The veteran rocker’s memoirs took seven years to write, and he’s clearly dug deep; alongside the story of his triumphant musical career, the book contains the uncomfortable details of childhood as a grandmother-spoiled boy, depression, bereavements and relationship blunders.
We already know from his songs that he’s smart and impassioned, a poet of small town lives and loves, and a fierce critic of the failures of the American dream.
That largely holds true for his prose too, though occasionally the manner which might work wonderfully for an on-stage anecdote can feel forced or repetitive on the page.
Still, on the whole, this is a fascinating, funny portrait of an avoidant, indecisive control freak who’s been hooked since age 7 on the sacred power of rock’n’roll, and has done more than his fair share to keep that great tradition alive.
It may not make converts, but is essential reading for fans.
