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Backstage Pass: Decades of Sex, Drugs, Tragedy and the Darker Side of Rock & Roll
Win a free print copy of this book!
19 days and 14:12:59
7 copies available
U.S. only
Behind the curtain. Beyond the myth.
For decades, Jason “JD” DeCosta lived the madness of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip on both sides of the stage. A signed major-label musician turned stage and production manager, JD ran the chaos behind the curtain at the Strip’s most iconic venues: The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go, and The Viper Room.
No PR spin. No nostalgia. Just the raw truth of what really went down backstage. Sex, drugs, ambition, collapse, and survival inside rock & roll’s most notorious rooms.
This is not a memoir for the faint of heart. It’s rock & roll stripped to the bone, told with a dark sense of humor and zero filters.
From unforgettable nights with Amy Winehouse, Adele, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg, Adam Levine, Courtney Love, Paris Hilton, and dozens more, Backstage Pass rips open the truth behind Hollywood’s wildest decades.
For more than ten years, JD ran production at The Roxy Theatre, Whisky a Go Go, and other legendary Sunset Strip venues, the beating heart of rock & roll excess. He didn’t just work backstage. He lived there. What went on behind those doors wasn’t nostalgia. It was resurrection.
Inside, you’ll step into neo-Nazi punk scenes and live-venue riots, the porn world and the women JD knew from their first shoots to their tragic ends, and the days he spent locked inside a mental institution trying to claw his way back to health. You’ll follow him through illegal raves and secret after-hours parties that funded his musical life, to the moment he tore through Eruption on Prince’s legendary Cloud Guitar, and into the fabled Nicholson Room at On the Rox, where Hollywood’s elite partied above The Roxy until dawn.
But Backstage Pass isn’t just about the stars. It’s about survival. JD lived a double life as a signed musician on stage and a production manager behind the scenes. From near-miss record deals and broken bands to watching friends and idols spiral into tragedy, this is the story of a man caught between the spotlight and the shadows.
Raw, darkly funny, and brutally honest, Backstage Pass exposes the real cost of chasing fame and living fast. It’s Hunter S. Thompson meets Scar Tissue, a confessional, no-filter ride through Hollywood’s unglamorous and unforgettable underbelly.
If you’ve ever wondered what really happens when the doors close and the lights go down, this is your all-access pass.
Buckle up. Let’s f’n go.
For decades, Jason “JD” DeCosta lived the madness of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip on both sides of the stage. A signed major-label musician turned stage and production manager, JD ran the chaos behind the curtain at the Strip’s most iconic venues: The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go, and The Viper Room.
No PR spin. No nostalgia. Just the raw truth of what really went down backstage. Sex, drugs, ambition, collapse, and survival inside rock & roll’s most notorious rooms.
This is not a memoir for the faint of heart. It’s rock & roll stripped to the bone, told with a dark sense of humor and zero filters.
From unforgettable nights with Amy Winehouse, Adele, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg, Adam Levine, Courtney Love, Paris Hilton, and dozens more, Backstage Pass rips open the truth behind Hollywood’s wildest decades.
For more than ten years, JD ran production at The Roxy Theatre, Whisky a Go Go, and other legendary Sunset Strip venues, the beating heart of rock & roll excess. He didn’t just work backstage. He lived there. What went on behind those doors wasn’t nostalgia. It was resurrection.
Inside, you’ll step into neo-Nazi punk scenes and live-venue riots, the porn world and the women JD knew from their first shoots to their tragic ends, and the days he spent locked inside a mental institution trying to claw his way back to health. You’ll follow him through illegal raves and secret after-hours parties that funded his musical life, to the moment he tore through Eruption on Prince’s legendary Cloud Guitar, and into the fabled Nicholson Room at On the Rox, where Hollywood’s elite partied above The Roxy until dawn.
But Backstage Pass isn’t just about the stars. It’s about survival. JD lived a double life as a signed musician on stage and a production manager behind the scenes. From near-miss record deals and broken bands to watching friends and idols spiral into tragedy, this is the story of a man caught between the spotlight and the shadows.
Raw, darkly funny, and brutally honest, Backstage Pass exposes the real cost of chasing fame and living fast. It’s Hunter S. Thompson meets Scar Tissue, a confessional, no-filter ride through Hollywood’s unglamorous and unforgettable underbelly.
If you’ve ever wondered what really happens when the doors close and the lights go down, this is your all-access pass.
Buckle up. Let’s f’n go.
309 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2025
79 people are currently reading
5007 people want to read
About the author
J.D. DeCosta
1 book31 followersJason “JD” DeCosta is the author of Backstage Pass: Decades of Sex, Drugs, Tragedy and the Darker Side of Rock & Roll, a #1 Amazon bestseller in three categories, including Artist Biographies and Pop Culture Music.
Those years, the chaos, the brilliance, the pressure, the addiction, the fame, and the tragedy, became the backbone of his memoir Backstage Pass: Decades of Sex, Drugs, Tragedy and the Darker Side of Rock & Roll .
JD worked behind the curtain with artists who defined entire eras: Amy Winehouse, Adele, Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Prince, Scott Weiland, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg, Courtney Love, Adam Levine, Paris Hilton, and many others. Some nights were legendary. Some were disasters. All were unforgettable.
His writing pulls no punches. No PR gloss. No nostalgia filter. Just the raw truth of what it costs to chase the spotlight and what it takes to survive behind it.
More at: www.stonehousepress.uk
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 19, 2025
I didn’t expect to get pulled in this hard. Backstage Pass isn’t just another “rock memoir.” It feels like you’re being let into the side door of every famous club you’ve ever heard about... the Roxy, the Whisky, and then realizing how messy and real it all was behind the lights.
What surprised me most was the honesty. It’s raw without trying to be shocking. The stories are wild, famous names, insane nights, total chaos,but there’s this undercurrent of heart that runs through the whole thing. You can feel the burnout, the ambition, the love for music, and the sadness that comes with watching people lose themselves to the scene.
As someone who grew up obsessed with 90s and 2000s music, I couldn’t stop picturing the moments he describes. The backstage fights, the broken soundchecks, the surreal conversations with artists who were legends to me. Some of it’s hilarious, some of it hits harder than I expected.
It’s the kind of book you finish and just sit there for a minute, processing. I’ve read The Dirt and Scar Tissue, but this one feels different,, less myth and more memory. Messy, human, and real in the best possible way.
What surprised me most was the honesty. It’s raw without trying to be shocking. The stories are wild, famous names, insane nights, total chaos,but there’s this undercurrent of heart that runs through the whole thing. You can feel the burnout, the ambition, the love for music, and the sadness that comes with watching people lose themselves to the scene.
As someone who grew up obsessed with 90s and 2000s music, I couldn’t stop picturing the moments he describes. The backstage fights, the broken soundchecks, the surreal conversations with artists who were legends to me. Some of it’s hilarious, some of it hits harder than I expected.
It’s the kind of book you finish and just sit there for a minute, processing. I’ve read The Dirt and Scar Tissue, but this one feels different,, less myth and more memory. Messy, human, and real in the best possible way.
December 6, 2025
As a fan of rock music I really enjoyed this memoir. JD DeCosta was in several band trying to make it big. He also worked many years at the Roxy. He shares his experiences at the Roxy. All the backstage debauchery , drugs, and demands of some of the biggest names in music. This book is a very easy and fun read. I recommend it to all rock fans. * I won a copy of this book from the publisher *
January 12, 2026
shockingly boring and poorly written
December 19, 2025
I picked up Backstage Pass thinking it would be a fun rock memoir, something entertaining but light. That’s not really what this book is. Reading it in my fifties, it hit me in ways I didn’t expect and honestly wasn’t prepared for.
The author doesn’t write like someone trying to impress you. He writes like someone who has seen too much and is finally telling the truth, even when it doesn’t make him look great. The famous names are there, sure, and those moments are interesting, but what stayed with me were the in-between parts. The exhaustion. The pressure. The feeling of being stuck in a life that once felt exciting and now just feels heavy.
I’ve never worked in the music industry, but I recognized the patterns. Chasing something because it’s what you’ve always done. Ignoring the signs that it’s taking more than it’s giving. Watching people around you fall apart and pretending it’s normal because everyone else is doing the same thing. That part felt very real to me.
As a woman, I appreciated that this book doesn’t soften things or make excuses. The way women are treated, the imbalance of power, the emotional damage that gets left behind, it’s all there. He doesn’t lecture about it, and he doesn’t clean it up either. He just shows you what it was like, and lets you sit with it.
This isn’t a smooth or pretty book. Some sections are uncomfortable. Some are darkly funny in a way that made me laugh and then feel a little guilty about it. And some parts are just sad, plain and simple. I had to put it down a few times, not because it was boring, but because it was a lot.
Backstage Pass isn’t really about music, at least not to me. It’s about what happens when a dream becomes a job, and then becomes a trap. I’m glad I read it at this stage of my life, when I can see the warning signs clearly and understand the cost of staying too long in a world that’s no longer good for you.
The author doesn’t write like someone trying to impress you. He writes like someone who has seen too much and is finally telling the truth, even when it doesn’t make him look great. The famous names are there, sure, and those moments are interesting, but what stayed with me were the in-between parts. The exhaustion. The pressure. The feeling of being stuck in a life that once felt exciting and now just feels heavy.
I’ve never worked in the music industry, but I recognized the patterns. Chasing something because it’s what you’ve always done. Ignoring the signs that it’s taking more than it’s giving. Watching people around you fall apart and pretending it’s normal because everyone else is doing the same thing. That part felt very real to me.
As a woman, I appreciated that this book doesn’t soften things or make excuses. The way women are treated, the imbalance of power, the emotional damage that gets left behind, it’s all there. He doesn’t lecture about it, and he doesn’t clean it up either. He just shows you what it was like, and lets you sit with it.
This isn’t a smooth or pretty book. Some sections are uncomfortable. Some are darkly funny in a way that made me laugh and then feel a little guilty about it. And some parts are just sad, plain and simple. I had to put it down a few times, not because it was boring, but because it was a lot.
Backstage Pass isn’t really about music, at least not to me. It’s about what happens when a dream becomes a job, and then becomes a trap. I’m glad I read it at this stage of my life, when I can see the warning signs clearly and understand the cost of staying too long in a world that’s no longer good for you.
December 5, 2025
I cannot tell you enough of just how amazing this book truly is. I originally got the book on amazon because a friend recommended it and they said it was way more than just celebrity stories and anecdotes etc (which im not really into) but let me tell you, this book is wayyyyy more than just celebrity stories! somehow, starting right from the about me section, this guy JD took me on a whirlwind ride... though philosophy, psychology, existential crisis and dark comedy by the time I got to chapter 4. It's quite incredible how he interwove his own unusual experiences into these totally cool stories that are really unusual themselves. Every bridge had me contemplating and looking at my own life and my own journey and what I am doing and what I want to do in the future...The stories even had me thinking about all these different aspects and I actually not only was entertained completely but I also learned alot. Alot about the music business, artists and celebrities, Hollywood, people, myself and questions I havent even though of.
This book should be in colleges and part of the curriculum for anyone wanting to go into the music business. It's like a handbook with a ton of knowledge and everyword seems honest and authentic. I am actually going to order about 10 of these books to give to all my girlfriends...I think they will love it like i did. If you do anything. at least get the kindle and I promise you'll get something from it. Even if by chance you don't, you will definitely be entertained!
One thing though - if you are easily offended, dont get this book or maybe actually you should get this book as it is real and not polished. Also, there are a bunch of sexual situations and some dirty language strewn thoughtout , but it is done in a appropriate way. I wasn't offended at all. Anna
This book should be in colleges and part of the curriculum for anyone wanting to go into the music business. It's like a handbook with a ton of knowledge and everyword seems honest and authentic. I am actually going to order about 10 of these books to give to all my girlfriends...I think they will love it like i did. If you do anything. at least get the kindle and I promise you'll get something from it. Even if by chance you don't, you will definitely be entertained!
One thing though - if you are easily offended, dont get this book or maybe actually you should get this book as it is real and not polished. Also, there are a bunch of sexual situations and some dirty language strewn thoughtout , but it is done in a appropriate way. I wasn't offended at all. Anna
December 17, 2025
I picked up Backstage Pass mostly cause I love music and figured it would be a cool behind the scenes type book. What I didnt expect was how much it pulled me in. Each chapter drops you right into whats happening, like you’re standing nearby watching things go down instead of hearing about it years later. It never felt exagerated or over done, it just felt honest.
What really worked for me was the short sections inbetween the chapters. Those little vignettes made everything feel connected and gave the bigger stories more meaning. They slow things down a bit and make the whole book feel like a real stretch of someones life, not just a bunch of random stories put together. Some of those parts honestly stayed with me more than the main chapters did.
The chapters themselves are funny, awkward, intense, and sometimes uncomfortable in a good way. You see the highs but also the burnout and personal cost that comes with living that kind of life for so long. As someone who likes traveling and meeting new people, a lot of it felt familiar to me. You meet people fast, share these big moments, then move on before you really process what just happened. This isnt a clean or polished memoir and thats why it works. It feels worn in and real, like someone finally telling the full story without worrying about how it sounds. I ended up reading the whole thing faster than I planned and kept thinking about certain chapters even after I was finished. If you’re into music and want something that actually feels real and not glossy, this book is def worth reading.
What really worked for me was the short sections inbetween the chapters. Those little vignettes made everything feel connected and gave the bigger stories more meaning. They slow things down a bit and make the whole book feel like a real stretch of someones life, not just a bunch of random stories put together. Some of those parts honestly stayed with me more than the main chapters did.
The chapters themselves are funny, awkward, intense, and sometimes uncomfortable in a good way. You see the highs but also the burnout and personal cost that comes with living that kind of life for so long. As someone who likes traveling and meeting new people, a lot of it felt familiar to me. You meet people fast, share these big moments, then move on before you really process what just happened. This isnt a clean or polished memoir and thats why it works. It feels worn in and real, like someone finally telling the full story without worrying about how it sounds. I ended up reading the whole thing faster than I planned and kept thinking about certain chapters even after I was finished. If you’re into music and want something that actually feels real and not glossy, this book is def worth reading.
December 6, 2025
This memoir impressed me because it works on more than one level. On the surface, it tells stories from a world most people never see. But as I kept reading, I realized the real strength of the book is how much thinking is happening behind the stories.
What I appreciated most is how the author connects his experiences to larger ideas about human behavior, ambition, and time. References to Nietzsche, Lord of the Flies, and films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Amadeus appear naturally and with purpose. They help frame the experiences instead of distracting from them. These references show a mind that reflects deeply, not just someone remembering events.
As a teacher who enjoys science, art, and philosophy, I found this approach very engaging. The book often made me stop and think about identity, self-control, and what happens when people are placed in extreme environments. There is a strong awareness of how creative worlds affect people psychologically and emotionally.
What also stood out is the honesty. The author does not pretend to be above his past, but he also does not explain it away. There is accountability without preaching, and reflection without pretending to have everything figured out.
This memoir feels intelligent without feeling academic. It shows that real life experience and philosophical thinking can exist together on the page. A memorable and thoughtful book that stayed with me after I finished reading it. Carlos
What I appreciated most is how the author connects his experiences to larger ideas about human behavior, ambition, and time. References to Nietzsche, Lord of the Flies, and films like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Amadeus appear naturally and with purpose. They help frame the experiences instead of distracting from them. These references show a mind that reflects deeply, not just someone remembering events.
As a teacher who enjoys science, art, and philosophy, I found this approach very engaging. The book often made me stop and think about identity, self-control, and what happens when people are placed in extreme environments. There is a strong awareness of how creative worlds affect people psychologically and emotionally.
What also stood out is the honesty. The author does not pretend to be above his past, but he also does not explain it away. There is accountability without preaching, and reflection without pretending to have everything figured out.
This memoir feels intelligent without feeling academic. It shows that real life experience and philosophical thinking can exist together on the page. A memorable and thoughtful book that stayed with me after I finished reading it. Carlos
December 11, 2025
THIS IS THE BOOK! This is the friggin book ive been waiting for. I have always secretly wanted to be musician since I was little and I definitely took a different route as I have been a financial advisor for one of the big companies for almost two decades. Even though I look like the complete opposite from someone who had a desire to be a rock star, well, that has always been my ultimate dream (which ofcourse I know is gone...haha) and this book is the closest thing I have ever read to being right there in the reality of what it must be like to be in the scene and behind the scene. This author has lived the journey that i always wanted to take but I never quite knew how and I ended up on a much safer journey that has brought me wealth, a great family and definitely other perks but I always just wanted to dip my feet into the rock and roll lifestyle. I guess this is as close as I will get of getting a total clear perspective of what really goes on and with so many different artists.
The book is really well written and has a ton of humor and dark humor which I can really appreciate. JD take you on a journey and i promise you will be entertained and also maybe learn a bit about yourself. If you have a great sense of humor and are into quality writing and storytelling, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!
The book is really well written and has a ton of humor and dark humor which I can really appreciate. JD take you on a journey and i promise you will be entertained and also maybe learn a bit about yourself. If you have a great sense of humor and are into quality writing and storytelling, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!
December 15, 2025
this is the BOMB! I been looking for a book that was non fiction that had real stories but also had a theme and related to music. Live music espeically. I've read all the memoirs like scar tissue, the dirt and others, and in some ways this is much better. It takes you into the live music world and you feel like you are sitting right beside the author, while he experiences all these different situations that are sometimes tragic, sometimes funny, and sometimes crazy sexual or debaucherous. I am definitely a fan and my buddy had told me about this book cause he saw an Ad on Amazon and I ended up buying it and am so pleased that I did... now, I have to let him know that I got it and it was teriffic and he and my other buddies need to get their OWN copy cause if I let them borrow mine, I will never see it again. One thing though... If you are highly sensitive and have thin skin, then this book is not for you... I give this book a 5 and would give it 6 stars if I could but I could see some highly sensitive easily offended people giving it a 2 or 3 star just cause it's truthful and that's too much for some!
December 24, 2025
My first review here on Goodreads. I decided to by the kindle version of this book from a friends suggestion who actually worked in music a while ago. Man, this book is off the hook...it almost seems like fiction. Some of the stories are really kind of nuts and I can't believe that so much went on behind the scenes after a show. I always imagined that it would be chill backstage and bands would want to decompress and mellow out after a big energetic show... I was really wrong. ha.
I also really liked the stories that are inbetween the chapters.. they are kind of philisophical and also thought provoking. I learned quite a few new things... definitely dug the quotes that the author used from movies, philosophers and other famous people. It was an easy read and I finished it ina bout a week.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be entertained, learn something at the same time and then have stimulating thoughts about it. Really really great book.
I also really liked the stories that are inbetween the chapters.. they are kind of philisophical and also thought provoking. I learned quite a few new things... definitely dug the quotes that the author used from movies, philosophers and other famous people. It was an easy read and I finished it ina bout a week.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to be entertained, learn something at the same time and then have stimulating thoughts about it. Really really great book.
December 27, 2025
This book is a fantastical trip down the highways of so many of our collective memories as products of “The Valley” music scene! What a fun read, and with insight that only you could sprinkle in there J…
It was almost 30 years ago in Utah, when I first met JD; backstage when his band played (I want to say at a show with Henry Rollins). Possum Hill and I stayed friends and several years later ran into Jason at On The Rocks, at one of those notorious after parties. We had an instant connection that has lingered through time. If anyone needs proof that JD Decosta is a LEGIT human I am here to tell you, he is one of the good ones! He even picked up my Grandma and brought her to visit me in LA County Jail, that time I got in trouble for something that “wasn’t my fault!” 😉 I have no doubt of the validity of these stories, and shudder to think of the thousands that were left out.
I will say it again… I’m proud of you kid!!
It was almost 30 years ago in Utah, when I first met JD; backstage when his band played (I want to say at a show with Henry Rollins). Possum Hill and I stayed friends and several years later ran into Jason at On The Rocks, at one of those notorious after parties. We had an instant connection that has lingered through time. If anyone needs proof that JD Decosta is a LEGIT human I am here to tell you, he is one of the good ones! He even picked up my Grandma and brought her to visit me in LA County Jail, that time I got in trouble for something that “wasn’t my fault!” 😉 I have no doubt of the validity of these stories, and shudder to think of the thousands that were left out.
I will say it again… I’m proud of you kid!!
December 29, 2025
Great read, it takes me back to the good days of music and Hollywood night life that will never be the same again
January 9, 2026
Interesting
It was a interesting take on what is really going on behind the scenes! ESPECIALLY with the rock and roll artists!
It was a interesting take on what is really going on behind the scenes! ESPECIALLY with the rock and roll artists!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews