Book Review: Sylvia Patterson, I'm Not With The Band

In this dazzling memoir, she recalls encounters with an impressive array of music royalty: everyone from Madonna, Led Zeppelin, Prince, Oasis and Blur to Beyonce and Britney gets a mention. Patterson's prose fizzes with humour, insight and self-deprecation, as she recalls how her refreshingly unencumbered approach to celebrity interviews earned her the wrath of musos and the public alike. Nestled amongst sundry anecdotes is a discerning treatise on the decline of music journalism, a heart-rending story of familial trials and tribulations, and one woman's quest for meaning in the carnivalesque world of rock 'n' roll. Worth a read for music fans of all stripes.