Book Review: 'Babysitting A Band On The Rocks'
Sunday, September 9, 2018 at 01:04PM Another one from our good friend HIM! Enjoy your football Sunday.
Review: Gregg Douglas Praetorius, Babysitting A Band On The Rocks. Looney Tunes, 2017. Paperback $19.99.
From 1976-1982, G.D. Praetorius was involved in producing nearly 200 concerts featuring bands you know and love: The Kinks, Aerosmith, Rainbow, Scorpions, Twisted Sister, AC/DC, Van Halen . . . and Ambrosia. He produced these at venues large and small, some of which are discussed on this very site: Hofstra Fieldhouse (where he got his start and met his wife), Hammerheads, Club Detroit, Syracuse War Memorial, Nassau Coliseum, Malibu Beach Club, Providence Civic Center. He produced bands on the up, on the down, and those never big enough to go either direction. Praetorius was a small cog on some occasions and a leader in other instances. A man who loved music, but learned early on that he couldn’t play it himself, Praetorius’s tale is an amazing one to read.
The title points to the core of this book. Namely, Praetorius’s role in hand-holding Aerosmith (sans Perry) through the disastrous period when they released Night in the Ruts (1979) and hit the road on The Aerosmith Mystery Club Tour the following year. We get to witness a band, and a singer, truly on the rocks (several puns intended). We get to watch Praetorius do the heavy-lifting, sometimes literally, when Tyler couldn’t perform. He produces these concerts, but does double-duty when the people backing the band hand them off to lesser mortals, only hoping to recoup the dollars they are losing on the once great (and soon to be great again) Aerosmith. Praetorius pulls no punches. He reminds readers of what Tyler seems to have forgotten, or glossed over, in recent years. But it isn’t a mean-spirited takedown. No, he remains a fan who, first and foremost, knew the show had to go on if at all possible.
The books is also about so much more than Aerosmith. There is a section where he discusses the intricacies of load-in and load-out at a major concert. The details, and his attention to them (self-described as having OCD, which Praetorius sees it as an asset when producing concerts), provide a rare look at an often not understood, or discussed, feature of the concerts we all know and love. You start to appreciate how many interlocking parts are involved in providing us, the fans, with a good show . . . at a club, auditorium, or amphitheater. That people like Praetorius avoid disaster with a mix of duct tape and dedication is something we don't consider. And that’s the point. This is a different peek, behind a different curtain. It is also, alas, a different era, one before corporate consolidations robbed different regions of their colorful character (and characters).
There are also numerous “you had to be there moments.” Interested in the story behind Richtie Blackmore’s Stratocasters and his destruction of them on stage? Praetorius provides an insider’s view. Interested in another take on Van Halen and the “Brown M&Ms” saga. He provides the more business-minded reason behind the rider request (though one that others have told). Want to hear a hilarious tale of his friend driving around Pink Floyd in a beat up Buick La Sabre [sic] for a week? Praetorius provides it. Ever curious to know about the weight of AC/DC’s famous (and original) Hell’s Bell? Praetorius knows. And how about the mystery of an odd fellow name Dick and a piano that he needs to move? Praetorius tells the tale. And he tells all of these stories with a mixture of humility and enthusiasm. He has an eye for details that others might overlook, a gentle sense of humor, and a decidedly reasonable approach to musical heroes who do, and don’t, live up to expectations.
A few small quibbles though. Whoever does the production of the actual book might want to take a look at how they align their parent sheets. Page text starts to tilt a quarter of the way through. Given that this is a perfect bound book, the problem only increases as the book goes along. So, when trying to hold the book open at certain points, the ends of lines disappear into the gutter. You work through it though. Another, and slightly comical, issue involves the blurbs on the back cover. Reading them, I was sorta’ confused about who these people were (Dee Snider’s blurb, after all, appears on the Looney Tunes website). Then, when reading the dedications at the start of the book and the acknowledgements at the end, I find out that these are people Praetorius met during the process of writing the book. I get that they inspired him. He owes them a debt. I just think that Praetorius could have lured in a couple of other “known” people to write blurbs for a book this engaging. The book is also organized thematically instead of chronologically. Which is fine. But some of the material, particularly at the end, could have been put in an Appendix and it would have lost none of its punch. Finally, where is the index? Yes, the listing of the concerts he produced and attended is appreciated (and amazing to read through). And, yes, the listing of photo credits (or lack thereof) is somewhat useful. But an index would have been appreciated.
Again, quibbles. Praetorius has written a book that deserves to be read by any fan of rock. He neither over- or under-sells his importance. He treats his subjects with respect, though he is no doe-eyed cataloger of rock gods. If you want the icky, back of the room, stories, look elsewhere. If you want to hear about a guy who got lucky, who worked hard, and who experienced an amazing ride as a producer of concerts, this is a book for you. This is his story to tell and he tells it well. Can't recommend it enough.
If you are interested in buying the book, go to Looney Tunes.
Reader Comments (14)
I’m gonna have to read it to get all the facts you have teased. I’ll get on it right after I finish “Jimmy Page, The Definitive Biography”.
Try this link:
http://ltcds.com/product/babysitting-a-band-on-the-rocks-book/
Gary, what side of the town are you going to be on: the Buda or the Pest side? I only ask because I spent some wonderful time in the city and fell in love with it. Both sides have their charms. But, hands down, the Buda side is amazing. Not sure you want to wrestle any Hungarians though. Orbán has gotten a bit 1930s in recent years. Case in point: where once, and still, Horthy was properly discussed in the Holocaust Memorial Center (I recommend a visit), now he has a bust celebrating him and a memorial that, by extension, tends to white-wash his role in the country's turn toward fascism. Still, an amazing town with lovely people. I could share so many stories about my time there. Congrats to your wife!
Never read the Graham book, Bob. Think I will check it out. I have heard so many stories about Graham, some good and some bad. It sounds like he loved music and could be ruthless when it came to the business side of things. And I have him to thank, in part, for many a happy night at Shoreline Amphitheater.
And Vienna, Gary?!?! That is awesome. Another amazing town with which I fell in love. Wonderful that you have a local guide to lead you around that town. Sad and juvenile comment: I kept giggling every time I went past posters advertising shows at the "Wiener Theatre" (otherwise known as the Vienna State Opera). I am an American. And I didn't pass the test. But I have a picture of one of those flyers on my wall to remind me that I got to enjoy Vienna. At least I don't rub it in people's faces that Wiener means "of Vienna," as in "Weinerwurst" or "vienna sausage." I did make fun of a friend of mine when they ordered wiener schnitzel and thought they were going to get some sort of hot dog! I blame that, though, on that hack hot dog shack started in California!
Sounds like you received a misprinted copy, though, so I'm sorry about that, and it's almost impossible to get blurbs from famous people for the covers, but I'll be replacing those with comments from reviews such as yours in the near future.
I'm curious...please tell where you heard / read about "Babysitting A Band On The Rocks" in the first place. As you noted, the book is available online at LTCDS.com (and thank you very much for that!), but I'm also now in-store at the Newbury Comics chain throughout the Northeast and in several independent bookstores on Long Island. My promotion is pretty much limited to whatever I do myself on Face Book.
Again, I'm so happy that you liked the book and understood where I was coming from.
Thanks so much for your support!
Best,
G.D. Praetorius