What do you think?
Rate this book
Mania: Tartan, Turmoil and My Life as a Bay City Roller
Stuart Wood's love of music was ignited at fourteen when he, along with three schoolmates, formed a band. By the time he turned fifteen, he had left school to pursue a career as an electrician, blissfully unaware of the whirlwind that awaited him. Suddenly, he found himself living the life of a superstar, whisked away in limousines, pursued by frenzied fans on every continent, and thrust into the ranks of one of the bestselling groups in history.
Between 1971 and 1975, Edinburgh's Bay City Rollers achieved ten top-ten hit singles, four top-ten albums, two number-one singles and two number-one albums. For five years, they were the biggest pop teen sensation since the Beatles.
But the music industry was not all glitz and glamour. Stuart had no inkling of the ruthless machinery behind the scenes, exploiting his talent and dreams.
Rollermania swept the globe, the Bay City Rollers conquered hearts and charts, selling a staggering 120 million records. While many claim to know the full Rollermania story, for the first time, Stuart—one of the few people who lived it—tells his story. Mania is a celebration of one of the world's biggest bands and their enduring legacy, a rollercoaster ride through fame, fortune and the unforgettable music that defined an era.
Between 1971 and 1975, Edinburgh's Bay City Rollers achieved ten top-ten hit singles, four top-ten albums, two number-one singles and two number-one albums. For five years, they were the biggest pop teen sensation since the Beatles.
But the music industry was not all glitz and glamour. Stuart had no inkling of the ruthless machinery behind the scenes, exploiting his talent and dreams.
Rollermania swept the globe, the Bay City Rollers conquered hearts and charts, selling a staggering 120 million records. While many claim to know the full Rollermania story, for the first time, Stuart—one of the few people who lived it—tells his story. Mania is a celebration of one of the world's biggest bands and their enduring legacy, a rollercoaster ride through fame, fortune and the unforgettable music that defined an era.
336 pages, Hardcover
Published June 19, 2025
5 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 29, 2025
Like millions of other women my age, I spent several years of my teenaged life in the mid/late 1970s in the thrall of... the Bay City Rollers (lol). Next August (2026) will mark (big GULP) 50 (!!!) years (!!!) since my sister, two of our best friends and I screamed ourselves silly at a Rollers concert, along with about 12,000 other hysterical teenaged girls, at the old arena in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada).
In recent years, I've read several books about the band -- some better than others -- including memoirs by two members of the classic lineup (bassist Alan Longmuir and lead singer Les McKeown -- both sadly gone now, as well as Ian Mitchell, who replaced Alan).
Now it's guitarist Stuart "Woody" Wood's turn to tell his side of the Rollers' story (with the help of collaborator Peter Stoneman). Woody was my favourite -- the man I wanted to marry when I was 15 (lol) -- and although I am now happily married to someone else (and so is he), I could not resist hunting down a copy when I first heard about it on his Facebook page. "Mania: Tartan, Turmoil and My Life as a Bay City Roller" is not yet available in North America, but I was able to get my hands on a copy, and dove right in. :) It was a fast read that kept me turning the pages. (Obviously, your mileage may vary, depending on your interest in the band!)
Woody, now 68 years old (the same age as the guy I actually did marry) was still just 16 years old and (as he describes it) "wet behind the ears" when he joined the band in 1974 -- the last of the classic lineup to be added. A poor student prone to daydreaming, he had dropped out of school to train as an apprentice electrician, and had been playing guitar in local bands (in Edinburgh, Scotland) for a couple of years when Tam Paton, the Rollers' uber-controlling manager, spotted him. He was first invited to work part-time as a roadie for the Rollers, and eventually to join them when another member dropped out.
The Rollers were the hottest band in Edinburgh then -- and their weekly salary was double what Woody had been making as an apprentice electrician -- so he accepted -- just as the Rollers started taking off nation-wide, on the strength of their single "Remember." Soon afterward, "Rollermania" -- which many compared to Beatlemania, a decade-plus earlier -- was under way, spreading to North America, Australia, Japan and beyond. Young Woody was thrust into a relentless schedule of touring, playing night after night after night (more than 300 days in 1975) to increasingly larger audiences of screaming teenaged girls -- then fleeing them after the show -- plus press interviews, photo sessions, television and radio performances and interviews, writing and recording sessions.... Tam fed them "vitamins" to keep their energy levels up, and then other pills to help them sleep. They toured the world, but their fame was such that they didn't actually get to see very much of it. Trapped in their hotel rooms, they could not go out for a walk, or into shops or pubs, etc., without attracting a hysterical mob. Even the Wood family home was besieged by fans ringing the doorbell day and night and leaving graffiti on the walls. Woody's parents eventually had to move.
In Toronto in the summer of 1976 -- a few weeks before I saw them in Winnipeg -- their limo was mobbed and nearly crushed when they tried to attend an interview at a local radio station (just a few blocks away from where I'd be living, a decade later). That same summer, some 50,000 fans turned out to see them make a brief personal appearance at Nathan Phillips Square (Toronto city hall). It was a hot summer day; girls were fainting in the crush of the mob, and the Rollers were quickly whisked offstage and sped away for fears of everyone's safety. You can hear snippets from that day on the song "Yesterday's Hero" -- the album version, from their "Dedication" album. (Other versions cut out the crowd noises. Listen to the lyrics... oh, the irony...)
“At that age you’re not so much scared as the adrenaline is in full flow. I’d be terrified if that were to happen now,” he writes.
It's been a while since I read Alan & Les's memoirs -- but I feel like Woody's book was the best at capturing the mania of that chaotic time, and the personal and professional turmoil he and the others lived through. It's a book that lives up to its title and subtitle!
It was fun at first, but after a while, the hectic lifestyle began to take a toll. Inevitably, the mania began to fade. The hits stopped coming, the record company lost interest in promoting them, Tam's intense monitoring tapered off, drugs entered the picture, and the band members came to a dawning realization of the legal and financial mess they were in -- which eventually led to years of bitter legal battles. In 2016 -- more than 40 years after their heyday, and 300 million records sold -- the band members finally received a settlement for a undisclosed amount of money (believed to be in the range of 70,000 pounds sterling each).
It was also probably inevitable that, thrust together under these incredibly stressful conditions, conflict would arise among the band members. Woody makes no secret of the longstanding mutual dislike between him and Les McKeown, although he does give Les full props as a first-rate frontman. He doesn't have a lot to say about drummer Derek Longmuir (Alan's younger brother), or Ian Mitchell, Pat McGlynn or Duncan Faure, all briefly part of the band. He admits to a few fistfights with Eric Faulkner -- but he respected Eric's musical abilities, and they lived on a farm together for a while, and wrote songs together, including a few of the Rollers' hits. His buddy in the band was Alan, who served as the best man at his 1997 wedding. They were sadly estranged before Alan's death in 2018, but his enduring affection for the man shines through the pages.
Of Tam Paton, Woody confirms in an author's note at the beginning of the book that the man was as awful and abusive as it's been rumoured (the rumours include sexual abuse of at least some of the band members) -- but he refuses to go into lurid details here. “I moved on a long time ago and don’t want that beast to be any part of things concerning my life. I don’t need therapy; I have coped in my own way and have no need to spill my emotion,” he writes.
It's not all sad and serious stuff, though -- there are some passages that had me literally laughing out loud until my sides ached. And I loved the warm foreword written by Rod Stewart. :)
Les quit the band in 1978; Duncan Faure was hired to replace him, and the band limped on for another few years before eventually calling it quits. Woody and Duncan teamed up with drummer Richie Hall in South Africa for a while as Karu, based in Los Angeles; later he teamed up with Ian Mitchell and spent five mostly happy years in South Africa in a band called Passengers, before returning home to Scotland in the early 1990s.
Over the years, there were were several Roller reunions, featuring various combinations of past band members, but never the entire classic lineup. With encouragement from his wife, Denise, he got involved in playing and producing Celtic music and, until just recently, he was a part-time lecturer in music production at a local community college.
Woody has owned the rights to the Bay City Rollers name since 2003 and, for the past several years, has been touring with a new version of the Rollers -- the lone member from the classic lineup still out there playing the old songs. He does it for the love of the music, and for the fans, and enjoys it a lot more these days than he has in a long time. His life has had a lot of ups and more than its share of downs -- but at heart, he's an optimist, a "glass half full" kind of guy. For all the records the Rollers sold, he's far from being a millionaire -- but he seems happy with his life today, and I hope he "keeps on rolling" as long as he wants to. :)
4 stars. (As I said above, your mileage may vary, depending on your interest in the band!)
In recent years, I've read several books about the band -- some better than others -- including memoirs by two members of the classic lineup (bassist Alan Longmuir and lead singer Les McKeown -- both sadly gone now, as well as Ian Mitchell, who replaced Alan).
Now it's guitarist Stuart "Woody" Wood's turn to tell his side of the Rollers' story (with the help of collaborator Peter Stoneman). Woody was my favourite -- the man I wanted to marry when I was 15 (lol) -- and although I am now happily married to someone else (and so is he), I could not resist hunting down a copy when I first heard about it on his Facebook page. "Mania: Tartan, Turmoil and My Life as a Bay City Roller" is not yet available in North America, but I was able to get my hands on a copy, and dove right in. :) It was a fast read that kept me turning the pages. (Obviously, your mileage may vary, depending on your interest in the band!)
Woody, now 68 years old (the same age as the guy I actually did marry) was still just 16 years old and (as he describes it) "wet behind the ears" when he joined the band in 1974 -- the last of the classic lineup to be added. A poor student prone to daydreaming, he had dropped out of school to train as an apprentice electrician, and had been playing guitar in local bands (in Edinburgh, Scotland) for a couple of years when Tam Paton, the Rollers' uber-controlling manager, spotted him. He was first invited to work part-time as a roadie for the Rollers, and eventually to join them when another member dropped out.
The Rollers were the hottest band in Edinburgh then -- and their weekly salary was double what Woody had been making as an apprentice electrician -- so he accepted -- just as the Rollers started taking off nation-wide, on the strength of their single "Remember." Soon afterward, "Rollermania" -- which many compared to Beatlemania, a decade-plus earlier -- was under way, spreading to North America, Australia, Japan and beyond. Young Woody was thrust into a relentless schedule of touring, playing night after night after night (more than 300 days in 1975) to increasingly larger audiences of screaming teenaged girls -- then fleeing them after the show -- plus press interviews, photo sessions, television and radio performances and interviews, writing and recording sessions.... Tam fed them "vitamins" to keep their energy levels up, and then other pills to help them sleep. They toured the world, but their fame was such that they didn't actually get to see very much of it. Trapped in their hotel rooms, they could not go out for a walk, or into shops or pubs, etc., without attracting a hysterical mob. Even the Wood family home was besieged by fans ringing the doorbell day and night and leaving graffiti on the walls. Woody's parents eventually had to move.
In Toronto in the summer of 1976 -- a few weeks before I saw them in Winnipeg -- their limo was mobbed and nearly crushed when they tried to attend an interview at a local radio station (just a few blocks away from where I'd be living, a decade later). That same summer, some 50,000 fans turned out to see them make a brief personal appearance at Nathan Phillips Square (Toronto city hall). It was a hot summer day; girls were fainting in the crush of the mob, and the Rollers were quickly whisked offstage and sped away for fears of everyone's safety. You can hear snippets from that day on the song "Yesterday's Hero" -- the album version, from their "Dedication" album. (Other versions cut out the crowd noises. Listen to the lyrics... oh, the irony...)
“At that age you’re not so much scared as the adrenaline is in full flow. I’d be terrified if that were to happen now,” he writes.
It's been a while since I read Alan & Les's memoirs -- but I feel like Woody's book was the best at capturing the mania of that chaotic time, and the personal and professional turmoil he and the others lived through. It's a book that lives up to its title and subtitle!
It was fun at first, but after a while, the hectic lifestyle began to take a toll. Inevitably, the mania began to fade. The hits stopped coming, the record company lost interest in promoting them, Tam's intense monitoring tapered off, drugs entered the picture, and the band members came to a dawning realization of the legal and financial mess they were in -- which eventually led to years of bitter legal battles. In 2016 -- more than 40 years after their heyday, and 300 million records sold -- the band members finally received a settlement for a undisclosed amount of money (believed to be in the range of 70,000 pounds sterling each).
It was also probably inevitable that, thrust together under these incredibly stressful conditions, conflict would arise among the band members. Woody makes no secret of the longstanding mutual dislike between him and Les McKeown, although he does give Les full props as a first-rate frontman. He doesn't have a lot to say about drummer Derek Longmuir (Alan's younger brother), or Ian Mitchell, Pat McGlynn or Duncan Faure, all briefly part of the band. He admits to a few fistfights with Eric Faulkner -- but he respected Eric's musical abilities, and they lived on a farm together for a while, and wrote songs together, including a few of the Rollers' hits. His buddy in the band was Alan, who served as the best man at his 1997 wedding. They were sadly estranged before Alan's death in 2018, but his enduring affection for the man shines through the pages.
Of Tam Paton, Woody confirms in an author's note at the beginning of the book that the man was as awful and abusive as it's been rumoured (the rumours include sexual abuse of at least some of the band members) -- but he refuses to go into lurid details here. “I moved on a long time ago and don’t want that beast to be any part of things concerning my life. I don’t need therapy; I have coped in my own way and have no need to spill my emotion,” he writes.
It's not all sad and serious stuff, though -- there are some passages that had me literally laughing out loud until my sides ached. And I loved the warm foreword written by Rod Stewart. :)
Les quit the band in 1978; Duncan Faure was hired to replace him, and the band limped on for another few years before eventually calling it quits. Woody and Duncan teamed up with drummer Richie Hall in South Africa for a while as Karu, based in Los Angeles; later he teamed up with Ian Mitchell and spent five mostly happy years in South Africa in a band called Passengers, before returning home to Scotland in the early 1990s.
Over the years, there were were several Roller reunions, featuring various combinations of past band members, but never the entire classic lineup. With encouragement from his wife, Denise, he got involved in playing and producing Celtic music and, until just recently, he was a part-time lecturer in music production at a local community college.
Woody has owned the rights to the Bay City Rollers name since 2003 and, for the past several years, has been touring with a new version of the Rollers -- the lone member from the classic lineup still out there playing the old songs. He does it for the love of the music, and for the fans, and enjoys it a lot more these days than he has in a long time. His life has had a lot of ups and more than its share of downs -- but at heart, he's an optimist, a "glass half full" kind of guy. For all the records the Rollers sold, he's far from being a millionaire -- but he seems happy with his life today, and I hope he "keeps on rolling" as long as he wants to. :)
4 stars. (As I said above, your mileage may vary, depending on your interest in the band!)
June 28, 2025
Musicians are commodities, music industry people are exploitative and ruthless. Some genuine nostalgia here, but the dirt flinging becomes repetitive and a little less said might have been more dignified.
I don't find myself cringing as much over my 9 year old crush on Eric anymore. Woody was OK, but never Les.
"You've got to give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love
And when the sun comes shining through
We'll know what to do"
I don't find myself cringing as much over my 9 year old crush on Eric anymore. Woody was OK, but never Les.
"You've got to give a little love, take a little love
Be prepared to forsake a little love
And when the sun comes shining through
We'll know what to do"
September 26, 2025
This is for the Woody fans. I loved all of it. These days fans of bands can know almost everything about their favourite musicians. We only had a monthly magazine or two to get tidbits about what Woody and the others were up to. This book filled in lots of gaps for me.
“The Rollers were their first love—mine too—-and your first love is the one that stays with you. It holds the strongest memories and you carry them with you all your life.” Stuart Woody Wood.
“The Rollers were their first love—mine too—-and your first love is the one that stays with you. It holds the strongest memories and you carry them with you all your life.” Stuart Woody Wood.
July 12, 2025
I will start by reiterating that I still love the Bay City Rollers today and play their music all the time.
While it seems as though every fan has their own reasons for liking one of the guys more than the others, I can say that I liked Les as a teenager and now, I can appreciate all of them as they all contributed to the music.
There was quite a rude awakening for me, as an adult, as I discovered how much each of the guys suffered while in the band, including sexual abuse . It was scary and sometimes I think how happy I was, not knowing any of it, so I could honestly enjoy Rollermania (no cell phones way back in 1977).
Over the last 20 years or so, Les wrote his memoir, as did Alan and I even managed to read the brick of a book (over 400 pages) written on the music industry and how it chewed and spit out all of the guys in the band.
I mention this because I love reading anything on the Rollers. Having said that, Woody's book is, boring. Kind of vanilla. I really had to force myself to get through it. This is not something I felt with any of the other books.
While Woody describes some events, accompanied by how he felt about them, the narration feels very one tone. There is very little actual dialogue and he does not know how to build a story, everything sounds as though he is reciting it in a neutral voice (I read the book, not the audio).
The end result was a, in my opinion, a boring book
I appreciate all the contributions he gave the band and I even plan on seeing him if he and his new band come to my hometown, but he is a way better singer and songwriter than he is as author.
While it seems as though every fan has their own reasons for liking one of the guys more than the others, I can say that I liked Les as a teenager and now, I can appreciate all of them as they all contributed to the music.
There was quite a rude awakening for me, as an adult, as I discovered how much each of the guys suffered while in the band, including sexual abuse . It was scary and sometimes I think how happy I was, not knowing any of it, so I could honestly enjoy Rollermania (no cell phones way back in 1977).
Over the last 20 years or so, Les wrote his memoir, as did Alan and I even managed to read the brick of a book (over 400 pages) written on the music industry and how it chewed and spit out all of the guys in the band.
I mention this because I love reading anything on the Rollers. Having said that, Woody's book is, boring. Kind of vanilla. I really had to force myself to get through it. This is not something I felt with any of the other books.
While Woody describes some events, accompanied by how he felt about them, the narration feels very one tone. There is very little actual dialogue and he does not know how to build a story, everything sounds as though he is reciting it in a neutral voice (I read the book, not the audio).
The end result was a, in my opinion, a boring book
I appreciate all the contributions he gave the band and I even plan on seeing him if he and his new band come to my hometown, but he is a way better singer and songwriter than he is as author.
December 31, 2025
An interesting book on The Bay City Rollers. The band were my first crush all those years ago. Brings back great memories!
September 10, 2025
enjoyable recollections of being in a huge band but not having much to show for it. For a long time I just assumed the bay city rollers were a manufactured band without musicianship but this shows that they did have to work hard. an easy listen to this book but lacks many anecdotes.
November 9, 2025
I've read two other splendid books about the Bay City Rollers (see below). I find the group fascinating. Woody's own contribution to this genre is well worth reading. We soon skip over his Edinburgh childhood and then we are into his sudden pivot into superstardom at just 16 years of age.
The Rollers started low level crazy but before long the group had scored 10 top ten singles and sold millions becoming one of the biggest teen pop sensation since The Beatles. The 1970s was an era of teen heart throbs (see also The Osmonds, David Cassidy, Donny Osmond, The Jacksons and a slew of other slightly earlier Glam artists).
Given the decades distance between then and now, Woody is able to be reflective and somewhat philosophical about Rollermania. He believes he suffered PTSD which sounds entirely credible. The band were tightly controlled by their monstrous manager Tam Paton, even sexually abused, though Woody draws a veil over this, but suggests most of the group were victims.
This is a fascinating insider account with loads of great little details and some brilliant anecdotes. Surprisingly the post-Rollermania years are just as fascinating and I was interested to find out how Woody had spent his time.
Woody's relationship with singer Les is also compelling. To say they didn't get on would be a massive understatement. Les sounds like very hard work and it appears no one in the band or crew liked him very much. Woody speculates on how and why he became so obnoxious and it all feels credible.
There's also a sizeable section on the band's claim to get some of the royalties they were never paid. Woody led this and it took years and he suggests the end result was pretty underwhelming. He's not allowed to disclose the settlement but suffice to say it wasn't life changing.
Now some of his band mates are dead he is the only surving Roller playing under the Bay City Rollers name. Derek and Eric are not interested. I had a look on YouTube at how this incarnation comes over in 2025 and, if you like the tunes, they look like a lot of fun.
I was pleasantly surprised by just how enjoyable and readable I found this memoir. I devoured it in just over a day. Highly recommended to Rollers fans and people who enjoy music books.
4/5
The two other essential Rollers reads are:
Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with The Bay City Rollers by Caroline Sullivan
When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers by Simon Spence
The blurb...
Stuart Wood's love of music was ignited at fourteen when he, along with three schoolmates, formed a band. By the time he turned fifteen, he had left school to pursue a career as an electrician, blissfully unaware of the whirlwind that awaited him. Suddenly, he found himself living the life of a superstar, whisked away in limousines, pursued by frenzied fans on every continent, and thrust into the ranks of one of the bestselling groups in history.
Between 1971 and 1977, Edinburgh's Bay City Rollers achieved ten top-ten hit singles, four top-ten albums, two number-one singles and two number-one albums. For five years, they were the biggest pop teen sensation since the Beatles.
But the music industry was not all glitz and glamour. Stuart had no inkling of the ruthless machinery behind the scenes, exploiting his talent and dreams.
Rollermania swept the globe, the Bay City Rollers conquered hearts and charts, selling a staggering 300 million records. While many claim to know the full Rollermania story, for the first time, Stuart - one of the few people who lived it - tells his story. Mania is a celebration of one of the world's biggest bands and their enduring legacy, a rollercoaster ride through fame, fortune and the unforgettable music that defined an era.
The Rollers started low level crazy but before long the group had scored 10 top ten singles and sold millions becoming one of the biggest teen pop sensation since The Beatles. The 1970s was an era of teen heart throbs (see also The Osmonds, David Cassidy, Donny Osmond, The Jacksons and a slew of other slightly earlier Glam artists).
Given the decades distance between then and now, Woody is able to be reflective and somewhat philosophical about Rollermania. He believes he suffered PTSD which sounds entirely credible. The band were tightly controlled by their monstrous manager Tam Paton, even sexually abused, though Woody draws a veil over this, but suggests most of the group were victims.
This is a fascinating insider account with loads of great little details and some brilliant anecdotes. Surprisingly the post-Rollermania years are just as fascinating and I was interested to find out how Woody had spent his time.
Woody's relationship with singer Les is also compelling. To say they didn't get on would be a massive understatement. Les sounds like very hard work and it appears no one in the band or crew liked him very much. Woody speculates on how and why he became so obnoxious and it all feels credible.
There's also a sizeable section on the band's claim to get some of the royalties they were never paid. Woody led this and it took years and he suggests the end result was pretty underwhelming. He's not allowed to disclose the settlement but suffice to say it wasn't life changing.
Now some of his band mates are dead he is the only surving Roller playing under the Bay City Rollers name. Derek and Eric are not interested. I had a look on YouTube at how this incarnation comes over in 2025 and, if you like the tunes, they look like a lot of fun.
I was pleasantly surprised by just how enjoyable and readable I found this memoir. I devoured it in just over a day. Highly recommended to Rollers fans and people who enjoy music books.
4/5
The two other essential Rollers reads are:
Bye Bye Baby: My Tragic Love Affair with The Bay City Rollers by Caroline Sullivan
When the Screaming Stops: The Dark History of the Bay City Rollers by Simon Spence
The blurb...
Stuart Wood's love of music was ignited at fourteen when he, along with three schoolmates, formed a band. By the time he turned fifteen, he had left school to pursue a career as an electrician, blissfully unaware of the whirlwind that awaited him. Suddenly, he found himself living the life of a superstar, whisked away in limousines, pursued by frenzied fans on every continent, and thrust into the ranks of one of the bestselling groups in history.
Between 1971 and 1977, Edinburgh's Bay City Rollers achieved ten top-ten hit singles, four top-ten albums, two number-one singles and two number-one albums. For five years, they were the biggest pop teen sensation since the Beatles.
But the music industry was not all glitz and glamour. Stuart had no inkling of the ruthless machinery behind the scenes, exploiting his talent and dreams.
Rollermania swept the globe, the Bay City Rollers conquered hearts and charts, selling a staggering 300 million records. While many claim to know the full Rollermania story, for the first time, Stuart - one of the few people who lived it - tells his story. Mania is a celebration of one of the world's biggest bands and their enduring legacy, a rollercoaster ride through fame, fortune and the unforgettable music that defined an era.
January 5, 2026
I was twelve years old when I first saw the Bay City Rollers on American television in 1975, and it was that moment I fell in love. Not only with the band, but specifically, Woody. This is the memoir I've been waiting for my entire life. Wood tells his story with humility, grace and self-deprecating humor, which makes it difficult to put this book down. He is a thought-provoking storyteller, and it was pure joy to read about his life in one of the most famous bands in all the world. I must say I'm also relieved to see that he has no regrets, and still looks upon the most crazed times of his life in a positive way. I've read reviews where people complain that his book is "too vanilla," and I have this to say in response: if you've ever met Woody, or spent any amount of quality time in his presence, you would know that salaciousness and sensationalism are not his style. He wrote this book the way he lives-honestly, with humor and great passion. I would be remiss, however, if I did not point out a few things. 1. David Cassidy's eyes were hazel, not blue; 2. It's Bubi Heilemann, not Booby Heidleman; 3. John McLaughlin didn't join the Bay City Rollers as a band member until after Les McKeown's death in 2021. Memoirs and autobiographies are one of my favorite things to read and this will remain one of my favorites. Not only because Wood is such a strong storyteller, but because I was in the thick of Rollermania in real time and it remains one of the greatest times of my life.
Some of my favorite passages from the book:
"It would probably be weird if I DIDN'T have a wild teenage fan hanging off my back like a knapsack at some point in the show."
"The screaming is something else now. It's not even a sound. We're way, way, way off the spectrum. Only dogs can hear it."
"Then the familiar numbness returns, kind of a grim balm that makes me forget it as it's happening, a kind of anaesthetic against the insanity of it all."
"We get all the Beatlemania comparisons wherever we go, but the Beatles were allowed to grow up, while we're forced to live this life of eternal nostalgia at the age of 24."
Some of my favorite passages from the book:
"It would probably be weird if I DIDN'T have a wild teenage fan hanging off my back like a knapsack at some point in the show."
"The screaming is something else now. It's not even a sound. We're way, way, way off the spectrum. Only dogs can hear it."
"Then the familiar numbness returns, kind of a grim balm that makes me forget it as it's happening, a kind of anaesthetic against the insanity of it all."
"We get all the Beatlemania comparisons wherever we go, but the Beatles were allowed to grow up, while we're forced to live this life of eternal nostalgia at the age of 24."
November 11, 2025
As someone who once counted Woody as my favourite Bay City Roller, I approached Mania with curiosity and a touch of hope. But despite the book’s popularity and glowing reviews from devoted fans, I found myself struggling to connect with the tone and content. The writing felt uneven, and while some anecdotes were amusing, the overall narrative lacked the warmth or insight I’d hoped for.
Having read The Dark Side of the Rollers and other accounts, I couldn’t reconcile Woody’s portrayal of events with the deeper, more troubling truths that have surfaced over the years. His admitted behaviour and the treatment of certain bandmates—especially Les—left me unsettled. It’s no secret the two didn’t get along, but the way Les seems singled out here feels unfair, especially since he’s no longer here to offer his side.
Yes, the book brought back memories of a time that once felt magical. But those memories now feel tarnished. I’ve come to accept that my version of the Rollers’ story was sugar-coated, and Mania—while claiming honesty—didn’t offer the healing or clarity I’d hoped for. It felt more like a final volley in a long-standing feud than a balanced reflection.
For die-hard Woody fans, this may be a triumph. For those of us seeking a fuller, more compassionate truth, it’s a mixed bag. I give it three stars for the effort and the occasional insight, but I leave it with a heavy heart.
Having read The Dark Side of the Rollers and other accounts, I couldn’t reconcile Woody’s portrayal of events with the deeper, more troubling truths that have surfaced over the years. His admitted behaviour and the treatment of certain bandmates—especially Les—left me unsettled. It’s no secret the two didn’t get along, but the way Les seems singled out here feels unfair, especially since he’s no longer here to offer his side.
Yes, the book brought back memories of a time that once felt magical. But those memories now feel tarnished. I’ve come to accept that my version of the Rollers’ story was sugar-coated, and Mania—while claiming honesty—didn’t offer the healing or clarity I’d hoped for. It felt more like a final volley in a long-standing feud than a balanced reflection.
For die-hard Woody fans, this may be a triumph. For those of us seeking a fuller, more compassionate truth, it’s a mixed bag. I give it three stars for the effort and the occasional insight, but I leave it with a heavy heart.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews