Drunk Folk Stories

by Beans On Toast

Drunk Folk Stories is a collection of ten, short, true-life stories about songwriting, travelling and drinking from the Essex born songwriter and cult figure Beans on Toast. He's played every bar, club, venue, pub, festival, party and honkytonk you can think of and he's lived to tell the tale. A true one-of-a-kind storyteller and wordsmith.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music

121 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2018

Reviews

[Lisa Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love watching Beans shows. He’s such an awesome person. I read this book in his voice because I’ve been to so many of shows and heard him tell the crowd so many stories. I felt like he was telling me these stories as a friend. This was a great idea to write this book. I respect him so much as an artist and this book has made me like him even more than I thought I did!

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like Beans' music; this little anthology of anecdotes is charming, honest and whimsical. Give it a read, it'll make you chuckle and be happy that you're alive.

[Joe Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immensely enjoyable collection of drunken tales. It'll make you laugh and make you smile. Beans writes navigates through festival sets, friendly faces and everything in between. Great book and I shall be seeking out his next!

[Karen Osment · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic book, especially for fans of the Beans himself. Open, honest, funny and makes you feel he's definitely someone you'd hang out with at a festival! New found respect for him and can't wait to see him live again. Only complaint, it was too short. Over in a flash! I need more 😜

[Raymundo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beans spills the beans in this entertaining and heartwarming collection of stories that you might have heard on stage

[Keven Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jay McAllister is one of those people who would be top of my list to invite to a dinner party – although I think it would have to be a certain type of dinner party for him to attend!! It is my 50th birthday soon and at some point, I had this crazy idea of trying to get Skinny Lister and Beans on Toast to play for me on my special day – I was soon put in my place when I mentioned this to Lorna (Skinny Lister singer), but after reading this book and the type of guy Jay is I just know if he was me Skinny Lister and Beans on Toast would be playing a birthday gig in his honour!! Drunk Beer Stories is a collection of real-life stories from Jay’s past and start off with his first trip to Glastonbury before recounting the beginning of his music career and eventually the formation of the band Beans on Toast and tales what has happened to him to shape him into the person he is today. Like his music I really enjoyed this book and despite only being 120 pages in length it was a fun read and I would recommend this any aspiring musicians who believe that the road to success is an easy one.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! As a fan of Beans on Toast music I couldn't wait to read this book and once I picked it up I couldn't put it down (quite literally I didn't put it down), the story's told are so engrossing and interesting, there were parts of a couple of them that I'd heard before at gigs but never in such detail, and there was so much stuff in this book that I had no idea about.

If your a fan at all of beans on toast music or even just the music scene in general I would 100% recommend picking this up it's such a good read and I will be picking up the next book as soon as I can!

[Lou Jolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drunk Folk Stories. What a read.

Firstly I would like to say, I love this book, I Love Beans on Toast and everything he represents.
However, I did not enjoy this as much as Foolhardy Folk Tales. I'm sorry but its true. The book is still jammed packed with anecdotes and stories which are wonderful to hear about and to be a part of, though for me I can really see the difference in writing quality between this and the other book.

Saying that, I still thoroughly enjoyed this book, highlights include: Glastonbury, My last E, and "The Funniest thing I ever Said" did give me a good chuckle.

Give it a read, you know you want to - Lou :)

[Michael Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can sit and watch Beans on stage for hours and my attention never flag. This book is much the same way. It’s basically a short collection of significant happenings in his life. These memoirs are funny, sad, poignant and enlightening. He needs to (1) write more and (2) have a show or two nearer my house.

[Sabina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what it says it is, a collection of stories from Beans. Interesting to get an insight to the world of musicians and who’s friends with who. Found myself listening to the songs that relate to the stories afterwards, gives them as bit more meaning and context.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the last year or so Beans has become one of my favorite musicians. He’s a great and hilarious story teller through song and I was glad to find his book which was of course a bunch of hilarious stories.

[Harriet Moar-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt wonderfully just like some ramblings in between songs at a gig, or like bumping into someone in a pub and christ it made me want to go to festivals but I do think I liked it mostly because I've seen Beans a couple times on stage and generally like his vibe

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little collection of stories, some of which I've heard before at gigs, some of which were new to me. It's difficult not to read it in Beans' voice.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet, very entertaining and funny (just like pretty much all Beans on Toast songs, for that matter).

[Becca Inglis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what you'd expect from a book written by beans - fabulous, funny and honest. Read it in one sitting!

[Kyle Overholt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never gotten the pleasure of seeing Beans live but his music and writing are phenomenal. Well worth the read even if you’re not into his music.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fun.

[Joe Paolella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything you want from Beans and more.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining quick read from a musical favourite of mine. Has a great knack for storytelling

[Lewis Huggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best mix of stories about festivals, not so love and more :)

[Samantha Mansberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the first to the last word, I heard Beans voice telling me these stories!

[David Deignan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much life in these stories.

[Matt Sharland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully little book of hippie bullshit

[Brad B · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a guy.

[Murph · Rating 5 out of 5]

"That’s not me name dropping. I just want you to know that those dreams are completely tangible and within grasp. I went from standing, watching, and being inspired to writing, signing and performing for other people. Anyone can be a folk singer. That’s a lesson that I learnt."

The first time I saw Beans on Toast, it was in 2013/2014 (I can’t remember) and it was one of the first music shows my partner and I went to together, back when we first started dating. We drove up to Philly from D.C. in the middle of the week. He was playing a tiny venue in the upstairs of a bar called MilkBoy. After the opener, Beans and Bobby Banjo came out and did a truly delightful set. Beans kicked off his shoes, cleared the floor before the stage, jumped down and danced. I loved his frank lyrics with the catchy melodies. We had a blast. We bought “merch” which was just a plain white t-shirt that Beans cheerfully drew something on in the moment with a marker. It was awesome. We continued our night after that, got cheesesteaks, got VERY drunk, couldn’t drive back to D.C. and had to get a motel room somewhere near the airport. It's one of the only times in my life I have ever called out sick from work. The next day, we got up and drove back, hungover (maybe still a little drunk) and realized once we got back, we had left the t-shirts in the motel room. We were bummed, but there is no way I would have loved that t-shirt more than I love this story. We still talk about it. We were young, and in love, and just said fuck it. I share this story only because it feels true to the core philosophy of this book.

This book is a lovely extension of the story telling and life philosophy you can find in Beans on Toast’s music. If you are a fan of his music, you should read this book immediately. If you are not, but like memoirs with a lot of specific personality and stories, consider a read though and consider a listen. I read the whole thing in one sitting, but I could easily see myself putting it down and picking it back up with ease.

With 11 studio albums under his belt (one every year since 2009) and over 100 songs to his name, Beans is an old hat at telling a story in an engaging way. Much of this book reads like a set of stories that were too long or complicated to put neatly into one of his songs, and many of the anecdotes are in fact the basis of some of his well known songs, with the background fleshed out a little. The whole books feels a little like sitting on the floor at one of his gigs, each song getting a quick chat and story in between. I’d say this book focuses on real life stories of love, drugs and rock and roll, with a wholesome folksy charm built in.

The tone is quintessential Beans, a mix of dry humor and earnest optimism. Despite the above quote, there is quite a bit of name dropping, but it’s fun each time. I lost count of the number of good friends dubbed “legends”. What a lovely thing to call your friends. I was constantly struck by the thought that I couldn’t imagine these stories happening to anyone else. It feels like the answer to a question about how far you can get in life on just charm, optimism, and general goodwill. That’s not to imply that anything he has achieved is unearned. It’s easy to read between the lines and it’s clear that behind every one of these adventures, there is a ton of hard work, dedication and sacrifice. But that’s not what this book is celebrating. It’s a toast to the weird and wonderful places (and people) life can take you to when you embrace the uncertainty and magic wholeheartedly.

And I can attest that he's not bullshitting. I've been on a few of those Flogging Molly cruises mentioned on the book and the atmosphere is exactly as described. There is nothing like it. I’ll leave it with one last quote.

"I’d been telling it for so long I myself wasn’t even sure if it had actually happened – having said that, don’t let you put you off the rest of the book. I’m pretty sure it’s all true."

[Hannah Boyes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this so much! Remembering the nights mentioned the parties in nambucca and just generally my early twenties pre marriage and mini!
Thank you!

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this at the gig in the Cluny. Very fun night apart from the 2 people passing out!