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Bodies
Money, freedom, adoring fans: professional musicians seem to have it all. But beneath the surface lies a frightening truth: for years the music industry has tolerated death, addiction and exploitation in the name of entertainment.
In Bodies, Ian Winwood explores the industry's reluctance to confront its many failures in a far-reaching story which features first-hand access to artists such as Foo Fighters, Green Day, Trent Reznor, Biffy Clyro, Kings of Leon, Chris Cornell, Mark Lanegan, Pearl Jam. Much more than a touchline reporter, Winwood also tells the tale of his own mental-health collapse following the shocking death of his father. Written with warmth, humour and bracing honesty, Bodies is a deeply personal story and essential reading for musicians and fans alike.
In Bodies, Ian Winwood explores the industry's reluctance to confront its many failures in a far-reaching story which features first-hand access to artists such as Foo Fighters, Green Day, Trent Reznor, Biffy Clyro, Kings of Leon, Chris Cornell, Mark Lanegan, Pearl Jam. Much more than a touchline reporter, Winwood also tells the tale of his own mental-health collapse following the shocking death of his father. Written with warmth, humour and bracing honesty, Bodies is a deeply personal story and essential reading for musicians and fans alike.
320 pages, Paperback
Published February 7, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
July 19, 2022
For a bit I thought this book wasn't going to bring it together. It feels a bit all over the shop in the first third but eventually Ian Winwood manages to muster all these different threads into a mostly coherent read.
The landscape of pop music is littered with bodies. An industry, that Winwood, openly exposes as greedy and uncaring so long as someone is making money (and usually it's not the musicians themselves). It's an unusual life, that of a touring musician, long stretches of travel, un-sociable hours, endlessly surrounded by drugs and alcohol. It's both draining, boring and tedious. And not conducive to good mental health, and yet with the large consignment of musicians whose lives end abruptly and prematurely there is no more emphasis put on wellbeing on ones mental health in the current climate that any previous decades. The failures of the industry keep piling up.
Winwood's narrative of mental health decline and substance excess among the industry is woven in with his own experience with substance abuse and mental health decline. Working as a music journalist his life is adjacent and exposed to the same culture as these musicians, some of which he counts among his friends. He speaks to and references a wide range of people for this book. Sources mined from his own past interviews as well as those directly tied to the writing of this book.
Two things really stopped this being a five star read for me. The first the reference to the supposed "last interview" with Layne Staley (Alice In Chains) by a journalist called Adriana Rubio. This interview is generally considered to be fiction of the journalist and to have never actually occurred. To have it referenced in this book as if it's a credible piece of interview is ... surprising. The second isn't an issue of credibility but more a personal wish to never ever be reminded of the case of the singer (whom I refuse to name) from the Welsh band Lostprophets. There is almost a whole chapter here dedicated to the band, whose other members I do feel sorry for and in a way I'm glad they have opportunities to speak their own truths, but I just. I could live without ever being reminded of it. Or at least a content note at the beginning of this read so I could be prepared.
This book also has moments that speak to Mark Lanegan and Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) in regards to their addictions. Both have passed this year, obviously after the final edits to this manuscript were made. I would have been interested in particular the thoughts of author in regards to Hawkins. With Dave Grohl quoted as making the band a safe environment after his experiences with Nirvana.
Fascinated read about a deeply flawed industry and the people that populate it.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS (that just occurred to me): Ehhh. Not sure about the very shallow level look at the #metoo movement within the music industry, mostly because I don't think it's happened yet. It was certainly the least to acknowledge that some idols (Bowie, Prince, Steven Tyler, Iggy Pop, Jimmy Page just off the top of my head) did some extremely shady (illegal???) things with underage girls. Sexual assault is rife. I guess the author makes the point that he's not really the person to talk about it. But also pointing out that he watched predators fall upwards. Also not sure about his assertion that Brian Warner's (aka Marilyn Manson) career is over post allegations of abuse from multiple women. After all we've seen Kayne West work with him openly and now MM has taken a page from good friend Johnny Depp's playbook and decided to sue one of his accusers. Birds of a feather flock together. Etc.
The landscape of pop music is littered with bodies. An industry, that Winwood, openly exposes as greedy and uncaring so long as someone is making money (and usually it's not the musicians themselves). It's an unusual life, that of a touring musician, long stretches of travel, un-sociable hours, endlessly surrounded by drugs and alcohol. It's both draining, boring and tedious. And not conducive to good mental health, and yet with the large consignment of musicians whose lives end abruptly and prematurely there is no more emphasis put on wellbeing on ones mental health in the current climate that any previous decades. The failures of the industry keep piling up.
Winwood's narrative of mental health decline and substance excess among the industry is woven in with his own experience with substance abuse and mental health decline. Working as a music journalist his life is adjacent and exposed to the same culture as these musicians, some of which he counts among his friends. He speaks to and references a wide range of people for this book. Sources mined from his own past interviews as well as those directly tied to the writing of this book.
Two things really stopped this being a five star read for me. The first the reference to the supposed "last interview" with Layne Staley (Alice In Chains) by a journalist called Adriana Rubio. This interview is generally considered to be fiction of the journalist and to have never actually occurred. To have it referenced in this book as if it's a credible piece of interview is ... surprising. The second isn't an issue of credibility but more a personal wish to never ever be reminded of the case of the singer (whom I refuse to name) from the Welsh band Lostprophets. There is almost a whole chapter here dedicated to the band, whose other members I do feel sorry for and in a way I'm glad they have opportunities to speak their own truths, but I just. I could live without ever being reminded of it. Or at least a content note at the beginning of this read so I could be prepared.
This book also has moments that speak to Mark Lanegan and Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters) in regards to their addictions. Both have passed this year, obviously after the final edits to this manuscript were made. I would have been interested in particular the thoughts of author in regards to Hawkins. With Dave Grohl quoted as making the band a safe environment after his experiences with Nirvana.
Fascinated read about a deeply flawed industry and the people that populate it.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS (that just occurred to me): Ehhh. Not sure about the very shallow level look at the #metoo movement within the music industry, mostly because I don't think it's happened yet. It was certainly the least to acknowledge that some idols (Bowie, Prince, Steven Tyler, Iggy Pop, Jimmy Page just off the top of my head) did some extremely shady (illegal???) things with underage girls. Sexual assault is rife. I guess the author makes the point that he's not really the person to talk about it. But also pointing out that he watched predators fall upwards. Also not sure about his assertion that Brian Warner's (aka Marilyn Manson) career is over post allegations of abuse from multiple women. After all we've seen Kayne West work with him openly and now MM has taken a page from good friend Johnny Depp's playbook and decided to sue one of his accusers. Birds of a feather flock together. Etc.
April 20, 2022
I'm a trainee psychotherapist - and a huge music fan so I pre-ordered this and read it as soon as it I could. It's a moving, poignant and sometimes harrowing account of musicians struggles with depression, addiction and other mental health concerns. Ian writes candidly about his own battles with drink and drugs which thank goodness he overcame. Many weren't as fortunate. I was aware of many of the bands and musicians mentioned - but reading their stories (many of them taken from interviews Ian had done) was difficult. I hope people won't judge musicians by the things they do. I'm certainly more aware now of the huge pressures they face, I just wish they had been able to get support for their struggles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2022
I’ve been a fan of Ian Winwood’s writing since my teenage Kerrang!-obsessed days and his latest book draws on many of the interviews he conducted in that time and since. The glamorisation of drink and drug use in rock music is pervasive in our culture but Bodies peels back the curtain to reveal the deep-seated mental health and addiction problems impacting so many performers, all too often actively enabled by the machine that is the music industry. Interspersed with tales of his own challenges, Winwood (with the help of poignant quotes from his interviewees) casts a whole new perspective on an environment that’s so often misunderstood, and damaged lifestyles that are lauded for all the wrong reasons. A fascinating and disturbing read.
May 30, 2022
I really enjoyed Ian Winwood's last book 'Smash' but this is even better. A peek behind the curtains at the mental health struggles so many people in the music industry suffer from. Actually makes me think that not achieving my teenage dreams of becoming a rock star was probably a good thing. 💊🎸🧑🏼🎤
March 24, 2023
A few interesting anecdotes about the music industry and some of the characters therein, however the author can’t help but over indulge us with his cliched tales of excessive drug use. Yawn 💤
December 30, 2022
I really enjoyed this (insofar as you ‘enjoy’ something that’s hella dark in places) and think it’s an important, nuanced and powerful exploration of the music industry and the damage it does to people.
The Frank Turner/social media section was weirdly framed, though, and neglected to discuss the good faith criticism people of marginalised identities (not “cool kids” or “trolls”) have tried to engage with him on, including offline. I wish we’d heard a more balanced story there, which the rest of the book did so well.
The Frank Turner/social media section was weirdly framed, though, and neglected to discuss the good faith criticism people of marginalised identities (not “cool kids” or “trolls”) have tried to engage with him on, including offline. I wish we’d heard a more balanced story there, which the rest of the book did so well.
October 26, 2022
This book received many accolades from big names in the music business. It was billed as tackling and exposing the failures of the industry to deal with addiction and mental health problems. In some ways, it does that - but it is very different to what I expected. Rather than providing a comprehensive overview and making arguments based on critical analysis, this is more of a memoir - with first hand accounts and anecdotes from the author’s time as a music journalist. There is a significant amount of personal history in here, which is interesting on its own - but it’s not really what it has been billed as. It felt fragmented without an over-arching or connective narrative, and while I enjoyed it, I’m not sure I would have read it if I knew what it was actually going to be like.
p.s. I reviewed this without reading the extra chapter that was apparently written on Taylor Hawkins, as despite me purchasing this after it was added, it wasn't included in my Kindle version.
p.s. I reviewed this without reading the extra chapter that was apparently written on Taylor Hawkins, as despite me purchasing this after it was added, it wasn't included in my Kindle version.
October 10, 2022
Envious words of warning spill from Ian Winwood’s writing. Bodies: Life and Death in Music is as harsh and unremitting a piece as it is deeply moving and warm. It is for music lovers from a music lover. Envy for the experiences of brushing shoulders with the best of the best, the influential scattershot of Lemmy, Primal Scream and Ginger Wildheart. Those encounters and much of the text within come with a blinkered, flashing red light that acts as a real warning about the dangers of the industry and anyone near to it. However relevant those dangers are in an era where free music is delivered to the inbox rather than the mailbox is the interesting crux for Bodies, which recalls experiences high and low with an engaged intimacy and personalisation from Winwood.
But life and death in music are much more than the febrile motions of drink and drugs, it is also the legal wranglings, the unspoken traditions and tribulations of bands trying to create and then survive. Winwood documents that with expert scrutiny. Herefers to the likes of Lostprophets and the fallout of the disgusting Watkins case. He earmarks the so-called "27 Club", of artists who died at the age of 27. Winwood’s point with much of these brushes with history is to show the depths of depravity that goes beyond the drink and drugs that have allegedly stemmed creatives bursts with a unique intimacy only gained through the trust and interest of rockstars that still tour and take their chances with substances today.
Despite those horrors, Winwood appears hopeful, and it is the credit of great writing that a reader does not feel that same despair and fear so brutally explained by Winwood's personalised account. This is as much an autobiography as it is a satisfying breakdown of big problem. Bodies is documentation of massive, gaping issues found within the music industry, from the grassroots level all the way to the cream of the multi-million-pound crop. These issues affect all, yet somehow, they have persevered in public. Privately, a different story. The imagery associated with the music industry is an important cover for the leaky pipes beneath. That much is explored with such creative and intimate detail from Winwood, who delves deep into his own career and the rich tapestry that forms it. Gutting details, triumphant moments that anyone in the field will have latched to after their first byline, but without the impressive addition of actually meeting the bandmates as Winwood often does. His writing, too, is honest. That is the crucial element to Bodies.
Absolutely essential for anyone wondering what it is like on this side of the fence, Bodies is as experienced as it is alarming. At a time when bands are thankfully pulling back to focus on themselves rather than their careers, Bodies provides an articulate look at the other side. Of pushing on beyond that need for a break, of reliance on drink, drugs and the rock and roll atmosphere that was so cool for the time but is now explored in this revisionist period as a problematic cause of a great many deaths. If not death, destruction lingers on. Bodies is unflinching with its harsh truths, and Winwood’s anecdotal approach to these flows with extreme merit. A jealousy-inducing ease to the prose throughout, Winwood has crafted the definitive experience of the music circuit.
If you liked this review, you can read more of my work on my website, Cult Following.
But life and death in music are much more than the febrile motions of drink and drugs, it is also the legal wranglings, the unspoken traditions and tribulations of bands trying to create and then survive. Winwood documents that with expert scrutiny. Herefers to the likes of Lostprophets and the fallout of the disgusting Watkins case. He earmarks the so-called "27 Club", of artists who died at the age of 27. Winwood’s point with much of these brushes with history is to show the depths of depravity that goes beyond the drink and drugs that have allegedly stemmed creatives bursts with a unique intimacy only gained through the trust and interest of rockstars that still tour and take their chances with substances today.
Despite those horrors, Winwood appears hopeful, and it is the credit of great writing that a reader does not feel that same despair and fear so brutally explained by Winwood's personalised account. This is as much an autobiography as it is a satisfying breakdown of big problem. Bodies is documentation of massive, gaping issues found within the music industry, from the grassroots level all the way to the cream of the multi-million-pound crop. These issues affect all, yet somehow, they have persevered in public. Privately, a different story. The imagery associated with the music industry is an important cover for the leaky pipes beneath. That much is explored with such creative and intimate detail from Winwood, who delves deep into his own career and the rich tapestry that forms it. Gutting details, triumphant moments that anyone in the field will have latched to after their first byline, but without the impressive addition of actually meeting the bandmates as Winwood often does. His writing, too, is honest. That is the crucial element to Bodies.
Absolutely essential for anyone wondering what it is like on this side of the fence, Bodies is as experienced as it is alarming. At a time when bands are thankfully pulling back to focus on themselves rather than their careers, Bodies provides an articulate look at the other side. Of pushing on beyond that need for a break, of reliance on drink, drugs and the rock and roll atmosphere that was so cool for the time but is now explored in this revisionist period as a problematic cause of a great many deaths. If not death, destruction lingers on. Bodies is unflinching with its harsh truths, and Winwood’s anecdotal approach to these flows with extreme merit. A jealousy-inducing ease to the prose throughout, Winwood has crafted the definitive experience of the music circuit.
If you liked this review, you can read more of my work on my website, Cult Following.
June 19, 2022
Reflections and lessons learned:
“More than half a lifetime ago I remember being outraged on people holding life or death opinions on a book they hadn’t read…”
Not a music journalist that I’d knowingly come across before, but from a slightly different era from when I was reading these publications on a regular basis. The above quote is quite interesting in the context of how some people use the music press though. As Daily Mail readers sometimes use the platform to know what they should be thinking rather than having a balanced view on something, many people used to use the publications to find out who they should be listening to, and this books shows how parts of it all works.
A very personalised take and view on the industry, unfortunately covering so much of the loss that comes with the inevitable highs of making it, especially in light of the recent loss to Taylor Hawkins to a drugs overdose (not covered). Definitely not for the faint hearted with some of the details, but the brutal reality of how some people deal with being at the top of their chosen game, and how they chose to deal with the fame, not always in the most healthy way (including an awful insight into Lost Prophets ending).
“Give up drinking or you’ll be dead within the month the doctors told him… mckagen was a guardian angel…”
NFL give youngsters schooling in how to handle the change of fame and money - maybe record labels should be looking at a similar idea to ensure that artists aren’t always left to drink themselves to death - when Duff McKagan can be a better role model and support network, you know you should be looking at yourselves when taking your profit share… and please stop with the rock and roll industry misogyny already!
“I remember watching Pearl Jam 5 or 6 years ago at a festival and feeling so thankful that they’ve survived, because all I’ve ever wanted to do is play music and live, and I’m thankful that we’ve made it this far…” (Dave Grohl)
“More than half a lifetime ago I remember being outraged on people holding life or death opinions on a book they hadn’t read…”
Not a music journalist that I’d knowingly come across before, but from a slightly different era from when I was reading these publications on a regular basis. The above quote is quite interesting in the context of how some people use the music press though. As Daily Mail readers sometimes use the platform to know what they should be thinking rather than having a balanced view on something, many people used to use the publications to find out who they should be listening to, and this books shows how parts of it all works.
A very personalised take and view on the industry, unfortunately covering so much of the loss that comes with the inevitable highs of making it, especially in light of the recent loss to Taylor Hawkins to a drugs overdose (not covered). Definitely not for the faint hearted with some of the details, but the brutal reality of how some people deal with being at the top of their chosen game, and how they chose to deal with the fame, not always in the most healthy way (including an awful insight into Lost Prophets ending).
“Give up drinking or you’ll be dead within the month the doctors told him… mckagen was a guardian angel…”
NFL give youngsters schooling in how to handle the change of fame and money - maybe record labels should be looking at a similar idea to ensure that artists aren’t always left to drink themselves to death - when Duff McKagan can be a better role model and support network, you know you should be looking at yourselves when taking your profit share… and please stop with the rock and roll industry misogyny already!
“I remember watching Pearl Jam 5 or 6 years ago at a festival and feeling so thankful that they’ve survived, because all I’ve ever wanted to do is play music and live, and I’m thankful that we’ve made it this far…” (Dave Grohl)
August 23, 2022
A decent quick read, although it doesn't reveal anything I didn't already know. The author comes across as another one of those self obsessed and odious individuals that plague the music industry. He drops a lot of band names and places he's visited as if to reinforce the privileged position he found himself in but for me this just makes his cliched decline into substance abuse even more idiotic.
The narrative jumps around from one anecdote to another, timelines are sketchy. Perhaps this was intentional; the author spends time boasting about the amount of coke he was shoveling up his beak, but this means that stories about individuals are only hinted at or loosely defined. There's no real investigation into any of those individuals save one or two, and I get the impression those people would have encountered mental trauma and life changing episodes regardless of what career they found themselves in.
I really wanted to love this book, the subject matter is something I work in and have experienced personally. However, I think in places it tried too hard to be sensationalist and in others demanded a more authoritative POV and in both instances it comes up short.
The best bits about the book are the stories about his father, which are touching and very human.
The contrasting hinterland between these, and the anecdotes about the dicks in the Kerrang! office, is where the real story lies.
The narrative jumps around from one anecdote to another, timelines are sketchy. Perhaps this was intentional; the author spends time boasting about the amount of coke he was shoveling up his beak, but this means that stories about individuals are only hinted at or loosely defined. There's no real investigation into any of those individuals save one or two, and I get the impression those people would have encountered mental trauma and life changing episodes regardless of what career they found themselves in.
I really wanted to love this book, the subject matter is something I work in and have experienced personally. However, I think in places it tried too hard to be sensationalist and in others demanded a more authoritative POV and in both instances it comes up short.
The best bits about the book are the stories about his father, which are touching and very human.
The contrasting hinterland between these, and the anecdotes about the dicks in the Kerrang! office, is where the real story lies.
May 25, 2024
I forget who put me on to this, but with quotes on the cover from Frank Turner and Simon Neil it was obvious I was in safe hands
Overall interesting and enjoyable, if a wee bit unfocused. This mainly became apparent when people asked me what I was reading and I answered something along the lines of "eh, it's kind of a look at the toll the music industry can have on artists - drug and drink addiction and that. But the bit I'm reading just now is more about the financial model of the music industry. Also it's an autobiography." Somehow it does all generally pull together and although it's a bit of a gear shift reading about James Hetfield's struggles with addiction moments before a bit about the author's dad's relationship with his ex-wife, I guess journalists are a part of the music industry too and the personal stories anchor the whole thing.
There are a number of really interesting stories - some that I was hearing for the first time and some that I had a pretty good awareness of but the perspective was new. Artists that I have called "my favourite" at one point or another through my life come up (Metallica, Biffy Clyro, Frighted Rabbit and - briefly - The Twilight Sad) and these hit hardest. Particularly the discussion with Grant Hutchison which included some details and perspectives about Scott's life that I wasn't previously aware of. Of the stories I was less aware of it was especially interesting to read about the author's relationship with Ian Watkins - it was bold and engaging in the chronological way that this story was told while I - the reader - was fully aware of what was coming.
Although I subscribed to Kerrang! and read it cover-to-cover for years as a teenager the name Ian Winwood didn't mean anything to me. I almost certainly read a bunch of his work but never absorbed who the writer was. I therefore had no particular stake in his personal life but the autobiographical sections were nonetheless engaging and I appreciate the transparency with which he talks about events in his life. The incident with his dad's death is a story I have now retold to a couple of people. I'm glad he has seemingly got the better of his demons.
Although I struggled to articulate what this book is actually about when asked I do think it's an easy recommendation, particularly to anyone who identifies as a passionate lover of alternative/heavy music. Being a fan of many of the artists who contribute to this book from the "young" acts that were chosen (apparently almost at random) to provide their perspective like Creeper, to household names like Metallica helps, but anyone could take a lot away from reading this.
Overall interesting and enjoyable, if a wee bit unfocused. This mainly became apparent when people asked me what I was reading and I answered something along the lines of "eh, it's kind of a look at the toll the music industry can have on artists - drug and drink addiction and that. But the bit I'm reading just now is more about the financial model of the music industry. Also it's an autobiography." Somehow it does all generally pull together and although it's a bit of a gear shift reading about James Hetfield's struggles with addiction moments before a bit about the author's dad's relationship with his ex-wife, I guess journalists are a part of the music industry too and the personal stories anchor the whole thing.
There are a number of really interesting stories - some that I was hearing for the first time and some that I had a pretty good awareness of but the perspective was new. Artists that I have called "my favourite" at one point or another through my life come up (Metallica, Biffy Clyro, Frighted Rabbit and - briefly - The Twilight Sad) and these hit hardest. Particularly the discussion with Grant Hutchison which included some details and perspectives about Scott's life that I wasn't previously aware of. Of the stories I was less aware of it was especially interesting to read about the author's relationship with Ian Watkins - it was bold and engaging in the chronological way that this story was told while I - the reader - was fully aware of what was coming.
Although I subscribed to Kerrang! and read it cover-to-cover for years as a teenager the name Ian Winwood didn't mean anything to me. I almost certainly read a bunch of his work but never absorbed who the writer was. I therefore had no particular stake in his personal life but the autobiographical sections were nonetheless engaging and I appreciate the transparency with which he talks about events in his life. The incident with his dad's death is a story I have now retold to a couple of people. I'm glad he has seemingly got the better of his demons.
Although I struggled to articulate what this book is actually about when asked I do think it's an easy recommendation, particularly to anyone who identifies as a passionate lover of alternative/heavy music. Being a fan of many of the artists who contribute to this book from the "young" acts that were chosen (apparently almost at random) to provide their perspective like Creeper, to household names like Metallica helps, but anyone could take a lot away from reading this.
November 27, 2025
Like a lot of music critics, Winwood occasionally comes across as being a bit full of himself (although unlike most music critics he has been medically diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder amongst a raft of other mental ailments, so maybe I should cut him some slack in that regard), but the points he makes about the toxicity, rapaciousness, venality, greed and the pronounced lack of duty of care in the music industry are absolutely spot-on. Having witnessed an old mucker of mine experience many of the torments described during his tenure in a moderately successful band in the early noughties, a lot of this seemed horribly familiar. I raise a glass of something non-alcoholic to both of them for making it out of the other side with (most of) their faculties intact.
September 6, 2024
An interesting book which gives insights into the grimier side of the music business and how exploited and disposable musicians can be to the money men and various people who have a stake in keeping them going even (or especially) when they are breaking down. It seems that suffering sells.
The best thing to come out of it for me though was that I discovered Biffy Clyro (how had I missed them until now?!) What a lovely trio of lifelong friends who didn't hesitate to call a halt to a big tour when one of them was struggling.
The best thing to come out of it for me though was that I discovered Biffy Clyro (how had I missed them until now?!) What a lovely trio of lifelong friends who didn't hesitate to call a halt to a big tour when one of them was struggling.
January 2, 2023
I would say a 3.5. It needed someone to take a second read through the book as parts (especially in the first half) were chaotic and a little difficult to follow. The guy seems likeable and honest and, even if I’m not a fan of most of the bands mentioned, the stories of life on the road were very interesting.
September 4, 2022
A serious contender for book of the year. Exploring the savage way the music industry traumatises all who enter.
September 3, 2023
It’s a book of two halves. The industry / musician side and the authors personal side. Mostly this gels well but sometimes it becomes a bit too much author and a bit too little matter.
I confess in the last three chapters I kinda gave it away
I confess in the last three chapters I kinda gave it away
May 5, 2022
It makes sense 'rock stars' don't exist anymore. We know too much, and have lost too many. Whether it's because of drug abuse in the rock community, or mental health woes allowed to go unchecked by an uncaring industry, self-destruction isn't cool in 2022. We like our artists alive, loved.
Ian Winwood's had a hard time of it himself, as someone who's as much a part of the scene as those on stage. A Kerrang lifer whose words have brought tonnes of artists to life, he got swept up in the substances too. He's missed flights and deadlines because he lost control. Thankfully, by book's end, he's regained it.
There's a bittersweet feeling throughout Bodies. Those who've been on the brink and lived to tell the tale are keen to share their wisdom. There are charities and counsellors specifically for touring musicians, who often find the road exacerbates the struggles they're facing. But while these elders and kind-hearted individuals are doing their best, the industry itself has a ways to go. The pain in these pages isn't all historical, a revealing interview with Creeper bringing us up to the modern day.
If you're someone who cares about more than just the music - the musicians, the tours, the journalists - this is a sobering read. The problems are everywhere, whether it's the lack of money artists make or the uncaring attitude from higher ups at labels. Winwood contemplates why creative people are drawn to such a lifestyle, and the ways in which creativity often comes with vulnerability.
But the book's existence is itself a miracle. Thank God people are talking about the industry's dangers and have these words as reference. Thank God Ian's still here to write them. For those of us who have found a deep sense of comfort in rock music and who would feel lonely without it, it's upsetting to know the damage it's caused. With it increasingly out in the open though, hopefully more and more people contribute to the healing for this way of life.
Ian Winwood's had a hard time of it himself, as someone who's as much a part of the scene as those on stage. A Kerrang lifer whose words have brought tonnes of artists to life, he got swept up in the substances too. He's missed flights and deadlines because he lost control. Thankfully, by book's end, he's regained it.
There's a bittersweet feeling throughout Bodies. Those who've been on the brink and lived to tell the tale are keen to share their wisdom. There are charities and counsellors specifically for touring musicians, who often find the road exacerbates the struggles they're facing. But while these elders and kind-hearted individuals are doing their best, the industry itself has a ways to go. The pain in these pages isn't all historical, a revealing interview with Creeper bringing us up to the modern day.
If you're someone who cares about more than just the music - the musicians, the tours, the journalists - this is a sobering read. The problems are everywhere, whether it's the lack of money artists make or the uncaring attitude from higher ups at labels. Winwood contemplates why creative people are drawn to such a lifestyle, and the ways in which creativity often comes with vulnerability.
But the book's existence is itself a miracle. Thank God people are talking about the industry's dangers and have these words as reference. Thank God Ian's still here to write them. For those of us who have found a deep sense of comfort in rock music and who would feel lonely without it, it's upsetting to know the damage it's caused. With it increasingly out in the open though, hopefully more and more people contribute to the healing for this way of life.
January 13, 2026
Stop the press! This is a must-read for anyone who is a participant in the heavy-music scene… be it as a fan, an artist or anything in between. Ian Winwood’s story is one which (on the surface) is the stuff of dreams, after landing a gig writing for his favourite music magazine Kerrang! he found himself flying across the Atlantic to meet with incredible bands such as Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam. This could easily have been 300 pages of clanging name-drops, a decades long career in music journalism has no-doubt afforded Winwood enough anecdotes to satiate even the hardest-to-please fan and, whilst some jaw-dropping names DO grace these pages his is actually a story of struggles to the highest (or lowest) degree.
The focus of the book is the toxic and damaging nature of the music industry, how it chews up and spits out vulnerable young artists, how it enables addictions and destructive behaviour and how it harbours abusers and provides them with convenient excuses for horrendous behaviour. Overdoses, suicides and paedophilia, the former being overwhelmingly common within the industry, the latter, a horrifying example of just how dark a turn the lifestyle can take. Months on tour away from family, ‘yes-people’ willing to feed every vice and indescribable pressure to perform day-in-day-out is often a recipe for disaster in an already fragile creative mind.
Unflinching in his honesty and self-deprecation he also puts his own demons to paper, discussing his addiction and mental health issues and how they were exacerbated by the lifestyle he found himself in and around whilst immersing himself in all the music industry has to offer. It’s a book that only someone who has been through it and come out the other side could write, and he’s well aware of how lucky he is to have the chance to put the words on the page.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a great mix of personal experiences, wild name-drops and honesty. A 5K read!
The focus of the book is the toxic and damaging nature of the music industry, how it chews up and spits out vulnerable young artists, how it enables addictions and destructive behaviour and how it harbours abusers and provides them with convenient excuses for horrendous behaviour. Overdoses, suicides and paedophilia, the former being overwhelmingly common within the industry, the latter, a horrifying example of just how dark a turn the lifestyle can take. Months on tour away from family, ‘yes-people’ willing to feed every vice and indescribable pressure to perform day-in-day-out is often a recipe for disaster in an already fragile creative mind.
Unflinching in his honesty and self-deprecation he also puts his own demons to paper, discussing his addiction and mental health issues and how they were exacerbated by the lifestyle he found himself in and around whilst immersing himself in all the music industry has to offer. It’s a book that only someone who has been through it and come out the other side could write, and he’s well aware of how lucky he is to have the chance to put the words on the page.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a great mix of personal experiences, wild name-drops and honesty. A 5K read!
April 26, 2023
The only interesting parts of this book are quotes from the musicians themselves otherwise Bodies delivers nothing you don't already know unless it is about Ian himself.
Often directionless and rambling, this book is not about Life and Death in music. Sure, it touches on the topic of suicides and overdoses but then it will drift to Twitter and streaming and money, all the while Ian tramps all of the places he's been and all the wonderful things he's experienced by you. This is a book about Ian Winwood and even Ian Winwood himself can't make that interesting.
Often directionless and rambling, this book is not about Life and Death in music. Sure, it touches on the topic of suicides and overdoses but then it will drift to Twitter and streaming and money, all the while Ian tramps all of the places he's been and all the wonderful things he's experienced by you. This is a book about Ian Winwood and even Ian Winwood himself can't make that interesting.
October 3, 2022
I think I was expecting more.. The book seems as if made up of unconnected short articles.. There was a chance to write a really great book on music industry, on its hardships and the business that makes the people in it a commodity.. How stressful it is, how drugs, alcohol, etc are normalized, but I feel like it didn't live up to its potential..it is only suggested, not fully and deeply researched..not a bad reading of course, but not as great as it could be..
June 18, 2024
3'5 ⭐
"La cuestión es que la industria de la música no te deja reflexionar. Siempre estás avanzando hasta que dejas de hacerlo. Y ahí es donde reside el peligro del precipicio de la salud mental. El precipicio de bordear el barranco y, de repente, mirar al vacío."
"La cuestión es que la industria de la música no te deja reflexionar. Siempre estás avanzando hasta que dejas de hacerlo. Y ahí es donde reside el peligro del precipicio de la salud mental. El precipicio de bordear el barranco y, de repente, mirar al vacío."
August 6, 2023
Me me me me me. First rule of non fiction is to write about the subject matter and not about yourself. Still, not bad.
November 5, 2023
Ah man it got so boring so quick.
December 27, 2023
This is a book with an interesting theory (the damage done by the music industry, particularly in rock) with a subpar, mangled execution. For all its aims and the author's undoubted experience in this world, there is nothing as powerful as the first five minutes of the Elvis film, where they stick his head in a bucket of cold water to revive him and get him on stage No Matter What.
Instead we have the author's descent into My Drug Hell, which is boring, because there is only ever one My Drug Hell story you get to read: It was fun, then it was bad, then it was worse, then I was desperate and thought I would die, more of this, moment of light, I'm OK now. This is why drugs are extremely boring. To quote Jarvis Cocker who appears in this book far too briefly "Nobody ever says Oh what a lovely person they've become since they started doing loads of Class A drugs".
Other bands to feature more are Biffy Clyro who are treated in a rather overly adulatory manner and the Lostprophets, aka one of the grimnest stories in music. The writing about the latter has a self exculpatory tone as the author clearly knew the band well and had met them over the years
. As heinous as it is and be warned, Ian Watkins crimes are described in some detail, this is a story that probably deserves to be told in full at some point. A band with a singer who was a predator hiding in plain sight (very plain sight as there were forum posts warning fans about him years before his arrest) and the remaining members who have had their life's work flushed away in a manner only members of the Glitter Band have experienced.
Aside from that, there is nothing very new here. Towards the end it segues towards the issues of money (and the lack thereof) in music, for both bands and writers. Again, this could potentially be a more interesting book. There is a legendary story where HMV's advertising team tried to warn them of the rise of accessing songs via the Internet and HMV laughed and said they had no plans other than to carry on charging £10 -£15 for a CD, thank you very much.
I read this over the course of a plane journey and it was entertaining enough, just ultimately very insubstantial.
Instead we have the author's descent into My Drug Hell, which is boring, because there is only ever one My Drug Hell story you get to read: It was fun, then it was bad, then it was worse, then I was desperate and thought I would die, more of this, moment of light, I'm OK now. This is why drugs are extremely boring. To quote Jarvis Cocker who appears in this book far too briefly "Nobody ever says Oh what a lovely person they've become since they started doing loads of Class A drugs".
Other bands to feature more are Biffy Clyro who are treated in a rather overly adulatory manner and the Lostprophets, aka one of the grimnest stories in music. The writing about the latter has a self exculpatory tone as the author clearly knew the band well and had met them over the years
. As heinous as it is and be warned, Ian Watkins crimes are described in some detail, this is a story that probably deserves to be told in full at some point. A band with a singer who was a predator hiding in plain sight (very plain sight as there were forum posts warning fans about him years before his arrest) and the remaining members who have had their life's work flushed away in a manner only members of the Glitter Band have experienced.
Aside from that, there is nothing very new here. Towards the end it segues towards the issues of money (and the lack thereof) in music, for both bands and writers. Again, this could potentially be a more interesting book. There is a legendary story where HMV's advertising team tried to warn them of the rise of accessing songs via the Internet and HMV laughed and said they had no plans other than to carry on charging £10 -£15 for a CD, thank you very much.
I read this over the course of a plane journey and it was entertaining enough, just ultimately very insubstantial.
May 10, 2023
Songbook: Bodies
By Ian Winwood (2022)
+ Sex Pistols (1977) / Drowning Pool (2001)
The late 90s: I am on a boat somewhere off the Florida Keys. We are going snorkelling. I am sceptical: the waters off the Keys have more sharks than any other area in the world. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a huge tail fin smash into the water. We drop anchor and I tell our guide. “Ah, don’t worry,” he says, whipping his top off, “it was probably just a nurse shark. It won’t bother us.” And with that, he jumps in.
I don’t even take a minute to think about it. I jump in straight after him.
I’ve marvelled about this since. Why did I? And the best I have is: Because he normalised it. He wasn’t scared, and he was an old hand. What could possibly go wrong?
Ian Winwood’s brilliant, gripping, grim new book is about how the music business normalises, enables, maybe even encourages bad behaviour. You can jump right in, but know this: the sharks are out there, circling.
After decades of writing for Metal Hammer, NME and, most of all, Kerrang, Winwood looks at the ways the music business kills its young, with stories of drugs, alcohol, stress, pressure, mental illness, abuse, social media pile-ons, all told to him by a cast of now-dead men and some of the bandmates they left behind.
The bodies pile up - Staley, Weiland, Cornell, Bennington and more. There’s a look at the damage Ian Watkins wreaked not just upon children but, in a wider sense, on his bandmates. There’s an insider take on abusive behaviour and bad management at his beloved Kerrang. And there are survivors’ tales of breakdowns and recovery.
And, running alongside it all, there’s the very human story of Winwood’s own descent into addiction, triggered by a personal tragedy. Told in his relatable unpretentious northern tone, the book becomes a rock’n’roll version of James Grey’s slightly discredited A Million Little Pieces. In this case the horror is real.
And it’s a story still unfolding: in the gap between writing and publishing Bodies, two of the book’s subjects - Mark Lanegan and Taylor Hawkins - lie dead.
By Ian Winwood (2022)
+ Sex Pistols (1977) / Drowning Pool (2001)
The late 90s: I am on a boat somewhere off the Florida Keys. We are going snorkelling. I am sceptical: the waters off the Keys have more sharks than any other area in the world. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a huge tail fin smash into the water. We drop anchor and I tell our guide. “Ah, don’t worry,” he says, whipping his top off, “it was probably just a nurse shark. It won’t bother us.” And with that, he jumps in.
I don’t even take a minute to think about it. I jump in straight after him.
I’ve marvelled about this since. Why did I? And the best I have is: Because he normalised it. He wasn’t scared, and he was an old hand. What could possibly go wrong?
Ian Winwood’s brilliant, gripping, grim new book is about how the music business normalises, enables, maybe even encourages bad behaviour. You can jump right in, but know this: the sharks are out there, circling.
After decades of writing for Metal Hammer, NME and, most of all, Kerrang, Winwood looks at the ways the music business kills its young, with stories of drugs, alcohol, stress, pressure, mental illness, abuse, social media pile-ons, all told to him by a cast of now-dead men and some of the bandmates they left behind.
The bodies pile up - Staley, Weiland, Cornell, Bennington and more. There’s a look at the damage Ian Watkins wreaked not just upon children but, in a wider sense, on his bandmates. There’s an insider take on abusive behaviour and bad management at his beloved Kerrang. And there are survivors’ tales of breakdowns and recovery.
And, running alongside it all, there’s the very human story of Winwood’s own descent into addiction, triggered by a personal tragedy. Told in his relatable unpretentious northern tone, the book becomes a rock’n’roll version of James Grey’s slightly discredited A Million Little Pieces. In this case the horror is real.
And it’s a story still unfolding: in the gap between writing and publishing Bodies, two of the book’s subjects - Mark Lanegan and Taylor Hawkins - lie dead.
June 19, 2022
An extremely sobering book about a music journalist’s descent into addiction and his examples of why working in the music industry is dangerous for your health. It covers examples of band members struggling with alcoholism and drug addictions (a cast of characters you will have heard of before and some newer ones) and paints a picture of why the music industry has a disproportionate number of such cases - boredom, alienation and a lack of connection with family and normality whilst touring at the most basic level. On top of this the record companies do not come off well, depicted as using the musicians as commodities, making money out of tel gem and not looking out for their mental health - once in motion tours do not get cancelled if some of the band is struggling! The book also deviates to talk about the difficulties for women working in the industry, the sexism and the abuse. Perhaps this book should be compulsory reading for anyone thinking about starting a career in music? It is like a government health warning but would help you enter with your eyes open and ready to protect yourself. A good read but maybe for all the wrong reasons - It’s a warts and all account which might take the edge of how you view the music industry going forward.
August 11, 2022
4.5 stars.
This is a really interesting (and at times, hard to read) book. I didn't realise that this book would also be about Ian's descent into addiction (and recovery); if at least one person reads it and it resonates with them and they seek help (be they a musican or not), great (not doing it justice but I hope you get what I mean.)
There are lots of interesting stories and as I've said, some very difficult ones to read; I stopped reading Kerrang! once I got to my thirties so had no idea what some of the female staff members had had to endure. Just horrendous (and sadly all too familiar for us women.) Even though we're all familiar with the history of the Lostprophets lead singer (I refuse to mention him by name), it's still very, very hard to read that particular bit.
The roll-call of people and talent we've lost over the years due to drink, drugs and mental health issues is so sad. Hopefully in the future we'll be able to save more of them.
4.5 stars (I agree with someone else on here who said that the narrative is a bit jumpy.)
This is a really interesting (and at times, hard to read) book. I didn't realise that this book would also be about Ian's descent into addiction (and recovery); if at least one person reads it and it resonates with them and they seek help (be they a musican or not), great (not doing it justice but I hope you get what I mean.)
There are lots of interesting stories and as I've said, some very difficult ones to read; I stopped reading Kerrang! once I got to my thirties so had no idea what some of the female staff members had had to endure. Just horrendous (and sadly all too familiar for us women.) Even though we're all familiar with the history of the Lostprophets lead singer (I refuse to mention him by name), it's still very, very hard to read that particular bit.
The roll-call of people and talent we've lost over the years due to drink, drugs and mental health issues is so sad. Hopefully in the future we'll be able to save more of them.
4.5 stars (I agree with someone else on here who said that the narrative is a bit jumpy.)
September 23, 2022
Visceral, empathetic, profound and affecting, Winwood’s book operates on a number of levels: as a j’accuse of the music industry not only in its failure to safeguard those who operate within in but for the ways it drives them to addiction and self-destruction; as a plea for greater awareness of mental health issues within said industry; as a cautionary tale of how said industry pulls into its destructive orbit associated practitioners, most notably music journalists; as a memoir of personal loss, grief and aftermath; as a threnody for those who didn’t survive; and as a hymn to those who did. Winwood writes with excoriating honesty, never sparing himself even as he skewers corporate greed, workplace bullies, toxic misogynists and internet trolls. ‘Bodies’ goes to some pretty dark places (there’s a chapter on the Lostprophets) and it could easily have been an exercise in despair; a trip down the abyss with no return tickets. Instead, it’s a deeply humane and sometimes acerbically witty work, written with fury but also with a whole lot of heart.
May 5, 2022
This book is incredible in the way it gets behind the scenes to tell Ian's own devasting story of loss and mental illness as a casualty of the music scene that he loves. But the main story plots the sinister machinations of a music industry that is more interested in profiteering from the creativity of its artists, than supporting their health and well being. More often than not with deadly results.
No other industry brags about a suicide squad (hello the ominous 27 Club - Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, you know the drill) and no other industry fails to pay its employees, driving them to drink, drugs and death.
Someone call HR!!!
Oh, hang on Mr Winwood has done that job already.
This is a book that NEEDS to be read to be believed. Incredible. As Ian's former employer, metal mag Kerrang! would say in its much-vaulted rating system. "A 5K performance from the world's greatest rock writer!"
No other industry brags about a suicide squad (hello the ominous 27 Club - Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, you know the drill) and no other industry fails to pay its employees, driving them to drink, drugs and death.
Someone call HR!!!
Oh, hang on Mr Winwood has done that job already.
This is a book that NEEDS to be read to be believed. Incredible. As Ian's former employer, metal mag Kerrang! would say in its much-vaulted rating system. "A 5K performance from the world's greatest rock writer!"
October 2, 2023
This is an interesting read, for sure, but I didn't love it. In general, I just don't enjoy books written by music journalists, which is strange because I happily read music magazines.
The book struggled to stick to the topic, and it didn't answer questions, only reaching one conclusion as the possible cause of addiction and death in music business. I would have liked to see other possibilities explored.
I was intrigued by the stories though. If I may brag a little, the author didn't mention a single band or artist I hadn't at least heard of, and I even recognised some musicians who weren't mentioned by name. Then again, Kerrang! and NME are very much at the centre of my musical universe.
What bothered me most was the bashing of certain individuals, which struck me as unprofessional.
Still, if you are interested in the music business and rock music in particular, this is a book worth reading.
The book struggled to stick to the topic, and it didn't answer questions, only reaching one conclusion as the possible cause of addiction and death in music business. I would have liked to see other possibilities explored.
I was intrigued by the stories though. If I may brag a little, the author didn't mention a single band or artist I hadn't at least heard of, and I even recognised some musicians who weren't mentioned by name. Then again, Kerrang! and NME are very much at the centre of my musical universe.
What bothered me most was the bashing of certain individuals, which struck me as unprofessional.
Still, if you are interested in the music business and rock music in particular, this is a book worth reading.
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