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Hard Road: The Life and Times of Stevie Wright
Biography of musician Stevie Wright, singer of the Easybeats, one of Australia's best known bands of the 1960s.
261 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 28, 2013
wOW wat a amazing read but also a very sad & heart breaking story of a amazing Australian rock icon. I have seen Stevie Weight live in concert more times than i can remember back in the 70s 80s & 90s & he was @ the top of his game & always rocked the joint with his endless energy sadly that incredible talent was destroyed by his addiction 2 heroin & a full blown alcoholic which eventually destroyed his vocal chords & himself. I recently saw a doco on Stevie on Australian Story & I couldn't believe wat i was seeing I was so shocked he can barely walk let alone sing. Stevie is 65 now but he looks more like he's in his 80s easy. He would most likely be dead by now if his amazing partner Fay Walker hadn't stuck by him through thick & thin including verbal & physical abuse due 2 Stevie having a serious disease bought on by his alcoholism called Korsakoff's where he became a child couldn't talk, feed himself, shower himself and even use a toilet Fay did everything 4 him. Doctors said Stevie would never recover but eventually he did which doctors say was a miracle. Stevie was drinking 2 bottles of southern comfort per day a heroin habit & a pot habit now he hasn't had alcohol or any drugs 4 over 10 yes. I will always luv Stevie Wright & his awesome music jst seems such a tragic end & a sad waste 2 a truly talented rock icon!!!
November 6, 2019
Much much better than (sorry the wrenched tale of Stevie Wright)
July 25, 2024
It was the '60s. I was a boy growing up in the UK. Pop groups were our idols, their sounds our mantras. The Easybeats sound was no less impactful than that of the Beatles, The Stones, The Who, The Kinks, The Animals or any other such band of the hour.
Their front man, Stevie Wright, was among those immortals whose every crackly radio lyric we hung onto, whose spot lit forms we gazed at in wonder on our snowy black and white TV screens. Their voices we emulated at play, spun round our heads as we fell asleep at night and, as with everything else we internalised, remains in our heads 50-plus years on.
Wright was a remarkable performance talent who sprang from nowhere at the right moment, then paid his industry dues in reaching the top. Like the mythical Icarus who burnt his wings flying too close to the sun, or the cat with its nine lives, Wright would survive the seemingly impossible for way, way longer than fathomable. Others have gone the same way, of course, while an ever-shrinking handful of his contemporaries, incredibly, live on.
So many of this generation walked similar paths to this hard living music industry legend, if minus his fame or notoriety. Few had as far to fall as Stevie Wright. But the sex, drugs and rock were the cultural, generational binder. We were all components of the counterculture revolution, some infamous, most unheard of.
I searched high and low for this book, albeit thirteen years after its release (to say I have a long reading list is a mild understatement!). After awaiting its arrival, on tenterhooks, I took it to bed at 7 and 8 p.m., like a jealous, obsessive teenager, for the best part of a week until closing the last page.
Far from the tacky kiss-and-tell performance of some like it, this impeccably documented account of an icon's darker side is penned with compassion, respect and integrity. One of those rare, classy efforts readers so often hope for but are only sometimes delivered.
A heartwarming trip down Nostalgia Street for the first half, hysterically tragicomic for the second, by turns almost unreadably heart wrenching, devastating as it nears conclusion.
I laughed, I cried, I nearly bought a round.
Full marks to author Glenn Goldsmith who, besides having a musical career of his own, was Stevie Wright's Musical Director and Tour Manager in the late '80s.
Pure class, Mr. Goldsmith. You've done Stevie proud.
Their front man, Stevie Wright, was among those immortals whose every crackly radio lyric we hung onto, whose spot lit forms we gazed at in wonder on our snowy black and white TV screens. Their voices we emulated at play, spun round our heads as we fell asleep at night and, as with everything else we internalised, remains in our heads 50-plus years on.
Wright was a remarkable performance talent who sprang from nowhere at the right moment, then paid his industry dues in reaching the top. Like the mythical Icarus who burnt his wings flying too close to the sun, or the cat with its nine lives, Wright would survive the seemingly impossible for way, way longer than fathomable. Others have gone the same way, of course, while an ever-shrinking handful of his contemporaries, incredibly, live on.
So many of this generation walked similar paths to this hard living music industry legend, if minus his fame or notoriety. Few had as far to fall as Stevie Wright. But the sex, drugs and rock were the cultural, generational binder. We were all components of the counterculture revolution, some infamous, most unheard of.
I searched high and low for this book, albeit thirteen years after its release (to say I have a long reading list is a mild understatement!). After awaiting its arrival, on tenterhooks, I took it to bed at 7 and 8 p.m., like a jealous, obsessive teenager, for the best part of a week until closing the last page.
Far from the tacky kiss-and-tell performance of some like it, this impeccably documented account of an icon's darker side is penned with compassion, respect and integrity. One of those rare, classy efforts readers so often hope for but are only sometimes delivered.
A heartwarming trip down Nostalgia Street for the first half, hysterically tragicomic for the second, by turns almost unreadably heart wrenching, devastating as it nears conclusion.
I laughed, I cried, I nearly bought a round.
Full marks to author Glenn Goldsmith who, besides having a musical career of his own, was Stevie Wright's Musical Director and Tour Manager in the late '80s.
Pure class, Mr. Goldsmith. You've done Stevie proud.
December 14, 2017
Stevie Wright passed away in December, 2015. He would be the first of a truly shocking number of admired musicians, poets, actors and singers who would depart over the next twelve months; Lemmie Kilmister, Leonard Cohen, David Bowie, Prince, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, George Michael...the list is devastating. Out little Stevie, consequently, missed out on a lot of fanfare, which he was more than due. But, as chronicled by Glenn Goldsmith in "Hard Road", that would be a common factor in the life of one of Australia's greatest rock stars, and he was not always a mere victim of circumstance.
He was the frontman for the most important musical group in Australian history; the first. The Easybeats were our Beatles, and Stevie Wright set the standard for singers forever thereafter. His energetic performances, catchy lyrics and fun-loving charisma gave us our first international nearly-made-its. Unfortunately, The Easybeats would never achieve the global success that would befall AC/DC, INXS and the BeeGees. Little Stevie, however, would experience the dark side of Rock and Roll Babylon, and collapse deeper into its self-destructive decadence, than arguably any other pop star ever would. Ozzy Osbourne, Nikki Sixx and Iggy Pop would blush to look upon the punishment that Wright wrought on himself, and the horror that a backwater nation such as Australia would inflict upon a soul, when they finally crossed the line into totally wasted junkie.
Unfortunately, thus far no biography, miniseries or film has managed to do The Easybeats' legacy justice. The Australian film industry has a long-held international reputation for embarrassing mediocrity. From a literary perspective, however, Stevie's legacy could have done much better than Goldsmith. Clearly not a honed author, he stumbles through short, poorly structured sentences, atrocious attention to spelling and grammar, and flounders seemingly without the aid of an editor at all. It's a terrible shame. This is a story that deserves to be told properly.
From the depravity of addiction to the nightmare that was "deep sleep therapy", an institutionalized treatment for addiction that left many patients dead, brain-damaged or traumatized for life, to the several convalesces and heartbreaking downfalls, Stevie's life is a warning, and ode to a musical talent that could have stood amongst the greatest in the world, had the pitfalls not been so immediate, and so devastating.
He was the frontman for the most important musical group in Australian history; the first. The Easybeats were our Beatles, and Stevie Wright set the standard for singers forever thereafter. His energetic performances, catchy lyrics and fun-loving charisma gave us our first international nearly-made-its. Unfortunately, The Easybeats would never achieve the global success that would befall AC/DC, INXS and the BeeGees. Little Stevie, however, would experience the dark side of Rock and Roll Babylon, and collapse deeper into its self-destructive decadence, than arguably any other pop star ever would. Ozzy Osbourne, Nikki Sixx and Iggy Pop would blush to look upon the punishment that Wright wrought on himself, and the horror that a backwater nation such as Australia would inflict upon a soul, when they finally crossed the line into totally wasted junkie.
Unfortunately, thus far no biography, miniseries or film has managed to do The Easybeats' legacy justice. The Australian film industry has a long-held international reputation for embarrassing mediocrity. From a literary perspective, however, Stevie's legacy could have done much better than Goldsmith. Clearly not a honed author, he stumbles through short, poorly structured sentences, atrocious attention to spelling and grammar, and flounders seemingly without the aid of an editor at all. It's a terrible shame. This is a story that deserves to be told properly.
From the depravity of addiction to the nightmare that was "deep sleep therapy", an institutionalized treatment for addiction that left many patients dead, brain-damaged or traumatized for life, to the several convalesces and heartbreaking downfalls, Stevie's life is a warning, and ode to a musical talent that could have stood amongst the greatest in the world, had the pitfalls not been so immediate, and so devastating.
September 14, 2009
A functional biography of "Little" Stevie Wright, lead singer of the Easybeats, the biggest Australian band in the 60s. Its sadly a generic story of fast rise, quicker fall, addicition detox relapse, repeat for two decades.
Best thing about the book is it prompted dragging out the Easybeats' albums..ahhhh good times
Best thing about the book is it prompted dragging out the Easybeats' albums..ahhhh good times
July 11, 2016
It took me a long time searching to find this book but it was well worth it! From page one I was hooked and I couldn't put it down. It was fascinating, intriguing and at times really funny but what I liked most was the feeling of being there in those early Oz rock 'n' roll days with Stevie!
April 25, 2025
Few people, either in or out of performing arts, can have endured such stratospheric highs & subterranean lows as Stevie Wright, lead singer & early songwriter with The Easybeats - the first Australian pop group to enjoy international success. From adored & revered pop star to falling down drunk & desperate junkie it was a long &, at times, Hard Road (the title of his debut solo album). Wright's was certainly a fascinating story but the junkie & alcoholic sections, & both repeat, wore me down (I had an alcoholic father). I was a fan of The Easys in the 60s & did see Wright perform the Evie trilogy during the Long Way To The Top concerts of 2001(?). The notes weren't all there, & he was a shell of the performer that was idolized in his youth (he joined The Easys at 14!), but the emotion he poured into his classic hit was so moving I was drawn into a standing ovation, along with everyone else at Sydney's Entertainment Centre. Certainly of interest to Boomer music fans. Vale Stevie.
November 13, 2017
A cautionary tale about the dangers of fame and fortune at a young age. A life wasted. Compelling reading. Despite completely f***ing up and becoming a shadow of his former self, one of the most beloved figures in the Australian music scene. Standing room only in St. Andrews Cathedral at his funeral.
June 23, 2012
Sort of liked this book, sort of didn't! It was a very easy but also sad read, documenting the rise and fall and fall and fall and fall of Stevie Wright. For me, I found myself half the time feeling great sympathy for him, but then the other half I was highly irritated with his behaviour, his lack of responsibility, and the lack of respect for the women in his life who supposedly he loved but had no hesitation in cheating on the first second he got. Overall though it seems a very sad waste of a lot of years.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews