Around the World in 57 1/2 Gigs

by Dave Bidini

Book Overview

The strengths of Bidini's two best-loved books, On a Cold Road and Tropic of Hockey, music and travel to unlikely places, come together in this account of his search for rock 'n' roll.

When it looks as if the Rheostatics are breaking up after more than twenty years together, Dave Bidini is left feeling adrift from his moorings and decides to go on a very long road trip, playing solo and finding out about the state of rock...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0771013671
• ISBN13: 9780771013676
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Emblem Editions
• Length: 328 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A Good Read

Dave Bidini is a wonderful writer. I don't know much about his music, but his books are a joy. I read most of this book one day while I was sitting at a tire shop getting new tires put on my vehicle, and I was snickering in a roomful of people. Particularly enjoyable to me was the part of the book about Finland. He was dead on about the Finns as I know them. If you wonder what life is like on the road for some of the people whose careers have been in rock music, this answers some of the questions. A good read.

Bidini Writes Again!

If you are not a fan of the Rheostatics, you should be. If you are not a fan of Dave Bidini's writing, you really should be. In this, his most current work, Dave is travelling the world and sharing his experiences after he learns that his band, the wonderful Rheostatics, are calling it quits after 20+ years and, it seems, his musical career will be a solo venture from now on. Dave's writing is honest, engaging and, usually, funny as hell. Chalk full of stories of his adventures with tons of pop culture references thrown in as well, the book builds up the final chapter describing the Rheos farewell concert at storied Massey Hall in Toronto. The book was very powerful to me as I was lucky enough to be at that show and even got to talk to Dave afterwards. Lucky me! But again, even if you weren't at Massey Hall on March 30th, 2007 or have never heard of the Rheostatics, Dave Bidini's writing still makes the trip around the world with him a joyous literary adventure.