Bill Bruford - The Autobiography

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   This will be a review of Bill Bruford's autobiography.  I ordered this book off of Amazon about 6 months ago and I keep reading it.  I'll flip to different sections and even read parts that I've already read before.  This is to say that to me, it's interesting.

I will say up front that I haven't read many artist biography's.  I read Jeff Beck's, Eric Clapton's, Ozzy Osbourne's, and Motley Crue's - I know the last two may considered "cheesy" by some, but they were "fun".

Bruford's is nothing like those.  You get the sense that (and he confirms this in his book by saying it) that he needed to write a book to bring closure to his career.  

On to the review...

He wrote the book as answers to some of the questions that he's been asked OVER and OVER throughout his career such as "What's it like working with Robert Fripp?" or "Why did you leave Yes?".

The book is well written and well thought out.  One can tell that he wasn't just trying to "cash in" by putting out a book.  It really seems like it was something that he felt he needed to do and the book is that much better for it.

There are a few funny stories and anecdotes in the book, but not as many as I would like.  That's really my only complaint with the book is that there could have been a bit more of that type of stuff.

Other than that, you feel like it's a Sunday evening and you have the chance to sit down and share a few pints with BB and hear about the high and low notes of his career and learn several valuable lessons while doing so.

For aspiring drummers (and musicians alike) there are several tips and tricks that deal with the music business in general that I would encourage anyone to read if they were about to try and play music for a living.  There is plenty of sound advice on that topic indeed.

As I said, there are a _few_ funny stories from his career, but not many.  It's more of a "This is what it was like for me, and I did it for over 40 years".

If you are a BB fan, get the book as soon as you can.

If you are not a BB fan, but are thinking about playing music for a living, get the book as soon as you can.

If you are a drummer, get the book as soon as you can.

If you are just a fan of music and want to read some interesting material, avoid this one.

Adam

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adam525 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Newbie Joined: April 09 2015 Location: Chattanooga, TN Status: Offline Points: 26	Posted: April 09 2015 at 18:57
	This will be a review of Bill Bruford's autobiography. I ordered this book off of Amazon about 6 months ago and I keep reading it. I'll flip to different sections and even read parts that I've already read before. This is to say that to me, it's interesting. I will say up front that I haven't read many artist biography's. I read Jeff Beck's, Eric Clapton's, Ozzy Osbourne's, and Motley Crue's - I know the last two may considered "cheesy" by some, but they were "fun". Bruford's is nothing like those. You get the sense that (and he confirms this in his book by saying it) that he needed to write a book to bring closure to his career. On to the review... He wrote the book as answers to some of the questions that he's been asked OVER and OVER throughout his career such as "What's it like working with Robert Fripp?" or "Why did you leave Yes?". The book is well written and well thought out. One can tell that he wasn't just trying to "cash in" by putting out a book. It really seems like it was something that he felt he needed to do and the book is that much better for it. There are a few funny stories and anecdotes in the book, but not as many as I would like. That's really my only complaint with the book is that there could have been a bit more of that type of stuff. Other than that, you feel like it's a Sunday evening and you have the chance to sit down and share a few pints with BB and hear about the high and low notes of his career and learn several valuable lessons while doing so. For aspiring drummers (and musicians alike) there are several tips and tricks that deal with the music business in general that I would encourage anyone to read if they were about to try and play music for a living. There is plenty of sound advice on that topic indeed. As I said, there are a _few_ funny stories from his career, but not many. It's more of a "This is what it was like for me, and I did it for over 40 years". If you are a BB fan, get the book as soon as you can. If you are not a BB fan, but are thinking about playing music for a living, get the book as soon as you can. If you are a drummer, get the book as soon as you can. If you are just a fan of music and want to read some interesting material, avoid this one. Adam