PAINTING SNAILS: A ROCK & ROLL DOCTOR'S TALE

by Stephen John Hartley

Stephen John Hartley uses the backdrop of his rugged hillside garden to tell his incredible story: guitarist in iconic punk band; DIY record label owner; woodblock and letterpress printer; late entrant into medical school; ER physician; restorer of old vehicles and more. Told with vernacular wit, this is a heart-warming memoir.

300 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

I failed all my exams at high school - I had better things to do - I was guitarist in a punk band. I stumbled into an old-fashioned engineering apprenticeship and when I'd finished that, I got wanderlust and hitch-hiked round Europe. I decided to have a go a busking and made a living out of it for five years (playing classical guitar).

I got the urge to become a doctor after meeting my wife and her family. I got into medical school against incredible odds and eventually became an A&E consultant.

I've had a large hillside allotment for many years which I garden using permaculture/organic principles. I have a blog HERE . I had the notion to write a book using the allotment's annual cycle as a framework for anecdotes about the above and so PAINTING SNAILS was born.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A punk rocker who became a medical doctor tells his story.

He takes the punk DIY ethos to its extreme, He makes his own amps, published his own book, grows his own food, and fixes his own cars.

Not the most structured work, but usually entertaining. Inspirational in its own way.