Deke Leonard: Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics a jpoc book review

This book tells the tale of the first phase of the Man band. Of course, as with any rock bio, it will be of greatest interest to those who are already fans of the band but this book deserves a much wider audience. Deke is a brilliant author with a great source of wit and irony.

Man were founded in the late sixties and broke up in the late seventies. This book tells the story of the band through that period. Man fans will of course be aware that the band soon reformed and they are still gigging on and recording in the new century. Deke is working on a prequel to this book and surely there must be scope for a book covering the second phase of the Man band.

The band's story includes being arrested in Belgium after being mistaken for the Bader-Meinhof terrorist gang and sheltering from a tornado while touring in the US. It also seems to cover almost every other possible mishap and adventure on the way. Reading the book leaves me wondering how they ever had time to tune their guitars.

You would never believe the events in this book possible if it was a work of fiction and I suppose that there may well be a touch of artistic exageration in some parts of the book.

This is one of the funniest and most readable music business biographies that I have ever read. It is out of print at the moment but it is well worth tracking down. This book is an absolute gem.