Roadies: the secret history of Australian rock 'n' roll

One of our mates at the gym is a roadie and he often entertains Robin with stories of some of his experiences. Consequently when he mentioned that his story was to be part of a book on roadies I reserved a copy from the library.

Stuart Coupe has written this book after interviewing Australian roadies about their experiences working in the music industry. Forty-one chapters describe not only the general work of the roadies who are an essential element in ensuring that the show is successful, but also provides accounts of touring with individual entertainers.

Chapter five entitled How Weird is devoted to the experiences and antics of Howard Freeman. Howard's family has been involved with show business for four generations so it was logical for him to continue the connection. He has toured with many of the major Australian bands over the years including Sherbert, Dragon and Jimmy Barnes as well as overseas acts. After reading this chapter of the book all I can say is that it is a miracle that Howard has survived.

All in all this book is an interesting account of the music industry from the perspective of those who work behind the scenes.