Customer Reviews

A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon

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A Devil On One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other is a fantastic read. Greg Prato has documented the complete story of one of most underrated bands to ever be labeled a "one hit wonder".

Whether you're a hardcore "Melonhead" or a casual fan of music/rock biographies, the story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon, as captured here, is fascinating.

From Shannon's mother, Nel Hoon to Alice In Chains Jerry Cantrell to Guns N Roses/Velvet Revolver's Duff McKagan (and everyone else in between), the cast of characters paints a vivid picture of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon.

This is a hard book to put down once picked up. I don't think I even blinked during the chapters entitled; October, 21 1995 and Aftermath. I highly recommend this book.

I opened this book and couldn't put it down until I finished it. It truly does tell the story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon, and tells it in the best possibly way; from the mouths of the people that lived it. The story is told in a series of quotes from band members, record company people, family and friends obtained through interviews by the author. And in the case of Hoon, the quotes were taken from published interviews from the 90's. There could no be no purer way for this story to be told. The interviewees were candid and open; they seemed to hold nothing back. Their words and stories spoke so clearly of those times and what Shannon Hoon meant to them that I truly felt that I got to know him and his tendencies through this book. I felt as if I truly had spent those hours not reading a book, but spending time with these people and their friend Shannon. Which made for emotional results even though I knew the end to this story. When the fateful end of Shannon Hoon's life came in this book I immediately felt the loss of him. My heart broke, and I missed him. Just from reading a book 13 and a half years after the event. I do not have the book in front of me as I review it, but someone in there said something along the lines of "everyone who met him thought Shannon was their best friend" and it was easy to see that.

As Shannon Hoon had the most powerful personality of the subjects in the book, and people seemed to speak most about their relationship with him, it is easy to focus on him. But through the honesty of Rogers Stevens, Christopher Thorn, Brad Smith, and Glen Graham you felt closer to them as well. They give valuable details of life in the band Blind Melon, everything from stories from the road to recollections of recording and some song meanings. A casual rock and roll fan will see from this book that Blind Melon was a band, and not just Shannon Hoon.

Your heart really goes out to the people that were close to Shannon Hoon. People whose lives were touched very deeply for knowing him, and who had to deal with the pain of losing him. I extend gratitude to those willing to speak about those times for this project, and credit to the author for the Shannon Hoon quotes he chose to give the singer's perspective of that time in his life with his band. Strongest recommendation for anyone that is a fan of 90's music, and this is a flat out must read for any Blind Melon fan.

A book that relays the story of Shannon and Blind Melon is long overdue. Throughout the years all that we have gotten to detail the story behind one of the most underrated and under appreciated bands of 90's was a short Documentary entitled "Letter From a Porcupine", and a less telling Behind the Music, which almost seemed to have a negative slant on the story focusing little on the bands rise and more on Shannon's trouble's with addiction. Greg Prato nailed it with this book. He maintains a nice balance between the good times and the bad times. The First half of the book details how BM came to be. It starts of as a humorous tale of five friends trying to make it as a band. From their humble beginnings in their home towns, to the fateful moment when they all finally came together. This book is full of stories and quotes that have never been seen before, including a few quotes from Shannon from past interviews. The quotes really give you the feeling that these guys were a close knit family. The quotes Greg compiled in this first part are some of my favorites. It's full of humorous and sometimes touching stories, showing just how fun Shannon and the guys were to be around and how much Shannon cared for everyone he met.
Towards the end the book, however the tone changes. You really get a feel for the pain everyone went through, trying to make it as a band while still trying to keep everyone healthy and happy. The quotes presented in the closing chapters of this book are amazing. It really shows how much of an imapact Shannon left on everyone he met.

If you are a fan of Blind Melon and Shannon this is a must buy. Every story, and quote comes straight from the source and is written in interview fashion, showing only what those closest to the band had to say . If you ever wanted to get up close and personal with Shannon, Christopher, Brad, Rogers and Glenn this is your book. And I really mean this last bit. This is our book. Greg wrote this for the fans and it shows that Greg is one of us.

I lived the rise and fall of Blind MElon in the 90's, I was in my teens then. Discovering this book and reading it has taken me back to that beautiful time. The book made me rush to the CD collection and listen again to all the Blind Melon production. As I was listening to the songs of the band while reading the book, I got an impressive sensation of one of the best bands I've ever known. Thanks to Greg Prato for such an incredible work. Today I got my copy of "Grunge is dead", I hope it will also be a good book. Greetings from Catalonia!

I was always upset with how a great band like Blind Melon was so quickly pushed off the music radar after Shannon died. I honestly never thought the fans would ever get such a thorough account of their journey. I hope Greg Prato realizes what a great gift he gave the people who really loved and were affected by this band. This book is a must for any Blind Melon fan.

Blind Melon, even 15 years after the death of their original singer Shannon Hoon, are absolutely still, one of my favorite bands of all time. Unfortunately with being a fan and not a close friend, I only knew them through their music and what I saw on tv, in magazines, etc. which was very limited and repetitive at best.

That is until now. Greg Prato has poured his heart and soul into creating a piece of well documented rock and roll history for which myself and thousands of fans around the world are eternally grateful.

On a closing personal note, after reading this book I will never listen to Blind Melon's Sophomore effort, "Soup" again without understanding or feeling all the love, pain, beauty and tragedy that marked this special time in music and I have Greg to thank for this.

I am up to page 80 and I look forward to every time I get to read it. (The way it was written in blurbs of the different friends of Shannon makes it great for the short trips on the NYC subway. It has been very healing to read, as it has been such a while since Shannon's tragic death, and I feel the sad reality of it sometimes when I listen to Blind Melon's music. As a drug addict in recovery, myself it is also useful. You're hearing it from the horses' mouths reading everyone's personal experiences with Blind Melon, from how, when and why the band formed, to Axl Rose's part in their success, to Shannon's death, to the new lead singer. Greg Prato makes it easy to know who everyone is with the 'Cast of Characters' in the front of the book. I find myself laughing at all of Shannon's hilarious antics out loud. One of my favorite's is when Shannon wrote a song to apologize to Heather Thorn, the guitarist Chris Thorns wife, for kicking their door in to get his dog when they took the dog hostage for Shannon being a so wasted that night. The lyric's went "I'll leave farts that don't stink if you'll forgive me". I love this band 501 times more since I started reading this. Melonhead's unite!! Enjoy this gift. I love and miss you, Shannon!

Buy this book even if you just sort of remember Blind Melon for "No Rain" or even if you're a huge fan as I am. It's a great read, interesting, and a very complete document of the band, the singer, and everything else. Also, the author Greg P is a cool guy, email him and tell him what you think of the book when you're done reading it. Homeboy will email you back!

So buy this book its a excellent read even if you don't know anything about Blind Melon or like me gave the a demo tape circa 93. Thanks!

In the early 90's, I had the pleasure of being a part of the Blind Melon extended "family". Let me say that it was a wild roller coaster ride that was captured realistically and authentically in Gregs book. I was personally there for many of the exploits and adventures (good and bad) that were written about and, thanks to Greg, was able to relive and in some cases remember those events. Greg captured the soul of a truly troubled artist with honesty and integrity never turning away from the sometimes harsh character traits that were Shannon. Those that really knew him both loved and hated him at times. If you want to know...really KNOW what it was like to be there, you need to go no further than turning the page. Bravo Greg.

A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon is an excellent read for both the old fan and new comer to the band. I have been waiting for this book for 15 years since the day that Shannon Hoon sadly passed away. Author, Greg Prato, has a knack of telling the story in the words and context of those who lived with Shannon Hoon. The ultimate sadness is that he couldn't protect himself from himself. What an amazing talent the world lost on October 21, 1995. The follow-up to the first album, Soup, remains one of the greatest undiscovered works of art in all of rock history. Greg Prato tells the story of how the making of this masterpiece unraveled Shannon Hoon and ultimately killed the band altogether. A great read!