Customer Reviews

Magic Carpet Ride: The Autobiography of John Kay and Steppenwolf

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a must for die-hard Steppenwolf fans and I've been one since 1968 when my brother and I got their first album. This is an excellent book with no holds barred. John Kay and Einarsson has written a great book. There has been so much talk about the
legal battles after the bogus band appeared and wrecked the name of Steppenwolf in the eighties, but John Kay is frank and let all living past members come forward and tell their version.
Kay isn't holding things back from his personal life as well which makes it very interesting, especially when you know about his background. I've been fortunate enough to travel with the band on several tours in Germany, Denmark and Sweden and has always found John Kay and his fellow bandmenbers Michael Wilk, Ron Hurst and Danny Johnson and their crew to be nicest of
people. I only have one complaint about the book: It's too short!

i really enjoyed this book.it told me many things i never knew about john kay,like the fact that he has never ridden a motorcycle because he is legally blind...yes it is written from his perspective but his version is a very important one.this book was an easy read and it kept me interested in it through out the whole thing.as a follow up to the book i watched the vh1
behind the music about steppenwolf which confirmed most of the things in the book..in my opinion i do think john should forgive the other guys or at least come to peace with it and them .we all do a lot of dumb things in life thats why we need friends to help us get back up again.i hope the wolf continues to rock much longer!its never too late to start all over again.

This is an excellent read. I've learned so much from this book about Steppenwolf that I wanted to know. Although it's written in John Kay's perspective, the book contains several quotes from former members and friends. It's well written and an easy read. I couldn't put it down.

I have just read this book and found it fascinating reading, but then I'm a big Steppenwolf fan, go figure :) The writing isn't as good as it could have been but if you're at all interested in Steppenwolf or Sixties rock in general, it's a book you will not be able to put down. Includes anecdotes of John Kay's encounters with quite a large number of other struggling rockers who would also later find success.

This book sould be a movie,but a movie would take away from almost being there with John doin it. Make the best of what you got.

John Kay is the type of person whom we can all admire..His oddesy began in the scrap heap of post war Germany at his birth and lead through many twists of fate and planning to great wealth and fame as a trailblazing rock icon, only to see his integrity jeopardized by money seeking former band members trying to cash in on his good name.John rolled up his sleeves and got back the respectability that he deserves. John kay had a front row center seat during the most creative period of rock music. His vignettes about toking with Jimi Hendrix, sharing a bill with the Doors and life behind the scenes of the Ed Sullivan shows were fascinating..In the end the biography is about a man who has walked the walk, taken some tremendous hits but who has never given up or given in. Anyone interested in this golden age of music will read this book in 1 sitting...

First of all, as a disclaimer, I'm an avid Steppenwolf fan who probably would've bought this book no matter what. Having said that, "Magic Carpet Ride" is a rarity among rock music books-it's humorous, insightful, and well-written.

Some of my favorite parts were where Kay's path crosses that of other future rock stars, especially a funny scene with David Crosby who objects to the loud sound of Kay's espresso machine which Kay operated during Crosby's set at a small club where Kay once worked.

Being a big fan of Steppenwolf over the years and seeing them in concert I wanted to know more about the band, the background, how the music came together and more about John Kay. I've always liked John Kay quite a bit and found this book very interesting. John Kay tells a very honest, sincere and humble story about his upbringing and coming to the states. What I liked as well is that he could talk about his successes and also his failures in trying to find himself musically in the 50's and 60's. He always explained his actions, reactions and how things came together eventually for Steppenwolf. I also enjoyed how the book also took people from the time period and had their commentary in it as well which I thought brought multiple sides to the story John was telling. As Steppenwolf comes to fruition in the book, John carefully explains the life of the band and how it grew and eventually faded into obscurity. Towards the end of the book, John talks about revitalizing the name of Steppenwolf after four years of impostors and crooks that were trying to profit from the name and legend.

As a fan, this is the closest book to learning about the origins of Steppenwolf and also a lot about the personal life of John Kay that will be found until something else comes out. John Kay and Steppenwolf continue to tour to this day across the country and fans are fortunate they still go out and play those great songs. Thanks to John Kay the Steppenwolf legend continues to live on.

It is amazing how the changes into his life still let him write some of the best songs so many of us still enjoy. Very good book.

I knew these guys and EVERYONE in the band contributed to their success. This book is a piece of John Kay self serving fantasy. When John left the band in the late 70's to persue a solo career he tried, unsuccessfully at that time, to block the other members from performing under the name Steppenwolf. Why? They worked just as hard to make the band a success. They wrote many of the hits John takes credit for in his book and they contributed just as much to Steppenwolf's sound and unique style. When performing during this period the band was every bit as good without him as they ever were with him. Only when he realized that there were fans ($$) still out there and that there was still money to be made from the Steppenwolf name did he re-associate himself with the band. Nick St. Nicolas, Goldy McJohn et-al NEVER broke the faith with their thousands of loyal fans. Just recently Nick won a long legal battle over song rights unjustly clamed by John. John Kay is, and will always remain, his own biggest fan. This book is nothing more than a monument to a monumental ego.