New edition of Ian Hunter's "Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star"

[Brian]

Last September when Ian Hunter and the Rant Band played in Southern California, Ian introduced guest guitarist Johnny Depp by announcing that Depp was writing the introduction to a new edition of "Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star," which has long been out of print.  I had trouble finding the book in the mid-1970's, which explains why the small $1.95 paperbacks have sold since for exorbitant sums.   The new trade paperback will soon be available everywhere for about $25.  Quoting the publisher:

The original version of Ian Hunter’s Diary of a Rock `n’ Roll Star was a five week tour diary of Mott The Hoople’s US tour in November and December 1972. Published in June 1974, the book immediately received a litany of plaudits and went on to be declared a cult classic that set the gold standard for rock writing.

This updated version – published on September 27th by Omnibus Press – contains bonus content from Hunter in the form of a Japanese diary, a new 3 page foreword from diehard Ian Hunter fan Johnny Depp, exclusive new photos, and an introduction to writing the diary by official biographer Campbell Devine.

Even better, Ian's offering a signed and numbered hardback edition limited to 250 copies, with a slipcase and certificate of authenticity, for only $66 on the PledgeMusic website in New York.  At this moment, only 124 copies remain:

www.pledgemusic.com/projects/ianhunter-diary-of-a-rocknroll-star?referrer=person1694236&utm_campaign=project20497

[Brian]

I ordered my limited edition copy of "Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star" in September, with shipping promised in October.  It arrived after New Year's Day.  More perplexing is the numbering scheme.  I bought the 126th copy from Pledge Music out of a run of 250 books.  Then Coles Books in the U.K. offered 500 limited edition copies, which sold out much faster.  Maybe they only had 250.  Those who bought from Coles got theirs in October.  Anyway, the book and its slipcover are gorgeous.  I was awarded "47/500," hand numbered above Ian's autograph.  The only person I know who got a lower number is Martine's brother George in Winnipeg, no. 33.

The most valuable additions to the original manuscript are Ian Hunter's tour diary of his first visit to Japan in 2015, originally published only on paper in Mojo Magazine, and the introduction by Campbell Devine, who's been the greatest proponent of Ian's work in print for more than two decades now. He has an authorized biography of Ian coming out.  As always, I learned much about the man and his history from Campbell, such as the original title of the diary, "Rock 'n' Roll Sweepstakes."  I always thought it was weird that Ian would refer to himself as a star, even ironically.  Now I know it was the publisher's insistence.

Johnny Depp wrote the forward, trying to emulate his late friend Hunter S. Thompson.  "There are so very few souls that are capable of creating a sound that possesses the rare capacity to reach inside one's own cranial cavity, only to plant the subtext of one's honest pain and hardship, hence slicing the listener's heart to shreds before they are even aware of it.  No one can pen a Rock and Roll tune like Ian."  As proof, he cites lesser known songs like "Man Overboard" from 2009, one of my favorites, "simply a composition of undeniable perfection.  Truth at its most exquisite."

In his epilogue, Ian reveals that it wasn't easy to write because he could not find a copy of "Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star" -- although he had six copies of the 2013 French translation -- and "I'm not paying silly money for it on eBay."   It's weird to think I had a copy of the book when the author didn't, thanks to George.  The paperback is 45 years old and fragile.  But now I can read the book in the glory of hardcover, as God no doubt intended.