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Maximum Darkness: Man On The Road To Nowhere
Guitarist-singer Deke Leonard was a founder member of the Welsh rock’n’roll band Man. He served with them, give or take a couple of sabbaticals, from 1968 until 2004, and is now a solo artist, broadcaster and raconteur.
Maximum Darkness: Man On The Road To Nowhere is the third book in Leonard’s autobiographical trilogy after Maybe I Should’ve Stayed In Bed and Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics.
It picks up his epic journey in 1977 as he fights to resurrect his solo career, chronicles Man’s re-formation in 1983 and follows their battle to reclaim their status as one of the world’s leading acid-rock bands up until his departure.
Highlights include Deke giving guitar lessons to Ten Years After’s Alvin Lee, crossing swords with Wishbone Ash and lecturing the Animals’ Eric Burdon on stagecraft – tales told with his inimitable style and customary dry wit. Smokey Robinson, Ian Dury, Phil Lynott, Walter Egan and Tina Turner are among the other characters in a fascinating and often rib-tickling story.
With the publication of Maximum Darkness – Man on the Road to Nowhere, Deke Leonard stakes a claim to being the most prolific and entertaining writer still making music today.
Maximum Darkness: Man On The Road To Nowhere is the third book in Leonard’s autobiographical trilogy after Maybe I Should’ve Stayed In Bed and Rhinos, Winos & Lunatics.
It picks up his epic journey in 1977 as he fights to resurrect his solo career, chronicles Man’s re-formation in 1983 and follows their battle to reclaim their status as one of the world’s leading acid-rock bands up until his departure.
Highlights include Deke giving guitar lessons to Ten Years After’s Alvin Lee, crossing swords with Wishbone Ash and lecturing the Animals’ Eric Burdon on stagecraft – tales told with his inimitable style and customary dry wit. Smokey Robinson, Ian Dury, Phil Lynott, Walter Egan and Tina Turner are among the other characters in a fascinating and often rib-tickling story.
With the publication of Maximum Darkness – Man on the Road to Nowhere, Deke Leonard stakes a claim to being the most prolific and entertaining writer still making music today.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 23, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 23, 2020
This is one of those rare books that, once you get 75% of the way through, you start slowing down. The closer you get to the end the slower you read, the more you savour it. The last ten pages took me close on two weeks!
Why? Simply, it’s one of those books that you just don’t want to finish because you don't want it to end. More of that later, but you honestly get the sense that Deke's writing makes you feel he is beside you, talking to you, and that is such a great experience…
For the uninitiated (and if you’re reading this you probably aren’t among that number) Man were a prog rock /psychedleic band who received far less acclaim than they should have over here in Blighty (in Europe - and to some extents the States - it was different, they were rightfully revered). They were famous here, too, and wherever they played they were given great welcomes and received rapturous applauses, accolades and write-ups. But they refused to succumb to the God Of Commercialism, refusing to pander to the singles market (in the good old days it was a matter of pride that bands made a living producing and performing good and meaningful music, not vacuous songs tossed off inside five minutes... well, that lasted, didn’t it...?) But Man, despite pressure to change their musical outlook, maintained their stance (and their reputation). In various guises, all of them proggy, they kept going decade after decade, and there’s even a version of them still going now, the superbly named (and superb) Son Of Man.
Anyway, all that’s by way of background. This book I can cover in two or three sentences, but will probably waffle on a bit. My bad: so, cut to the chase, buy this book, it’s amazing.
Deke Leonard writes with an ease and a clarity that is rare amongst writers. Add to that his dry wit, his honesty and succinct and entertaining writing style and what you have here is a thoroughly enjoyable and wonderfully entertaining few hours read.
The cover really tells you what the book is about – life on the road, the ups and downs of a band who struggle to grow their cult following, the demise and resurgence of the band, their unwavering fan base who still support them for their music and because they won’t sell out to the plastics of the record industry, the impact of life's joys and tragedies on the band… it’s all there. Honestly, let's cliche a while - you’ll laugh and you’ll cry. But I promise you’ll laugh more than anything else – and due to Deke’s liking for history you’ll also pick up a few bits of info along the way, too.
Deke Leonard died in 2017, but thanks to him we have some glorious music (not just with Man and Son Of Man, but Iceberg, too) and some superb writing.
Can’t recommend this book any higher. Must go listen to some Bananas now…
Why? Simply, it’s one of those books that you just don’t want to finish because you don't want it to end. More of that later, but you honestly get the sense that Deke's writing makes you feel he is beside you, talking to you, and that is such a great experience…
For the uninitiated (and if you’re reading this you probably aren’t among that number) Man were a prog rock /psychedleic band who received far less acclaim than they should have over here in Blighty (in Europe - and to some extents the States - it was different, they were rightfully revered). They were famous here, too, and wherever they played they were given great welcomes and received rapturous applauses, accolades and write-ups. But they refused to succumb to the God Of Commercialism, refusing to pander to the singles market (in the good old days it was a matter of pride that bands made a living producing and performing good and meaningful music, not vacuous songs tossed off inside five minutes... well, that lasted, didn’t it...?) But Man, despite pressure to change their musical outlook, maintained their stance (and their reputation). In various guises, all of them proggy, they kept going decade after decade, and there’s even a version of them still going now, the superbly named (and superb) Son Of Man.
Anyway, all that’s by way of background. This book I can cover in two or three sentences, but will probably waffle on a bit. My bad: so, cut to the chase, buy this book, it’s amazing.
Deke Leonard writes with an ease and a clarity that is rare amongst writers. Add to that his dry wit, his honesty and succinct and entertaining writing style and what you have here is a thoroughly enjoyable and wonderfully entertaining few hours read.
The cover really tells you what the book is about – life on the road, the ups and downs of a band who struggle to grow their cult following, the demise and resurgence of the band, their unwavering fan base who still support them for their music and because they won’t sell out to the plastics of the record industry, the impact of life's joys and tragedies on the band… it’s all there. Honestly, let's cliche a while - you’ll laugh and you’ll cry. But I promise you’ll laugh more than anything else – and due to Deke’s liking for history you’ll also pick up a few bits of info along the way, too.
Deke Leonard died in 2017, but thanks to him we have some glorious music (not just with Man and Son Of Man, but Iceberg, too) and some superb writing.
Can’t recommend this book any higher. Must go listen to some Bananas now…
January 16, 2018
It's not a patch on his first two books but I still enjoyed it because I'm such a fan of his writing.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews