Grumpy Old Rock Star [Paperback]

Rick Wakeman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2009

Around about August 1948, Mr and Mrs Cyril Wakeman had an early night and some time later, at Perivale in Middlesex, Mrs Wakeman produced a bonny baby son. They named him Richard, but he quickly became known as Rick. Rick was a likeable little fellow who had a talent for the piano and for making trouble. Music became Rick's life - he joined a popular music group called Yes and became a legend. Much later he became a Grumpy Old Man who appears on Countdown, hosts a hugely popular radio show on Planet Rock and performs a one-man show telling stories about his rather extraordinary life.Which is where this book you are holding comes in. Mr Wakeman is simply one of the great storytellers of our age - let's face it, he has some fabulous material. It seemed a shame that some of the funniest yarns should not be more widely known. So he accepted some cash and here we are. Curl up by the fire with a Grumpy Old Rock Star and your nearest and dearest. We defy you not to want to read it aloud and laugh.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rick Wakeman is the most gifted keyboard player of his generation, as at home on stage at a rock concert as in the organ loft of a great cathedral. As keyboard player for the 70s supergroup Yes his extraordinary live tours and multi-million-selling albums are legendary. He has also appeared on Top Gear achieving a lamentable lap time of 1.55.26.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Preface Publishing (May 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1848090056
• ISBN-13: 978-1848090057
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #724,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Snapshots from a life lived largely in excess, September 5, 2010

By 

B. I SIMPSON "beckoningchasm" (Asheville, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Grumpy Old Rock Star (Kindle Edition)

I was most familiar with Rick Wakeman from his various tenures in Yes; he was the keyboard wizard whose hands flew impossibly fast over the ivories. He's also done a number of solo albums, some of which sold in the millions during the 1970's, and I'd heard some of those, as well as his work as a session musician (particularly for David Bowie).

So I wasn't sure what I was going to get when I bought this book on impulse. Well, it's largely memoir (though it's not at all chronological) with several stories of growing up as a music-mad youth, lots of rock-star excess, troubles with touring in various countries, and the assorted aside dealing with the serious. You don't find out much about the making of the many classic albums in which he participated, though you do get some nice portraits of the other musicians. (No mention of Lisztomania either!)

What the book really is mostly, though, is utterly hilarious. I laughed out loud at numerous points, far too many to recount here. If you've any interest in Mr. Wakeman's music, this will illuminate it from another side.

There's a mention of one gig where the power failed, and Mr. Wakeman took it upon himself to tell jokes to the audience for forty-five minutes until it was restored (though this story has a punchline of its own). I can well believe he had the audience eating out of his hand.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious read!, May 15, 2011

By 

Alex - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Grumpy Old Rock Star (Paperback)

Never let it be said that this book is particularly engrossing, intelligent or even long. Its a series of short (presumably true) stories in the life of keyboard extraordinaire, Rick Wakeman. And it was hilarious, probably one of the funniest books I've read since I started reading the books Jeremy Clarkson put out. As a big Yes/Rick Wakeman fan, I enjoyed the quirky take on the life as a 70s touring guy. But even if you're not a fan of that whole scene, you'll still probably get a good laugh out of it. If I had to give it some criticism...I'd say it could have been longer, possibly combining the two books (2nd one I ordered after reading the 1st one) into one larger book. I give it 4 stars

5.0 out of 5 stars Great birthday gift for a friend, August 26, 2011

By 

Kerry G. Davids (Miami, FL USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Grumpy Old Rock Star (Paperback)

I ordered both of Rick Wakeman's "Grumpy Old Rock Star" books for a friend who is also a fan of Rick Wakeman. He wrote that the really liked the books and RW is a great story-teller. There were times that he burst out laughing during the train commute and people were trying to figure out what was so funny.