Most rock 'n' roll books are a bore. They all have the same narrative arc and are aimed at the dwindling following that now follows an artist that has long passed their AARP date.
Sound N' Fury does not have a story arc. It is a collection of anecdotes, like a record comprised of various tracks - each one has its point and purpose. Alan Niven, who guided Guns N' Roses from the gutter of Los Angeles to Wembley Stadium, shares stories from his remarkable life as a manager with an immediacy delivered by an extraordinary recall of dialogue. Readers will encounter not just Guns N' Roses (who have sold almost 10 million tickets to their shows) but The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Clarence Clemons, Whitesnake, Elton John, and others who came from humble origins and experienced fame known only to few. Small-town minds collided with worldwide adulation, expectations, and demands. The results are amusing, affirming, and, predictably, disastrous. Keep in mind that rock 'n' roll is God's occupation for the unemployable.
Written with a crisp and fluid style, the magnificence and idiocy of the music world will dance off the pages and engross even those who are not rock fans. A collection of compelling rock 'n' roll anecdotes from the manager of Guns N' Roses, Buck & Evans, Great White, and Mötley Crüe.
Alan Niven was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but later moved to the United Kingdom, Miami, Gothenburg, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Atlanta, Tokyo, Paris, Stockholm, Helsinki, Chicago, Tijuana, Phoenix, Oslo, and Cologne. Alan now lives on a mountain in Arizona.
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• PEACOCK SERIES: With a remarkable recall of dialogue that immerses readers in the action, Niven stands out as the sole personality featured in every episode of Paramount Plus's Nothing But a Good Time: The Uncensored Story of 80s Hair Metal
• INSIDER'S FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCES: Forty irresistible anecdotes of musical mastery and mayhem. Niven takes readers through his sometimes-torrid tales as though they were listening to an album from start to finish. These stories reveal what it's really like to be a rock music manager and live the apex rock 'n' roll life.
• THE BIGGEST NAMES IN ROCK: Niven's intimate accounts of some of rock 'n' roll's most tumultuous times with bands like Guns N' Roses, Berlin, The Angels, Great White, Dokken, and Mötley Crüe are unforgettable. Countless other musical powerhouses are featured throughout the book as well, including The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Elton John, Cardinal Black, Clarence Clemons, Whitesnake, Scorpions, and Judas Priest.
• ORIGINAL MANAGER OF GUNS N' ROSES: Niven was with the band from 1986 to 1991 and worked with them on their seminal records Appetite for Destruction, Lies, and Use Your Illusion. He took a band deemed "unmanageable" from the gutter of Los Angeles to Wembley Stadium. Dismissed by Axl Rose against the wishes of the other bandmates, he went on to produce and compose much of Great White's successful material, resulting in the sale of 10 million albums.
• THE CENTER OF THE ACTION: His riveting stories prove that truth is stranger than fiction - like the time Niven had to hire the police to ensure a reluctant Axl Rose even made it to the venue to open for The Rolling Stones. His remarkable recall of dialogue puts the reader in the center of the action. Adept with a pen as much as with a guitar, Niven has been a contributing writer to Classic Rock
