Am I Evil by Brian Tatler.
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Someone would expose… even further than the Wikipedia page hints; the inadequacies of the infrastructure surrounding what should have been ‘the greatest band since Led Zep’. The fact that this has happened courtesy of Brian Tatler is an irony not lost on the ones close to the hub of the biggest trainwreck in recent music history.
Considering the band had the greatest riff maker of a generation; with, (at one time at any rate), one of the finest singers to boot, you would think it was a marriage made in heaven. You couldn’t be more wrong.
Obviously I have a personal interest in the telling of the story, being the drummer with the most haphazardly run band of all time.
Lets start with this. Let’s state the bleedin’ obvious: Question… How many bands have the singer’s mother looking after them?
I’ll get one thing straight from the outset. I’ve always loved the two lads. B & S.
They are such unique characters in the whacky world of rock. Two lads who were capable of writing the best songs you’ll find in any decade. Period.
So, what are the lessons of this particular tome?
Well, first off…don’t trust anyone. Brian did! Cliched it may sound.
But in Brian’s case it has to be the founding judgement on his career.
He gave his all. They took everything. Including his money.
There are so many things about this book to recommend. But above all, it’s the wanton greed of his so called friend and family which beggars belief. If this was a screen play for a film submitted to a Hollywood producer? It would be laughed out of hand instantly.
What? You suddenly find out that your royalty share has decreased by 50%?
What? Zomba had no knowledge of these shannanigans?
What? You end up being the doormat of all & sundry to the point where you no longer have any say whatsoever in the direction of your band?
And it’s these seemingly endless tales of misappropiation, lies, cowardice and chicanery that bind the book from cover to cover. There will be some that say Brian should have stood up to his tormentors, after all, that’s what you have to do when you deal with bullies’… but it wasn’t like that.
Brian & Sean were absolutely poles apart off stage. Sean was always struggling to come across as an intellectual. Brian just a lad who loved playing guitar as best he could.
This book if anything should be a prerequisite to any youngster even remotely thinking about becoming a rock star!
The tales of the early days from schoolboy chums, to supporting established acts, to headling major league UK tours, to falling into the abyss caused largely by an inadequate management team.
It’s there for all and sundry to absorb, enjoy and be made aware of what happens when personal greed, incompetence and ultimately failure form an alliance with genious musicianship
I’ll spare you the gory details. This book should be read in one sitting. Order it now at;
http://www.diamond-head.net/
Go ahead. So…you wanna be a rock star? If ya wannabe after reading this book? You’ve got what it takes!!
See yas soon!
Love & Respect,
Robbie. xx
