I'm in the research stage for a script and want to read a few biographies and memoirs of rock stars. I'm looking for ideas, anecdotes and a glimpse into the rock star lifestyle. I reached out to my Facebook and Twitter friends and asked what they thought were the best books in this category and I got a number of great responses.
For anyone needing to do similar research, or if you're just interested in something new to read, here are the rock bios my friends gave two metal horns up. \m/
Lists number of votes received if more than one:
- Life by Keith Richards, James Fox (3)
- The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star by Nikki Sixx (2)
- Just Kids by Patti Smith (2)
- No One Here Gets Out Alive by Jerry Hopkins, Danny Sugerman (2)
- Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, Larry Soloman (2)
- Broken Music: A Memoir by Sting
- Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana by Michael Azerrad
- Hammer of the Gods by Stephen Davis
- Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain by Charles R. Cross
- His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra by Kitty Kelley
- Lester Bangs articles - rather than linking to individual articles, here's his Wiki page and a short piece about him from The New Yorker. If he sounds like someone you want to read... Google him!
- Motley Crüe: The Dirt - Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee, Vince Neil, Mick Mars, Nikki Sixx, Neil Strauss
- Mustaine: A Life in Metal by Dave Mustaine with Joe Layden
- Slash by Slash, Anthony Bozza
- Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis and Joy Division by Deborah Curtis
- Up and Down with the Rolling Stones: My Rollercoaster Ride with Keith Richards by Tony Sanchez
- When Giants Walked the Earth by Mick Wall
Right out of the gate, I want to read Just Kids, No One Here Gets Out Alive, and Motley Crüe: The Dirt - Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band (because who in their right mind could resist that title). I'm also pretty fascinated by Touching from a Distance because I'd never heard of Joy Division and the person who recommended that book is hella cool.
Thank you to everyone who contributed their ideas to this list. If you have other suggestions, please add them to the comments below. Thanks!
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Please note: I provided links for each title so you could get more information. I tried to link to the least expensive version of the book wherever possible, which in most cases was the Kindle version. If you buy a book through one of these links, please be sure to double-check the version you're buying (e.g. Kindle vs Paperback) to be sure you get the one you want. Happy reading!