Discrete, though cunningly interwoven ... Has a fascinating chapter about the Rolling Stones’ 1989 Steel Wheels tour ... [Hepworth's] book is a delight. At the same time, some of the best insights in these richly detailed pages are merely implied.
Offers solid insights into the compulsions and drives that keep bands reforming ... Works as an exploration of the particular challenges of ageing as a rock star — or a fan — in a milieu originally designed for teenagers ... The book’s subtitle of 'why rock stars never retire' can be explained reasonably simply: money, nostalgia and the old trooper’s inability to bring down the final curtain when the crowd are still roaring — or even just gently sighing. Yet Hepworth astutely explains how a changing entertainment landscape has facilitated this ... Hepworth is an incisive observer of industry trends ... Hepworth devotes a fascinating chapter to the curious half-life of the Grateful Dead ... But he fails to address the specific challenges faced by older female pop stars. A chapter on Madonna, for example, swerves much discussion of the ageism and sexism she has often faced.
Snappy … Fascinating… [Hepworth’s] books read less like histories than arguments being entertainingly advanced over a pub table, and as with a lot of pub arguments, they’re big on rather sweeping statements … They also have a tendency to mix fascinating details…with rash claims that don’t bear close scrutiny … Never boring, largely because Hepworth is a genuinely great writer with a winning turn of phrase…and a dry wit. … He can also write movingly … It’s hard not to be entertained – and occasionally infuriated – by what he does.
Despite occasional assaults against readable English...[Hepworth'] voice generally provides good company ... The question Hepworth raises is simpler than he would have us believe ... Hepworth too often gets tangled in individual stories that do not serve the story as a whole ... Jaded and uncharitable ... Elsewhere, it seems that the author is writing about what he already knows, rather than bothering with the tedious business of research ... Worst of all, though, is Hepworth’s apparent lack of interest in how modern rock ’n’ roll discriminates against the very demographic without which it would never have been born.
An engaging catalogue of anecdotes ... The short chapters make this a fast read, and the variety of musicians reckoning with their legacy means that this should have appeal for a broad selection of readers and fans.
