In The Dark Stuff Nick Kent profiles twenty-two of the most gifted and self-destructive talents in rock history. From Brian Wilson to Syd Barrett, the Rolling Stones to Neil Young, Iggy Pop to Lou Reed, he offers intimate portraits that are unimaginable in the world of today's market driven music business.
The Dark Stuff: Selected Writings on Rock Music 1972-1993
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"'The Dark Stuff is a mighty tome, containing some of the best music journalism ever written." Spectator
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Seminal collection of rock journalism, updated with new material
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Dark Stuff was first published in Britain in 1994 and always available in the USA since its 1996 publication. In the UK the book had been out-of-print for eight years until the 2007 edition appeared. Compiled from 1970s interviews for the New Musical Express plus 1980s magazine articles, this new edition includes the essays Sly Stone's Evil Ways & Phil Spector's Long Fall From Grace, a portrait of French pop icon Serge Gainsbourg, a recent interview with Iggy Pop and a concluding essay titled Self-destruction in Rock and Elsewhere. All in all twenty-two of the most talented and self-destructive artists in rock history are profiled.
Kent was the New Musical Express's star attraction in the 1970s at a time when the publication was selling 300,000 copies per week. It was at the forefront of reporting on the punk explosion, punk personalities, the style and its offshoots. The NME's influential position gave Kent unique opportunities as a rock writer. Kent may be older & wiser but there's something to be said for the energy and enthusiasm of youth, since the recent stuff amongst the new additions is less gripping than the original writings from the 70s and 80s for NME and magazines like The Face, Arena and Spin.
The value of each chapter is directly proportional to the communication skills of those interviewed: that is why the Guns 'N' Roses piece is a complete waste of time and paper and shouldn't even have been included, whilst I loved the Roy Orbison interview although I've never really been into his music. I found the Brian Wilson piece too long and disagree with the author's assessment of the Rolling Stones after the 1960s.... Read more ›
Kent was the New Musical Express's star attraction in the 1970s at a time when the publication was selling 300,000 copies per week. It was at the forefront of reporting on the punk explosion, punk personalities, the style and its offshoots. The NME's influential position gave Kent unique opportunities as a rock writer. Kent may be older & wiser but there's something to be said for the energy and enthusiasm of youth, since the recent stuff amongst the new additions is less gripping than the original writings from the 70s and 80s for NME and magazines like The Face, Arena and Spin.
The value of each chapter is directly proportional to the communication skills of those interviewed: that is why the Guns 'N' Roses piece is a complete waste of time and paper and shouldn't even have been included, whilst I loved the Roy Orbison interview although I've never really been into his music. I found the Brian Wilson piece too long and disagree with the author's assessment of the Rolling Stones after the 1960s.... Read more ›
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
interesting insight into the tortured lives, dysfunction and general unpleasantness of many key figures of popular music
11 Aug 2009
By Talc Demon
Format:Paperback
This is a collection of journalistic pieces for those like myself (and no doubt many others) with a voyeuristic interest in the self-destructive lives of rock'n'roll. Written by Nick Kent over the decades, it provides an interesting insight into the tortured lives, dysfunction and general unpleasantness of many key figures of popular music.
Such lives tend to be littered with self-destruction and the concept of rock and roll may indeed be defined by variable degrees of self-destruction and "dark stuff". Nick Kent's book title therefore is somewhat misleading, suggesting that he is covering new ground where others have covered the "light stuff". However, although much of this biographical information is in the public domain without the help of Kent's writing, the latter is funny and natural in a way that many other writers' self-conscious lean towards sarcasm and meaningless criticism is not. Kent often provides a fresh and less air-brushed perspective on certain icons that seem to be generally untouchable, in what might be considered rock blasphemy, for example his darker and less forgiving take on Kurt Cobain, and this de-glamourisation of cult heroes might be what he refers to as the dark stuff.
This is not more than a collection of previously published magazine interviews/ articles and so there may be much you've read about before, however this is nevertheless an interesting and well-written collection of rock biography that is well worth a read.
Such lives tend to be littered with self-destruction and the concept of rock and roll may indeed be defined by variable degrees of self-destruction and "dark stuff". Nick Kent's book title therefore is somewhat misleading, suggesting that he is covering new ground where others have covered the "light stuff". However, although much of this biographical information is in the public domain without the help of Kent's writing, the latter is funny and natural in a way that many other writers' self-conscious lean towards sarcasm and meaningless criticism is not. Kent often provides a fresh and less air-brushed perspective on certain icons that seem to be generally untouchable, in what might be considered rock blasphemy, for example his darker and less forgiving take on Kurt Cobain, and this de-glamourisation of cult heroes might be what he refers to as the dark stuff.
This is not more than a collection of previously published magazine interviews/ articles and so there may be much you've read about before, however this is nevertheless an interesting and well-written collection of rock biography that is well worth a read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By 70s
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well observed and taughtly written this book will be of interest to all music lovers. Stories of the great and not so great woven into a series of articles that lift the stone and look underneath. Private moments and an insight into the mind of folks like Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, are fascinating. I casn heartily recommend this book
By Peter Hirst
Format:Paperback
The book is an amazing series of writings on the rock world. Nick Kent is a dynamic and engaging writer who offers an exciting style as well as insider insight. Best read over time (maybe rationing to a chapter a week if you have the will power) as the depressingly repeated pattern of talented rock folk destroying themselves through drugs becomes a bit repetitive and depressing after a while. Iggy Pop recommends the book on the basis that it makes you want to listen to the music of the artists featured and this is absolutely correct.
Format:Paperback
One of the best books about the rock music business I have ever read. Kent's turn of phrase is simply superb. This excellent collection of magazine articles and commentary races along packed full of colourful, acid observations and dry wit. His subjects are some of the most excessive, complex and self indulgent characters in the history of popular music, ranging from Jerry Lee Lewis, Brian Jones, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed to the Happy Mondays and Shane Magowan. Some pieces are more or less taken from interviews he conducted in the 1970s and 80s while others are more reflective and read almost like obituaries (he is particularly scathing about Kurt Cobain, Sid Vicious and Phil Spector). The book shows Kent's keen eye for the dark side of the rock business, the drug dependency, financial excesses, celebrity paranoia and insecurity which in many cases led to sickness, bankruptcy and death. Its a rivetting and wholly satisfying read for the rock voyeur.
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