I'm Not With the Band: A Writer's Life Lost in Musik

More about the book

This is a three-decade survivor's tale, a scenic search for elusive human happiness through music, magazines, silly jokes, and a cast of colorful characters. In 1986, Sylvia Patterson boarded a train to London with a tea-chest full of vinyl records and a dream to write about music forever. Escaping a troubled home, she embarks on a lifelong quest for meaning, often surrounded by flaky pop stars and unreliable hip-hop legends. As she encounters music's biggest names, she faces glamour and tragedy, wisdom and lunacy, alongside drink, drugs, and disaster. From Madonna's Earth Mother phase to Prince's compliments on her shoes, and Eminem's threats, her experiences are both hilarious and harrowing. She shares fruit with Johnny Cash, make-up with Amy Winehouse, and pints with Richey Edwards of the Manics. The narrative spans from the 80s to the present, featuring encounters with the Beckhams in LA, a Gallagher in her living room, and Shaun Ryder and Bez in Jamaica. This chronicle of the last thirty years in music is not just about the industry but also one woman's wayward search for love, peace, and a wonderful life, leaving readers to ponder whether she ultimately found them.