An enjoyable rollercoaster journey through a career in music journalism and broadcasting, with a focus on helping to promote Scottish bands and his friendship with some of the biggest names in music. Billy Sloan, after telling us that he was accidentally a member of Coldplay for 24 hours, describes how he became obsessed with music, which was fuelled by seeing The Who in Glasgow when he was 15. He focuses on how he eventually managed to get into music journalism, after joining a local paper. He was able to champion new bands such as Simple Minds (the foreword to this book is by frontman Jim Kerr) and use his friendships with musicians to help organise charity concerts. With evident glee, Billy tells us about some of his best, worst and most memorable interviews. Some were rather surreal, such as Grace Jones in the bath, or Paolo Nutini at the White House. It was interesting to hear his perspective on what it’s like to interview the super-famous, including Paul McCartney, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner and many more. He ended the book where he started, with his temporary membership of Coldplay! Generally I really liked this book, although a chapter was devoted to U2, whom I have nothing against but I just don’t like their music and have no interest in them. The use of their lyrics for the title of this book was a good choice, however.
If you want a book about music which is entertaining and a bit gossipy, this one is ideal. If you’re looking for a book about Scottish bands particularly, or the promotion of non-Scottish bands in Scotland, then it’s a must-read.
Published by Black & White, 2023.
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This sounds like a terrific read. I especially want to learn more about the author’s temporary membership in Coldplay!
It was very good! Actually he wasn’t really one of the band, it was an error in the media but it’s an intriguing opener.