Publishers Weekly
08/09/2021
Journalist Kushins (Nothing’s Bad Luck) delivers a less-than-flattering portrait of one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, a musician whose legacy was marred by his violent reputation. He traces the tragic arc of John Bonham’s brief life, from his childhood in Worcestershire, England, to his premature death after a lengthy struggle with alcoholism. Bonham started playing drums at age five and joined his first band as a teenager. His skills attracted the attention of singer Robert Plant, who recruited Bonham into the New Yardbirds, later renamed Led Zeppelin, in 1968. Led Zeppelin went on to become one of the biggest bands in the world, and Bonham was regarded a superior arranger of music, “as one half of Led Zepplin’s powerhouse rhythm section.” But he drank excessively, threatened reporters, assaulted women, and even once pointed a gun at Mick Jagger (a frightening episode Bonham later dismissed as a joke). In 1980, after another gargantuan intake of booze, Bonham was found dead in the English home of Led Zeppelin guitar player Jimmy Page. While it may be hard to look away from, Kushins’s narrative, relying mainly on secondary sources, doesn’t provide any genuine insights into its troubled lead. Zeppelin die-hards may find this intriguing, but it certainly won’t gain the legend any admirers. Agent: William Clark, William Clark Assoc. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"C.M. Kushins gives us a wild, behind-the-scenes look at one of the greatest rock bands ever, and brings John ‘Bonzo’ Bonham back to life in this well-written rock classic." —Peter Leonard, Bestselling Author of Voices of the Dead
Library Journal
09/01/2021
This biography from Kushins (Nothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon) explores the short life of Led Zeppelin's volatile self-taught drummer John Bonham (1948–80). It opens with a revealing section on Bonham's childhood in Birmingham, England; his first gigs at 14; and his early fascination with jazz drummers Max Roach, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich. He vividly describes how starting in 1968, the innovative Bonham helped transform the little-noticed New Yardbirds into the internationally acclaimed hard rock outfit Led Zeppelin. The book chronologically details Zeppelin's albums, the wild and grueling tours, and their pranks and trashed hotel rooms. Throughout the '70s Bonham increasingly suffered from loneliness, depression, and alcoholism, Kushins writes, perhaps owing to the stress of life on the road, away from his family, his automobile collection, and his beloved farm near Birmingham. The book ends with Bonham's alcohol-induced death at 32. VERDICT Though he unearths little new material, Kushins builds upon previous Zeppelin books and brother Mick Bonham's account (John Bonham: The Powerhouse Behind Led Zeppelin). Die-hard fans and readers who aren't already familiar with Zeppelin lore will find this a well-written, lively, and balanced biography.—David P. Szatmary, formerly at Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Kirkus Reviews
2021-07-14
A lengthy narrative biography of the legendary drummer.
It’s inarguable that John Bonham (1948-1980) was the piston that powered the heavy musical machinery of Led Zeppelin. Despite the unparalleled brute force for which he was known, however, he was a drummer of great subtlety and range whose heroes were jazz masters and who eventually served as inspiration for scores of younger musicians. As Kushins, the author of a biography of Warren Zevon, shows, Bonham was also a complex man. He drowned his severe anxiety in booze, and he hated the time spent away from his family and farm while still enjoying his role in a band that gave him license to indulge his animal instincts. The author covers all of the bases in delineating the life of his subject and makes a convincing case for his iconic status. However, in arguing that Bonham was a misunderstood man of many facets, he underemphasizes the level of his destructive behavior and the deleterious effects that his addictions had on his career and those around him. When Kushins writes about how Bonham died choking on his own vomit at the age of 32, some readers may wonder how he lasted so long. At the time, Led Zeppelin was running on fumes, and Bonham wasn’t the only one incapable of functioning as he had at his peak. Throughout, Kushins is sympathetic to the deeply flawed musician, and this overlong but largely entertaining portrait is less focused on scandal and dark magic than many accounts of the band. Along with the chronicle of Bonham’s life, the author includes quoted reviews of so many concerts praising Bonham that they eventually run together and repeat themselves, like an interminable drum solo. Dave Grohl, the Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer, provides the foreword.
Kushins brooks no dissent about his subject as the greatest rock drummer ever. Good for Zep devotees and fans of the era.
