The Big Wheel

By Bruce Thomas

Book Overview

Thomas was bassist with Elvis Costello and The Attractions at the height of the band's success with hits like "Oliver's Army" and "Accidents Will Happen." Though names are never mentioned, The Big Wheel paints a vivid and hilarious picture of exactly what it is like touring the US and the rest of the world with Costello and Company, sharing your life 24 hours a day with a moody egotistical singer, a crazed drummer and a host of hangers-on. Originally published by Viking in 1990, The Big Wheel was nominated for the Ralph J. Gleason award for music writing. Less impressed, Costello sacked Thomas for writing it. This is one of the great music books, and probably the funniest.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1900924536
• ISBN13: 9781900924535
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Helter Skelter Publishing
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 0.6" x 6.1"

Customer Reviews

Life on the road

I am so pleased to see this book back in print! Bruce Thomas was the bass player with Elvis Costello and the Attractions and this "fictional" work featuring characters such as The Singer, The Keyboard Player and The Drummer, contributed largely to the eventual split between Elvis and Bruce (and the disintegration of the band) when it was first published over 10 years ago.Whilst Elvis may not have approved, the book comes across to me as an honest memoir of life in a band - not always full of glamour and hot women! It's not always flattering, either to the author or to his bandmates, but real life isn't.The anecdotes in the book are sometimes amusing, sometimes poingnant, but always interesting, especially if you are a fan of the music. It largely focuses on Bruce's life in the Attractions, but there are chapters about his childhood, his family, and his work with US band Quiver amongst others. It's a little thin, and won't take you long to work through, but is a highly enjoyable read.