On a Cold Road: Tales of Adventure in Canadian Rock
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Book Overview
David Bidini, rhythm guitarist with the Rheostatics, knows all too well what the life of a rock band in Canada involves: storied arenas one tour and bars wallpapered with photos of forgotten bands the next. Zit-speckled fans begging for a guitar pick and angry drunks chucking twenty-sixers and pint glasses. Opulent tour buses riding through apocalyptic snowstorms and cramped vans that reek of dope and beer. Brilliant performances and heart-sinking break-ups. Bidini has played all across the country many times, in venues as far flung and unalike as Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and the Royal Albert Hotel in Winnipeg. In 1996, when the Rheostatics opened for the Tragically Hip on their Trouble at the Henhouse tour, Bidini kept a diary. In On a Cold Road he weaves his colourful tales about that tour with revealing and hilarious anecdotes from the pioneers of Canadian rock - including BTO, Goddo, the Stampeders, Max Webster, Crowbar, the Guess Who, Triumph, Trooper, Bruce Cockburn, Gale Garnett, and Tommy Chong - whom Bidini later interviewed in an effort to compare their experiences with his. The result is an original, vivid, and unforgettable picture of what it has meant, for the last forty years, to be a rock musician in Canada.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0771014562
ISBN13:9780771014567
Release Date:October 1998
Publisher:McClelland & Stewart
Length:288 Pages
Weight:0.80 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 6.2" x 8.7"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Stuff of Legends, with Bad Weather and Long Roads
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
You don't have to be a Canadian or even KNOW any of the bands in this book to enjoy the stories as told by the rockers themselves.It's simply a great collection of road tales in the ever-entertaining realm of rock and roll touring. Of course, the fact that 2 gigs in the same province can be a day's drive apart, makes Bidini's collection ever the more fascinating. I simply could not put the thing down. Plenty of laughs and funny stories, a couple of shockingly painful stories, and some priceless moments of insight into Canadian popular culture, human interaction, and the music business. A great gift for your Rockin' and Rollin' friends!
A real-life look at what it takes to be Canadian rocker
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
A fantastic book! If you are a fan of the band, or of Canadian music in general, you won't be able to put it down. I guarantee that after reading this book, you'll never think of the music industry in the same way again.This book is really two books in one, blended together. First of all, it tells the story of Dave Bidini and the Canadian rock band "Rheostatics". Fans will relish all the interesting twists and turns of the band's career, while non-fans will be heading to their local music store as fast as possible to hear what these guys sound like.Bidini's writing is intense and very personal. From the stinking tour bus to the bright lights up on the stage of Maple Leaf Gardens, you'll feel like you're right there with the band.The second aspect of the book is a collection of interviews with Canadian musicians who led the way back in the 70's and 80's. These snapshots of life in the rock biz are the most the most honest you're likely to come across. Crazy, hilarious, heartbreaking, and sometimes disturbing, they are an invaluable historical resource for the Canadian music scene.Buy this book, and once you've read it, go buy some Rheostatics CDs. You won't be disappointed!
I laughed, I cried, it's much better than Hammer of the Gods
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Written during his band's cross-Canada tour, Bidini's stories as one of the founding members of the Rheostatics are interspersed with interviews he conducted with some of the biggest music legends of our time.Some people start playing an instrument after they hear a great song. Bidini's book will make people want to start their own bands. Descriptions of first gigs, first band break-ups and first record deals offer amazing insight into an industry and a life that goes far beyond ghost-written rock and roll 'autobiographies' both emotionally and intellectually. Bidini is a gifted writer.
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