Fretted and Moaning

by Andy Summers

Musician, composer, photographer, guitarist and… author. Andy Summers has written short stories ever since he became a member of The Police, and they are as smart, witty and unexpected as his music and photography. Now for the first time 45 are collected together in this special book.

Andy’s stories in "Fretted & Moaning" reveal a cast of characters drawn from the world of music, chief among them guitarists. Every tale has at its heart music or a guitar and a person whose ambition, hopes, dreams, loves, hates, failures and successes are revealed in uncanny, funny, and never expected ways.

287 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Andrew James Somers, known professionally as Andy Summers, is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band The Police. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated with other musicians, composed film scores, and exhibited his photography in galleries.

Reviews

[Chris Sudall]

First of all, I am a huge fan of Andy Summers. I've met him twice and he is a great guy as well as an incredible musician.
So....when I saw he had written a book and needed preorders to get it up and running I couldn't say no. Yes it was a bit pricey and took a long time to materialise, but I've been working long enough to afford it.
When it arrived I was impressed by the box, however, it is a bit big for the actual book. I'd rather it just slid in to the case to be honest. I was less impressed by the cover, which looks like it was drawn by my son. I do often judge a book by it's cover, but then this will be hidden away in the case.

Anyway! The book. It's a large collection of short stories linked to guitars. It didn't start brilliantly, but it improved and you can see the main motivators in Andy's life laid bare as you read on. Most of the stories are very short, some only a page or two, which makes it a great book for a cheeky read before bedtime.

Some of the stories are a little aimless and Andy has a tendency to leave the ending either unclear or vaguely ambiguous. Frustrating, but still enjoyable. A character called Sully turns up several times, which is a nice binder, but the real stand out is how much Andy loves guitars and the effect they have had on his life (not least pulling power!). It's a fun read and I'm glad I chucked the money at it.

I now need to buy his new album......

I was going to give it 3 stars...but....it's Andy Summers and my name is in the book so four!

[Brian Chenault]

Guitar, and to a lesser degree, sex, are the threads running through these short stories. I thoroughly enjoyed Andy's autobiography, so was curious to see what his fiction is like. This is a quick, entertaining read and many of the stories are quite funny.

[Maribeth]

This was an enjoyable, quick read just after seeing Andy perform. While I know very little about guitars and their accoutrements (and therefore was slightly lost when we went down the guitar-lover rabbit hole every now and then), these are simple, fun tales - fun and quick to read. Also, it's a bit of a travelogue with stops in Brazil, China, the desert, London, and other places. Don't expect great literature here - it's not. But if you're looking for something fun and different, this is it. And, as someone already said in another comment - the stories get better as they go along.

[Michael]

DNF. This book is really awful. The stories all follow the same format. I really can’t think of anything nice to say about it.

[Laura]

I had fun guessing who the short stories were about and wondering how many were based on the author’s own experiences.