Hack

by James Wells

Rob Price is a music journalist. He's a hard-drinking hack who's frustrated, skint and cynical, and he's drowning in a pile of CDs to review that he simply doesn't have the time to listen to. He's not only got money issues, but girlfriend issues, flatmate issues, personal hygiene issues and a rampant libido he's incapable of keeping in check after a few pints. 'Hack' follows Rob round endless seedy dive venues as he finds himself at odds with the people he meets in an industry teeming with hangers on, wannabes, maybes and no-hopers, as he sneers, snorts, tokes and spews his way through a succession of sordid encounters and dangerous liaisons in his quest for that 'big' story. A graphic and darkly comic tale of misanthropy, music and misadventure, 'Hack' makes Lester Bangs seem positively straight edge in comparison to Price. This book is to music journalism what John Niven's 'Kill Your Friends' is to A&R – only grimier, slimier and grittier. While some writers go for the jugular, James Wells just goes straight for the jugs.

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2011