June 30, 201016 yr The Man Behind the Curtain: 'Roadie: My Life on the Road With Coldplay' by Matt McGinn There's something impressive about a band that's so big even its roadie can publish a book. That band is Coldplay, and the group's roadie (and guitar tech) Matt McGinn spills tons of tales from tour in "Roadie: My Life on the Road With Coldplay" (Anova Books). The book is an easy read; McGinn has a conversational style that he spices up with Britishisms ("knackered," "bloody" as an adverb, and so on), and the book reads as if you've caught up with him over a cold brew. It almost feels like a novel in that respect, as he recounts even disaster stories of failing equipment at a big show with a wink and an upbeat tone. The only thing is: This is not a novel, and we all, of course, know how the Coldplay story goes, from unknown group to world-famous in the blink of an eye. And while any nonfiction book faces the same challenge, the issue with "Roadie" is that McGinn is writing from the present perspective. A reader knows where the band's going not just because of his own knowledge of the band's history, but also because McGinn is so excited to get to Coldplay's world domination phase that he nearly trips over his own feet getting there. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ4nivf4Hzw&feature=player_embedded]YouTube- Coldplay - Glastonbury Festival (28th June 2002)[/ame] Some events he describes — such as the band's headlining the first night of the Glastonbury Festival in 2002 — are huge in their own right, but instead of pausing to enjoy the moment with a "Holy cow; look how far we've gotten!," McGinn's tone almost takes on the air of, "This is cool, but you won't guess where we're going next!" Still, there's more to "Roadie" than stories of Coldplay's ascendency; McGinn offers a chapter entitled "Gig Day" which takes readers through a typical day on tour and spells out, in his own lighthearted way, all the things that happen before fans line up at the stadium. McGinn also reveals himself as the man behind the curtain as he reminisces about playing guitar parts for the song "Yellow" for a year on tour — completely out of sight of the crowd. "Roadie" is full of such quirky stories about the tour life, but thankfully it's not a chronological history. Likely because shows and venues and cities tend to blur together on the road, a lot of these stories seem of the "There was this one time ..." variety (even if McGinn does name the venue), but that just adds to the conversational style. The book's release timing couldn't be better, since it is, after all, beach season. There are far worse seaside reads than a book about real people off doing real things, and McGinn's relatable behind-the-scenes perspective makes for an unusual — if still casual — read. http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2010/07/coldplay-roadie-my-life-on-the-road-matt-mcginn.php
June 30, 201016 yr I got my book from Amazon the 22nd of June. :) Got my book today! :dance: Yay! :D The book's release timing couldn't be better, since it is, after all, beach season. There are far worse seaside reads than a book about real people off doing real things, and McGinn's relatable behind-the-scenes perspective makes for an unusual — if still casual — read. http://www.expressnightout.com/content/2010/07/coldplay-roadie-my-life-on-the-road-matt-mcginn.php I actually began reading mine at the beach! :)
July 1, 201016 yr Author i've started adding the reviews to wiki. http://www.wikicoldplay.com/Roadie_%E2%80%93_Matt_McGinn sam has woken from his nap and wants to steal the mouse so i'll have to finish later! :lol:
July 1, 201016 yr I got my book from Amazon the 22nd of June. :) Yay! :D I actually began reading mine at the beach! :) It's winter here (:() so I'm reading mine in front of the heater! :P I'm half way through - Matt's bloody hilarious! :laugh4:
July 1, 201016 yr My brother text me today telling me he'd dropped my copy in a swimming pool in Turkey :dozey:
July 1, 201016 yr My brother text me today telling me he'd dropped my copy in a swimming pool in Turkey :dozey: :stunned: That sucks! Is he kidding? He better pay for a new one. :confused:
July 2, 201016 yr Author finished :) (for now!! :lol: ) http://www.wikicoldplay.com/Roadie_%E2%80%93_Matt_McGinn
July 2, 201016 yr finished :) (for now!! :lol: ) http://www.wikicoldplay.com/Roadie_%E2%80%93_Matt_McGinn Oooh great thanks Jen, I must do a review one day :)
July 5, 201016 yr My brother text me today telling me he'd dropped my copy in a swimming pool in Turkey :dozey:oops! :laugh3:
July 7, 201016 yr Finished reading the book today. Man now I'm all melancholy and stuff because of the Wembley part at the end of the book :bigcry: Although I laughed really hard a bunch of times, and also felt very bad for the poor roadies and their tediously work. Anyway, thank you very much Mr. McGinn for writing such a wonderfully book!
July 8, 201016 yr My copy arrived from Amazon yesterday (I ordered it in April) and I immediately dropped everything and just devoured it. I truly enjoyed it. I like Matt's breezy style (and some knowledge of British slang helps) and he made me laugh out loud in several spots. This is a great look at how hard these folks work behind the scenes. Well done, Matt!
July 10, 201016 yr Laid by my pool, laid in my pool, :) read to page 70!! It makes you feel like you were right there in the story with all of them. The story about Chris and Guy rehearsing, was funny. Another day tomorrow by the pool!!!!
July 16, 201016 yr I received my book yesterday and finished reading it earlier today, and I loved it! There were definitely some very funny parts. It also had some parts that weren't so interesting but nevertheless kept me reading. I loved how he just wrote how he would speak and didn't make it all proper. The part where Guy and Chris argue during their rehearsal had me all tense at first but then got me laughing. I never knew Guy and Chris were the fighting type towards each other. :P I was also outraged when some American guy threw a cd at Chris.:angry: But loved how Chris, Will, Jonny,and Guy kept going and didn't give in. It really makes me proud to be a fan of Coldplay and see that they didn't let things like that get in their way. It was nice to see a view of the band from an insider rather than just on the outside. You also get a good sense of what exactly a roadie does, and how tedious the job can be. Two thumbs up to Matt McGinn and all the other roadies and staff who make every concert possible! Without them, a proper show couldn't go on. :D
July 16, 201016 yr I just finished the book, it was interesting to read. Parts about Coldplay made me smile. Like Guy saying about Fix You "So 'tears stream down your face and aaaaah'. What's that about then?"
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