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Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star
The original version of Ian Hunter’s Diary of a Rock ’n' Roll Star was a five week tour diary of Mott The Hoople’s US tour in November and December 1972. Published in June 1974, the book became a cult classic that set the gold standard for rock writing.
This updated version, published on 27 September 2018 by Omnibus Press, contains bonus content from Hunter in the form of a Japanese diary, a new three page foreword from diehard Ian Hunter fan Johnny Depp, exclusive new photos, and an introduction to writing the diary by official biographer Campbell Devine.
A brutally honest chronicle of touring life in the 1970s, in 1996 Q magazine declared Diary of a Rock ’n' Roll Star as ‘the best rock book ever’. The Guardian has since described it as ‘an enduring crystallisation of the rock musician’s lot, and a quietly glorious period piece’.
This updated version, published on 27 September 2018 by Omnibus Press, contains bonus content from Hunter in the form of a Japanese diary, a new three page foreword from diehard Ian Hunter fan Johnny Depp, exclusive new photos, and an introduction to writing the diary by official biographer Campbell Devine.
A brutally honest chronicle of touring life in the 1970s, in 1996 Q magazine declared Diary of a Rock ’n' Roll Star as ‘the best rock book ever’. The Guardian has since described it as ‘an enduring crystallisation of the rock musician’s lot, and a quietly glorious period piece’.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 1974
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632 people want to read
About the author
Ian Hunter
3 books8 followersIan Hunter Patterson (better known as Ian Hunter) is an English singer-songwriter who is best known as the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hun...
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Hun...
Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
September 24, 2025
‘I mean I want to be a star, but I keep thinking we’re just ordinary blokes and we don’t have the killer instinct. I can’t keep myself composed continually like Bowie does. It’s like keeping your stomach in - mine flops out occasionally’.
Ian Hunter, Diary of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
On the eve of a 1972 American tour with his band Mott the Hoople, lead singer Ian Hunter mops up the cat shit from the kitchen floor of his Wembley flat, pays his electricity bill having received a final demand, sends advanced rent to his landlord, and makes arrangements to have his Ford Anglia repaired having recently bashed it in an accident. It’s a suitably unglamorous prelude to his warts and all diary account of the tour itself. Hunter was thirty-three at the time and he wasn’t really a star; the title, to his considerable embarrassment, was insisted on by the publisher. He had been in the music business as long as the superstar likes of Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger and was older than both of them but still, as he says in the book, ‘forever on the way up’.
Mott the Hoople released their first album in 1969. In a rock scene which was becoming increasingly removed from its audience they quickly established a reputation as a hard gigging and down to earth people’s band. They numbered the young Mick Jones, later of punk band the Clash, among their fans. Commercial success, however, eluded them. Having come very close to breaking up earlier in 1972, following a gig in a converted gas holder in Switzerland, they were rescued from the precipice by superfan David Bowie, whose song All the Young Dudes finally gave them their first hit record. Hunter sensed that he was at last on the threshold of greater things, maybe even big success in the States, but as a seasoned journeyman he had no illusions about the wonderful business they call Show: ‘It may look flashy, but it’s over and you are finished before you know it - if you aren’t already broken by one thing it will be another. (…) If this sounds like self-pity, it’s not meant to - you have to be realistic, and the rock business is a dirty business full stop.’
There’s no sex or drugs here and not much rock ‘n’ roll as Hunter doesn’t write a great deal about the actual performances. Groupies haunt every hotel lobby but Hunter, who has recently got married, isn’t playing. His idea of fun in his downtime is to prowl around pawn shops with the band, often located in distinctly dodgy areas of the cities they visit, in search of guitars which can be sold at a profit back in London. It’s obvious that the group are strapped for cash. Just before their final gig in Memphis they have belongings and $270 stolen. Hunter has to borrow money to buy a Christmas present for his wife. There are constant arguments with promoters about billing - Mott are usually playing on bills with several other bands - and eventually the band start cancelling gigs when the promoters fail to meet their obligations, which puts them further out of pocket.
Hunter is also having serious digestive problems and spends a great deal of time squatting on the loo. Worried about his weight he doesn’t eat for three days and then nullifies the effort by overdoing the Budweiser. As the tour grinds on tiredness begins to take over, he finds that he wears his ‘underpants another day longer’ and is unsure if he is wearing clean socks or recycled dirty ones, he is increasingly short-tempered, has a row with guitarist Mick Ralphs, and gets into a slanging match with an officious air hostess. The book is full of the tedium and petty frustrations of life on the road, endless internal flights and hotel rooms, but Hunter’s excitement at being in America, home of the music he loves, is palpable nonetheless. Despite the often tedious reality of touring he remains enthralled by the rock ‘n’ roll myth and lives for that hour or two onstage each night when he connects with an enthusiastic audience. After all the tribulations, Diary ends on a high note with a triumphant gig in Memphis. Hunter’s ecstasy is unmistakable: ‘The gig was TREMENDOUS. We went down a storm; 3,700 people, and Joe Walsh went mad with us on the encores. (…) The crowd were up all the way through and I can hardly write for the excitement’.
This is an unremittingly honest frontline account from the classic era of rock which vividly evokes the early ‘70s; a time when everyone smoked everywhere and air travel still seemed exciting. Hunter writes from the heart in excellent conversational prose and conveys the mundane reality of a rock musician’s life while still somehow making it sound irresistibly romantic and seductive. While reading listen to All the Young Dudes, All the Way From Memphis, The Golden Age of Rock & Roll, Hymn for the Dudes, Roll Away the Stone, Marionette, Honaloochie Boogie, The Ballad of Mott the Hoople, Saturday Gigs: timeless rock ‘n’ roll anthems with witty lyrics which, just like the book, simultaneously demystify and mythologise the rock lifestyle.
Ian Hunter, Diary of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
On the eve of a 1972 American tour with his band Mott the Hoople, lead singer Ian Hunter mops up the cat shit from the kitchen floor of his Wembley flat, pays his electricity bill having received a final demand, sends advanced rent to his landlord, and makes arrangements to have his Ford Anglia repaired having recently bashed it in an accident. It’s a suitably unglamorous prelude to his warts and all diary account of the tour itself. Hunter was thirty-three at the time and he wasn’t really a star; the title, to his considerable embarrassment, was insisted on by the publisher. He had been in the music business as long as the superstar likes of Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger and was older than both of them but still, as he says in the book, ‘forever on the way up’.
Mott the Hoople released their first album in 1969. In a rock scene which was becoming increasingly removed from its audience they quickly established a reputation as a hard gigging and down to earth people’s band. They numbered the young Mick Jones, later of punk band the Clash, among their fans. Commercial success, however, eluded them. Having come very close to breaking up earlier in 1972, following a gig in a converted gas holder in Switzerland, they were rescued from the precipice by superfan David Bowie, whose song All the Young Dudes finally gave them their first hit record. Hunter sensed that he was at last on the threshold of greater things, maybe even big success in the States, but as a seasoned journeyman he had no illusions about the wonderful business they call Show: ‘It may look flashy, but it’s over and you are finished before you know it - if you aren’t already broken by one thing it will be another. (…) If this sounds like self-pity, it’s not meant to - you have to be realistic, and the rock business is a dirty business full stop.’
There’s no sex or drugs here and not much rock ‘n’ roll as Hunter doesn’t write a great deal about the actual performances. Groupies haunt every hotel lobby but Hunter, who has recently got married, isn’t playing. His idea of fun in his downtime is to prowl around pawn shops with the band, often located in distinctly dodgy areas of the cities they visit, in search of guitars which can be sold at a profit back in London. It’s obvious that the group are strapped for cash. Just before their final gig in Memphis they have belongings and $270 stolen. Hunter has to borrow money to buy a Christmas present for his wife. There are constant arguments with promoters about billing - Mott are usually playing on bills with several other bands - and eventually the band start cancelling gigs when the promoters fail to meet their obligations, which puts them further out of pocket.
Hunter is also having serious digestive problems and spends a great deal of time squatting on the loo. Worried about his weight he doesn’t eat for three days and then nullifies the effort by overdoing the Budweiser. As the tour grinds on tiredness begins to take over, he finds that he wears his ‘underpants another day longer’ and is unsure if he is wearing clean socks or recycled dirty ones, he is increasingly short-tempered, has a row with guitarist Mick Ralphs, and gets into a slanging match with an officious air hostess. The book is full of the tedium and petty frustrations of life on the road, endless internal flights and hotel rooms, but Hunter’s excitement at being in America, home of the music he loves, is palpable nonetheless. Despite the often tedious reality of touring he remains enthralled by the rock ‘n’ roll myth and lives for that hour or two onstage each night when he connects with an enthusiastic audience. After all the tribulations, Diary ends on a high note with a triumphant gig in Memphis. Hunter’s ecstasy is unmistakable: ‘The gig was TREMENDOUS. We went down a storm; 3,700 people, and Joe Walsh went mad with us on the encores. (…) The crowd were up all the way through and I can hardly write for the excitement’.
This is an unremittingly honest frontline account from the classic era of rock which vividly evokes the early ‘70s; a time when everyone smoked everywhere and air travel still seemed exciting. Hunter writes from the heart in excellent conversational prose and conveys the mundane reality of a rock musician’s life while still somehow making it sound irresistibly romantic and seductive. While reading listen to All the Young Dudes, All the Way From Memphis, The Golden Age of Rock & Roll, Hymn for the Dudes, Roll Away the Stone, Marionette, Honaloochie Boogie, The Ballad of Mott the Hoople, Saturday Gigs: timeless rock ‘n’ roll anthems with witty lyrics which, just like the book, simultaneously demystify and mythologise the rock lifestyle.
March 4, 2024
CRITIQUE:
"Steady Chicks" (1)
This must be one of the first rock 'n' roll tour diaries to be published. Written in 1972, it was first published in 1974. My copy is the fourth (2002) reprint of an edition re-published in 1996. It was and has remained very popular.
By the time of publication (1974), music fans and readers must have been aware of the sexual misadventures of bands like Led Zeppelin. (2) However, the members of Mott the Hoople mistreated groupies in a totally different way. If you can believe Ian Hunter's diary, they told them to "[Go away. We're not interested]...We've all got steady chicks."
In the absence of groupies, sex and heavy drugs ("I should say at this early stage we're not into heavy drugs..."), the group entertained itself with music papers, books, soft core porn magazines, television, shopping for bargains in pawn shops (mostly amps and guitars) and hanging out with the members of other bands on the same bill (e.g., Joe Walsh).
Mott the Hoople (Ian Hunter on far right)
Mott the Hoople Line-Up (1972):
Ian Hunter [vocals, guitar, piano]
Pete ("Overend") Watts [bass]
Mick Ralphs [guitar] (later of Bad Company)
Verden Allen ("Phally") [organ]
Terry/ Dale ("Buffin") Griffin [drums]
They called themselves "hairies", as opposed to hippies or "long hairs".
Cover of "All the Young Dudes"
All the Young Dudes
The diary documents Mott the Hoople's second tour of America in the last five weeks of 1972, shortly after the release of their album, "All the Young Dudes".
At the beginning of the year, the band had been on the verge of splitting up. David Bowie heard them live, and decided to come to their rescue. He wrote the song, "All the Young Dudes", for them (to help them survive as a band). They had previously rejected his first offer, "Suffragette City".
The album also contained a definitive cover version of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane", which was probably my first introduction to the music of the Velvet Underground (which was hard to get in Australia at the time). Prompted by this song, after some years, I finally tracked down a double compilation album called "The Story of Velvet Underground" (which was imported by Polydor Germany). (3)
Ready for Money
Early in the diary, Hunter claims "we're pretty big in England".
While they were a popular and influential live act in the UK (the members of The Clash were big fans), they were more or less bankrupt by the time David Bowie came across them in early 1972.
The Mott the Hoople tour in late 1972 was designed to crack the American market and generate another source of income for the band (who were now managed by David Bowie's manager, Tony Defries).
According to the introduction, Hunter was 28 at the time of the U.S. tour (although my count says he was 33 - he was born in 1939, although there is some speculation he was born in 1946). The purpose of the tour was largely financial. Hunter writes:
Only Mick Ralphs (the guitarist) would eventually crack the American market - with his next band, Bad Company. The band re-recorded the song "Ready for Love", which had appeared on "All the Young Dudes".
At the time I am writing this review, Ian Hunter is 84. He is still an active writer and performer. He is also still married to his "steady chick", Trudi, whom he followed to Connecticut (where they now live), after he left Mott in 1974.
For all of the references to "chicks", Hunter's diary remains subtly entertaining and timeless.
Ian Hunter in 2023 (Source: Ross Halfin)
FOOTNOTES:
(1) Rather than a steady flow of chicks.
(2) Pamela Des Barres' "I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie" wasn't published until 1987.
(3) Up until this pre-punk point in time, my musical taste probably emanated from four main directions:
* The Rolling Stones, the Kinks, Van Morrison, and Them;
* The Beatles, John Lennon, Joe Cocker, and Leon Russell;
* Eric Clapton, Cream, and Derek and the Dominos; and
* glam rock such as Marc Bolan, T Rex, Slade, Alice Cooper, and David Bowie.
SOUNDTRACK:
"Steady Chicks" (1)
This must be one of the first rock 'n' roll tour diaries to be published. Written in 1972, it was first published in 1974. My copy is the fourth (2002) reprint of an edition re-published in 1996. It was and has remained very popular.
By the time of publication (1974), music fans and readers must have been aware of the sexual misadventures of bands like Led Zeppelin. (2) However, the members of Mott the Hoople mistreated groupies in a totally different way. If you can believe Ian Hunter's diary, they told them to "[Go away. We're not interested]...We've all got steady chicks."
In the absence of groupies, sex and heavy drugs ("I should say at this early stage we're not into heavy drugs..."), the group entertained itself with music papers, books, soft core porn magazines, television, shopping for bargains in pawn shops (mostly amps and guitars) and hanging out with the members of other bands on the same bill (e.g., Joe Walsh).
Mott the Hoople (Ian Hunter on far right)
Mott the Hoople Line-Up (1972):
Ian Hunter [vocals, guitar, piano]
Pete ("Overend") Watts [bass]
Mick Ralphs [guitar] (later of Bad Company)
Verden Allen ("Phally") [organ]
Terry/ Dale ("Buffin") Griffin [drums]
They called themselves "hairies", as opposed to hippies or "long hairs".
Cover of "All the Young Dudes"
All the Young Dudes
The diary documents Mott the Hoople's second tour of America in the last five weeks of 1972, shortly after the release of their album, "All the Young Dudes".
At the beginning of the year, the band had been on the verge of splitting up. David Bowie heard them live, and decided to come to their rescue. He wrote the song, "All the Young Dudes", for them (to help them survive as a band). They had previously rejected his first offer, "Suffragette City".
The album also contained a definitive cover version of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane", which was probably my first introduction to the music of the Velvet Underground (which was hard to get in Australia at the time). Prompted by this song, after some years, I finally tracked down a double compilation album called "The Story of Velvet Underground" (which was imported by Polydor Germany). (3)
Ready for Money
Early in the diary, Hunter claims "we're pretty big in England".
While they were a popular and influential live act in the UK (the members of The Clash were big fans), they were more or less bankrupt by the time David Bowie came across them in early 1972.
The Mott the Hoople tour in late 1972 was designed to crack the American market and generate another source of income for the band (who were now managed by David Bowie's manager, Tony Defries).
According to the introduction, Hunter was 28 at the time of the U.S. tour (although my count says he was 33 - he was born in 1939, although there is some speculation he was born in 1946). The purpose of the tour was largely financial. Hunter writes:
"It's about time Mott started thinking about money. We won't be kids forever. Come on America, take us in out of the cold. We're trying hard to catch you but you're so fucking big."
Only Mick Ralphs (the guitarist) would eventually crack the American market - with his next band, Bad Company. The band re-recorded the song "Ready for Love", which had appeared on "All the Young Dudes".
At the time I am writing this review, Ian Hunter is 84. He is still an active writer and performer. He is also still married to his "steady chick", Trudi, whom he followed to Connecticut (where they now live), after he left Mott in 1974.
For all of the references to "chicks", Hunter's diary remains subtly entertaining and timeless.
Ian Hunter in 2023 (Source: Ross Halfin)
FOOTNOTES:
(1) Rather than a steady flow of chicks.
(2) Pamela Des Barres' "I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie" wasn't published until 1987.
(3) Up until this pre-punk point in time, my musical taste probably emanated from four main directions:
* The Rolling Stones, the Kinks, Van Morrison, and Them;
* The Beatles, John Lennon, Joe Cocker, and Leon Russell;
* Eric Clapton, Cream, and Derek and the Dominos; and
* glam rock such as Marc Bolan, T Rex, Slade, Alice Cooper, and David Bowie.
SOUNDTRACK:
March 1, 2024
I read Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star by Ian Hunter back in the 1970s however all I could remember was that I'd enjoyed it. In the intervening years its reputation has grown. Q Magazine reckon it "may well be the best rock book ever" and whilst I think that might be overstating it a bit, it's certainly a brilliant read.
This new edition has a short introduction by Johnny Depp which is just a gushing fan letter. Quite endearing really. There's another introduction by Ian's official biographer Campbell Devine. This edition also includes another Ian Hunter diary, this one from his short Japanese tour in 2015 (and which was also published in Mojo magazine), and a short epilogue written by Ian in March 2018.
The diary itself, first published in 1974, is a fascinating day by day account of Mott the Hoople's 1972 US tour. The newly married Ian Hunter just writes what he sees and peppers these observations with very forthright and somewhat jaundiced opinions. Ian Hunter has no pretensions or desire to appear cool and so tells it exactly like it is. The life he describes is hard work and, ultimately, not very glamorous. He's also doing his best to give fans a real insight into the music industry and what it's like to get on a plane to visit America (something few British people had done at the time or could conceive of ever doing). Aside from travelling and sound checking, the band spend most of their town time buying guitars from pawn shops.
This is also the period when Mott The Hoople were managed by Tony Defries and working with David Bowie, both of whom make an appearance, as do Frank Zappa and Keith Moon.
Ultimately though Ian Hunter is an everyman figure, who has little interest in the trappings of celebrity, and just wants to do his best to put on a good show and enjoy his moment in the sun. That he's still touring and recording 47 years later must be a source of some amazement. I've seen him live a few times over the last 20 years and he's still wonderful.
In short Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star is a brilliant period piece and well worth reading if you like Ian Hunter, Mott The Hoople, or well written music books.
5/5
This new edition has a short introduction by Johnny Depp which is just a gushing fan letter. Quite endearing really. There's another introduction by Ian's official biographer Campbell Devine. This edition also includes another Ian Hunter diary, this one from his short Japanese tour in 2015 (and which was also published in Mojo magazine), and a short epilogue written by Ian in March 2018.
The diary itself, first published in 1974, is a fascinating day by day account of Mott the Hoople's 1972 US tour. The newly married Ian Hunter just writes what he sees and peppers these observations with very forthright and somewhat jaundiced opinions. Ian Hunter has no pretensions or desire to appear cool and so tells it exactly like it is. The life he describes is hard work and, ultimately, not very glamorous. He's also doing his best to give fans a real insight into the music industry and what it's like to get on a plane to visit America (something few British people had done at the time or could conceive of ever doing). Aside from travelling and sound checking, the band spend most of their town time buying guitars from pawn shops.
This is also the period when Mott The Hoople were managed by Tony Defries and working with David Bowie, both of whom make an appearance, as do Frank Zappa and Keith Moon.
Ultimately though Ian Hunter is an everyman figure, who has little interest in the trappings of celebrity, and just wants to do his best to put on a good show and enjoy his moment in the sun. That he's still touring and recording 47 years later must be a source of some amazement. I've seen him live a few times over the last 20 years and he's still wonderful.
In short Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star is a brilliant period piece and well worth reading if you like Ian Hunter, Mott The Hoople, or well written music books.
5/5
January 5, 2012
Ian Hunter is a very much underrated songwriter and made some great records solo as well as with the fab Mott The Hopple. And what we have here is his diary/journal in the very key year when they are breaking into a bigger audience via the help of David Bowie. The book is very much of Hunter expressing his joys, anger, and frustration of touring America circ. 1972. "All The Young Dudes" is in the air, and Mott is riding on the wave via that song. I think any person who picks up a guitar or snare drum as a profession will enjoy this memoir. Because Hunter is not offering something unique in that world, in fact its pretty much so-so hotel and its very so-so food, and the physical strain of keeping yourself in order to perform and deal with a lot of cancelled gigs. So there is nothing romantic here or even sexy, its basically a job. A nice job of sorts, but nevertheless a job. Reading this I wanted something more funny or crazy, but the truth is ....nothing happens on a tour of this scale (struggling of course) and it is really waiting between flights, dealing with the lack of a sound check, and weird and very foreign urban situations, that is a first for a British citizen. What's kind of cool is that the whole band checked out hock shops looking for music gear. I find that endearing. And yes, I think this book is a must for the man ( a very much a man's world then) and woman who picks up an instrument and play for whatever currency that's out there.
November 16, 2015
"Honaloochie Boogie"
I was a city child with a dead-end smile
And a worm's-eye point of view
Oh I knew my way, I was a back-street stray
And I had my eyes on you
Now I got this friend and he's a screwdriver-jiver
You know, some kinda automobeat on the street
And he has converted me to rock'n'roll
I just wanna dance to
Honaloochie boogie yeah
Get in time, don't worry 'bout the shirt shine
Honaloochie boogie yeah
You sure started somethin'
Now my hair gets longer as the beat gets stronger
Wanna tell Chuck Berry my news
I get my kicks outta guitar licks
And I've sold my steel-toed shoes
Now I got this friend and he's a spider west-sider
You know, he's hung up on a protection rejection thing
But I have made him see the light
He just wanna dance to
Honaloochie boogie yeah
Get in time, don't worry 'bout the shirt shine
Honaloochie boogie yeah
You sure started somethin'
Honaloochie boogie yeah
Get in time, don't worry 'bout the shirt shine
Honaloochie boogie yeah
You sure started somethin'
I was a city child with a dead-end smile
And a worm's-eye point of view
Oh I knew my way, I was a back-street stray
And I had my eyes on you
Now I got this friend and he's a screwdriver-jiver
You know, some kinda automobeat on the street
And he has converted me to rock'n'roll
I just wanna dance to
Honaloochie boogie yeah
Get in time, don't worry 'bout the shirt shine
Honaloochie boogie yeah
You sure started somethin'
Now my hair gets longer as the beat gets stronger
Wanna tell Chuck Berry my news
I get my kicks outta guitar licks
And I've sold my steel-toed shoes
Now I got this friend and he's a spider west-sider
You know, he's hung up on a protection rejection thing
But I have made him see the light
He just wanna dance to
Honaloochie boogie yeah
Get in time, don't worry 'bout the shirt shine
Honaloochie boogie yeah
You sure started somethin'
Honaloochie boogie yeah
Get in time, don't worry 'bout the shirt shine
Honaloochie boogie yeah
You sure started somethin'
December 13, 2007
This is one of those classic rock books thats always recommended,the funny thing is its not all Led Zeppelin style debauchery.Its actually a true picture of an English band on tour in the States,Ian Hunter misses his wife and doesn't get up to much besides shopping for vintage guitars, and I seem to remember a visit to Graceland.But it definitely paints a vivid picture of a certain time and place, The Seventies!
March 19, 2020
I saw the '72 Tour...been waiting for a lifetime to read. Glad new version inludes Japan 2018 Tour! Killer!
February 14, 2023
Not every rock-n-roll tour in the 1970s was all about the sex, drugs, etc. Ian Hunter had a better time touring the USA with Mott the Hoople by seeking out bargain guitars at pawn shops, watching Dick Cavett and having a nice glass of wine with his shepherd's pie. HIs "Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star" gives us a glimpse of life on the road for an up-and-coming band five weeks before Christmas 1972. To be sure, there are parties, groupies, David Bowie and Keith Moon to liven things up a bit. However, it is the mundane parts about bad soundchecks, dishonest promoters and precarious air travel that really set the tone. There are parts you will recognize from This is Spinal Tap and Almost Famous. The story about his inebriated visit to Graceland is a classic.
The edition I read includes a foreword by Johnny Depp which lets us know that they've been chums for years and a brief diary of Hunter's visit to Japan in 2015, his first ever tour there. These additions are nice but don't really add much to the original.
The edition I read includes a foreword by Johnny Depp which lets us know that they've been chums for years and a brief diary of Hunter's visit to Japan in 2015, his first ever tour there. These additions are nice but don't really add much to the original.
October 30, 2019
Excellent! If you love rock and roll do yourself a favor and read this.
January 16, 2026
As a big Mott The Hoople fan, I am surprised that I haven’t read this before. I remember an extract about Hunter trespassing in Graceland in the music press at the time of publication and that incident is definitely a highlight. Now 1972 seems an age away and sadly air travel isn’t the novelty that it seems to have been then judging by Ian’s frequent impressionistic descriptions of the experience in this book. It certainly lives up to its title and being cobbled together from the author’s field notes during the band’s US tour means that there isn’t much shape to it which seems appropriate given the ramshackle nature of the experience. There’s no glamour on show here; the band are at the mercy of unreliable promoters and they seem to pull out of as many gigs as they perform. Hunter takes the opportunity to scour pawn shops for cheap American guitars that he can resell at a profit back home because he certainly can’t have made much money out of this chaotic trip. I appreciated Ian’s honesty and his good intentions in wanting to give the fans an insight into his mundane life on tour. Even rock legends like Bowie, Zappa and Moon come across as being fairly ordinary.
January 27, 2026
Mark Ezra opens with a striking hook: Felicity Jardine, a retired former spy at the end of her emotional rope, has her planned suicide abruptly interrupted by a baby floating down a river. From that moment, instinct overtakes despair, and Felicity’s long-dormant training snaps back into place. It’s a powerful, almost cinematic opening, but what follows is far more intimate than action-driven.
Felicity is a refreshing protagonist: older, world-weary, deeply capable, and haunted by her past. When an elderly neighbour who resembles her is found dead, it becomes clear that Felicity hasn’t faded into obscurity as thoroughly as she believed. The tension escalates as she’s forced to protect the baby, evade unseen enemies, and reconnect with two former MI6 colleagues, all while confronting the unresolved consequences of her Cold War-era work in 1970s Germany.
Ezra excels at weaving timelines. The novel deftly links Felicity’s past operations to present-day danger, revealing how old missions never truly end, they just wait. The espionage elements are smart and grounded, but the emotional core is what lingers: guilt, identity, aging, and the cost of a life spent in secrecy.
The pacing is deliberate but engaging, balancing investigative momentum with character-driven introspection. This isn’t a high-octane spy romp; it’s a thoughtful, tense unraveling of how history catches up with us, no matter how far we think we’ve run.
Fans of John le Carré’s quieter moral complexity, alongside readers who enjoy mature protagonists and reflective thrillers, will find A Sting in Her Tale particularly rewarding. It’s a novel about second chances, earned, not gifted, and about finding purpose when you least expect to still need one.
Felicity is a refreshing protagonist: older, world-weary, deeply capable, and haunted by her past. When an elderly neighbour who resembles her is found dead, it becomes clear that Felicity hasn’t faded into obscurity as thoroughly as she believed. The tension escalates as she’s forced to protect the baby, evade unseen enemies, and reconnect with two former MI6 colleagues, all while confronting the unresolved consequences of her Cold War-era work in 1970s Germany.
Ezra excels at weaving timelines. The novel deftly links Felicity’s past operations to present-day danger, revealing how old missions never truly end, they just wait. The espionage elements are smart and grounded, but the emotional core is what lingers: guilt, identity, aging, and the cost of a life spent in secrecy.
The pacing is deliberate but engaging, balancing investigative momentum with character-driven introspection. This isn’t a high-octane spy romp; it’s a thoughtful, tense unraveling of how history catches up with us, no matter how far we think we’ve run.
Fans of John le Carré’s quieter moral complexity, alongside readers who enjoy mature protagonists and reflective thrillers, will find A Sting in Her Tale particularly rewarding. It’s a novel about second chances, earned, not gifted, and about finding purpose when you least expect to still need one.
February 23, 2023
This is an unsensationalized view of life as an up-and-coming band on the road during Christmas, 1972. It's a cross between This is Spinal Tap and Almost Famous, without the extreme heights of decadence.
The focus was more on business because, it was not their first time in America, and most of the band members were in serious relationships. (And it sounded like the groupies were far from alluring anyway). More interesting were the pawn shops in almost every city which contained a treasure trove of Fender guitars that could be resold in England for three times the price.
Then there are the usual lost luggage, stolen valuables, bad restaurants, snowstorms, flight cancellations, and observations on various cities. At the Detroit airport, where racial tensions were high, the cabbies refused to take them because they were white; and in Chicago, "'Good morning' sounded like an invitation to a duel." In Dallas they stocked up on postcards showing the exact spot where JFK was shot, because "it says more than any book on American culture ever could."
Apparently this was a bible to a new generation of musicians who found fame in the eighties. It's a quick read, and amusing.
The focus was more on business because, it was not their first time in America, and most of the band members were in serious relationships. (And it sounded like the groupies were far from alluring anyway). More interesting were the pawn shops in almost every city which contained a treasure trove of Fender guitars that could be resold in England for three times the price.
Then there are the usual lost luggage, stolen valuables, bad restaurants, snowstorms, flight cancellations, and observations on various cities. At the Detroit airport, where racial tensions were high, the cabbies refused to take them because they were white; and in Chicago, "'Good morning' sounded like an invitation to a duel." In Dallas they stocked up on postcards showing the exact spot where JFK was shot, because "it says more than any book on American culture ever could."
Apparently this was a bible to a new generation of musicians who found fame in the eighties. It's a quick read, and amusing.
October 6, 2020
Like many people interested in music and rock 'n' roll I searched for this book in used stores for years and snapped up a copy when they finally reprinted it thanks to the celebrity interest of people like Johnny Depp (who wrote the intro for the new edition). Cited by many as the definitive rock book it was a must read. Did it live up to the billing? Yes and no. No, in that it's not as sordid or detailed on the 1970's rock star lifestyles as I thought it might be. Hunter is candid, but somewhat cavalier and indifferent to it all and he glosses over much of the drunken craziness that is referenced but not detailed. But that's also what makes it so good. He pulls no punches and simply goes over the entire tour in a stream of consciousness style and thus includes the mundane, the annoyances, and the day to day issues of life on the road as well as the highs (and lows). It's a little dated, so more of a historical document now, but Hunter isn't afraid to give his opinion and speak his mind on all he sees and experiences and for that it is truly refreshing. Definitely a realistic depiction of the times and the life. Well worth a read for any rock fan.
December 21, 2022
It's interesting to be finishing this book exactly 50 years after it was written, being in diary form it shows exact dates ending with December 23, 1972. Many parts haven't aged well, quite a few racist references to African Americans and gay people, some of which were quite offensive even back then, I'd say.
There's a lot of repetition, flying between gigs, hotels, gigs canceled, visits to pawn shops to buy vintage guitars. I wonder how many guitars the band members bought on this tour. A highlight was touring a guitar factory, I liked hearing how guitars are made. I will check on setlist.fm how many shows they did on this tour, it seemed that almost as many were canceled as were played.
Ian Hunter portrays himself as an occasional, or more, binge drinker who blacks out and behaves badly while drunk. It's nice he was straightforward about that. I have the same appreciation for the Stones as he does, and I'm glad his wish that they be long lived has born out over the subsequent 50 years.
There's a lot of repetition, flying between gigs, hotels, gigs canceled, visits to pawn shops to buy vintage guitars. I wonder how many guitars the band members bought on this tour. A highlight was touring a guitar factory, I liked hearing how guitars are made. I will check on setlist.fm how many shows they did on this tour, it seemed that almost as many were canceled as were played.
Ian Hunter portrays himself as an occasional, or more, binge drinker who blacks out and behaves badly while drunk. It's nice he was straightforward about that. I have the same appreciation for the Stones as he does, and I'm glad his wish that they be long lived has born out over the subsequent 50 years.
June 22, 2022
I just reread this. I read it the first time when I was 14 a few years after its 1974 publication. Hunter chronicles the short America support tour at the end of 1972, they did for the album All the Young Dudes, which Bowie had produced and had written the hit title track. As an adult and someone who did a similar thing 20 years later as a support act for bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Iggy Pop (who gets name dropped in this book actually), I loved seeing the similarities and differences the highs and lows. This is especially a great book for someone who has been there but just as good a book for someone who's interested in what it's like.
May 13, 2020
Surprisingly good read of the exploits of Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople as they try to make the breakthrough in the USA. It highlights the occasional boredom, the lack of soundchecks for support bands, the vagaries of weather in the largeness of the USA and the cheap guitars (much more expensive back home in the UK) at pawn shops. Tbh they all got more excited about the bargains to be had in the pawn shops than anything else.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
April 6, 2019
Fun book! I’m not a Hoople fan necessarily but I do remember them from my preteen years. This book brought back so many memories, was written so well and looked at the US and flying through English eyes back ‘in the day’ I couldn’t help but like it. Ian Hunter is so observant it was a pleasure to ‘tour’ with him.
March 1, 2022
Seems really honest in the sense that this is exactly the book I would have expected Ian Hunter to write about his early 70s tour of the USA. After a while it did seem to be a bit mundane (all those pawn shops- how many guitars can these guys possibly carry around?) but all in all a good read, a very realistic account of a semi-popular band's tour in the 70s.
January 20, 2025
Interesting perspective on life of touring musician in USA in 1973. I was surprised by how many flights and shows were cancelled, and enjoyed the perspective of a British musician touring the US during the time period. Read it for the interactions with David Bowie and Bryan Ferry, but I stayed for the thrifting for guitars in various American cities.
June 29, 2020
For decades this book has been held up to be the ultimate rocker-on-the-road tome. I finally read it, and maybe too many years of build-up killed it for me. It's a really good book and very personal to Ian Hunter, but the "ultimate" thing is a stretch. I'd rather hear him sing, repeatedly.
October 16, 2021
Ian Hunter cuts away the facade of the glitz and debauchery of rock star living. He exposes it for what truly exists, which are long boring and uncomfortable days of traveling, eating questionable food, and being short-changed by promoters.
August 11, 2022
I loved this book
Ian Hunter writes very well, and much like that friend who sat next to me when I was in school. He is modestly smart so he teaches the good readers how they would feel if they, too, were rock and roll stars. Thanks, Ian, for allowing me to pursue my surer thing.
Ian Hunter writes very well, and much like that friend who sat next to me when I was in school. He is modestly smart so he teaches the good readers how they would feel if they, too, were rock and roll stars. Thanks, Ian, for allowing me to pursue my surer thing.
January 22, 2026
La profesión de músico en todo su esplendor. Lo que cuenta, que no es poco, es de una franqueza que te desarma, y que transcurra en los 70 le añade un plus que parece pura ciencia ficción cuarenta y tres años después. Imprescindible, como la música de Ian Hunter y Mott The Hoople.
October 4, 2017
Extremely good diary of a rock band on tour in America. The period is the 1970’s when the band were on their way up.
November 28, 2018
Ian Hunter brings us along a Tour of US in 72' with his british Rock band, Moot the Hoople. With his candid and spellbinding desciption, this book is a must-read for any Rock n'Roller.
September 29, 2019
A legendary account of life on the road in a rock band
May 24, 2021
The life of an up and coming Bristish group on a tour of North America. It's not always the glamourous adventure you would think.
June 30, 2021
Novel for its time in revealing the tedium and frustrations of life on the road. A bit as repetitive as his tour proved to be, maybe that's the point. I enjoyed his reactions to America the most.
September 18, 2021
Pawn shops, orange juice and rock ‘n’ roll.
December 5, 2021
This was a really enjoyable read. As much a travelogue of 70s America as anything, it was the antithesis of what I'd expect from a current me-me-me state of current music idol. Highly recommended.
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