Eric Burdon, has penned his memories and as the main cat of War, he has some pretty rocking stories to tell. This guy is behind songs like "Spill the Wine", "SkyPilot", "House of The Rising Sun" , I mean honestly how the hell did he survive to the age of 71 and how does he keep going?
He is presently celebrating a killer perfomance at Austin Tx SXSW and his latest album "Til Your River Runs Dry".
Now a book, of course.
'I live my life, Breathless.A life of constant motion and excitement. A life that many will envy and most would avoid! I'm extremely fortunate, at age 71, to look back on my life and write down some of the incredible things that have happened to me. In the day-to-day life of a traveling musician, it's easy to miss so many details. The world goes by at high-speed; it will take your breath away. People we've encountered at pivotal moments who profoundly influence our direction are not necessarily the people whose names everybody knows. More often, they are the people who say or do just the right thing, at the right time. I'm writing this book to help myself remember the past, acknowledge the present and help the new generation to discover their own truth.I am writing this book for all of you who helped me discover who I am today.'
Burdon is working personally with CEO Ron Manus who said 'Eric Burdon is such an important voice in history, musically and lyrically. What I find the most interesting in listening to him speak is his choice of words. They are very deliberate, very mesmerizing.
'The stories he tells are so thought out and appropriate. It's not just his voice. It's his inner voice and the tone of his language. that's what we are so excited to capture in this book. We are looking forward to hearing Eric's stories, as only he can tell them, and want to use our 90-plus years of publishing experience to help him fulfill his vision in the best way possible.'
Audio books are a great idea and I am unsure why I dont give them a shot. During a commute at the gym, how cool it would be to hear the voice that gave us 'long haired leaping gnomes' talk about his life and times? I think this should start a trend of rockers telling their stories. Maybe not those who slur though, Im not so sure this would work with Keith Richards but damn it woudl be fun to hear.
The audio and print books for "Breathless", is due out end of year.