I’m back, well sort of

I know it’s been a while, but I’m still here, just less vocal — which is probably a good thing? Anyway, I had to post this as it’s just weird how things like this happen.

While enjoying a cold barbecue with friends on Friday we started talking about books and how we hadn’t seen any second hand copies by our favourites authors of late. Granted, the odd one or two turns up every now and then, but they are usually books we already own, or in such bad condition that they are only fit for reading in the bath!

Then on Saturday while hunting for bits and bobs for an adventure I am planning (more on this soon), I happened to stumble upon a book by Mick Farren, which as you can guess, is one of my favourite authors! The book in question turns out to be Gene Vincent, a book I had been looking for for a while, so not only had I proved our BBQ conversation wrong, I had also found a little gem.

The book is currently on back-order on Amazon, but the synopsis is spot on:

There’s one in every town: Gene Vincent was the original and legendary black-leather bad-boy of rock ‘n’ roll. His records were banned and censored, his live shows incited riots, he wrecked hotel rooms while Keith Moon was still a schoolboy, his private life was a combat zone of booze, pills, guns, and women, and he ultimately died for the bluejean bop. Without him there would have been no Jim Morrison, no Sid, no Marilyn Manson, and even Elvis would have struggled. And that’s why Gene Vincent is still remembered and celebrated thirty years after he should have been dead and gone.