has the complete saga: how Debbie Harry came out of nowhere to seduce the world, from CBGB to The Muppet Show , then lost it all, yet refused to give up and quit. Her whole book has the glorious sneer of a tough old punk queen who knows how cool she is and does not care if you agree. “My Blondie character was an inflatable doll, but with a dark, provocative, aggressive side. I was playing it up, yet I was very serious.”

Rick James: ‘Glow’ (2014)

Fame — it’s a hell of a drug. Rick James begins his chronicle in Folsom Prison after flaming out on crack, in the hard times between his “Super Freak” peak and his Chappelle’s Show comeback, which explains why it’s not titled I’m Rick James, Bitch . In the Sixties, he plays in a hippie band with a not-yet-famous Neil Young, stays up all night with Joni Mitchell grooving to Sketches of Spain , cruises the Whiskey a Go Go with David Crosby, gets turned on to acid by Jim Morrison. Then he sees KISS and gets a lesson in showmanship. Rick becomes the King of Punk Funk, hitting Studio 54 (“Tanya Tucker was my best friend”?) and beefing with Prince. And along the way, he meets some very, very kinky girls.

Elton John: ‘Me’ (2019)

When Elton published his long-threatened memoir in late 2019, the world learned why the biopic Rocketman was such a humorless drag — it turned out Captain Fantastic was saving all the juiciest dish for his own superb book. Me has the right mix of salty gossip and even saltier self-mockery. A shy English schoolboy named Reginald Dwight decides to become a glitter-rock starlet, dubs himself Elton, peacocks through the Seventies, only to end up a respectable elder statesman. Hello, yellow brick road.

Gucci Mane: ‘The Autobiography of Gucci Mane’ (2017)

Dean Wareham: ‘Black Postcards’ (2008)

Dean Wareham led the great New York guitar band Luna through the 1990s, after the breakup of the Boston indie pioneers Galaxie 500. He shares the dirty details of how tedious it can be to plug away in a semi-famous, halfway-to-the-big-time rock band: the airports, the motels, the bickering band politics, the broken relationships, the constant asking around to see who’s got the drugs. Nobody in this story gets rich, or even seems to break even — all anyone gets out of the experience is a few dozen excellent songs. And that ends up being enough.

Bobbie Brown: ‘Dirty Rocker Boys’ (2013)

Peter Hook: ‘Substance: Inside New Order’ (2016)

Neil Peart: ‘Ghost Rider’ (2002)

In the summer of 1997, Neil Peart’s teenage daughter Selena dies in a car crash. Less than a year later, his wife Jackie dies of cancer. So he gets on his motorcycle and hits the road, from Quebec to the Yukon, then down south to Mexico and Belize. He rides thousands of solitary miles, brooding over his grief, with no home to go back to, while his brothers in Rush give him the time he needs to fire up the willing engine. Ghost Rider is different from anything Peart wrote for Rush — an unusually personal statement from such a shy and private writer. But the Professor brings all his analytical rigor to these road journals — and leans on the healing power of mechanical music.

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Tegan and Sara: ‘High School’ (2019)

Donald Fagen: ‘Eminent Hipsters’ (2013)

Joe Boyd: ‘White Bicycles’ (2006)

John Lydon: ‘Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs’ (1993)

The former Johnny Rotten has all the dirt about how the Sex Pistols pissed off the world. But he’s also got poignant details about his hardscrabble youth in London’s Irish-immigrant squalor, raised by a mother even more badass than he was. He also shares his deep hatred for religion, the Queen, the other Sex Pistols, hippies, rich people, racists, sexists, the English political system, Malcolm McLaren, and, of course, Pink Floyd . “A lot of people feel the Sex Pistols were just negative,” he says. “I agree, and what the fuck is wrong with that? Sometimes the absolute most positive thing you can be in a boring society is completely negative.”

Gregg Allman: ‘My Cross to Bear’ (2012)

A Southern Gothic rock epic. The Allman Brother sings “Whipping Post,” he snorts himself senseless, he rats on his drug roadie. And, of course, he marries Cher . On their first date, he even manages to stay off heroin until right after dinner. “I went to her house in a limousine, and when she came out, she said, ‘Fuck that funeral car,’ and handed me the keys to her blue Ferrari.… She didn’t have shit to say to me, and I didn’t have shit to say to her. What’s the topic of conversation? It certainly ain’t singing.” The second date goes a little better: “We made some serious love.”

Boy George: ‘Take It Like a Man’ (1995)

The confessions of a natural-born poseur. Boy George grows up as the “pink sheep” of his working-class Irish Catholic family, getting his start on the London club scene as a coat-check boy with a face full of cosmetics and a reputation for picking the customers’ pockets. He becomes an international pop sensation with Culture Club, while having a torrid affair with the drummer. The Boy doesn’t worry about making himself seem likable — quite the opposite. He bitches himself out along with everybody else, which is why his catty recollections make this book addictive.

Marilyn Manson: ‘The Long Hard Road Out of Hell’ (1998)

Luke Haines: ‘Bad Vibes: Britpop and My Role in Its Downfall’ (2009)

Brian Wilson: ‘I Am Brian Wilson’ (2016)

Robbie Robertson: ‘Testimony’ (2016)

Lemmy: ‘White Line Fever’ (2002)

Neil Young: ‘Special Deluxe’ (2014)

Henry Rollins: ‘Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag’ (1994)

Did Jack Kerouac ever write a book this great? In a word, no. This is the real on-the-road American adventure: a band of antisocial maniacs who hate each other crammed in a van, bumming from town to town, sleeping on floors when they’re lucky, getting clubbed by the cops when they’re not, doing it all for those few minutes of glorious noise. Black Flag were hardcore pioneers who paved the road other bands have traveled ever since, and Rollins’ tour diaries are the essence of that pain-is-my-girlfriend punk spirit.

Kim Gordon: ‘Girl in a Band’ (2015)

Jay-Z: ‘Decoded’ (2010)

If you’re curious about what it’s really like to be Shawn Carter , you’ll learn more about his hard-knock life from his albums, which have always gone heavy on the In My Lifetime narrative. But what he’s really trying to do here in Decoded is write the whole story of hip-hop, merely using himself as a prime example, as he rises from criminal-minded fan to industry kingpin. Like he says, “Rap is built to handle contradictions.” Most surprising moment: Hov defends the Coldplay duet “Beach Chair” as “one of the hidden jewels of my catalog.”

Tommy James: ‘Me, the Mob and the Music’ (2010)

The Goodfellas of rock & roll literature. Everybody knows the Tommy James oldies — “Mony Mony,” “Hanky Panky,” “Crimson and Clover,” etc. But according to Tommy, these songs got on the radio because he had some influential mobbed-up friends pulling the strings. (And, of course, pocketing the loot.) The whole topic of criminal connections in the music business is still taboo — see Fredric Dannen’s 1990 classic Hit Men for the full picture. But Tommy James is the first star to tell the story from the inside: How the Mafia gave the world “I Think We’re Alone Now.”

David Lee Roth: ‘Crazy From the Heat’ (1998)

You know what’s crazy? How underrated this book is. Diamond Dave’s book of pensees really deserves to be read wherever generally insane ramblings by generally insane dudes are read. Crazy From the Heat barely got noticed because it came out in the late Nineties, when public interest in Van Halen was at an all-time low. But every page abounds with his stark-raving lunatic eat-‘em-and-smile rock & roll Zen wisdom. Preach, Dave: “I’m not real good with baby steps. My specialty is ass-kicking. Does that sound unreasonable? It may well be, but I guarantee you, you will find no reasonable man on top of big mountains.”

Kristin Hersh: ‘Rat Girl’ (2010)

Even if you don’t know Kristin Hersh’s band Throwing Muses, Rat Girl is a crucial first-hand account of the Eighties indie-rock uprising. Her narrative voice is warm, friendly, and surprisingly funny. When Hersh gets pregnant and decides to have the kid, without giving up her band, she shrugs, “I’ll cross the living-in-a-van-is-probably-child-abuse bridge when I come to it.” Deep down it’s a story about messed-up kids finding one other, starting a band, and accidentally scrounging up an audience of similarly messed-up kids. It belongs on the shelf next to Michael Azerrad’s classic Our Band Could Be Your Life .

Morrissey: ‘Autobiography’ (2013)

Richard Hell: ‘I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp’ (2013)

Chuck Berry: ‘The Autobiography’ (1987)

The “Johnny B. Goode” man who invented rock & roll tells a few stories about what he saw along the way. As a Fifties black pop star, scoring hit records in a land full of violent racism, his story seems to touch on all the contradictions and injustices of American culture. In the early Sixties, while bands like the Beatles , the Stones , and the Beach Boys were hero-worshipping him, Berry himself was rotting in jail, railroaded in a blatantly racist trial. That’s where he wrote the deeply ironic “Promised Land” — a classic celebration of American dreams, written in a prison cell.

David Bowie: ‘Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust’ (2002)

It’s a massive coffee-table art book, with lavish images of Bowie in the Seventies from photographer Mick Rock . But the main attraction of Moonage Daydream is the text by the man himself. He’s in top form, whether he’s shopping for shoes with Cyrinda Foxe (who teaches him to wear “palm-tree’d fuck-me pumps”) or sipping tea with Elton John (“We didn’t exactly become pals, not really having that much in common, especially musically”), or partying it up with Mick Jagger (“I have absolutely no recollections of this party at all”). The closest this world will ever get to a straight-up Bowie autobiography — but who’d ever want anything straight-up from Bowie?

Rod Stewart: ‘Rod’ (2012)

Anthony Kiedis: ‘Scar Tissue’ (2004)

The Red Hot Chili Pepper tells a quintessential made-in-L.A., rise-and-fall-and-rise story, complete with all the californicatory details. Kiedis muses about his childhood, his band, his face time with the Dalai Lama, and his many, many, many ex-girlfriends, most of whom inspire him to share a kind word, a nude photo, or both. (Ione Skye was “an au naturel, soft, soulful forest nymph.”) Scar Tissue has the best final sentence of any book on this list, starring Keidis’ lovable pooch Buster: “And when I do think, ‘Man, a fucking motel room with a couple of thousand dollars’ worth of narcotics would do me right,’ I just look over at my dog and remember that Buster’s never seen me high.” Let’s hope Kiedis writes a whole book about Buster some day.

Ronnie Spector: ‘Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness’ (1989)

The New York doll of the Ronettes had one of rock & roll’s biggest voices. She also had one of rock & roll’s most famously nightmarish marriages, as she was practically kept captive by Phil Spector for years. But if you’re looking for self-pity, you’ll be disappointed, because her book, like her voice, is full of cocky, smart, self-aware humor. And, yes, in case you were wondering, it totally sucked to be married to Phil Spector.

John Taylor: ‘In the Pleasure Groove’ (2012)

Paul McCartney: ‘Many Years From Now’ (1997)

Officially this is an “authorized biography,” by longtime Macca friend Barry Miles. But that’s just a front, because the book really exists as a vehicle for Paul to tell his story in his own words. Every page has killer lines, like when he reveals “Can’t Buy Me Love” was recorded after a nine-day orgy with Miami Beach’s finest hookers: “It should been ‘Can Buy Me Love,’ actually.” Some fans were put off by the way he squabbles over credits, even breaking down songwriting by percentages. (To pick one controversial example, he calculates that “Norwegian Wood” as 40 percent his and 60 percent John’s.) But on the page, as well as in song, his voice overflows with wit and affection. And he did less to fuck up his good luck than any rock star who has ever existed, which might be why his memories make such marvelous company.

Nile Rodgers: ‘Le Freak’ (2011)

The “sex, drugs, and disco” revolution of the Seventies, as seen by the Chic guitarist who permanently changed the way music sounds and feels and moves. This is a cerebral and unabashed celebration of disco; as Nile Rodgers puts it, “We shared Afrobromantic dreams of what it would be like to have real artistic freedom.” He also reveals that when he and Bernard Edwards wrote the classic “Upside Down” for Diana Ross , everybody at Motown hated it. The song would have been axed forever, if not for the one listener who recognized its brilliance. “We played it for Gene Simmons of KISS , who was recording next door, and he told us it was great. We respected Gene, but he was dating Diana Ross at the time, so what else would he say?”

Carrie Brownstein: ‘Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl’ (2015)

The RZA: ‘The Tao of Wu’ (2009)

How do you choose between the RZA’s two excellent memoirs? ( Choose the sword and you join me. Choose the ball and you join your mother. You don’t understand my words, but you must choose! ) The first installment, The Wu-Tang Manual , is more of a beginners-guide handbook to the Shaolin mythology. But The Tao of Wu digs deeper, as the RZA broods on hip-hop and spirituality. He combines esoteric Buddhism, true mathematics, kung-fu flicks, chess tactics, and comic books into his own unique theosophical ruckus.

Slash: ‘Slash’ (2007)

There’s no shortage of Sunset Strip metal-sleaze gossip books out there, including other excellent GN’R memoirs — see Steven Adler’s My Appetite for Destruction or Duff McKagan’s It’s So Easy (And Other Lies) . But Slash’s book is surprisingly reflective, yet hilariously blasé about all his decadence. Low point: Slash collapses during a hotel drug binge and gets rushed to the hospital, where the doctors restart his heart. He complains, “I had no remorse whatsoever about my overdose — but I was pissed off at myself for having died. The whole hospital excursion really ate into my day off.”

Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz: ‘Beastie Boys Book’ (2018)

Viv Albertine: ‘Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys’ (2014)

Keith Richards: ‘Life’ (2010)

Like a lot of books on this list — only more so — Life makes you marvel that the guy who lived through all this chaos could end up remembering any of it. In fact, it’s hard to imagine how a guy who lived the rock & roll myth as hard as Keith Richards could still talk his way through a transaction at the drive-through window, let alone a book this great. Despite all the cranky bitching about Mick , this book exceeded any reasonable expectation for literary Keefness.

Questlove: ‘Mo Meta Blues’ (2013)

Bruce Springsteen: ‘Born to Run’ (2016)

Patti Smith: ‘Just Kids’ (2010)

An incredibly romantic portrait of two young hustlers in the big city: Patti Smith and her best friend, artist Robert Mapplethorpe, have to keep telling each other how great they are, because nobody else will believe it. The most amazing thing about this book is the warmth, the lack of bitterness — what Smith seems to remember most about New York bohemia in the 1960s is all the moments of awkward kindness. Best scene: Allen Ginsberg buys Patti a cheese-and-lettuce sandwich at the Automat, because he thinks she’s a pretty boy. When she breaks the news that she’s a girl, she asks, “Well, does this mean I return the sandwich?” Ginsberg just keeps talking to her about Jack Kerouac while she eats — a gentleman as well as a poet.

Bob Dylan: ‘Chronicles, Volume One’ (2004)

Everybody knew this guy had a way with words. But it’s safe to say that nobody expected his autobiography to be this intense. He rambles from one fragment of his life to another, with crazed characters and weird scenes in every chapter. It all hangs together, from his Minnesota boyhood (who knew Dylan started out as such a big wrestling fan?) to the “deserted orchards and dead grass” of his Eighties bottoming-out phase. He evokes his early folk-rogue days in New York, even though he hated being perceived as the voice of a generation: “I was more a cowpuncher than a Pied Piper.” So where’s that Nobel Prize already?

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Best rock star biographies and memoirs: it's pure debauchery

We're talking sex, drugs and bloody good stories

Rock stars of yesteryear had all the fun. The best rock star biographies shed light on those glory days, answering questions you didn’t know you wanted answering.

From tales of debauchery to gritty insights into life on the road, the best biographies share the low points as well as the highs. Teasing details about their lives, many of these access-all-areas biographies allow you to be a fly on the wall for some of the most dramatic moments in musical history.

UPDATE: We've added a couple more key picks from the world of rock autobiographies. Elton John's Me makes the cut for the sheer style of its retelling of one of the iconic careers in rock music. And for those after a less classic biopic-style approach should check out Viv Albertine's 2014 memoir Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys. It's a top read.

• Need something for your music collection? These are the best bluetooth speakers and the best record players around.

Here we’ve picked out a selection of the very best rockstar memoirs. They feature some of rock’s most prominent figures… as well as some who we’re glad we’ve been able to find out even more about.

Upvote your favourite read, and suggest any we've missed at the bottom.

Best rock star biographies

1 . Keith Richards – Life

No list of rockstar memoirs would be complete without a mention of the Rolling Stones guitarist and rock stalwart Keith Richards. Life spans several decades of music, drugs and life on the road – from the more glamorous elements to the hard reality of some of what he went through. As with all the best memoirs, Life shows a new side of its subject while retaining the kind of honesty and vulnerability which was often hidden from those who only saw his public persona.

2 . Mötley Crüe - The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band

Known for their extreme antics and tales of debauchery, Mötley Crüe has become synonymous with a life of excess that accompanies rock music. A culmination of 30 years worth of jaw-dropping material involving Tommy Lee, Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, and Mick Mars , the book features scandalous celebrity love affairs and dark stories involving extreme drug addiction. The book has also since been made into a Netflix Original Movie starring Machine Gun Kelly and Douglas Booth.

3 . Anthony Kiedis – Scar Tissue

The Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman is a 21st-century rocker you’d expect to have plenty of revealing stories, and Scar Tissue is certainly a revealing read.

Kiedis’s drug use has hardly been a secret throughout his career, but this is an at-times-sensitive look at his early exposure to substances and how it shaped his life and experiences as his band enjoyed a rapid rise and ultimately grew into one of the world’s biggest.

4 . Slash — Slash: The Autobiography

Few rock stars of the 80s and 90s are as instantly identifiable as Slash, and the Guns N’ Roses guitarist lived a proper rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle during his time with the band. This is documented in detail in his 2007 autobiography, with covers ups, downs, excess and near-death in the kind of detail you can only get from someone who lived through it all… and almost died in the process.

5 . Lemmy – White Line Fever

The title of Lemmy’s autobiography gives a bit of a clue to what to expect, but there’s more to it than just drugs and excess. It’s not just about Motörhead, either, although the band does have a big role to play. White Line Fever is often conversational in tone, and that gives you an idea of Lemmy’s real, authentic voice – it’s the sort of thing which not every memoir needs, but the feeling of him being right there with you certainly helps in this case.

6 . Patti Smith – Just Kids

Smith’s memoir isn’t just about music or even just about her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, but rather a poignant look back at a very specific version of New York which we will surely never see again. Published in 2010, Just Kids captures a time, a place and the people united by both to make for a fascinating memoir, and we’re grateful to Smith for bringing it all back to life with such honesty.

7 . Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

'Writing about yourself is a funny business…But in a project like this, the writer has made one promise, to show the reader his mind. In these pages, I’ve tried to do this.' — notes Bruce Springsteen, from the pages of his autobiography, Born to Run . The concept for the book spawned from his 2009 Superbowl half time show, which Springsteen noted as being so exhilarating, the experience simply had to be documented. From his Catholic upbringing in Freehold, New Jersey , to the traumatizing events which shaped some of his greatest lyrical work, this is a delightfully gritty tale depicting a rock 'n' roll great

8 . Nikki Sixx – The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star

Some of the most eye-catching rock memoirs aren’t even really about the music, and this work from the Mötley Crüe man is a case in point. The bassist presents a no holds barred depiction of life on tour, in the studio and on heroin, all presented in diary form, during a period where addiction to the drug almost killed him. Throw in retrospectives from Sixx and his bandmates and it makes for compelling reading.

9 . Kim Gordon – Girl in a Band: A Memoir

Girl in a Band takes us back to the 1980s heyday of Sonic Youth through the words of founding member Kim Gordon. The memoir looks back at Gordon’s childhood before exploring her career in music, her marriage to bandmate Thurston Moore, and the eventual unravelling of that relationship. The portrait of Gordon’s life in Rochester and LA is honest and exploratory without ever being performative, while painting a picture of plenty of her contemporaries from Sonic Youth’s rise to prominence.

10 . Mark Lanegan - Sing Backwards and Weep

Coming from Seattle in the 80s, Mark Lanegan saw everything grunge had to offer and managed to get out the other side. This frank autobiography does not paint an idolised life of a rockstar, but one that has knocks, scrapes and near misses. It's packed with the lowest of lows and the highs are all, well, something else. You need to read this and it's even more poignant after his passing.

11 . Elton John - Me

This autobiography covers Elton John's pre-fame years, his early career and most riotously depraved years. It's hilarious, touching and, as far as we can tell, pretty honest given how often John is not depicted as a flawless hero character. This biography was written in collaboration with music critic Alexis Petridis, who captures John's voice perfectly while delivering thoroughly well-written prose.

12 . Viv Albertine - Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys.

Slits guitarist Viv Albertine's 2014 autobiography made an impact that went far beyond punk fans interested in her band. It's a feminist work that looks at the realities of being a woman in the 70s and 80s, amped up by being a pivotal part of the punk scene. The book also covers her work after the Slits, who disbanded in 1982.

13 . Laura Jane Grace - Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout

Grace, the vocalist for punk band Against Me!, has a unique story to tell. And she tells it brilliantly in Tranny. The singer and guitarist came out as transgender in 2012, and her memoir – written with journalist Dan Ozzi and published four years later – is a brutally honest look at her experiences with gender dysphoria alongside her breakthrough into the punk scene. As well as shedding light on Grace’s past, it allows us a look at Butch Vig and Bruce Springsteen through fresh eyes.

14 . Mark Oliver Everett – Things the Grandchildren Should Know

Everett, better known as E, has enjoyed a strong following with his band Eels without ever attaining worldwide superstar status. Everett’s emotional depth has always come through in his songwriting, so it’s no surprise to see him eloquently and sensitively detail the role of others’ deaths in his own life after losing both parents and his sister before turning 35. There isn’t the excess of other memories, but it’s just as emotionally affecting, if not more so.

15 . John Lydon – Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs

Lydon, known as Johnny Rotten during his time with the Sex Pistols, had front-row seats to the birth of punk in the UK. As you can guess, this makes for great memoir fodder. The Londoner tears in to anyone and everyone you can imagine from the “boring” society infiltrated by his band. As the man himself says: “A lot of people feel the Sex Pistols were just negative. I agree, and what the fuck is wrong with that?”

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30 Great Rock Memoirs

Many legendary musicians have taken literary guitar solos off-stage by penning great rock memoirs. Music fans adore delving into their favorite artists’ juicy, tell-all autobiographies. Rock memoirs allow average Joes to experience the scandalous debauchery of the rock and roll lifestyle. From hit records and red carpets to drug addiction and sleazy groupies, these memoirs take readers on the rollercoaster ride of stardom. Whether written in 1960 or today, rock memoirs capture the drama of music heroes journeying towards their big dreams.

However, rock memoirs aren’t always the fascinating, soul-baring reads you’d expect. The genre has plenty of autobiographies filled with fluff already well-known on the Internet. Rock memoirs can also become garbled, indecipherable accounts by musicians who are more accustomed to writing notes than paragraphs. The best memoirs avoid the usual road-worn clichés and plots to eloquently share unhindered truths about rock stars.

Below we’ll recognize 30 great rock memoirs that deserve a sacred space on your bookshelf or Kindle library.

#1 – I Am Brian Wilson: A Memoir

Brian wilson.

Releasing in October 2016, this much-anticipated memoir tells the story of Brian Wilson, the co-founder of the Beach Boys. Starting with his turbulent childhood with an abusive father, Wilson relays the mental illness, drugs, and sorrow that plagued his early life. He also offers glimpses into the songwriting process for hits like “Good Vibrations.” Readers witness his never-ending climb to survive the industry and remain one of music’s most revered figures.

#2 – Walk This Way

Divided in two,  Walk This Way  chronicles the history of the legendary hard rock band Aerosmith. Members Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Brad Whitford take turns sharing recollections never publicly released. Book One focuses on the early years after their album  Toys in the Attic  debuted. Book Two takes place after their 1980s downfall and resurgence. Candid stories of concerts, drugs, partying, and women abound.

#3 – The Dirt

Motley crue.

Perhaps the world’s most notorious rock band, Motley Crue collaborated to publish  The Dirt  in 2001. Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, Vince Neil, and Nikki Sixx detail their 30-year career without holding back. Fans journey beyond their immortal music to learn about backstage scandals, love affairs, and addictions after their rise to fame. Over 100 photographs are included to depict the pleasures and perils of decadent rock star lifestyles.

#4 – Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl: A Memoir

Carrie brownstein.

Named a  New York Times  Notable Book of 2015, Carrie Brownstein’s novel allows a deeply personal look into how she redefined gender limitations in rock. From her childhood in the Pacific Northwest, Brownstein depicts the search for her true calling. The exuberant guitarist details her rise to prominence with Sleater-Kinney in the growing feminist punk rock movement. She also shares the experiences that spawned the TV hit  Portlandia.

#5 – Born to Run

Bruce springsteen.

After his Super Bowl halftime show, “The Boss” himself began writing an extraordinary autobiography detailing his life from a childhood in Freehold, New Jersey. Set for release in September 2016,  Born to Run  vividly recounts Springsteen’s relentless drive for music. Readers watch as his career progresses from playing bar bands to headlining the E Street Band. Bruce Springsteen details the light and darkness of his experiences with raw honesty.

#6 – Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts and Madness

Ronnie spector.

Ronnie Spector published this 384-page tell-all novel about her time as lead singer for the Ronettes, the hit 1960s “girl band.” Although there are glimpses into the glamour of rock stardom, much of the memoir centers on her rocky relationship with Phil Spector. She details how her powerful producer husband turned cruel and reclusive. Follow her inspiring battle to break free, overcome alcoholism, and recreate a life worth living.

#7 – Crazy From The Heat

David lee roth.

Van Halen lead vocalist David Lee Roth produced the ultimate rock memoir with  Crazy From The Heat  in 1998. The archetypal rock star shares his life’s narrative in guerrilla style with plenty of expletives. With candor, Roth depicts the backstage life for the Guinness Book’s highest paid American rock group of the ’80s. David Lee Roth also shares his recording experiences as a solo artist and several unpublished poems.

#8 – Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs

Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, wrote this unique rock memoir about his time with the ’70s punk band. The “God Save the Queen” singer depicts how the Pistols were working-class rockers with families, friends, and financial woes. Lydon is unabashedly spiteful in shedding light on the British class system and the music industry. John Lydon also adds perspectives on his band mates, including the notorious Sid Vicious.

#9 – Long Hard Road Out of Hell

Marilyn manson.

America’s most controversial rock idol Marilyn Manson published a shocking memoir titled  Long Hard Road Out of Hell.  Born as Brian Hugh Warner, Manson discusses his unstable childhood, including his grandfather’s sexual fetishes. Its pages go in-depth on how the Marilyn Manson & the Spooky Kids formed and recorded the infamous “Antichrist Superstar.” Like other rock memoirs, the book references bitter breakups and dysfunctional relationships.

#10 – Many Years From Now

Paul mccartney.

With author Barry Miles, Paul McCartney wrote  Many Years From Now  to disprove that the late John Lennon was the Beatles’ only creative leader. The 650-plus memoir centers on the duo’s 50-50 songwriting partnership through hits like “I Feel Fine” and “A Hard Day’s Night.” From Beatlemania on, McCartney reminiscences on the genesis for every song penned with Lennon while taking credit for the band’s immersion into the avant-garde.

#11 – Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust

David bowie.

David Bowie’s debut novel gives unprecedented insight into his intriguing, sexually ambivalent stage persona Ziggy Stardust. Photographer Mick Rock assists in chronicling imagery from Ziggy’s stratospheric two-year stardom. Vast albums of images compile to detail the onstage performances and backstage scandals through his blockbuster retirement. It’s among the finest rock memoirs that beautifully immortalizes the late icon in high-definition.

#12 – Chronicles: Volume One

Through his own eyes,  Chronicles: Volume One  details the critical crossroads in Bob Dylan’s early life to begin the planned three-volume memoir. The National Book Critics Circle Award finalist shows Dylan’s first arrival in magical Manhattan. The story poignantly shares details about his 1960s breakthrough album. From nightlong parties to fleeting loves, readers witness Bob Dylan’s rise into fame as the “spokesman of a generation.”

Johnny Cash

Having sold over 90 million records globally, Johnny Cash is deemed one of the most influential musicians for songs like “Ring of Fire” and “Man in Black.” Cash’s deep baritone voice crossed lines from country and blues to rock and roll. From his boyhood in Arkansas to super-stardom in Nashville,  Cash  reminiscences on the legend’s lifetime. The autobiography highlights his 40-year career, including his marriage to June Carter, with wry humor.

#14 – Scar Tissue

Anthony kiedis.

Released five years after  Californication,  this rock memoir follows the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ lead vocalist through his drug addiction battle. Son of Blackie Dammett, Anthony Kiedis first experienced drugs with his father at 11. When the band formed in the ’80s, Kiedis had a hardcore addiction. He details the effect of Slovak’s overdose death on his downward spiral. Audiences witness his fight against relapses to restart a productive, happy life.

#15 – Just Kids

Patti smith.

Chosen for  Publishers Weekly’s  top 10 best books, Patti Smith’s memoir provides the same lyrical quality as her influential album  Horses.  Beginning in 1967, the book portrays Smith’s early career homeless and hungry in Brooklyn. That’s when she encounters Robert Mapplethorpe, a young photographer, and her life forever changes. Patti Smith tells their inseparable friendship’s moving story during the halcyon days of the Hotel Chelsea.

#16 – My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor

Keith morris.

Hardcore punk icon Keith Morris chronicles his revolutionary 40-year career as one of music’s hardest working men. Beginning with his childhood in Los Angeles’ South Bay, the book provides a lens into Morris’ development to legend status. From leading the Circle Jerks to appearing in cult films like  Repo Man,  Keith Morris shares interesting perspectives on the entertainment industry and his battle with diabetes.

#17 – The Beatles Anthology

The beatles.

Released with the documentary series in 2000,  The Beatles Anthology  is a large-format hardcover book infused with photographic artwork. Archived interviews with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr as well as producer George Martin are combined into one epic rock memoir. Every page is brimming with recollections from their early days in Liverpool to their ultimate breakup, including Lennon’s marriage to Yoko Ono.

#18 – I, Tina

Tina turner.

Adapted to the film  What’s Love Got to Do with It  with Angela Bassett in 1993, Tina Turner’s rock memoir retells her life from growing up as Anna Mae Bullock. The best-seller transports readers from her meager beginnings in Tennessee to her volatile relationship with blues musician Ike Turner. Her superstar account shares the pain and abuse that sparked one of rock music’s greatest comebacks.

#19 – Slash

Legendary Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash opens up to share his own experiences with the sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle. The notoriously private musician pens a jaw-dropping memoir detailing the factors leading to the band’s demise. Beyond wild parties, groupies, drugs, and never-ending tours, Slash depicts the dictatorship rule of Axl Rose. He explains how Axl’s determination to change the band’s sound with synthesizers ripped them apart.

#20 – I Am Ozzy

Ozzy osbourne.

Prized for its laugh-out-loud humor,  I Am Ozzy  provides a rambling memoir of the Black Sabbath frontman’s life. Born John Osbourne, he grew up within an impoverished British family in Aston and seemed destined for manual labor. On a trip to prison, Ozzy became enamored with the darker side of rock and roll. Life spirals out of control with recording, drinking, drugs, and women. But the unpolished autobiography then shares the satanic rocker’s rebirth.

#21 – Clapton

Eric clapton.

Clapton  portrays the rock star’s life in an unseen light starting with his debut in Cream and their untimely breakup two years later. Eric Clapton shares his experiences working with Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, and long-time friend George Harrison. Here readers discover his love for George’s wife, Pattie Boyd. His heartbreak leads to heroin, despair, and hit songs like “Wonderful Tonight.” Life seemingly improves as he wins Pattie’s affection, until the devastating death of their four-year-old son.

#22 – Amy, My Daughter

Mitch winehouse.

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse’s memoir was written in 2013 by her closest advisor and friend, her father Mitch. The intimate account separates fact from fiction by detailing the true events that shaped her music career. Mitch doesn’t shy away from discussing her drug addiction that inspired the hit song “Rehab.” Audiences witness what happened behind-the-scenes in the months leading to the talented musician’s tragic death.

#23 – I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp

Richard hell.

Since retiring from the music industry in 1984, Richard Hell has published countless books, including his own rock memoirs. This novel renders his shift from a bucolic childhood in Kentucky to New York City’s punk rock movement. Known for co-founding bands like The Heartbreakers and working with artists like Patti Smith, Hell forever cemented CBGB as the epicenter for punk. The memoir celebrates his passion while warning of its implicit risks.

#24 – Journals

Kurt cobain.

Originally contained in over 20 notebooks,  Journals  presents a collection of Kurt Cobain’s handwritten notes and drawings. From a kid in Aberdeen, Washington, to a morbid punk rocker, the entries depict Corbain’s unlikely rise to fame. Readers glimpse his innermost thoughts as Cobain signs with Sub Pop, forms Nirvana, and writes “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” But entries turn darker as coping with the fame ultimately leads to heroin addiction and suicide.

#25 – Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout

Laura jane grace.

Laura Jane Grace, the lead singer for Against Me!, will offer this vivid memoir of her tumultuous search for self-identity in November 2016. Born Thomas James Gabel, Laura shares how she grappled with feeling detached from her body.  Tranny  shares her struggles with gender transition, sex, failed relationships, and drug addiction while becoming a punk rock icon.

Keith Richards

As winner of the 2011 Norman Mailer Prize, Keith Richards’ memoir  Life  was written with journalist James Fox to chronicle the Rolling Stones guitarist’s rousing stardom. Richards delivers an unfettered story of his career from small gigs to sold-out stadiums. Rock fans are entranced with firsthand accounts on his love for Patti Hansen, rocky relationship with Mick Jagger, tax exile in France, and more. His journey becomes immortalized like the riffs of “Satisfaction.”

#27 – The Autobiography

Chuck berry.

Pioneering rock and roll guitarist Chuck Berry’s memoir not only shares his own past, but also uncovers dark truths about race in America. Growing up in a poor, segregated St. Louis neighborhood, Berry discusses his family roots and his feeling “black.” From performing with Johnnie Johnson’s trio to signing with Chess Records, he recounts his galloping success redefining rhythm and blues to the distinctive rock sound.  The Autobiography  also includes a discography of his musical masterpieces.

#28 – Don’t Try This at Home: A Year in the Life of Dave Navarro

Dave navarro.

After messy breakups with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction, guitarist Dave Navarro partnered with writer Neil Strauss to chronicle 12 months of his life. He purchased a photo booth to record every celebrity, dealer, and hooker who stopped by his house. The resulting 57 chapters speak to the quasi-glamorous rock and roll lifestyle. However, readers eventually witness Navarro’s sobriety as his career and marriage restarts.

#29 – Girl in a Band

Published in 2015,  Girl in a Band  shares the autobiographical story of Sonic Youth’s bass guitarist and fashion icon Kim Gordon. The memoir’s vivid pages open several chapters of her life for inspection from California to New York City. She visually details her music and passion for taking women into the unchartered territory in the Alternative revolution. Gordon also describes her personal life, marriage, and relationship with her daughter, Coco.

#30 – Take It Like a Man

Boy George strutted into rock stardom in the early ’80s with “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” His platinum Culture Club hits, avant-garde style, and captivating melodies fueled media’s obsession with the English singer. That’s until his life took a downward spiral. Boy George’s relationship with Jon Moss disintegrated, Culture Club collapsed, and drug addiction wreaked havoc.  Take It Like a Man  retells his highest highs and most desperate lows in mesmerizing detail.

Search for these 30 great rock memoirs to read profound, inspiring recollections from one-of-a-kind music icons who’ve experienced successes and downturns in the public eye.

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Books We Love

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Biographies About Rock Stars & Punk Rebels Electrifying guitarists, dazzling drummers, smokin’ lead singers, daring indie artists— famous or infamous, these musicians have thrilling life and tour stories to tell.

Born to Run

• By: Bruce Springsteen
• Narrated by: Bruce Springsteen
• Length: 18 hrs and 12 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 10,604
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 9,726
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 9,679

In 2009, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Super Bowl's halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that Bruce decided to write about it....

• 5 out of 5 stars

Me Springsteen's book moved me beyond words...

• By Ellen O'Brien on 12-12-16
• Release date: 12-06-16
• Language: English
• 5 out of 5 stars 10,604 ratings

• By: Keith Richards, James Fox
• Narrated by: Johnny Depp, Joe Hurley
• Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,673
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,177
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,164

Now at last, Keith Richards pauses to tell his story in the most anticipated autobiography in decades....

Ins and outs

• By Jesse on 11-07-10
• By: Keith Richards , James Fox
• Narrated by: Johnny Depp , Joe Hurley
• Release date: 10-26-10
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 5,673 ratings

Scar Tissue

• By: Anthony Kiedis, Larry Sloman
• Narrated by: Rider Strong
• Length: 14 hrs and 51 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,544
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,869
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,883

As lead singer and songwriter for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anthony Kiedis has lived life on the razor's edge....

• 3 out of 5 stars

Not A Favorite

• By The Kruels on 08-16-11
• By: Anthony Kiedis , Larry Sloman
• Release date: 05-01-12
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,544 ratings

Punk Rock Blitzkrieg

• My Life as a Ramone
• By: Rich Herschlag, Marky Ramone
• Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
• Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 286
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 266
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 266

Having outlived his bandmates, Marky is the only person who can share the secrets and stories of the Ramones' improbable rise from obtuse beginnings....

Dedicated Punk Fans Must Read

• By Leostriple on 03-26-15
• By: Rich Herschlag , Marky Ramone
• Release date: 01-14-15
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 286 ratings

A Dream About Lightning Bugs

• A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons
• By: Ben Folds
• Narrated by: Ben Folds
• Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 808
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 738
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 735

Ben Folds is a celebrated American singer-songwriter, beloved for songs such as "Brick", "You Don’t Know Me", "Rockin’ the Suburbs", and "The Luckiest", and is the former frontman of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five....

I wanted to like this more than I did.

• By R on 10-02-19
• Release date: 07-30-19
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 808 ratings

• Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band
• By: Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and others
• Narrated by: Sebastian York, Roger Wayne, Fred Berman, and others
• Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 3,775
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 3,298
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 3,277

Celebrate over 30 years of the world's most notorious rock band with the audiobook edition of The Dirt - the outrageous, legendary, no-holds-barred autobiography of Mötley Crüe....

1000x more detail than the movie

• By C. K. Lyons on 06-27-19
• By: Tommy Lee , Vince Neil , Nikki Sixx , Mick Mars
• Narrated by: Sebastian York , Roger Wayne , Fred Berman , MacLeod Andrews , Hillary Huber
• Release date: 06-25-19
• 5 out of 5 stars 3,775 ratings

The Wild Heart of Stevie Nicks

• By: Rob Sheffield
• Narrated by: Rob Sheffield
• Length: 2 hrs and 43 mins
• Original Recording
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 7,218
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 6,410
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 6,403

Best-selling author and Rolling Stone columnist Rob Sheffield takes you on a full-throttle ride with the bona-fide rock goddess who has ruled the rock scene for five decades .... 

• 2 out of 5 stars

A bad recap of Rolling Stone interviews

• By kristen mukai on 05-08-19
• Release date: 05-02-19
• 4 out of 5 stars 7,218 ratings

Gold Dust Woman

• The Biography of Stevie Nicks
• By: Stephen Davis
• Narrated by: Christina Delaine
• Length: 14 hrs and 6 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,256
• Performance 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,076
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,076

Nicks' work and life are equally sexy and interesting, and Davis delves deeply into each, unearthing fresh details from new, intimate interviews....

Disappointed

• By Amazon Customer on 12-22-17
• Release date: 11-21-17
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,256 ratings

Acid for the Children

• Narrated by: Flea
• Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,202
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 3,698
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 3,682

Iconic bassist and co-founder of the immortal Red Hot Chili Peppers finally tells his fascinating life story, complete with all the dizzying highs and the gutter lows you'd expect from an LA street rat turned world-famous rock star....

Flea gets it right...

• By Anonymous User on 11-15-19
• Release date: 11-09-19
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,202 ratings

• My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead
• By: Bill Kreutzmann, Benjy Eisen
• Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
• Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 554
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 493
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 491

On their 50th anniversary comes a groundbreaking rock-and-roll memoir by one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead....

Decent but not great

• By Monty S on 03-02-16
• By: Bill Kreutzmann , Benjy Eisen
• Release date: 06-22-15
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 554 ratings

Lips Unsealed

• By: Belinda Carlisle
• Narrated by: Belinda Carlisle
• Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 252
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 213
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 210

The women of the iconic '80s band the Go-Go’s will always be remembered as they appeared on the back of their debut record....

• By Kathleen on 04-18-17
• Release date: 06-01-10
• 4 out of 5 stars 252 ratings

Dancing with Myself

• By: Billy Idol
• Narrated by: Billy Idol
• Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 914
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 822
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 816

Billy Idol delivers an electric, searingly honest account of his journey to fame....

• 4 out of 5 stars

Brutally Honest

• By Katana Rogue on 01-25-16
• Release date: 09-29-15
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 914 ratings

Don't Stop Believin'

• By: Olivia Newton-John
• Narrated by: Olivia Newton-John
• Length: 7 hrs and 27 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 785
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 709
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 706

With humor and warmth, legendary musician, actress, activist, and icon Olivia Newton-John shares her fascinating life story - from her unforgettable rise to fame in the classic musical Grease to her passionate advocacy for health in light of her battles with cancer....

An Inspiring story from an Amazing woman

• By Goldustgirl on 03-16-19
• Release date: 03-12-19
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 785 ratings

Backstage Pass

• By: Paul Stanley
• Narrated by: Sean Pratt
• Length: 4 hrs and 38 mins
• Overall 4 out of 5 stars 161
• Performance 4 out of 5 stars 143
• Story 4 out of 5 stars 141

The New York Times best-selling author and front man and rhythm guitarist of Kiss grants fans an all-access backstage pass to his personal life and shows them how to pursue a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of their own, offering hard-won advice from a music legend....

• 1 out of 5 stars
• By Kevin Wilson on 05-09-19
• Release date: 04-30-19
• 4 out of 5 stars 161 ratings

Face the Music

• A Life Exposed
• Narrated by: Paul Stanley
• Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 2,197
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 2,012
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 2,002

Face the Music is the shocking, funny, smart, inspirational story of one of rock’s most enduring icons and the group he helped create, define, and immortalize....

Part 6 Could Stand Strongly on Its Own Content

• By J. York on 04-27-14
• Release date: 04-08-14
• 5 out of 5 stars 2,197 ratings

Thanks a Lot, Mr. Kibblewhite

• By: Roger Daltrey
• Narrated by: Roger Daltrey
• Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 863
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 773
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 764

Amidst all the music and mayhem, the drugs, the premature deaths, the ruined hotel rooms, Roger Daltrey is our perfect narrator, remaining sober (relatively) and observant and determined to make The Who bigger. Not only his personal story, this is the definitive biography of The Who....

Wonderful storytelling

• By Martin B. Forstner on 11-08-18
• Release date: 10-23-18
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 863 ratings

This Is Gonna Hurt

• Music, Photography, and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx
• By: Nikki Sixx
• Narrated by: Nikki Sixx
• Length: 3 hrs and 51 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 727
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 631
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 628

It's all Nikki Sixx. This is a collection of compelling photography and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness, and determination that shape his work....

MUST HAVE!!

• By Yvonne on 05-28-11
• Release date: 05-03-11
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 727 ratings

The Heroin Diaries: 10 Year Anniversary Edition

• A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
• Narrated by: Nikki Sixx, Sophie Kargman, Ross Marquand
• Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
• Overall 5 out of 5 stars 4,747
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 4,213
• Story 5 out of 5 stars 4,198

In honor of the 10-year anniversary of The Heroin Diaries, Nikki Sixx’s definitive and bestselling memoir on drug addiction is now available on audio for the first time, read by Nikki Sixx....

Sixx Review

• By Anonymous User on 02-12-20
• Narrated by: Nikki Sixx , Sophie Kargman , Ross Marquand
• Release date: 10-24-17
• 5 out of 5 stars 4,747 ratings

18 and Life on Skid Row

• By: Sebastian Bach
• Narrated by: Sebastian Bach
• Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
• Overall 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,405
• Performance 5 out of 5 stars 1,277
• Story 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,270

Throughout his career, Sebastian Bach has sold over 20 million records both as the lead singer of Skid Row and as a solo artist....

Like Sebastian Bach?? BUY THIS NOW!

• By Sebastian on 12-17-16
• 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,405 ratings
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Best Music Autobiographies: 20 Memoirs From Legendary Rockers

Exploring the life and times of rock’n’roll’s most iconic stars, the best music autobiographies give us an insider’s look at stardom.

Providing a unique opportunity to glimpse into the minds of rock’n’roll’s most legendary figures, the best music autobiographies serve as a reminder of just how much these icons have shaped popular culture. From blues-rock journeyman Eric Clapton to genre-shaping visionary David Bowie , these memoirs delve deep into their authors’ psyches, going beyond their stage-based antics to explore their upbringing and give us a behind-the-scenes insight into their experiences of fame and stardom. Here, then, are the best music autobiographies – books that provide an intimate look at the lives and careers of some of the industry’s most legendary figures.

Listen to our Rock Classics playlist here , and check out the best music autobiographies, below.

20: chrissie hynde: ‘reckless: my life as a pretender’ (2015).

Reckless: My Life As A Pretender , by Chrissie Hynde, is a humorous and frank account of the new wave era songwriter’s life story. Known for her incomparable voice, style and attitude, Hynde weaves a witty and colourful narrative that follows her career journey from Akron, Ohio, to London in the 70s, where she formed Pretenders . Hynde candidly describes her harrowing experiences with grief following the deaths of bandmates James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon, and reveals intimate details about her exploration of music, love and identity. Full of vivid storytelling, Reckless is a sharp-witted and eye-opening read among the best music autobiographies.

19: John Densmore: ‘Riders On The Storm: My Life With Jim Morrison And The Doors’ (1990)

Taking readers on a journey through his experiences as a founding member of The Doors , drummer John Densmore’s memoir, Riders On The Storm: My Life With Jim Morrison And The Doors , preceded the release of Oliver Stone’s 1991 Doors biopic, starring Val Kilmer. Given that Densmore acted as a consultant for that film, it’s hardly a surprise to discover that his memoir is just as compelling, recalling the time he spent making music with one of the best rock frontmen of all time , Jim Morrison , along with bandmates Ray Manzarek (keyboards) and Robby Krieger (guitar). The drummer guides readers through the wild ride of The Doors’ Los Angeles origins and on to their ascent as classic rock’s warrior kings. Readers will be fascinated by Densmore’s candid revelations about living in the eye of the storm that was the 60s counterculture, replete with details about all aspects of his life during that era, as well as reflecting upon how it shaped who he is today.

18: Debbie Harry: ‘Face It: A Memoir’ (2019)

Covering everything from her CBGB-era punk beginnings in the 70s, as the frontwoman for Blondie, to her various side projects as an actress and solo artist, Debbie Harry’s memoir, Face It , is a typically provocative account of her rise to frame. Unafraid to share secrets and embarrassing moments from her life – from details about her wild romantic relationships to discussing her struggles with heroin addiction, Harry’s frankness makes Face It a truly eye-opening read. Offering a window into her deep insights into how she fought bouts of depression, the book is a truly self-reflective primer on how to maintain a sense of confidence while navigating the darker aspects of fame.

17: Neil Young: ‘Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream’ (2012)

A gold rush of memories, Neil Young ’s memoir Waging Heavy Peace is an idiosyncratic and non-linear retelling of the singer-songwriter’s life. One of the best music autobiographies of recent years, it details the ups and downs of Young’s career, from his days as a folk-rock pioneer to becoming one of the best songwriters of all time . Through this book, readers get to see how the Canadian rocker has infused his music with personal stories and emotions that transcend generations. Speaking candidly about his passion for recording music and writing songs that have become evergreen classics, Young reflects on both his successes and failures, offering valuable lessons on how to be creative without compromising your values or goals. His words will inspire any budding creative.

16: Rod Stewart: ‘Rod: The Autobiography’ (2012)

Rod Stewart’s memoir, Rod: The Autobiography , is an entertaining and amusing story that goes beyond handbags and gladrags to follow Stewart’s career path from London mod to world-renowned rock star. The former Faces frontman and Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? hitmaker recounts his rollicking journey with impish humour, his natural charisma shining through every page as he reflects on the struggles and successes he has experienced during his long career. Throughout it all, while recounting stories about early influences such as Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, Stewart remains self-deprecating and witty while never forgetting to mention those who have helped him along the way.

15: Eric Clapton: ‘Clapton: The Autobiography’ (2007)

The music industry is filled with legends, but few have had as big an impact as Eric Clapton. With a career spanning almost six decades, Clapton’s influence on popular music has been profound and enduring, so it’s hardly a surprise that his autobiography is also remarkable. Already known for his virtuoso guitar talents, Clapton’s writing style is accessible and heart-rending, containing stories such as the tragic death of his four-year-old son and his personal triumph of overcoming alcoholism. By candidly detailing his difficult upbringing, his childhood struggles with abandonment and identity, and the romantic relationships that defined different stages of his life, this is a must-read among the best music autobiographies.

14: Bob Dylan: ‘Chronicles: Volume One’ (2004)

Bob Dylan, the era-defining songwriter, caused a cultural earthquake when he released Chronicles: Volume One . Often cryptic and mysterious in his lyrics, nobody expected Dylan to reflect upon his life and career as eruditely as he does here, running as he does through a series of honest and introspective stories and recollections. From his early days as an up-and-coming folk musician in New York City’s Greenwich Village to his rise to global stardom and the subsequent demands of living with the baggage of the “voice of his generation” tag, Dylan offers an intimate look at how his journey has shaped him both as an artist and a human being. An enlightening entry among the best music autobiographies, Chronicles: Volume One has a raw honesty that captures the essence of Dylan’s unique voice, providing readers with an insight into the mind of one of a truly world-changing artist.

13: Keith Richards: ‘Life’ (2010)

It goes without saying that Keith Richards is the ultimate rock’n’roll survivor. Giving us a first-hand look at the wild world of The Rolling Stones, the legendary guitarist’s biography, Life , chronicles his life from childhood to adulthood and everything in between, including his humble beginnings growing up in Dartford, England, and international fame as the spiritual figurehead of one of the British Invasion’s most notorious rock bands. An intimate portrait of Richards’ personal journey through celebrity, Life features stories about Richards’ escapades with Mick Jagger, as well as his headline-grabbing experiences with drugs. In addition to humorous anecdotes about life on the road, the guitarist talks candidly about how he was able to emerge from addiction intact and how music has been a source of solace throughout his life.

12: Phil Collins: ‘Not Dead Yet: The Autobiography’ (2016)

Phil Collins ’ autobiography, Not Dead Yet , is an honest recount of his life and career. From the start, Collins speaks openly about his upbringing – he was drawn to music from an early age, taking up the drums at five years old and eventually becoming the drummer for prog-rock band Genesis. Written with great humility, the book moves between periods in Collins’ life, discussing his experiences with divorce as well as his professional successes, such as recording with Genesis and launching a successful solo career. Whether speaking about recording sessions or touring experiences, it becomes clear that Collins has lived an extraordinary life full of unique moments that have helped shape him into the star we know today.

11: Peter Hook: ‘Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division’ (2012)

As the bassist for Joy Division – one of the most influential post-punk bands of the late 70s – Peter Hook provides an intimate look at the band’s rise to prominence in Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division . Through a series of personal reflections, he takes readers behind the scenes to explore how Joy Division created its foreboding sound. Revealing unknown details about life on tour and what it was like working alongside frontman Ian Curtis , who committed suicide at age 23, the book offers captivating accounts of the band’s turbulent history. Through Hook’s words, we come to understand why Joy Division was so special – they were able to take dark themes such as death and despair and turn them into something beautiful through their music. Having penned one of the best music biographies of all time, Hook then went and did it all over again with a follow-up. Substance: Inside New Order , which continues the story of his game-changing career.

10: David Bowie with Mick Rock: ‘Moonage Daydream: The Life And Times Of Ziggy Stardust’ (2002)

Moonage Daydream: The Life And Times Of Ziggy Stardust is a captivating visual biography documenting the incredible rise to fame of one of music’s most influential figures. Alongside extraordinary photographs by Mick Rock, the ever mysterious David Bowie himself recounts his creative journey from glam-rock provocateur to art-rock Renaissance man, providing an insightful look into his genius and offering a rare glimpse into the work he created in the 70s. Capturing the energy and spirit of Ziggy Stardust’s artistic inception, Moonage Daydream truly highlights how Bowie’s contributions to popular culture profoundly affected music for generations to come.

9: Johnny Marr: ‘Set The Boy Free: The Autobiography’ (2016)

Set The Boy Free , the autobiography of The Smiths ’ guitarist Johnny Marr , serves as an incredible and honest look at the indie sensation’s life. Following Marr from his childhood in Manchester, England, to becoming one of the best guitarists of all time , the book vividly recounts his experience teaming up with Morrissey to form The Smiths, and how the pair revolutionised the 80s indie-rock scene. Weaving together tales from throughout his life – growing up as a working-class kid on a council estate; falling in love with the guitar – Marr’s autobiography offers a definitive take on how he did the unthinkable and made guitar music cool again.

8: Nile Rodgers: ‘Le Freak: An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny’ (2011)

Le Freak: An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny invites readers to learn more about the life of one of the world’s most influential musicians – the guitarist and producer Nile Rodgers . From his early days as a session musician to becoming a gatekeeper of funk and disco as the guitarist for Chic , Rodgers tells a rich and captivating story, drawing from his unconventional upbringing as well as his personal accounts of mental-health issues, and substance abuse. An intimate look at how the genre-defying artist found success despite life’s many roadblocks (he would go on to produce records for David Bowie, Duran Duran and Madonna , and collaborate with Daft Punk on the globe-straddling hit Get Lucky), Rodgers strings together anecdotes that are both funny and heartbreaking, and his free-spirited energy sees him faithfully recapture moments of joy and sorrow through vivid accounts of his career highs and lows.

7: Stephen Morris: ‘Record Play Pause: Confessions Of A Post-Punk Percussionist’ (2019)

Much like his bandmate Peter Hook, drummer Stephen Morris’ memoir Record Play Pause is an account of Joy Division’s early punk and post-punk days in 70s Britain. Through his personal recollections, readers gain an inside view into what it was like for Morris to be part of the musical revolution Joy Division engendered, as the drummer offers a glimpse into his childhood in Macclesfield, as well as his teenage years spent largely discovering music and exploring the sounds that would define him for years to come. From getting his first drum set at 14, through to recording with Joy Division, this memoir provides a candid look at how post-punk began. Record Play Pause also has a sequel, Fast Forward , which takes the story into the New Order era and also deserves a mention among the best music autobiographies.

6: Rob Halford: ‘Confess: The Autobiography’ (2020)

Rob Halford, the lead singer of the heavy metal band Judas Priest, gave fans a raw and honest look at his life in his autobiography, Confess . As he reflects on his career, personal struggles and relationships, it’s easy to see why Halford has become an icon for heavy metal music over the years, so diehard fans of Judas Priest will definitely want to pick up this book and read more about the man behind some of their favourite songs. Confess offers an in-depth look into Halford’s surprisingly multi-faceted life, with plenty of stories about his time in Judas Priest, touring the world, coming out as a pioneering LGBTQ+ icon and dealing with addiction issues. Halford also talks candidly about how it felt to be a rock star in a genre that wasn’t always accepted by mainstream society. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of heavy metal, this book is an insightful entry among the best music biographies.

5: Ozzy Osbourne: ‘I Am Ozzy’ (2009)

As the “Godfather Of Heavy Metal”, Ozzy Osbourne uses I Am Ozzy as a chance to run through his thrilling and tumultuous career, allowing fans to get a deeper look at his life as he recounts all his ups and downs in an honest and often humorous way. Written in a conversational style that feels as though you’re sitting with a long-lost friend, I Am Ozzy gives readers insight into what it was like growing up in post-war England, becoming the frontman for hard-rock giants Black Sabbath, dealing with drug addiction and depression, and finding success again with solo hits such as Crazy Train. Osbourne also dives into his latter years, discussing his family and how his wife, Sharon, is responsible for putting him on the path to sobriety.

4: Nick Mason: ‘Inside Out: A Personal History Of Pink Floyd’ (2004)

Inside Out: A Personal History Of Pink Floyd , by drummer Nick Mason, is a must-read for any fan of the iconic band. In this first-hand account of the group’s history, Mason recounts Pink Floyd’s incredible journey, from their early psychedelic-rock days to their massive prog-rock successes in the 70s and 80s. With vivid detail, Mason takes readers through every major moment in the group’s history, including the stories behind their first hit single, Arnold Layne, and their ambitious concept album The Wall. Throughout, Mason paints an evocative picture of life inside one of Britain’s most renowned bands, not only addressing the creative process but also shedding light on moments of joy and camaraderie, when his bandmates supported each other during some of the toughest times. It’s an engaging and fascinating read.

3: Bruce Springsteen: ‘Born To Run’ (2016)

Born To Run is a testament to Bruce Springsteen’s personal resilience and his unwavering commitment to the spirit of rock’n’roll. Chronicling The Boss’ early days growing up in New Jersey, as well as his rise to fame as the lead songwriter in The E Street Band, it’s an emotional journey from the man’s own viewpoint, filled with both joy and sorrow. As well as Springsteen’s recollections of life on tour, we also get honest accounts of his long-standing relationships with family members. From tales of personal struggles and career triumphs to reflections on the power of music in our lives, Born To Run is one of the best music autobiographies out there, regardless of whether you’re a Springsteen fan or not.

2: Elton John: ‘Me’ (2019)

Elton John’s Me is a witty and self-effacing autobiography that traces the life of one of Britain’s greatest songwriters. Covering decades of John’s emotional ups and downs, the book offers revealing accounts of his drug addiction, his troubled love life and his struggle to come to terms with his sexuality, as well as his career as a celebrated singer-songwriter. With behind-the-scenes stories about how some of his best-loved songs were written, John speaks most profoundly about the impact fame has had on him, and Me explores themes such as loneliness and depression to great effect. A companion piece to the 2019 biopic Rocketman , starring Taron Egerton, Me does wonders in capturing the essence of Elton John.

1: Anthony Kiedis: ‘Scar Tissue’ (2004)

Anthony Kiedis’ memoir, Scar Tissue , is a revealing and no-holds-barred account of the Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman’s life. Following Kiedis through both tremendous career success and deep personal pain, readers will discover the highs and lows of a life lived on the edge – expect rampant substance abuse, wild sexual escapades, broken relationships and many other extreme experiences. Kiedis writes candidly about his struggles with addiction as well as his spiritual journey to sobriety while balancing his personal life with the demands of being in one of the best 90s bands . Kiedis also shares stories from his unconventional childhood growing up in Los Angeles, where fame was always nearby – he even recounts once being babysat by Sonny And Cher. In the end, Scar Tissue is a heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting read, as Kiedis eventually finds peace through self-acceptance and redemption. And that’s why it tops our list of the best rock autobiographies.

Now check out the best music biographies .

• Culture/Events
• Punk/Post-Punk

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The 20 Rock Stars Books: Best 2024 Update and Review

Are you ready to dive into the wild and glamorous world of rock stars? Look no further than these 20 best books about rock stars that will take you on a thrilling journey through the lives of music legends. From wild parties to backstage drama, these books capture the essence of the rock star lifestyle like no other. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just curious about the music industry, these books are sure to entertain and inspire. Get ready to rock with a book on rock stars!

• 1 20 Best Books About Rock Stars
• 3 Just Kids
• 4 Hammer of the Gods
• 5 Scar Tissue
• 6 I Am Ozzy
• 7 No One Here Gets Out Alive
• 8 Chronicles: Volume One
• 9 The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band
• 10 Born to Run
• 11 The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star
• 12 The Beatles: The Biography
• 13 The Long Hard Road Out of Hell
• 14 The Soundtrack of My Life
• 15 Face the Music: A Life Exposed
• 16 The Autobiography
• 17 It’s So Easy (and other lies)
• 18 The Doors: The Illustrated History
• 19 Dream On: Livin’ on the Edge with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith
• 20 The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band
• 22 Conclusion

20 Best Books About Rock Stars

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by Keith Richards

Life by Keith Richards is a captivating memoir that delves into the extraordinary life of one of the most iconic figures in rock ‘n’ roll. This book about rock stars takes readers on a wild ride through Richards’ tumultuous journey, from his childhood in post-war England to the heights of stardom as a member of The Rolling Stones. With unapologetic honesty and raw storytelling, Richards shares intimate details about his music, his relationships, and his brushes with the law. This rock stars book is filled with memorable anecdotes, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and a deep love for the music that defined a generation. Life is a must-read for music enthusiasts and anyone curious about the life of a rock ‘n’ roll legend.

by Patti Smith

Just Kids by Patti Smith is a mesmerizing memoir that offers a candid and intimate glimpse into the world of artists and creatives in 1970s New York City. The book chronicles Smith’s deep and enduring relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, as they navigate the bohemian underground, pursuing their artistic dreams and grappling with love, loss, and self-discovery. This poignant and evocative tale captures the raw energy and spirit of the era, as well as the profound bond between two young visionaries on the cusp of fame and artistic greatness. With its lyrical prose and vivid storytelling, Just Kids is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the lives and passions of creative souls, making it an essential book about rock stars and the creative spirit that defines them.

Hammer of the Gods

By stephen davis.

Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis is a captivating book about rock stars that delves into the wild and decadent world of the legendary band Led Zeppelin. This book takes readers on a thrilling journey through the rise to fame, the excessive lifestyle, and the explosive music of the band. With vivid storytelling and meticulous research, Davis brings to life the larger-than-life personas of the band members, giving readers an intimate and unflinching look into their triumphs and controversies. Filled with scandalous anecdotes and behind-the-scenes tales, this rock stars book is a must-read for any music enthusiast or fan of the era. Hammer of the Gods is a compelling and immersive exploration of one of the most iconic bands in rock history.

Scar Tissue

By anthony kiedis.

Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis is a gripping memoir that delves into the tumultuous life of the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This raw and honest account takes readers on a rollercoaster ride through Kiedis’ struggles with addiction, his rise to fame, and the complexities of his relationships. Through vivid storytelling, Kiedis paints a vivid picture of the rock star lifestyle, offering a candid look at the highs and lows of fame. The book provides an intimate glimpse into the world of a music icon, making it a must-read for anyone fascinated by the lives of celebrities or those intrigued by the inner workings of the music industry. Scar Tissue is more than just a book about rock stars; it’s a compelling narrative that captivates from start to finish.

by Ozzy Osbourne

I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne is a captivating autobiography that delves into the wild and chaotic life of the legendary rock icon. This book provides a raw and unfiltered look into the world of a rock star, chronicling Ozzy’s rise to fame, his struggles with addiction, and the ups and downs of his career. From his early days with Black Sabbath to his solo success, Ozzy’s story is filled with outrageous antics, memorable moments, and a candid reflection on his personal demons. With a mix of humor, honesty, and a no-holds-barred approach, this book about rock stars is a must-read for any fan of music and a compelling insight into the life of a true rock legend.

No One Here Gets Out Alive

By jerry hopkins and danny sugerman.

No One Here Gets Out Alive is a riveting biography of the legendary rock stars, Jim Morrison, and The Doors. Written by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman, this book delves into the tumultuous life of one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in rock music. From Morrison’s rise to fame with The Doors to his tragic and mysterious death, the authors provide a compelling and intimate portrait of the iconic frontman. With a mix of interviews, anecdotes, and insights, this book about rock stars offers a raw and unflinching look at the man behind the music. No One Here Gets Out Alive is a must-read for fans of The Doors and anyone interested in the captivating and often turbulent lives of rock stars.

Chronicles: Volume One

By bob dylan.

Chronicles: Volume One is a captivating memoir by legendary musician Bob Dylan . In this spellbinding book about rock stars, Dylan takes readers on a journey through his early years in New York City’s Greenwich Village, providing a rare glimpse into the world of folk and rock stars during the 1960s. With his poetic prose and candid storytelling, Dylan shares personal anecdotes, reflections on his musical influences, and encounters with other influential figures of the era. This rock stars book offers a unique perspective on Dylan’s evolution as an artist and the cultural landscape of the time. Chronicles: Volume One is a must-read for music enthusiasts and anyone interested in the life and career of one of the most iconic figures in the history of popular music.

The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band

By neil strauss and mötley crüe.

The Dirt is a gripping and wild ride through the tumultuous lives of one of the most notorious groups of rock stars in history. Co-written by Neil Strauss and Mötley Crüe, this book delves into the highs and lows, the excesses and the triumphs of the band members. From their rise to fame to their struggles with addiction and infighting, The Dirt offers an unflinching look at the rock and roll lifestyle. With its raw and candid storytelling, this book about rock stars gives readers an intimate glimpse into the chaotic world of Mötley Crüe. It’s a must-read for anyone fascinated by the behind-the-scenes drama of the music industry and the larger-than-life personalities of rock stars.

Born to Run

By bruce springsteen.

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen is an electrifying memoir that takes readers on a journey through the life of one of the most iconic figures in the music industry. This book on rock stars delves into Springsteen’s early years, his rise to fame, and the personal struggles that shaped his career. With raw and honest storytelling, the ‘rock stars book’ offers a glimpse into the mind of a musical legend, revealing the passion and perseverance that drove him to stardom. From his humble beginnings to the roaring crowds of sold-out concerts, Born to Run is a captivating account of the man behind the music. Springsteen’s compelling narrative and poetic prose make this book about rock stars a must-read for fans and music enthusiasts alike.

The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star

By nikki sixx.

The Heroin Diaries is a gripping and raw memoir written by Nikki Sixx, the bassist of the iconic rock band Motley Crue. This book chronicles a year in the tumultuous life of Sixx, offering an intimate and unfiltered look into the world of a shattered rock star. Through his personal journal entries, Sixx provides a harrowing account of his struggles with addiction, fame, and the dark underbelly of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. The book delves into the highs and lows of Sixx’s life, offering a candid portrayal of the rock ‘n’ roll experience. With its unflinching honesty and powerful storytelling, The Heroin Diaries is a must-read for anyone interested in the inner workings of the music industry and the tumultuous lives of rock stars.

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The Beatles: The Biography

By bob spitz.

The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz is a captivating and in-depth exploration of the legendary band that changed the music industry forever. This compelling book on rock stars takes readers on a journey through the lives and careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, offering an intimate look at their rise to fame, their personal struggles, and their enduring impact on popular culture. Through meticulous research and engaging storytelling, Spitz paints a vivid portrait of the iconic rock stars, capturing the essence of their creativity, friendships, and the tumultuous times in which they lived. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a casual listener, this book about rock stars is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the phenomenon that was The Beatles.

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell

By marilyn manson and neil strauss.

The Long Hard Road Out of Hell is a captivating memoir co-written by Marilyn Manson and Neil Strauss. This book delves into the shocking and raw experiences of Manson’s life on the road to becoming a notorious figure in the music industry. The memoir takes readers on a dark and twisted journey through Manson’s rise to fame, revealing the inner workings of the rock star lifestyle. From outrageous antics to intense personal struggles, this book about rock stars offers an unapologetic look at the price of fame and the toll it takes on one’s psyche. With its unflinching honesty and provocative storytelling, The Long Hard Road Out of Hell is a must-read for anyone interested in the tumultuous lives of rock stars.

The Soundtrack of My Life

By clive davis.

The Soundtrack of My Life by Clive Davis is a captivating memoir by the legendary music executive. In this compelling book about rock stars, Davis shares his remarkable journey through the music industry, from discovering and nurturing the careers of iconic artists to shaping the soundtracks of our lives. With candid storytelling, he provides an insider’s perspective on the rise of rock stars, pop sensations, and R&B legends, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the making of some of the most influential albums of our time. Davis’s firsthand accounts of working with luminaries such as Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, and Aretha Franklin make for an enthralling read, giving readers a glimpse into the world of music that only a true industry insider can provide. This book on rock stars is a must-read for anyone passionate about the power of music and the stories behind the hits.

Face the Music: A Life Exposed

By paul stanley.

Face the Music: A Life Exposed by Paul Stanley is a captivating memoir that takes readers on a journey through the life and career of the legendary rock star. With raw honesty and unfiltered storytelling, Stanley shares intimate details about his rise to fame as the frontman of the iconic band KISS. From his humble beginnings to the heights of rock stardom, the book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the trials and triumphs of a life in the spotlight. Through personal anecdotes and reflections, Stanley paints a vivid portrait of the music industry and the price of fame. This compelling book about rock stars is a must-read for any fan of music and a fascinating look into the world of rock ‘n’ roll.

The Autobiography

By eric clapton.

The Autobiography by Eric Clapton is a captivating book about one of the most iconic figures in the music industry. This compelling autobiography provides an intimate insight into the life of a legendary musician, offering an honest and raw account of his rise to fame, struggles with addiction, and personal relationships. Through Clapton’s own words, readers are taken on a journey through his extraordinary career, from his early days with The Yardbirds and Cream to his solo success. This book on rock stars is a must-read for music enthusiasts and anyone interested in the tumultuous and triumphant life of a rock music icon. Clapton’s powerful storytelling and candid reflections make this book about rock stars a truly engaging and inspiring read.

It’s So Easy (and other lies)

By duff mckagan.

It’s So Easy (and other lies) by Duff McKagan is an enthralling memoir that takes readers on a wild ride through the life of a legendary musician. This captivating book about rock stars gives an intimate look at the rise and fall of the author, who gained fame as the bassist for one of the most iconic rock bands of all time. From the highs of rock stardom to the lows of addiction and recovery, McKagan’s candid storytelling is both raw and inspiring. Through his honest and introspective writing, readers will gain insight into the tumultuous world of rock ‘n’ roll and the personal struggles that come with it. It’s So Easy is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the inner workings of the music industry and the lives of rock stars.

The Doors: The Illustrated History

By danny sugerman.

The Doors: The Illustrated History by Danny Sugerman is a captivating book on rock stars that takes readers on a journey through the iconic band’s rise to fame and their enduring legacy. Filled with stunning photographs, personal anecdotes, and rare memorabilia, this book about rock stars offers a comprehensive look at the band’s groundbreaking music, enigmatic frontman Jim Morrison, and their impact on the music industry. Sugerman’s detailed narrative and in-depth research provide a fascinating insight into the band’s tumultuous journey, making this rock stars book a must-read for any music enthusiast. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to their music, this illustrated history will transport you back to the era of the Doors and leave you with a newfound appreciation for their enduring influence.

Dream On: Livin’ on the Edge with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith

By cyrinda foxe-tyler and danny fields.

Dream On: Livin’ on the Edge with Steven Tyler and Aerosmith is a thrilling and candid memoir that takes readers on a wild ride through the turbulent world of rock stars. Written by Cyrinda Foxe-Tyler and Danny Fields, this book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of the members of Aerosmith, one of the most iconic rock bands of all time. With juicy stories and intimate details, the authors provide a glimpse into the highs and lows of fame, fortune, and the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. From the early days of struggling to make it big to the dizzying heights of success, this book about rock stars is a must-read for fans of Aerosmith and anyone interested in the inner workings of the music industry. Get ready to dive into the world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll with Dream On.

by Neil Strauss, Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Tommy Lee

The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band is a captivating book about rock stars written by Neil Strauss in collaboration with the members of Mötley Crüe – Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, and Tommy Lee. This explosive memoir takes readers on a wild ride through the highs and lows of the band’s career, offering an unapologetic and raw look at their journey to becoming one of the most infamous rock stars in the music industry. From their outrageous antics and debauchery to their struggles with addiction and personal demons, The Dirt pulls no punches in revealing the true story behind the legendary band. It’s a must-read for fans of rock music and anyone fascinated by the tumultuous lives of rock stars.

by Keith Richards, James Fox

Life by Keith Richards, co-written with James Fox, is a captivating memoir that delves into the turbulent and exhilarating life of one of the most iconic figures in the music industry. This in-depth book about rock stars takes readers on a wild journey through Richards’ early years, his rise to fame with The Rolling Stones, and the countless escapades that defined his rock and roll lifestyle. With candid and often humorous storytelling, the book provides an intimate glimpse into the world of a rock stars, offering insights into the music, the culture, and the larger-than-life personalities that shaped an era. From his struggles with addiction to the triumphs of the stage, Life is a raw and unapologetic account of a rock stars’ life that will leave readers thoroughly engrossed.

In conclusion, these 20 best books about Rock Stars offer an intimate and captivating look into the lives of music legends. From wild antics to creative genius, these books provide a deep dive into the world of rock and roll. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just curious about the lives of these iconic figures, these books are sure to entertain and enlighten. Dive into the world of rock stars with these compelling reads!

Which Rock Stars book is best?

The best book on Rock Stars can vary with personal preference, but three widely recommended titles are:

• Life by Keith Richards ,
• Just Kids by Patti Smith ,
• Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis .

Each offers valuable insights and could be a great starting point.

What are the best books to learn about Rock Stars?

For those looking to learn about Rock Stars, there is a wealth of literature that can provide a comprehensive understanding of the subject. Some of the most highly recommended books include:

• Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis ,
• Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis ,
• I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne ,
• No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman ,
• Chronicles: Volume One by Bob Dylan ,
• The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Neil Strauss and Mötley Crüe ,
• Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen ,
• The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx

These books offer a range of perspectives on Rock Stars, covering various aspects and approaches to the subject.

What are the best books on Rock Stars?

The best books on Rock Stars include:

• The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz ,
• The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson and Neil Strauss ,
• No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins and Danny Sugerman .

Each offers unique insights into the subject. While these books on the topic of Rock Stars are highly regarded, it’s important to note that any list of ‘best’ books is subjective and reflects a range of opinions.

What are the best Rock Stars books of all time?

Choosing the best Rock Stars books of all time can vary depending on who you ask, but seven titles that are often celebrated include

• The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx ,
• and The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz .

Each of these books has made a significant impact in the field of Rock Stars and continues to be influential today.

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From Madonna to Barbra Streisand, it was the year music took over books

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Maybe it was the continued rude health of indie bookstores in 2023, or perhaps a millennial fascination with the pop antiquities of the pre-smartphone era. Or maybe it’s just Mom and Dad Rockers desperate to reel in the years with the gods of their youth . For whatever reason, this year has turned out to be a banner publishing moment for musical giants who until now have not been graced with the full-dress books they deserve — some rigorously researched deep dives, other chatty memoirs or anthologies, many of them illuminations of life and art in urban milieus with all their messy interactions.

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Among the ill-served icons getting their propers in print this year is Lou Reed : New York’s leather prince, the street poet who launched at least three musical genres with his band the Velvet Underground , a lodestar for gender fluidity long before anyone else bothered to write songs about LBGTQ+ and the subculture that nurtured it. Before Will Hermes’ riveting biography “ Lou Reed: The King of New York ,” the artist’s biographers have tended to be either mean-spirited or bone-dry, glossing over the rough magic of Reed’s inner life.

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Hermes, a veteran music critic, has written what will surely be the definitive Reed biography for years to come, a complete portrait of this inconstant, erratic genius, the most eloquent voice of the marginalized during the Nixon era. An elegant prose stylist with a sharp critical eye, Hermes appears to have scared up everyone alive whose life intersected with his subject. And he embraces the contradictions of a musical empath who could be heartless and malicious, tender and vulnerable to friends and lovers — a great bully poet much like Reed’s literary hero and mentor, Delmore Schwartz .

Hermes skillfully twines together the many strands of Reed’s singular life — a benumbing suburban childhood, electroshock therapy, heroin addiction and artistic flowering at the feet of Schwartz and the Beats. Providing fresh stories at every turn, he is particularly adept at conjuring the meth-enabled swirl of Andy Warhol’s Factory universe and Reed’s attachment to the Pop artist, his beloved mentor and bête noir. This is the best biography of a composer since Alex Ross’ 2020 book “ Wagnerism .”

One of Reed’s most talented acolytes graced us with a memoir this year. Thurston Moore hit New York as a 14-year-old Reed fanatic in the late ‘70s, right before his idol’s old, weird downtown was forever lost and Wall Street money moved in. Into this liminal space emerged the squalling, post-punk deconstructions of the No Wave movement : saxophonist James Chance and his Contortions, singer-poet Lydia Lunch and, most crucially for Moore, composer Glenn Branca , whose ear-bleed guitar symphonies alerted the Connecticut native to the beauty of Loud. He would harness that volume with his avant-rock band Sonic Youth for 30 years. Moore has a lot of great stories to tell, and he does so engagingly in “ Sonic Life ,” the tale of a record collector geek made good, a seeker after new sounds who in turn became a key architect of experimental rock in the two decades that followed.

In “Sonic Life” Moore, a suburban outcast like Reed, becomes a pilgrim in search of transcendence through noise and muscles his way into an East Village tempest of brash risk-taking. He meets future bandmates Kim Gordon and Lee Ranaldo . Sonic Youth pulls the throttle all the way out: Moore threads drumsticks into his guitar strings, Ranaldo utilizes an electric drill onstage, Gordon barks out her bold feminist anthems on the seductions of consumer-driven desire. Moore has set it all down, and his book is an engaging memory piece through a golden era of busted toilets and secondhand smoke that now seems as distant as Montparnasse in the 1920s. If you’re looking for juicy bits about Moore and his ex-wife Gordon , you mercifully won’t find it here. He keeps that part of his private life to himself.

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While Sonic Youth was cultivating a following on the margins, another downtown scenester was hitting dance clubs like Paradise Garage and Danceteria with designs on something bigger. As a young Michigan exile, Madonna Ciccone found her people in these spaces, and when she insisted DJs spin her record “Everybody,” the fuse was lit. Mary Gabriel’s comprehensive biography “ Madonna: A Rebel Life ” can be read as the uptown analogue to “Sonic Life,” as this force of nature quickly outgrows New York clubland and in a few short years enters the pop icon pantheon.

Gabriel has done her homework, giving equal weight to Madonna’s private and public selves in a sprawling survey that offers a strong argument for Madonna as a sound-and-vision innovator every bit as crucial as David Bowie . But you have to really care about her relationships with Sean Penn and Warren Beatty to get there.

Decades before Madonna lit up the New York night, Ella Fitzgerald had audiences standing on their seats at the Savoy Ballroom as the singer for Chick Webb’s swing band, a powerhouse vocalist who had to overcome her “pretty plain looks” before she became the 20th century’s tower of song. In her excellent biography “ Becoming Ella Fitzgerald ,” Judith Tick makes a compelling case for Fitzgerald as a modernist innovator. Promoters and managers told her to stick to one marketable sound, but that wasn’t an option, as Fitzgerald contained multitudes: novelty songs (her self-penned 1938 hit “A Tisket-a-tasket” put her on the map); classic recordings of the Great American Songbook; and the expertly knotty ululations of her scat singing in the bebop era — a genre in which Fitzgerald became the acknowledged master.

Twenty-eight years after Fitzgerald recorded her 1945 hit “ Flying Home ,” a record that placed scat singing front and center in popular music, Sly Stone was recording his own half-whispered version of scat live in a Sausalito studio. It would become the vamp-out to 1973’s “If You Want Me to Stay,” the last big hit for Sly and his band, the Family Stone.

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Stone fans have been waiting a long time for the reclusive singer to finally break his silence about his life and career. While his memoir “ Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) ” offers up its share of gonzo tales involving drugs, guns and pet baboons, the erstwhile superstar, 80, provides only tantalizing crumbs of real insight into his messy life. Still, there are some ripping anecdotes (baboons!), and origin stories behind “Stand!,” “Everyday People” and Stone’s other funky one-world anthems.

Perhaps Stone surmised that it’s best to keep his mystique alive, as opposed to expounding on his life at great length in the fashion of Barbra Streisand ’s “ My Name is Barbra .” Alas, no one has ever told this to the countless fanboys (yes, they are almost always boys) and academics who continue to write books about Bob Dylan , coming at the Nobel laureate from every conceivable angle. And yet, somehow, this year has brought something entirely new: A lavish, glossy scrapbook with material provided by Dylan himself.

“ Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine ” is a stunning visual trip through the artist’s life and art as revealed via Dylan’s own ephemera and Zimmerman-adjacent mementos from friends and musicians. Published in conjunction with the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa, Okla., this immaculately designed coffee-table confection also features a collection of informative essays from Lucy Sante , Greil Marcus , Ed Ruscha and others. They provide context for what we’re seeing, which is quite a bit — grade school class photos, Dylan’s notebooks, manuscripts and legal pads and, yes, even photos that this Dylan freak has never seen before.

18 best nonfiction books for fans of Madonna, memoirs or cultural histories

2023 is the year of the star-studded gift book, with memoirs and biographies covering rockers, auteurs, poets, controversial executives and, yes, Julia Fox.

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Which reinforces a couple of valuable lessons from this year’s joyful glut of music tell-alls. First: While they’re no substitute for the brilliantly written, category-killing, milieu-rich biography, no format is inherently better or worse at delivering the goods. And second: There’s always something new under the sun.

Weingarten is the author of “Thirsty: William Mulholland, California Water, and The Real Chinatown.”

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WAGING HEAVY PEACE: A Hippie Dream, by Neil Young (Blue Rider Press) . Forced to slow down after breaking a toe, Neil Young traded his guitar for a computer and spun this charismatic autobiography that, like Young, has little use for conventional rules. The revered artist who did stints in Buffalo Springfield; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and Crazy Horse uses the phrase “OMG” and devotes as many pages to new audio technology and his train sets as to rock-history lore. At 66, Young shows little signs of fading out or burning away.

UNTOUCHABLE: The Strange Life and Tragic Death of Michael Jackson, by Randall Sullivan (Grove) . What is there to say about the King of Pop that hasn’t already been said? Nearly 800 pages worth, in this tome. Among the revelations: Jackson recorded a soundtrack for “Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” hoping to land the title role. Though Warner Bros. was so impressed they offered Jackson the highest fee ever for a soundtrack, the molestation charges against him destroyed any chance that he’d appear in the movie. Such tumult was never-ending, and Rolling Stone contributing editor Randall Sullivan meticulously delves into one scandal after the next.

Michael Jackson

BRUCE, by Peter Ames Carlin (Touchstone) . Though this Springsteen bio was written with the subject’s cooperation, author Carlin doesn’t fill its pages with only sanctioned praise. He posits that Springsteen’s obsessive drive for fame and artistic achievement is due to a childhood spent in the shadow of his father, a man who sat in the dark and drank. Terrified of a similar fate, Springsteen willed himself to become the Boss. Fans looking for an unequivocally noble portrait of the working-class hero of Freehold, N.J., instead get candid quotes from E Street Band members and former associates describing a man who “can be selfless and selfish in equal measures.”

Bruce Springsteen

ROLL ME UP AND SMOKE ME WHEN I DIE: Musings from the Road, by Willie Nelson (William Morrow) . Willie Nelson’s lovingly told mishmash includes his reflections as well as those of his sister, wife, and friends — all of whom reinforce his outlaw reputation. Whether recalling the wild times of his youth, supporting Occupy Wall Street or sharing dirty jokes, Nelson is always eager to stir the pot (no pun intended).

Credit: Getty Images

Willie Nelson

WHO I AM, by Pete Townshend (Harper) . Pete Townshend’s autobiography is a plunge into the psyche of a man simultaneously consumed by self-doubt and his own extremely healthy ego. The windmilling, guitar-smasher of The Who confesses his insecurities and deconstructs his own reflection at length -- these are seemingly more compelling subjects to the author than the making of “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia.” Fans will no doubt be awed by Townshend’s candor, for better or for worse.

Credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara

Pete Townshend of The Who

CYNDI LAUPER: A Memoir, by Cyndi Lauper with Jancee Dunn (Atria) . The pride and joy of Ozone Park, Queens, Lauper rose to fame in the early ’80s with “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and became a staple on MTV, flaunting a colorful, carefree kookiness. But in her memoir, Lauper unloads details of a life that was dotted with trauma and aggravation, both at home and in the public eye. An ardent feminist and gay-rights champion, Lauper writes, “I had always struggled to live in a world whose language I couldn’t speak and didn’t want to know.” Time after time, she triumphs.

Cyndi Lauper

HELLO, GORGEOUS: Becoming Barbra Streisand, by William J. Mann (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) . Brooklyn native Streisand moved to Manhattan when she was 17, with no connections and just enough money to get by. Less than five years later, she was a Broadway star in “Funny Girl” and the top-selling female recording artist in the country. Mann’s book reconstructs Babs’s earliest years and reveals how childhood misfortune (the death of her father, a strained relationship with her mother) led to insecurities, then full-blown neuroticism.

Barbra Streisand

I DREAMED I WAS A VERY CLEAN TRAMP, by Richard Hell (Ecco) . Co-founder of three formative New York punk bands — Television, the Heartbreakers, and the Voidoids — Richard Hell (né Meyers) was a key figure in shaping the CBGB scene of the mid to late ’70s. Hell has the remarkable ability to impart the cultural and personal significance of those years without sounding sanctimonious or bloated with nostalgia. Whether fondly recalling his derelict peers and the songs they wrote together, or describing the “adult” feeling that heroin gave him, Hell makes the grit gleam.

Credit: Iniz Vinoodh

Richard Hell

I’M YOUR MAN: The Life of Leonard Cohen, by Sylvie Simmons (Ecco) . Singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen was born in 1934 to one of the most prominent Jewish families in Montreal and became an iconoclastic figure of cool, whose albums made him a worldwide success. But when he returned from a monastic retreat in the late ’90s to discover his longtime manager screwed him out of his life savings and publishing rights, Cohen was forced to go back to work. Sylvie Simmons’s diligent research and interviews with Cohen trace the artist’s journey right up to the release of his remarkable 2012 album, “Old Ideas.”

Leonard Cohen

98% FUNKY STUFF: My Life in Music, by Maceo Parker (Chicago Review Press) . Growing up in pre-Civil Rights-era North Carolina, sax legend Maceo Parker was a self-described “good boy” who landed in the band of one of entertainment’s bad boys. When James Brown decreed “I just want you to blow, Maceo!” on “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” Parker became a household name, and his life changed forever, leading to odysseys with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic and his own band, All the King’s Men. A humble, genial man who had little interest in the excesses of stardom, Parker is a refreshing figure with funky stuff to spare.

Maceo Parker

KICKING AND DREAMING: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll, by Ann and Nancy Wilson with Charles R. Cross (It Books) . There was a time in the ’70s and ’80s when sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson ruled the rock and roll kingdom, a place usually reserved for dudes -- something they were constantly reminded of by piggish promoters, newspaper reporters, record executives and fellow musicians (including then-up-and-coming Johnny Cougar). Offstage, battles with addiction and heartbreak did a number on them, but the Wilsons’ passion for music and dedication to one another sustained them through four awesome decades of rock.

Ann Wilson , left, and Nancy Wilson of the band Heart.

LED ZEPPELIN: An Oral History of the World’s Greatest Rock Band, by Barney Hoskyns (Wiley) . Music journalist Barney Hoskyns brings readers the story of how Led Zeppelin became the band, the myth, the legend. Culled from more than 200 interviews with band members, roadies, groupies, fellow musicians, label executives and others, the Zep-on-Zep action contained here is as gnarly and enchanting as the music itself. The human sides of Plant, Page, Jones and the late Bonham are exposed, but by all accounts (and this book has plenty), their rock and roll animal nature was very real.

Led Zeppelin

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH: A Memoir, by Shawn Colvin (William Morrow) . At the 1998 Grammys, singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin’s hit “Sunny Came Home” won the two most coveted awards: record and song of the year. Bob Dylan went to kiss her hand and accidentally brushed his nose on it instead. Such thrills! But those were hardly Colvin’s greatest moments. Her memoir dwells more on the personal achievements: tackling anxiety, anorexia and alcoholism, as well as getting over the heartache of numerous failed relationships, marriages and crushes. Colvin tells her stories -- especially the embarrassing stuff -- with charming abandon.

Credit: Traci Goudie

Shawn Colvin

MARY WELLS: The Tumultuous Life of Motown’s First Superstar, by Peter Benjaminson (Chicago Review Press) . At age 17, Mary Wells hounded Motown president Berry Gordy Jr. for an audition. He told her to sing on the spot -- she sang “Bye Bye Baby” (a song she wrote herself), and Gordy signed her to his label the next day. Four years later, “My Guy” pushed Wells to the top of the charts, but her rapid decline came shortly after, when she severed ties with Motown. Wells continued with her career, but addiction, violence, and illness plagued her. Still, this bio celebrates one of pop’s most vibrant stars.

UNKNOWN PLEASURES: Inside Joy Division, by Peter Hook (It Books) . Joy Division, England’s massively influential post-punk band of the late ’70s, was known for its brooding darkness. Yet bassist Peter Hook delivers a sprightly, often funny account of the young quartet, interspersed with tales of his later years in New Order. Plenty of intoxication, fights and amusing calamities are juxtaposed with impending doom: the suicide of lead singer Ian Curtis on the eve of the band’s first-ever American tour. “I don’t remember anything for a long time after that,” Hook writes.

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13 books every rock fan needs to read

These indispensable books should take pride of place on every discerning rock fan's shelves.

Chock full of colourful characters, constantly adrift on a sea of international adventure and not shy of a plot-twist or 25, the rock world feels predestined to generate some of the most horrifying, inspiring and downright incredible stories imaginable. We’ve stopped short of naming the 'top 13' rock biographies – simply because there are literally hundreds out there more than worth your time. Instead we have listed thirteen of the best rock music books you should read right now.

The Dirt: Confessions Of The World’s Most Notorious Rock Band (Mötley Crüe with Neil Strauss, 2001)

The classic. A title that’s become synonymous with the bad-boy rock biography, The Dirt feels like the ultimate chronicle of the genre’s ’80s excess. Looking back now, the idea that Mötley Crüe classics like Wild Side and Girls, Girls, Girls only scratched the surface of their unshackled debauchery seems almost unbelievable. A kaleidoscopic odyssey of booze, drugs, groupies, dealers, cops, tour buses, strip-clubs and car-wrecks, both figurative and literal, it’s a tale that needs to be read to be believed. If you only pick up one rock bio today, probably best to make it this one. Devotees should be sure to grab Nikki Sixx’s bleaker but equally essential 2007 follow-up, The Heroin Diaries, too.

Tranny: Confessions Of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout (Laura Jane Grace, 2016)

Known, during writing, as Killing Me Loudly, the autobiography from Against Me! ’s Laura Jane Grace draws extensively from the journals she had been compiling since third grade. Its eventual title ‘Tranny’ is a term the singer hates, but its appropriation here is symbolic of her taking ownership of a personal struggle through which she noted the supposedly accepting punk community were “more closed-minded than the church”. Illuminating. Poignant. Inspiring. It’s equally essential reading for individuals struggling to come to terms with themselves and those same closed-minds struggling to understand.

White Line Fever: The Autobiography (Lemmy Kilmister, 2002)

Possessed of a godlike air like few others, Lemmy always seemed like something of an unapproachable icon even for those of us fortunate to make his acquaintance. As such, this exceptionally grounded autobiography – charting the life of Ian Fraser Kilmister, son of an RAF chaplain from Stoke-On-Trent – brought us brilliantly closer to the man behind the myth. Of course, from his early musical exploits with Jimi Hendrix and Hawkwind to decades-long scene leadership at the helm of Motörhead , the man led a life that most of us could even imagine. “It’s a fallacy to say I taught him how to drink,” the legend writes at one point, remembering a young Lars Ulrich. “I actually taught him to throw up, and that’s what he did, all over himself. That’s what he got for trying to keep up with older people’s habits…”

Girl In A Band (Kim Gordon, 2015)

Sonic Youth were never a band to shy away from unpleasantries in their dogged pursuit of beauty and authenticity. Fittingly, bassist Kim Gordon’s chronicle of her break-up with guitarist Thurston Moore and the dissolution of their seminal indie-rock outfit isn’t just a tale of heartbreak; it’s one of the sporadic mundanity, unpredictability and seat-of-your-pants adventure of holding a prime seat on the alt.rock roundabout for the best part of three decades. Girl In A Band proves itself essential reading for anyone with even a passing interest in the New York noiseniks – or the scene they helped define.

Hammer Of The Gods (Stephen Davis, 1985)

Another of the classics. It’s probably not that difficult to write a rollicking recount of one band’s tumultuous journey when that band is Led bloody Zeppelin . From quaaludes to bathtubs full of baked beans to the extremely questionable use of one taxidermied shark, many of the anecdotes here have slipped into rock’n’roll folklore, but that takes little from the experience of finding them compiled into this singular volume. It's best not to spoil them too much further here. Let’s just say this is another must-read addition, for rockers or anyone else with a heartbeat…

This Is A Call: The Life And Times Of Dave Grohl (Paul Brannigan, 2011)

It can be difficult, at times, to get a real sense of what goes on under the surface with The Nicest Man In Rock™. K!’s own Paul Brannigan charts his fascinating story with a dextrous grip on the evolving scenes through which Dave Grohl has endured and a spectacular sense of the adventure he’s experienced along the way. From the kid from the D.C. suburbs who dropped out of school to go on tour with Scream, to the sticksman catapulted to superstardom with Nirvana , to the iconic Foo Fighters frontman called upon to play for the Obamas on the White House lawn, few lives share the rollercoaster momentum of Dave’s.

Slash (Slash, 2007)

Most rock bios are about the gritty build and the glitzy payoff. Safe to say, the Slash bio is virtually all payoff. Born Saul Hudson in England in 1965 to a white British graphic artist father and a black American costume designer mother, Slash’s story was never going to be that of your garden variety guitarist. Growing up in Los Angeles’ ’70s bohemia, his mum dated David Bowie, hung out with Joni Mitchell and taught the youngster that “being a rock star is [about finding] the intersection between who you are and who you want to be”. As the story of Guns N’ Roses’ meteoric rise and incendiary fall-out (their latter-day reconciliation is not part of this 2007 volume) unfold, they seem like simply the logical narrative developments of one of music’s most dramatic life stories.

Lords Of Chaos (Michael Moynihan, 1998)

Before you see the movie, read the book. As feels inevitable for any volume skewering the adolescent, corpse-painted pomposity of the ’90s Norwegian black metal scene – and laying bare the narcissistic inhumanity of the suicide, church burnings and murders that followed in its wake – the accuracy of Michael Moynihan’s Lords Of Chaos has been called into question by many of those involved at the time. Regardless, this is a fascinating trip into metal’s most evil sub-genre, and a chilling reminder of what can happen when the lines blur between trve cvlt theatre and stark reality. Special mention to Dayal Patterson’s Evolution Of The Cult (2013) and The Cult Never Dies (2015) for further deconstructing the scene’s horrifically compelling progression, too.

Heavier Than Heaven (Charles R. Cross, 2001)

Much (perhaps too much ) has been written about the life and death of Kurt Cobain . This first (arguably definitive) long-form retelling of his life story does spectacularly well to disperse the rumour that hangs around an individual who was, at his core, a musically prodigious slacker from the lower-middle-class of North Seattle. Even better, it charts Nirvana’s explosion of incredible cross-cultural success – one that, we should remember, lasted a fleeting three years – with a remarkable blend of cool analysis and awe. It’s in a chilling final forensic analysis of Kurt’s self-destructive streak, though, that Heavier Than Heaven comes into its own: daring the reader to put aside music and mythos to pass judgement on the individual in the harsh light of the bare facts.

Smash: Green Day, The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX And The ’90s Punk Explosion (Ian Winwood, 2018)

It’s strange how the story of ’90s skate-punk has been distorted through the retrospective lens of the last two-and-a-bit decades: its lineage conflated and confused with that of the pop-punk genre it helped inspire. Veteran K! contributor Ian Winwood’s book shatters those perceptions, transporting us back to the poverty, addiction and unhinged chaos of the era that spawned so many of our favourite bands. Finding The Offspring guitarist Noodles working as a janitor, Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong living in a Salvation army shelter and Green Day maestro Billie Joe Armstrong infested with body lice during a debut European tour, it’s a fascinating look at the underground grit and shit before the platinum-rated sheen that followed.

Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag (Henry Rollins, 1994)

Something of a gritty yin to The Dirt’s glamorous yang, Get In The Van is a superb, zero-bullshit diary of life on the road with LA hardcore legends Black Flag . Fronting the band between 1981 and 1986, punk’s storyteller supreme Henry Rollins had a drivers-seat view of the violence, squalor and sheer chaos of hardcore’s early days. From roadies forced into eating dog food to hard-nut cops to borderline psychotic fans, it’s a dirt-beneath-the-fingernails classic unafraid to show the bleak underbelly of life in a touring band – albeit one with an ultimately triumphant arc. Any fledgling rock star wannabes out for fame and fortune should really stop to read this first…

Dark Days: A Memoir (D. Randall Blythe, 2015)

On May 4, 2010, in the Abaton club in Prague, during a concert by Virginian metal legends Lamb Of God , 19-year-old fan Daniel Nosek sustained injuries to his head. Over the weeks that followed, he would slip into a coma and pass away. Although, following his initial release on bail, legal counsel advised against returning to the Czech Republic to face trial, frontman Randy Blythe insisted he "could not run away from this problem while the grieving family of a dead young man searched hopelessly for answers that he might help provide". Those events provide the tragic backdrop for the singer’s stunningly frank account of the dark days (and months) that followed his indictment on manslaughter charges and incarceration in a Czech prison. Even years since Randy’s release, it’s a story that delivers gut-churning jailhouse anecdotes, tales of galvanising camaraderie and an ultimate redemption that even the most optimistic dramatist might’ve struggled to conjure up.

Metallica: Enter Night (Mick Wall, 2010)

It’d be unreasonable to compile a list of great rock biographies without including at least one on the biggest metal band in the world . Tracking a path from the thrash kings’ spandex-clad genesis to their coronation as globe-straddling, genre-transcending megastars, this packs in all the drugs, booze and drama any self-respecting fan would expect. From early acrimony with Dave Mustaine through the devastating loss of Cliff Burton to the callous early treatment and furious departure of Jason Newstead, all the personal drama is captured. As are the band’s mid-’90s creative swerves, the (ever-more hilariously redundant) Napster fiasco and the cringing in-studio therapy that formed the basis of seminal rock-doc Some Kind Of Monster. Crucially, though, Enter Night perfectly charts the band’s place in the rock and metal scene forever evolving around them.

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8 Children’s Books About Rocks…That Rock!

Jaime Herndon

Jaime Herndon finished her MFA in nonfiction writing at Columbia, after leaving a life of psychosocial oncology and maternal-child health work. She is a writer, editor, and book reviewer who drinks way too much coffee. She is a new-ish mom, so the coffee comes in extra handy. Twitter:  @IvyTarHeelJaime

View All posts by Jaime Herndon

I mean, what’s not to love, right? Rocks can tell us all about the history of the Earth if we know what to look for. Plus, many of them are cool shapes and textures or just feel really good to hold or fidget with. But learning more about rocks can unlock a whole new world for a child, and books are a great way to do that.

Here’s a roundup of some great children’s books about rocks and geology that I think rock (sorry, I had to) — both fiction and nonfiction — for you to explore. By no means are these all the books out there, and if you’re looking for something even more portable for a hike or a trip, the National Geographic Kids Ultimate Explorer Field Guide: Rocks & Minerals is a great resource. There are also various pocket guides to geology that you can find — some are even location-specific — that you can stash in a side pocket of your backpack.

Let’s take a look at the best children’s books about rocks!

What a Rock Can Reveal: Where They Come From and What They Tell Us About Our Planet by Maya Wei-Haas and Sonia Pulido

Wei-Haas, a science writer and geologist, has written a book that children and adults alike will love reading. Using the tool of observation, she introduces geology to kids by describing its characteristics and explaining how it was created, where it’s from, and how it changes over time, tying in history and the story of the earth. It’s vibrantly illustrated, making it a really beautiful book that kids will be drawn to.

A Rock is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long

Don’t let these thin books fool you — this series is jam-packed with information and beautiful, intricate illustrations. My soon-to-be-8-year-old still loves these books, and this one is no exception. Aston writes about how different rocks are formed, the history of geology, and reviews various different kinds of rocks, with plenty of colorful drawings to pore over. They’re engaging but calming books because of the mix of scientific facts and poetic language, making them perfect for any time. Don’t miss other great titles in the series, like A Butterfly is Patient and A Shell is Cozy !

Where Wonder Grows by Xelena González and Adriana M. Garcia

This lyrical book is a heartwarming story about a grandmother showing her granddaughters a special garden and exploring what things like shells, rocks, and crystals can tell them. She shows how the history of these natural objects tells stories, and she shares her Indigenous knowledge and traditions of the natural world with a new generation. It’s a quietly powerful story about connecting with nature, imagination, and the larger world.

Take-Along Guide: Rocks, Fossils, and Arrowheads by Laura Evert

Another great series, these smaller books are perfect for stashing in a backpack and taking with you on a nature walk or hike, and work just as well indoors for a read-aloud or reference book. Evert breaks the book down into three major areas: rocks and minerals, fossils, and arrowheads and artifacts. It also provides some fun experiments and crafts to do, including making your own rock candy. For each rock, she shares what it looks like, where it can be found, what it’s used for, and plenty of neat facts and detailed illustrations. For the budding geologists, there are also scrapbook pages in the back to take notes and add their own drawings.

Science Comics: Rocks and Minerals: Geology from Caverns to the Cosmos by Andy Hirsch

If you haven’t read these comics, you’re missing out. This nonfiction graphic novel series is perfect for middle grade readers and up, though even younger readers will enjoy them. In this volume, take a wild ride around the world, and even into space, with a geologist in this book while learning all about the rocks and minerals that tell us about the earth and its history. It’s a great blend of storytelling, history, and plenty of science that will keep readers engaged. It would also pair well with the Science Comics volume Volcanoes and Life.

Jada Jones: Rock Star by Kelly Starling Lyons and Vanessa Brantley Newton

If your rock-loving kiddo wants some fiction, here’s Jada Jones! It’s the first book of the early chapter book series, and Jada loves science; she especially loves finding new rocks to add to her rock collection. Plus, it’s easier to find new rocks than new friends. But when her teacher announces a science project on rocks and minerals, maybe this is her chance to shine. Except, one of her team partners doesn’t seem to like her very much. Can Jada navigate the project and maybe try to make a new friend?

The Rock and Gem Book: And Other Treasures of the Natural World by Dan Green

This is a DK book, and they’re always amazingly done, including this one. From drawings, diagrams, and photographs to plenty of history and science information, this is a resource to return to again and again. Rocks, minerals, fossils, and shells — they’re all in this encyclopedic text that’s super visual and very accessible for readers. The text brings in connections with art, history, science, and architecture, providing kids with a multi-disciplinary lens through which to see geology.

Grand Canyon by Jason Chin

While this book is more specific than the others, it’s an all-time favorite here and so well done. The story follows a father and daughter on their way through the canyon, but the book also details the geological makeup of the canyon, the different kinds of rock and stone, and how the canyon was formed. Plenty of back matter provides even more in-depth geology and history, with illustrations and a list of resources to explore. Not only is the text and information amazing, but the visual set-up of the book is stunning, making it enjoyable to read again and again and again.

With all of these great children’s books about rocks, which one will you read first?

For more children’s books about rocks and nature, check out this post on science and nature books for STEM-loving littles , and this post on books about rocks, minerals, gems, and crystals .

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The Ox: The Last of the Great Rock Stars: The Authorised Biography of The Who's John Entwistle Hardcover – October 10, 2019

It is an unequivocal fact that in terms of rock bands, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who represent Year Zero; the beginning of all things, ground-breakers all. To that incontrovertible end, John Entwistle, the Who's beloved bassist, is also without question one of the most important and influential figures in the annals of rock.

John Entwistle was a rock star in most everything that he was seen to do and of the grand old school - all swagger, joie de vivre and boundless consumption.

With the full co-operation of the Entwistle family and the Who's long-term management, Trinifold, The Ox will shine a long overdue light on one of the single greatest, and most impactful, figures in rock history.

• Print length 320 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Constable
• Publication date October 10, 2019
• Dimensions 6.3 x 1.5 x 9.29 inches
• ISBN-10 1472129385
• ISBN-13 978-1472129383
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Constable (October 10, 2019)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1472129385
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1472129383
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.4 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 1.5 x 9.29 inches
• #6,068 in Rock Band Biographies
• #8,286 in Rock Music (Books)
• #21,947 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies

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Marilyn Monroe's Last Day Revealed in The Fixer: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars, and Marilyn

The new tell-all biography divulges the most shocking findings from detective Fred Otash about Hollywood's biggest stars

Grand Central Publishing ; Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty

The brightest stars of the 1950s — including the likes of Marilyn Monroe , James Dean , the Kennedy brothers, Lana Turner and Judy Garland — often hid the darkest secrets.

Over 60 years later, people continue to question some of the biggest scandals of that decade. What really happened the night of Marilyn Monroe’s death? Did she really have an affair with JFK? Did Lana Turner murder her abusive mafia boyfriend, or was it her daughter, Cheryl? 

Many speculated, but only one man was involved in each and every story. In the new tell-all biography The Fixer: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars, and Marilyn , out now from Grand Central Publishing, police officer and private detective Fred Otash’s most shocking tales are revealed from his never-before-seen investigation files.  

Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty

From murder to theft, deception and heartbreak, here are the biggest bombshells from the new novel about the 1950s Hollywood elite.

Fred Otash once caught James Dean shoplifting

John Kobal Foundation/Hulton Archive/Getty

James Dean was once caught shoplifting at the Hollywood Ranch Market. 

“An unknown 19-year-old James Dean always paid for his food until the day he decided to stash three cans of expensive caviar in his tattered bomber jacket,” Josh Young and Manfred Westphal recall from Otash’s files. 

Otash decided to give the “struggling actor" with "piercing blue eyes” a break, noting that the detective saw something in the young man's one-of-a-kind charm and swagger that he didn’t want to compromise with a petty theft charge. 

“Otash was proud of his young friend and planned to congratulate him in person with a ceremonious tin of Russian caviar, but never got the chance," the author writes. "He was heartsick when he heard the news that Dean, on a day off from shooting Giant with Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson , was killed in a car accident on September 30, 1955. He was only 24.”

Otash was hired to find a missing Marilyn

During the filming of Bus Stop, E. Maurice “Buddy” Adler stopped by Otash’s in a panic, explaining that Marilyn Monroe hadn’t been seen or heard from in 24 hours, not even by her soon-to-be husband, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Arthur Miller . 

“When she was on set, Marilyn’s erratic behavior had already cost Adler too much time and money, and a recent hospitalization while on location in Idaho for nervous tension had pushed the film way over budget," the book details. "Adler said he would have fired her and recast the role if he could, but they were now halfway through the shooting schedule and there was no turning back.”

With the help of a travel agency mole, Otash combed over agency lists and found one “Pearl Baker,” who he discovered was Monroe’s mother's name.

Barging into the room, Ruditsky found that “Marilyn was lying naked on the bed frozen in a fetal position, and there were needles, syringes and other drug paraphernalia strewn about the room. After quickly checking for a pulse and determining she was unconscious, he covered her body with a sheet.”

Monroe was discreetly taken to the hospital for “detoxifying” and returned to set a few days later. When the press asked about her absence, a studio publicist explained that she had relapsed from her earlier hospitalization and "merely needed a few more days’ rest."

He helped Lana Turner and Cheryl Crane deal with the aftermath of murder

Lana Turner first met ex-husband Joseph Stephenson “Steve” Crane at a nightclub three weeks before they married in 1942. By 1944 the duo had a daughter, Cheryl , and divorced. 

A worried Crane came to Otash later on, concerned his ex was putting his daughter in danger by getting involved with mobster and “woman abuser” Johnny Stompanato. At their next meeting, Otash told Crane that, “his intelligence indicated Lana’s lover had untoward designs on his 14-year-old daughter.”

When Turner was filming Another Time, Another Place , in London, rumors began swirling that she was involved with her co-star, Scottish newcomer Sean Connery. Hearing the news, Stompanato showed up unannounced. 

“A former bodybuilder and karate black belt, the future James Bond quickly bent Johnny’s wrist back until the gangster dropped his gun, then he punched him in the face in front of the entire crew,” the book details.

In April of 1958, after Turner confided in her daughter about Stompanato beating her and how she planned to leave him, a heated argument in the bedroom led to the death of Stompanato. “No one will ever know exactly what happened that night...Lana and Cheryl were so well rehearsed that it was almost impossible to believe them.”

Otash’s records show that Lana “pleaded” to take the blame, but her daughter had already confessed to the murder and was “handcuffed and led away to juvenile prison where she would be held without bond until the coroner’s jury inquiry.”

Shortly after, Otash was brought in by Beverly Hills Police Chief Clinton Anderson. “I happen to know that you and Giesler were the first two people on the scene. That you personally removed the knife from Stompanato’s stomach, wiped Lana’s prints off the handle and had Cheryl grip it to make sure it was her prints the police would find there. Then you placed the knife back in Stompanato’s dead body. Now that’s what I know, you lousy two-bit detective,” Anderson said.

Otash responded, “I think you’re fishing...and I’m not biting. So, f— off!” Then he walked out the door.

Otash helped Judy Garland face her drug addiction

In 1949 Judy Garland married her third husband, Sid Luft , and less than four years later, the starlet filed for divorce once again, alleging “mental cruelty and physical abuse, and that Luft had beaten her up and attempted to strangle her on numerous occasions.”

After serving Luft with divorce papers, a restraining order prohibiting him from harassing his wife and legally arranging that he would need an appointment to see their three children, Otash moved in with Garland to look after her, even hiding her stash of drugs and alcohol. 

Garland quickly confronted Otash, who pleaded with the actress to address her addiction. Over the course of a month, Otash and Garland partook in an almost nightly ritual “where Otash would listen patiently as a restless Judy Garland waxed poetically of her remarkable life’s journey with the wit and timing of a seasoned raconteur.” 

In his recounts of those evenings, Otash referred to Garland as “a crazy mixed-up kid inside a woman’s body, scared to death of living while killing herself with self-doubt, booze and those sh—y little pills.”

Otash also wrote about Garland's daughter, Liza Minnelli , “One day, a terribly shy Liza, caught in that awkward stage between little girl and young lady, came out to the back of the house where I was washing my car, and she thanked me for helping her mother.”

Otash obtained tapes confirming JFK’s affair with Marilyn Monroe

In The Fixer , the author also writes about John F. Kennedy ’s brother-in-law Peter Lawford, who Otash referred to as “Jack Kennedy’s sexual archivist."

At the time, Kennedy was using the Lawford family’s house in Santa Monica as a “de facto West Coast office, crash pad and Hollywood hospitality center.” Otash realized the house was already bugged—he assumed by the Nixon administration—so he “picked up the frequency and started recording” in a surveillance car nearby. 

When Otash’s associate John Danoff recorded Kennedy having “sexual congress” with Marilyn Monroe, everything changed.

The duo first met at a L.A. party while Kennedy’s wife, Jackie, was back home in Boston. Their friendship stayed platonic until two years later, when they had an affair at a party hosted at Lawford’s beach house.

Otash would later clarify: “My job was to develop a file that would show Jack Kennedy to have serious moral failings. In other words, they wanted audiotapes of the guy f---ing anyone other than his wife. I could make a file of any other sins I might discover, but adultery was enough to knock him out of the race.”

The night of Marilyn’s death revealed

On the night of August 4, 1962, an intoxicated Lawford stammered into Otash’s home, saying “I think Marilyn is dead.”

Otash, having previously bugged Monroe's home, learned exactly what happened that night. Robert F. Kennedy - who was having an affair with Monroe - reached out to Lawson, asking him to “get her away from the house to your place, to keep her quiet,” so as to not embarrass him. 

After numerous phone calls attempting to reach Kennedy, Lawford convinced the attorney general to fly down from San Francisco and go straight to Monroe’s home. “He f—-d her around eleven o’clock that morning, and then he left,” Otash said in a recording.

The second time he returned, Monroe yelled at Kennedy. “Where were you when I had to get an abortion of your kid, you no-good bastard!” Marilyn screamed as Lawford and Bobby tried to quiet her down. The distraught actress also confronted Kennedy about Frank Sinatra , who was a close friend.

Despite saying “Let’s have dinner later,” Kennedy had no intention of seeing Monroe again. “Peter spirited him back to the area where the helicopter was waiting for him. He would be nowhere near Los Angeles when the news of her death broke,” Otash said. “Bobby Kennedy could have saved her life, as far as I’m concerned.”

Monroe called Lawford twice, then JFK once. Finally, Monroe called Lawford one more time and said, “Say goodbye to Pat. Say goodbye to the president and say goodbye to yourself because you’re a nice guy,” with no mention of Bobby. 

After receiving that call, Lawford hurried over to Monroe’s home. When he realized she was dead, “he started rummaging around, trying to pick all the s–t he could that would implicate anyone.”

Lawford never called the police, and as Otash would later say to friends, “he always knew Lawford was weak, but to do nothing to help a so-called dear friend that might still be alive was beyond imagination.”

While speaking with Otash, Lawford sent Reed Wilson—an undercover associate for the CIA—to remove everything he found in the house and turn it over to Lawford.  While there, Wilson found “a lot” of empty pill bottles. 

Despite helping with the situation as a detective, Otash was saddened by the news of Monroe’s passing. “Otash had known her as a client, a friend, a confidante and most recently, a person of interest. He had busted her, worked for her, counseled her, spied on her, been berated by her, and, through it all, admired her.”

The Fixer: Moguls, Mobsters, Movie Stars, and Marilyn by Josh Young and Manfred Westphal is available now, wherever books are sold.

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Roman Gabriel, Star Quarterback of the 1960s and ’70s, Dies at 83

In 16 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles, he played in four Pro Bowl games and was voted Most Valuable Player in 1969.

By Richard Goldstein

Roman Gabriel, one of the leading pro football passers of his time, who complemented his rocket arm with an imposing physique over 16 seasons beginning in 1962, died on Saturday at his home in Little River, S.C. He was 83.

His death was confirmed by his son, Roman Gabriel III, who did not specify a cause.

Playing for 11 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and five with the Philadelphia Eagles, Gabriel, who stood well over six feet tall and weighed about 235 pounds — hefty for a quarterback in that era — had a build akin to that of many of the linebackers he faced.

He was voted the N.F.L.’s Most Valuable Player when he led the league in touchdown passes, with 24, in a 14-game season with the 1969 Rams.

He was also named the comeback player of the year by pro football writers in 1973, his first season with the Eagles. Coming off knee problems and a sore arm, he led the N.F.L. in touchdown passes (23), completions (270) and passing yardage (3,219) that season.

He played in four Pro Bowl games, three with the Rams in the late 1960s and another with the Eagles in 1973. But he reached the postseason only twice, and his Rams were eliminated in the first round both times.

Roman Ildonzo Gabriel Jr., was born on Aug. 5, 1940, in Wilmington, N.C. His father, a native of the Philippines, a railroad waiter and cook, had settled in North Carolina with his wife, Edna (Wyatt) Gabriel, who was Irish American.

Roman was a standout in football, baseball and basketball in high school and was offered a contract with the Yankees’ organization, but he decided to attend college instead.

Playing from 1959 to 1961 for North Carolina State football teams that emphasized a running attack, he threw for 19 touchdown passes, ran for another 15 and was a two-time all-American.

At a time when the American Football League, embarking on its third season, was competing for college talent with the N.F.L., Gabriel was selected by the Oakland Raiders as the A.F.L.’s overall No. 1 pick in the 1962 draft and chosen by the Rams as the second selection in the N.F.L. draft.

He signed with the Rams. But he started fewer than half their games in his first four seasons, when the team usually went with several other quarterbacks.

Named the Rams’ regular quarterback when George Allen became head coach in 1966, Gabriel took the team to an 8-6 record. It was the Rams’ first winning season since 1958.

“George Allen said, ‘I think you can play.’ He gave me hope,” Gabriel recalled in a 2018 video interview with Phil Boyd on YouTube, “The Book of Roman: The N.F.L.’s Original Gunslinger.’’

“He brought in Ted Marchibroda” — a former pro quarterback who became the Rams’ offensive coach — “and he taught me more about football than anybody else in my career.”

Gabriel had already put himself in prime shape, practicing martial arts and lifting weights.

“The rule prior to that was you don’t want to lift weights because you’re going to get musclebound and lose your flexibility,” Marchibroda, who was later a head coach with the Colts and Ravens, told The New York Times in 2005.

Gabriel threw for 2,779 yards and 25 touchdowns in 1967, when the Rams finished 11-1-2 but lost to the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs. Two years later, while he was en route to his M.V.P. award, his Rams won their first 11 games before losing to the Vikings. They finished at 11-3 but were beaten again in the playoffs, this time by Minnesota.

He was surrounded by players who were stars in their own right, among them the receivers Jack Snow and Bernie Casey ; the running back Dick Bass; the defensive linemen Merlin Olsen , Deacon Jones and Roger Brown; and the linebacker Maxie Baughan .

When Chuck Knox took over as head coach in 1973, the Rams obtained John Hadl from the San Diego Chargers, intending to make him their starting quarterback.

Gabriel asked to be traded. He was sent to an Eagles team that had gone 2-11-1 in 1972 and had a new head coach, Mike McCormack.

“Mike said that with my experience and leadership, he felt with a young football team that I’d feel like Moses,” Gabriel recalled in a 2015 interview for the Eagles’ website. But, he remembered, McCormack added, “We need your leadership and work ethic.”

The Eagles improved to 5-8-1 in 1973, when Gabriel connected with the 6-foot-8 Harold Carmichael, whose 67 receptions led the league; the 6-foot-4 tight end Charle Young, who was voted All-Pro as a rookie; and the 6-foot-3 Don Zimmerman.

The receivers were known as the Fire High Gang because, as the story went, one of them would say “Fire high, baby” when Gabriel called a passing play.

But Gabriel was still struggling with injuries, and the quality of his performance faded. He retired after the 1977 season, having passed for 29,444 yards and 201 touchdowns in his career.

He was later a pro football broadcaster, the head coach at Cal Poly Pomona, and a coach in the United States Football League and the World League of American Football. He was also president of two minor-league baseball teams in North Carolina.

He also dabbled in acting. He played a head hunter in an episode of the sitcom “Gilligan’s Island” and the adopted Native American son of an Army colonel portrayed by John Wayne in the 1969 western “The Undefeated.”

In his later years, Gabriel operated a sports marketing company and raised substantial funds for charities.

He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989 but is not yet in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

In addition to his son Roman III, Gabriel is survived by three other sons, Ram Allen, Rory Jay and Brandon; a daughter, Amber Smigel; and 10 grandchildren. He was married and divorced three times.

Gabriel took pride in mixing it up with defensive players.

Marchibroda remembered that the Rams’ offensive linemen came up to him during one game and said, “Tell Roman not to take on the linebackers when he runs with the football, because we don’t want him to get hurt.”

He added that when he told Gabriel of their fears, Gabriel replied, “Coach, if I don’t run into those guys, I’m not doing my best.”

Emmett Lindner contributed reporting.

Because of an editing error, the headline with an earlier version of this obituary misstated Gabriel’s age. As the obituary correctly states, he was 83, not 84. The earlier version also misspelled the name of the quarterback the Los Angeles Rams obtained from the San Diego Chargers in 1973, prompting Gabriel to ask for a trade. He was John Hadl, not Hadle.

An earlier version of this obituary misspelled the given name of a former tight end who played for the Philadelphia Eagles when Gabriel was with the team. He is Charle Young, not Charles. The earlier version also misidentified the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams whom Chuck Knox replaced in 1973. He was Tommy Prothro, not George Allen.

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