Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

Edited by Chris Charlesworth
Bobcat Books
Copyright Date: 1993
Review Date: 1998

Originally published as two volumes in ’85 and ’88, this is the new combined edition with extra Madonna shots (pre Sex book). What you get is a bunch of pictures of loaded rock stars hanging out with wasted naked groupies. Not only do you get to see the fans stripped down and or passed out, you also get an eyefull of celebrity ass as well as the occaisonal flacid member. Charle’s intention is to amuse and entertain, and If you find pictures of mostly second rate rockers holding cigarettes with their foreskins amusing, then this is the book for you.

The meat of the book is a bunch of topless hippies and the like backstage. Most of the rock stars are from the same era. Big names and not so big names. The other main category is those same stars during and after getting high or on their way towards alcohol poisoning. You’ve got your Rod Stewarts, Elton Johns, Keith Moons mixed with the likes of Sid Vicious, Wendy O’ Williams, and Siouxsie. On one page is Joe Strummer toking up and on the other is Ozzy taking a dump. Steve Jones molesting Kelly LeBrock, Lou Reed kissing David Bowie kissing Mick Jagger. Not all the images are very interesting. There’s a lot of standing around backstage and album cover shots that should be in their own book.

In the age of celebrity exposure internet site (or so I’ve heard…) the commodity value of this book is questionable, especially considering that most of the subject matter is no longer in the limelight, but it nice to have them all in place. If you find some perverse pleasure in viewing pictures of the rich and famous making asses of themselves, then pony up the cash if you can find the book. If Dr Hook’s wang isn’t up your alley then keep your fingers crossed for a new edition. If you’re looking for a return on investment, everyone who’s seen my copy could not help but pick it up and spend at least ten minutes with it, although that may say something about the caliber of my cronies. It amusing at least once,

Rating: Rated Six and a half out of ten under-aged groupies.

$20.00 192 pages perfectbound. ISBN# 0-7119-3445-2

Snail Mail: Bobcat Books, New York NY.