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Product Description
Product Description
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people try to make it as rock stars, yet very few succeed. We've all read auto-biographies of drugged up ndividuals, sipping champagne from the stiletto of a Playboy Bunny while looking out of the tinted glass of a stretch limo. But what about the musicians who don't even touch those sleazy heights? Are their lives any less outrageous or even readable? EAMON NANCARROW delivers answers to these questions in his side-splitting memoir Holywood Star. It's the tale of a kid brought up on a council estate just outside Belfast who dreams of striding the stages of the world's great concert halls, but at almost every step calamity trips him up. You won't have heard of Eamon or any of his bands, but by the end of his book you'll feel like a life-long fan.
From the Publisher
SHOWCASE UK was created by broadcaster and journalist Xan Phillips as a vehicle to promote unsigned musicians. Based in Southampton it's first release was the CD `Showcase Sett' a 16 track compilation album of acts from the south coast. However back in 1987, Xan was also an aspiring bass player who accidentally joined Eamon Nancarrow's band 'Nellie Dean'. Since then they've remained close friends and in July 2007 Eamon began sending a stream of stories about his days as a musician and growing up in Holywood. From the beginning it was obvious that Eamon had a knack for comic writing and observational humour. The idea for putting these gems into a book followed soon after which is why 'Showcase UK' is proud to have 'Holywood Star' as it's first publication.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Very funny read that I would definately recommend to everyone. Whether you are into music - especially Rock/Metal - looking to rekindle memories of dodgy hairstyles, fashion and gig going in the 80's and 90's, or just in need of a good laugh, you are likely to find yourself carried along by the many tales of misadventure encountered while on the quest for superstardom.
I finished the book in a couple of days because I kept finding myself wanting to read "just" one more page. Doing so, brought much enjoyment, many tears of laughter, as well as,admittedly, some embarassing laugh out loud in a public place moments. Something this book also reminded me of, while reading, was how important it is to have the strength to follow one's dreams no matter where those dreams may lead.
I finished the book in a couple of days because I kept finding myself wanting to read "just" one more page. Doing so, brought much enjoyment, many tears of laughter, as well as,admittedly, some embarassing laugh out loud in a public place moments. Something this book also reminded me of, while reading, was how important it is to have the strength to follow one's dreams no matter where those dreams may lead.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Juggling final year University assignments, teaching practice and the odd tipple leaves one with little time to read books on anything other than the 'Philosophy of Education' and '101 uses of Papier-mache in the Primary classroom.' However due to a mix of reacting badly to a yellow fever vaccination and my copy of Holywood Star arriving before the official date of publication, I put my feet up and read the book from cover to cover.
I have to explain that as the son of the 'in'famous Ken Heaven, I have heard many of the stories of the Nellie days, many with different twists and turns and some that didn't make the book. However Eamon's style of writing and unrivalled ability to tell a story on paper without losing any of the wit and dry humour that come across in person, ensure a read that comes with its share of ups, downs and rolling on the floor laughing. It is representative of the joyous times and the struggles that Eamon has had over the years, and this book would hold well with anyone who has tried to make it in the music business.
Please allow yourself to be entertained with the comic stylings of Eamon in Holywood Star, you never know, there could be more stories waiting to be written and relayed to the fans of this book. An excellent read, extremely fluent and hard to put down, you will not be disappointed, and will be wanting to read more of Eamon's thoughts and reflections on his life.
Well done Eamon, however the book won't be taking a deserved place on my bookshelf just yet, as the joy is spreading through the house as each and every one of my housemates wants to read the book that had me keeping the house up at night with gales of merriment!
I have to explain that as the son of the 'in'famous Ken Heaven, I have heard many of the stories of the Nellie days, many with different twists and turns and some that didn't make the book. However Eamon's style of writing and unrivalled ability to tell a story on paper without losing any of the wit and dry humour that come across in person, ensure a read that comes with its share of ups, downs and rolling on the floor laughing. It is representative of the joyous times and the struggles that Eamon has had over the years, and this book would hold well with anyone who has tried to make it in the music business.
Please allow yourself to be entertained with the comic stylings of Eamon in Holywood Star, you never know, there could be more stories waiting to be written and relayed to the fans of this book. An excellent read, extremely fluent and hard to put down, you will not be disappointed, and will be wanting to read more of Eamon's thoughts and reflections on his life.
Well done Eamon, however the book won't be taking a deserved place on my bookshelf just yet, as the joy is spreading through the house as each and every one of my housemates wants to read the book that had me keeping the house up at night with gales of merriment!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
On the roll of honour of rock bands from AC/DC to ZZ Top, the names of Guilt Edge, No Hot Ashes and Nellie Dean fail to figure.
If only...and Holywood Star is all about "If Only."
The three bands that Eamon Nancarrow sang in over the years were just three of thousands of wannabe bands that mushroomed in the 1970s-80s, all eager to fill their lungs with the sweet smell of success. To keep scrambling towards the elusive record deal despite the snubs, the humiliations involved in doing the round of pubs and clubs in Belfast and London.
To keep the dream alive you had to have a sense of humour. And that humour comes rolling off the pages of Holywood Star like a rollercoaster of riffs. Laughter at their misfortunes and misadventures kept the tantalising hope of fame and fortune alight when the truth of failure lurked constantly over their heads.
Eamon hoped his voice and lyrics would propel them to success. If only either had been as good as his prose.
The Irish have the blarney and the craic and this is a beguiling mix of the two as he describes their drunken scrapes and disastrous gigs - and those magic ones; their battle to overcome poverty while keeping their fingers crossed.
It meant surviving in pit-awful digs and on junk food - and as much lager as they could get their hands on.
As a Catholic lad raised on a Protestant estate near Belfast in the thick of The Troubles, Eamon began life as one of the disadvantaged. But he became a survivor. He can tell a yarn with charm and a chuckle amid a life of raw existence. If only Lady Luck, the patron saint of popstars, could have rubbed shoulders with him and one of his bands.
In the end, Eamon admits defeat but with a smile. "Rock and Roll had laid a varied and exciting path for me...but I never 'made it' in the true sense of the word. No platimum discs, no limos, no tvs out of the hotel windows. But I had a ball trying to achieve those hollow status symbols."
Read Holywood Star and you too can go to the ball.
If only...and Holywood Star is all about "If Only."
The three bands that Eamon Nancarrow sang in over the years were just three of thousands of wannabe bands that mushroomed in the 1970s-80s, all eager to fill their lungs with the sweet smell of success. To keep scrambling towards the elusive record deal despite the snubs, the humiliations involved in doing the round of pubs and clubs in Belfast and London.
To keep the dream alive you had to have a sense of humour. And that humour comes rolling off the pages of Holywood Star like a rollercoaster of riffs. Laughter at their misfortunes and misadventures kept the tantalising hope of fame and fortune alight when the truth of failure lurked constantly over their heads.
Eamon hoped his voice and lyrics would propel them to success. If only either had been as good as his prose.
The Irish have the blarney and the craic and this is a beguiling mix of the two as he describes their drunken scrapes and disastrous gigs - and those magic ones; their battle to overcome poverty while keeping their fingers crossed.
It meant surviving in pit-awful digs and on junk food - and as much lager as they could get their hands on.
As a Catholic lad raised on a Protestant estate near Belfast in the thick of The Troubles, Eamon began life as one of the disadvantaged. But he became a survivor. He can tell a yarn with charm and a chuckle amid a life of raw existence. If only Lady Luck, the patron saint of popstars, could have rubbed shoulders with him and one of his bands.
In the end, Eamon admits defeat but with a smile. "Rock and Roll had laid a varied and exciting path for me...but I never 'made it' in the true sense of the word. No platimum discs, no limos, no tvs out of the hotel windows. But I had a ball trying to achieve those hollow status symbols."
Read Holywood Star and you too can go to the ball.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Holywood 5 Star
This book will have you laughing from Chapter one. Easy to read and hard to put down, Eamons stories are very funny and some of them we can all relate to and a few only he can! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Roy McFarlane
A most Excellent Adventure
Not really knowing the author or his background before reading this book, I was quite unprepared for the laughs and tears that were to follow. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Gerry Mc Nally
`It all sounded so simple.'
Eamon Nancarrow had a dream. He, like so many others, wanted to be a rock star. This is Eamon's story - of a journey with a good many twists and turns, heaps of humour, litres of... Read more
Published 12 months ago by J. Cameron-Smith
Laugh out loud, cringe inwardly, feel sad.
I bought this book on a recommendation from a friend, and am so glad I did. I raced through it the first time, but then took more time to re-read and really take in the whole... Read more
Published 13 months ago by J. E. Baxter
Northern Ireland again on the Literary Map!
Where do you start with a book review when you are blown away, moved, prompted to reflect on your life growing up in Northern Ireland and have laughed to the point of tears... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Amanda & Heath Taylor
Best book ever read.
Best book ever read. The book was so funny I was sorry when I came to the end.
Published 24 months ago by Belfast Bell
He lived the lifestyle I was reading about every week in Kerrang!
My God this book is funny! You're always a little sceptical when its by someone local, but this book was so good I just had to keep reading and reading, infact many nights it was... Read more
Published on 21 April 2010 by Seatzie Seatzieville
The best ten quid i've spent
I only know Eamon through a mutual friend/Lunatic who likes to hit things with sticks and I honestly didn't realise he had the ability to be so funny and having read Holywood Star... Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2010 by L. Brown
Feelin' that Holywood High!
Loved the vibe of his extremely witty little number. Fun and frolics that only a true Holywood star could recount in such a self effacing manner. Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2010 by Claire Kelly
Holywood Star Indeed
Holywood Star: The Life and Times of a Rock and Roll Misadventurer
I am a massive Christopher Brookmyre fan and love nothing more than lying beside the pool and enjoying... Read more
I am a massive Christopher Brookmyre fan and love nothing more than lying beside the pool and enjoying... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2010 by P. A. Loyer
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