Paranoid: Black Days with Sabbath & Other Horror Stories

by Mick Wall

Like all the great rock books, this is not a book about rock music; it is a book about rock life. A hard-hitting, iconoclastic tour de force, written with affection, rudeness, and wincing honesty, Paranoid proves that music can be an arena for moral choices, and that it can quite literally change your life. Mick Wall was a teenage Black Sabbath fan who, leaving school with no qualifications, somehow found himself working with the band. These people, whom he first only knew as pictures on his bedroom wall, would help seal his fate forever. As he writes, "It was never about what happened on stage, it was about what happened afterwards, when the crowd had gone and the band could really start to play."

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

222 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

Mick Wall is an author, journalist, film, television and radio writer-producer, who’s worked inside the music industry for over 35 years. He began his career contributing to the music weekly Sounds in 1977, where he wrote about punk and the new wave, and then rockabilly, funk, New Romantic pop and, eventually, hard rock and heavy metal. By 1983, Wall become one of the main journalists in the early days of Kerrang! magazine, where he was their star cover story writer for the next nine years. He subsequently became the founding editor of Classic Rock magazine in 1998, and presented his own television and radio shows.

Reviews

[Swjohnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Veteran UK rock journalist Mick Wall is a better writer and critic than most of his peers. Focusing on unfashionable genres such as hard rock and metal, his work has an incisive intelligence unburdened by the high-minded pretensions that often hobble music writing. “Paranoid” is a memoir and industry expose that focuses dually on his heroin habit and experiences with artists such as Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Axl Rose and others; Wall’s struggles with addiction often poetically mirror those of his musical subjects, some of whom are similarly adrift chemically and professionally. A cover blurb from the Guardian suggests that “Paranoid” “make(s) Irvine Welsh look like the Teletubbies,” but the reality is less sensational; this is an intelligent and introspective memoir whose blunt insights only make it the more unsettling.

[Gavin Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are entertaining sections in this book, as a whole it isn't very satisfying. In the drug sections of the book, Wall seems to reach for a style somewhere between the cool detachment of Kerouac and the manic energy of Hunter S. Thompson. He openly admits to his admiration of Lester Bangs as the pinnacle of rock music writing. Unfortunately, the voice I was most reminded of was David Brent. Like a lot of this kind of writing, Wall would like to have it both ways, condemning rock stars for their shallow lives while finding pathos in his own heroin addiction and mental frailty. It's an extremely difficult tightrope to walk and I don't think Wall pulls it off. He switches between talking about his disdain for his journalism career and television work to describing a majestic visit with Stevie Nicks. He talks about the ridiculousness of the macho posturing of Axl Rose and then boasts, 'I knew I could probably take (him) out with one punch'; seemingly without irony. I enjoyed the sections featuring Ozzy Osbourne, where you can feel real affection. I also found his story of recovering from heroin addiction interesting. In these instances, I felt I was getting a glimpse into a real person rather than swagger and show. Overall though, reading this book made me feel a little like I'd been cornered by the pub bore and I was half-listening because I didn't have anything better to do.

[R7835 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Click-bait incarnate, from the title to the content. There are snippets of content that brings it up from a 1 star but these are few and far between.
Although the book is mostly linear, it could be hard at times to know what period Mick Wall was writing about, which was fairly important for the context of what was being written about the bands.
Not knowing anything about Wall before reading this book, I was disappointed to discover that he wouldn't have even been in his teens when Sabbath were in their heyday, and so the best stories we could hope for were from when Ozzy had left (or was about to leave). It was also irritating that the title suggests horror stories about Black Sabbath, but the best Mick could muster was vague suggestions that Bill Ward was a nut-job, without any real horror being told.
From the 'auto-biographical' side of things, I quite detest the man. I can't decide whether he is proud or ashamed of how he has managed to coast through life, writing half-arsed interviews when either intoxicated, or from a 'review template' where he just changes the names, songs etc.
If he thinks the music industry is crap because it's full of shallow tossers, I beg him not to look in the mirror...

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm, What to say. This was a terribly misnamed book. You would expect to read lots of stories about Black Sabbath and other bands maybe. What you get is a miserable, junky music journalist who seems to hate the music business and most of the people in it, Including himself.
It's a book of non stop moaning from somebody too stupid to realise how lucky he was and too weak to live it without a needle in his arm, joint in his mouth or drink in his hand.
It's really hard to warm to Mick Wall. He seems to hate the business and those in it, because they are shallow tossers. Funny enough reading this book all you can think is, what a shallow tosser Mick Wall is.
Should have renamed the book. A Miserable Junky Journalist Remembers Why He Hates The Music Business.
Apathy for the Devil: A 1970s Memoir by Nick Kent is a far better read.

[Yolanda Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a bit of a disappointment to be honest. It starts when, Mick Wall, the author, is a young music journalist, and he tells us about his life at that time.There's lot's of talk about drugs and how, when and with whom he took them, and then it seems to jump forward in time. There is more talk about him than there is about Black Sabbath; then there are small bit's abpout Ozzy Osbourne, Guns n Roses & Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac.I read an autobiography by Sharon Osbourne a long time ago, and the stories she told about Sabbath, Ozzy & the rock scene back then was brilliant in comparison. I thought I would learn more about the bands antics, but it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.

[Dan Schell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting more stories about musicians but now that I understand Wall a little better, he probably spreads his stories out over several books to milk every possible coin from his work. The stories about drugs were sad and not glamourizing at all. He makes the industry types seem pretty sleazy but doesn't try to put himself above it. It is what it is.

It was a quick read and seemed to end abruptly, without any kind of resolving or ending statements. It just drops off with an ellipse and that's it.

[Alistaire King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not about Sabbath

But is about Mick Wall. It might help if you are a rock music but not a necessity. I know Mick Wall from the years he wrote for Kerrang magazine. I enjoyed reading his articles and reviews little thinking that the author was such a cynical sod. This book is really about Mick and his addictions. The stars are really a bit of a sideshow. I was tempted to give up after chapter after chapter of Mick looking for his next fix. It is the last two chapters that save it. In these chapters we meet Ozzy and get a glimpse of the man behind the myth. His meeting with David Bowie is worth ploughing through the rest of the book alone. When you read about Mick and Stevie Nicks you might understand why i thought Mick you blocky so and so. Stick with it and it does pay off.

[Duncan Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mick Wall is smart and a very good writer, but also - in the period described in this book - a cynical, jaded junkie who faked an interest in music for the sake of a rock journalist career to earn money.

At one point in the book he admits to hating live gigs and that he used to toss a coin over whether to give albums a good or bad review. He also describes going to a Judas Priest gig, mocking it and being bored, then wondering who was having the more 'authentic' experience - himself in his boredom, or the crowd of fans who he saw loving the show.

To repeat, Wall is intelligent and an excellent writer, but he comes across as a nasty, cynical bastard in this book. Still, give him points for honesty. He doesn't hold much back.

[Aled Owen-Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that the publishers made him go with the title.

It's one of the better Rock biographies out there because it's so wonderfully cynical. Wall presents himself as a jaded, misanthropic old hack and you really believe it until the further you get into the book it starts to dawn on you that it's just his style of writing and that's when you really start to enjoy it. By the end you're laughing at him complaining about the hopelessness of life and the utter pointlessness of Rock 'n' Roll.

[William Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not it !

I love Mick Walls writing style, and his round about way of telling the tale. Like a lot of his books I couldn't put it down once I started. I've run out of words now, is that enough ?

[Tim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half a book about a smack head journalist followed by some tepid tales of rock apathy.

The Axel Rose and Ozzy stories are a bit more interesting, but the book is way too dry.

[sean fullerton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny in parts. Very dull and tedious descriptions of druggy life.

[Kenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just about ok. He can't quite decide whether it really wants to be an autobiography or tell all about the bands he interviews, and ends up being neither. There are some parts that hint at what more could have been - when he talks about trying to get clean or when in his early 20s he bounced back to his parents to wash dishes, apparently deliberately. But after that he retreats into his shell a lot - in outlining his feud with Axl Rose he gives some of the (many, many) reasons Axl is a twat, then just adds something like "but I could be a real ego too" - this happens several times without really explaining why. I also found his consistent dismissals of journalists and himself (usually, but not always, there were a couple of pieces said apparently straight faced) a bit irritating, yes you put minimal effort in, you blagged it, the publisher didn't care, so you made more money with less effort, now go away...

The encounters with bands are patchy - the early ones seem to have kept him at a distance, and it's only really Ozzy Osbourne that he seems to have gotten behind the exterior. The Ozzy parts are enjoyable, with some good explanation. The Stevie Nicks one was weird to irritating (both her and his description and styles).

This should have been a lot better than it was

[Frank · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're a Sabbath fan, don't bother. The actual anecdotes which relate to the band are minimal. The rest of the book is effectively Wall's autobiography, and as such is a tale of his spiralling descent into heroin addiction, drinking and general drug use. On top of this, it's the story of Wall's rise to "fame" as a rock journo. I grew up reading his stuff in Sounds and Kerrang. Reading this book, I discover that not only did he put almost zero effort into his writing (he openly admits plagiarism) but really didn't care for the music, either. He manages to insult most of the bands he wrote about, and effectively all of the fans. Personally, I could have lived without reading the sad tales of his sex life, too. The sad thing is, he's a very good writer when the focus of his work is someone else.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Report this under the trade descriptions act.
Packaged as being full of rock star anecdotes, these are few and far between. It's actually the drug addiction descent of an unlikeable writer. Even the Axl Rose get in the ring feud is not worth your attention.
You will need a 3 hour shower after reading this.
Avoid avoid avoid.

[Jenika Ioffreda · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars
A few things were quite funny and pleasant to read (Mandy comments about the Royal wedding, for example, made me laugh aloud) but overall I couldn't connect with the main character, his story and thoughts.
I skipped a few parts and went straight for the ending.

[Chris Pratt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing story of the best of the worst in rock N roll excess from a man that was in the thick of the sex drugs and rock and roll lifestyle.

[Tola O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely captivating but bleak in places. Great stories centred around the author's entertaining encounters with rock legends. Not for the faint-hearted.

[James Wareham · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far his best work.