Customer Reviews

Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star: Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople

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"Diary" stands head-and-shoulders above every other rock music book for several reasons. It's not ghost-written, and you can tell -- the rhythms of speech will be familiar to fans of Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople. It's remarkably free of false glamour -- it's full of cancelled shows, travel hassels, hangovers, digestion problems -- as well as the magic moments that make rock'n'roll worthwhile. It also doesn't seem to have been edited very much, which gives it a very loose, conversational feel -- you're sitting with Ian at the bar, both of you more than half drunk, and he's just telling you about the tour, y'know? And advice to touring musicians that's still good today in the bargain. There's no ghost of political correctness informing the writing, though (the book was originally published in '74) and while i thought it was a blast, i suppose some people might be offended.

When this Book was published in 1976 it was Titled: "Reflections of a Rock Star." It cost a Whopping $3.99 and was printed by Flash Books. I was offered $120.00 for my copy by a Bookseller in San Francicso in 1998 and I promptly turned him down.

This 104 Page Book, documents Mott The Hoople's, First Tour of America as Headliners. It begins in England, on Tuesday Nov 21 and runs through to Dec 24 on the Plane that returned the band back to the UK.

Out of Several hundred Books I have read on Rock N' Roll, this would easily be in my Top-Ten of the Best Books on this Subject. Ian writes an honest account of the Tour, the Good as well as the Bad. A night in LA with Keith Moon & Frank Zappa. Hitting the pawn Shops for Guitars. Ian's, famous attempt to see Elvis (by Sneaking past the gates, all the way to the back door) and being told that Elvis was too tired to entertain guests by his Maid.

The Gigs [Good & Bad) are discussed, as are Bad Hotels/Motels. Too many hours in Airports (Mick Ralphs, had a Horrible fear of Flying}. And rare insight on Mott and many other Bands of this: "The All The Young Dudes" Tour. This is a rare peek into Their World, from their point-of-View.

Lot's of great photos are contained herein, and it's a great read with fantastic visuals. If I had One Wish, it would be that this Book SHOULD be longer, or the First of Many Volumes by Ian Hunter.

This is one of the finest Books on Rock ever. I have no plans to sell my Copy....FIVE STARS !!!

This isn't the usual tale of sex and drugs and rock `n' roll. Sex is singularly lacking and drugs aren't really Mott's cup of tea. What they are passionate about is rock and roll and it is this passion plus the integrity of Ian Hunter's thoughts and jottings on a 1972 US tour that make this such a good read.

With Mott just about to make it big with `All The Young Dudes', this is a warm and amusing glimpse of a band on the road. Follow the fortunes of Ian Hunter's splitting velvet loons, his weight concerns, and the band's insatiable desire to seek out pawn shops in the quest for a vintage Gibson amp or Epiphone guitar.

A fledging rock scene is sketched, hurriedly put together concerts, no soundchecks and a gallery of 1972 rock stars ... Roxy Music, David Bowie, Jethro Tull ... A snapshot of an era when the music did the talking. Read and enjoy.

Ian Hunter proves himself to be one of the most articulate and intelligent personalities in rock in this diary of Mott's late '72 US tour in support of their All The Young Dudes album. It is a humble, egoless tale of the steps and stumbles of a band trying to break into the American market, lovingly and honestly told through the eyes of a young aspiring band leader. Refreshingly free of the self-cogradulatory tone of most autobiographies and the slathering praise of too many band books by fan-...-journalists, this modest (read: short) work starts and ends with the reader inside the day-to-day workings of a mid-level journeyman band, warts and all. Best of all (or, worst of all, depending upon your point of view), this isn't so much a book about Mott The Hoople and their music as it is a look at the human realities of what life on the road was like for the guys in the band, or most bands like them at that time. It captures perfectly the tone of the time and the atmosphere prevailing in the early '70's. It strips away the facades and breathes life into the rigors, rewards and frustrations of chasing the musical Holy Grail. I first bought this book in London in 1975, and have read and re-read it more times than I can remember. Raw, spontanious and unpretentious, it is funny, sad, touching and rewarding, especially with the hindsight of the band's history immediately after the end of the book. A must read for any music fan, and essential for any one who wishes to understand the period when the music became secondary to the business concerns. I love this book.

An unpretentious true 'diary' from 70's British glam rocker ( for want of a better description ), Ian Hunter of "Mott The Hoople" during his band's successful 1972 tour of the States. He reveals a historically fascinating 'behind the scenes' look at the rock and roll concert circuit of the early '70s, where in Hunter's humble view, sex, drugs, and rock and roll take a back seat to wry observations on American life, a compassion for music, and a compulsion for old guitars found in American junk shops. The reader goes along for the ride as Hunter and the rest of 'Mott The Hoople' tramp across America like kids in an amusement park. Personal revelations and run-ins with a host of rock and roll celebritys give this book an insider's edge and there is a rewarding final entry which finds Hunter questionably inside the high security gates of Elvis Presly's mansion, creeping about like the obsessed fan he reveals himself to be.

I bought this book when it came out back in 1974, when I was in 10th grade, and was just captivated by Hunter's backstage and onstage tales of an often turbulent band that always seemed to fall just short of superstardom (at least in America). Of course I may not be the most objective person to recommend this tome. I've always worshipped both Ian Hunter and Mott The Hoople to such a degree that if they reunited and recorded a cover album of Alannis Morrisette songs, I'd probably buy it. A near-perfect trip back in time to an era when you wouldn't find a bunch of musicians sitting around discussing the artistic merits of their latest video.

It's 1972. David Bowie pens 'All The Young Dudes' for Mott The Hoople, a British band on the verge of splitting up. The single becomes an enormous hit. Before embarking on a US tour that same year, Ian Hunter (Mott's lead vocalist) decides to keep a journal. The odyssey begins with him cleaning up after the cat and swilling a bottle of Medoc in preparation for his transatlantic flight to the USA. Over the next five weeks, he fends off the unwanted advances of groupies, hangs out with Zappa, Bowie and Keith Moon, searches pawn-shops for vintage guitars, and breaks into Graceland in hopes of meeting THE KING.

As Ian Hunter explains in his introduction, Diary was not "meant to have any literary merit, nor be a journalist's delight," rather it's intended as "a letter to a fan in the front row at the Rainbow...a buzz for the people who dig us." Diary is one of the most entertaining, candid insights into the rock'n'roll world you will ever read. Hunter comes off as neither world-weary, pretentious nor self-serving. Highly recommended for anyone who loves rock'n'roll, not just Mott fans.

A slight but engaging snapshot of a time and situation: being in a struggling British journeyman rock band touring the States in the early 70s. The details concerning pretour pet care, bandmate flying phobia and pawnshop adventuring give us the real behind-the-scenes of life in a working rock band. So now we know what Hunter meant when he sang "It's a mighty long way down rock'n'roll". Some not very pc nomenclature may snap your head back once in a while, but it's an historical document of another time, another place, worth visiting for anyone interested in the rock'n'roll life.

I was blessed to meet Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson in the early 80's, when this book was out of print. I said to Ian, "I haven't been able to find your diary yet."
And he said, totally dead pan, "I didn't know I'd lost it." Man, he was cool in his nasty way, and fun to hang out with. Kind of like this book. A classic!

If you're looking for a great lierary work, Ian Hunter won't impress you. If you want to read a documentation of the early 70's world of Rock, this is right out of the trenches. What struck me early on was how grounded Hunter seems to be, or at least what he strives for. He's a rock star for 2 hours a day, then spends the rest of the time wondering if the light bill is paid at home, and if his car's been fixed properly. Like a pro athlete, you go at a music career like you know it's going to end. Hunter sees it coming, and was probably not surprised by the breakup of the band a couple years later. If Mott the Hoople's music was ever important to you, then get the book. It's like seeing an old friend again.