PERFORMING ARTS

Sonic Warrior: My Life as a Rock n Roll Reprobate (Tales of Sex, Drugs, and Vomiting at Inopportune Moments)

Rare Bird. Apr. 2020. 256p. ISBN 9781644280768. $27. MUSIC
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Self-described “professional music fan” Brutus has had a storied career as a DJ and music programmer. Fortunately for readers, many of those stories have made it into this book: Metallica performing in the Inuit village of Tuktoyaktuk, Brutus (barely) dodging a giant phallus costume onstage with Slipknot, and Duran Duran figuring out how their song “A View to a Kill” went before they appeared onstage at Live Aid (they’d never played it in concert before). Whether taking place on the tour bus or backstage, these are lusty tales, enthusiastically told, which makes the reflective passages all the sweeter. A heartfelt tribute to friend and writer Hunter S. Thompson, a voodoo encounter with Keith Richards, and pieces expressing reverence for Frank Zappa and gratitude for a loud life well lived—these are the moments that resonate after the book ends and the room quiets.
VERDICT Brutus estimates that he’s attended more than 3,000 music events; it’s wonderful that he’s able to share some of his best memories with readers. Recommended for music fans, especially those with a metal bent.
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