Roadie: My Life On The Road With Coldplay

Even if you know nothing about the music industry, this book is a great read. The author has a terrific sense of humor and actually seems to enjoy explaining how his world works. He avoids a lot of the tedious personal story that bogs down other biographies, and he gets right into the important stuff. The stories are great, and I came away with a sense of awe at how it all gets done.

As a Coldplay fan, musician, and sports TV professional, I loved this book. Great inside stories about Coldplay from pre-Parachutes era to Viva La Vida tour; wonderful production stories (including about the legendary Brian Eno!); entertaining anecdotes from Matt McGinn, who has as a unique voice and is a fun storyteller (I wish each copy of the book came with a Becks). Read though this in less than a week.

Wonderful read if you are a Coldplay fan and interested in the music business and a truly wonderful success story that dreams are made of this book is for you!!!

This was a fantastically written and absolutely witty account of a side of the musical industry that at least to me was a world unknown. It it so rare for people to find just one thing they are supposed to be doing in life, and Matt has been fortunate enough to be given the talent for two - a roadie for an uber-successful world touring band and an excellent writer. I'm not a books on tape type of reader, but his wit, charm and all out honesty makes me wish he could relay the book in person to me over a pint at a pub. He jumps right in with some quick history about himself, how he met the band and then before you know it POOF he's touring the world with Coldplay. He keeps an energetic pace throughout the book letting you in to discover the magnitude of preparation, production, exasperation and triumphs of a life on the road. To me, and probably a lot of fans, concert stages appear seamless as if they arrived by the snap of a finger, which clearly is not the case. What Matt details with the best humor is the extensive work and nerves involved for a touring band from the organization and set up of all moving parts of a stage and its equipment, to gauging the sound in an arena, the recommended way to sleep in a tour bus and the challenges of falling back into daily life when a tour has ended. Highly recommend. I did not want it to end. I hope he writes another about the Mylo tour!!!

Interesting perspective. I never thought about it, but it is like running away with the circus! Sir McGinn.....lol....if u read your reviews, I will call you sir and say pardon me for a backstage pass anyday!

This is a great book for the fan, filled with behind the scenes information to make your experience of the music even more impactful.

Great book! Gives a great detail about the chemistry and behind the scenes of the band!

Top marks Matt; felt like I was there. Fantastic funny memoirs of hanging with the biggest (and best) band of our days. Thanks for sharing with us.

Stuffed with insightful and authoritative rock 'n' roll tour stories about daily roadie duties, this is an insider's guide to what it means to live and work with global superstars in the world of rock 'n' roll. This memoir covers the job, the road, the gigs, the band, the relationships, the fame, the failing equipment, and the cold beers after a great show. Behind-the-scenes touring and recording stories are featured, as well as humorous and engaging anecdotes about Matt's relationship with Coldplay as they travel the globe and become one of the biggest bands in the world. Don't expect any dirt on the band as he still works for them.

Brilliant book to read

Ordered this as a present Bit dissapointed as book front slightly damaged Wasn't sure if it was down to the postman

okay

Very interesting book especially for any one with a bit of experience of the music business - nice bit of humour also and pics

I love Coldplay and i love anything to do with music, this book is the most interesting thing i have ever read and iv enjoyed reading it :)

This is a fun and insightful read. Perfect for a long flight to the next gig. Good on ya, Matt!

As the writer is a middle aged man with young family, still gainfully employed, it's perhaps no surprise that rocking the boat of his glamorous employers is not on the agenda. So oddly for a book on backstage with a globally successful band that is Coldplay: tales of Lear Jets, 5 star hotels and adoring stadium full fans, there is zero spice or young men made good, excess to be found anywhere in the 222 pages of Roadie. Really, is it all this saccharin in the happy world of Coldplay? Let's not revert to stereotype but we can be sure Matt McGinn has most surely left out more than he's put in. As Coldplay state in the foreword: "half of this book is probably true", we can only guess that the other half not in the book is where the remainder of the real story, lays hidden.This doesn't make Roadie a bad book just a largely inconsequential one. McGinn, our chummy host, is humble and deferential and at times has some mildly illuminating stories of life on the road and in the studio. It'll help if you're a Coldplay fan but for those that aren't and have a passing interest in what makes the music world tick, there's a little to keep you amused if not wholly enlightened. Having said that, McGinn seems to struggle to understand who his audience is.Here's a book written for those that have no knowledge of what goes into making music, have never made music and do not know what a guitar or an amp or whatever... does, hence it all being explained and a glossary to boot - do we really need an entry for an "amp" even if it is trying to be witty? On the other, we get constant lad banter that must have been hilarious at the time but wilts on the page. And mostly McGinn is stifled / muffled by a lack of real story or incident to keep the book moving - we'll wait for your memoirs Matt to hear the rest.Early advice for our new writer was that he should quit being flowery and write like he speaks. For that read: add expletive at every opportunity, don't hold back, it's just like it is and you're being honest, guv. Sadly whilst we all know and probably join in what we hear down the pub, in print the constant F / W / C / S *** get to be tiring, juvenile and unnecessary. We're treated to such jolly repartee on every page when this should be about the story and not ladding about after 10 pints.So, Roadie won't lead to any lawsuits or naughty chuckles under the bed sheets when books of this kind might entice you to think so. It is instead a mild foray into setting up equipment backstage and drinking beer with your mates on a tour bus.Chances are you'll come away being none the wiser about what it is to be Coldplay or being a full time roadie. Shame, when Matt McGinn had the right royal chance to tell us both, properly.

Matt McGinn's Roadie is a bizarre ole book, but hugely enjoyable nevertheless. Doing exactly what it says on the side of the box, Roadie: My Life on the Road with Coldplay is something of a mish-mash: part memoir of a non-name working man, one who took a stab at making it in music several times, but was destined to remain hardworking but underexposed, to equal parts exclusive view behind the curtain on Coldplay's mammoth international success. Mix in a subjective, comprehensive take on the role that is music roadie, and you're there. Pleasingly, the book is very well written, gliding favourably on McGinn's fantastic humour and intelligence, so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if the author picks up some pundit-style media/magazine column work off the back of this tale. He spins a very good yarn, is hugely likeable, and you'd remember any night you were sat next to him at a dinner party. His three strands interweave cleverly, and the book easily fits into the same strand as Stuart Macconie's Cider With Roadies, serving up a familiar, but skewed enough account of what it means to be obsessed by music.Even if you're not a Coldplay fan (which I'm not) there's plenty to enjoy here, with the band appearing more as generic band-bosses than the subject of some expose; however, there's equally enough appearances by the quartet to engage any major fans. Band association aside, this is probably the book that many have said should be written, and was inevitable, chronicling the bizarre traveling circus tale of what it means to actually do the hard work behind the stars; a story that, one that you would otherwise expect to find tilted at tattle and littered with scandalous sex, drugs & rock'n'roll excess. Which, thankfully Roadie isn't. However, there's generally a reason why people inject a bit of how's your father: continued interest. And with that in mind, for me, I'm not sure that Roadie really holds it together for the entire book.I'm only giving this book three-stars (when, in truth, it deserves three-and-a-half), simply because beyond a few chapters, and with no high/low point to read towards (as is the case with most fame-related memoirs), I just wasn't that interested in the life of a roadie. Not because they don't as a whole do a top job, but simply because there's not all that much to tell once the key facts of the gig have been established. Which is not to say that the book sags like the front-loaded album of a mid-league chart band. Far from it. Due to the hybrid nature of the work, it jumps effortlessly between its many plot and subplot strands. I guess it just depends on how interested you are in either Coldplay, roadies (when they don't spill the beans on excess or degradation), or the tale of a dude called Matt McGinn.Quibble aside, if you're in to music, and have sought out any music-related memoir that didn't revolve around Cheryl Cole or Peter Andre in the last twelve months, you could do a whole lot worse than giving Roadie a chance.

Matt McGinn has written an entertaining book named `Roadie' and the publishers have subtitled it `My Life on the Road with Coldplay'. This is crucial and guarantees two things: i) increased sales because of the global popularity of the band; and ii) the reader will know this is going to be a relatively genteel affair compared to a book sub-titled, for instance, `My Life on the Road with Motorhead'.So there are no tales of Bacchanalian excess or indeed stories about sordid sexual practices (excepting one brief instance).My earliest memories of roadies come from the mid-70s watching largely scruffy, overweight individuals - possibly with personal hygiene issues - with their large backsides hanging out of holed jeans as they set-up equipment at Newcastle City Hall. A t-shirt was considered an essential fashion item, as was the ability to repeat `one-two, one-two' into each onstage vocal microphone.Looking at Matt, the fashion sense still prevails, but roadies for the popular bands now tend to specialse: Matt's role has evolved to that of `guitar technician' for Coldplay's skilful axeman Jonny Buckland.He's good at conveying the excitement of a big up-and-coming stadium gig and the stress that the roadies experience in praying they've set up the equipment correctly and that there'll be no technical malfunctions during the concert.Chris Martin comes across as the slightly dorkish, but essentially loveable human being I consider him to be. The rest of the band don't do too badly either; they appear to be good-humoured and without serious personal ego issues. And after all, they happen to be a pretty fine band as well!Interestingly Matt throws light on the practice of bands playing alongside backing tapes and considers keeping time with such a tape a 'skill' rather than `cheating' - a term I personally consider more accurate.He covers the scuzziness of his fellow roadies and their often vile tour bus habits, so perhaps they're not so different from their 1970s counterparts after all.In his account, Matt stays just the right side of fawning and enlivens his tales with his lightly humorous prose; it's written in a lively, vernacular style with plenty of decent swearing - for those who enjoy such things.Overall, I found Matt to be a thoroughly likeable fellow and would recommend his book to serious music fans. You don't have to be a Coldplay afficianado to read it, but perhaps your enjoyment will be enhanced if you are.

'Roadie: My life on the road with Coldplay' follows the story of Matt McGinn, starting out as a musician and roadie to a small band called Coldplay and ending up as guitar tech to one of the biggest bands on the planet.As it follows through it is aimed to give you an idea of what normal life on the road is like from the eyes of the guys making it all happen - a life far from the drugs and sex of the Motley Crue or KISS and anchored in a lot of hard work under tight deadlines, working late nights getting gear stowed and moved before having to unpack everything and rig it all back up again the next day. At the same time it does also serve as a quick tour de force of Coldplay's rise, picking up with a small band touring England in a wee van and ending with todays world conquering gigs. For all of this it makes for an excellent read to those with some interest in the workings of a touring band, and finding a great point explaining something of how live sound is run and how complex a big guitar rig can be, while not being full of endless boring details that will alienate anyone who isn't a diehard guitar techie.The book itself is written in a very formal and easy to read way that instantly draws you in and keeps you turning pages, again being light enough going so as not to bore you, while giving you enough detail to keep your interest high and keep you turning pages with interesting stories and anecdotes from the road.Sure it isn't going to be as exciting as hearing about the legendary drug binges of the Crue, but to anyone with a passing interest in the touring business it is a great read to take you through something of the life and how much work goes into creating the shows you see in venues around the world.

Reading Matt McGinn's account of life on the road with one of the worldsmost popular bands - one thing is crystal clear. You need to be crazyand arrogant to be a roadie.Despite a slightly too sarcastic quote from the band (in reference McGuinn) that could put readers off, "We love him dearly...and at least half of this book is probably true", the book appears to be raw and honest. There is a way to tell these things, a way to sense if the writer is being honest.McGinn reveals the daunting nature of the job. Nothing sums up thedownside than:"100,000 people are whistling and baying in the Summer night air and youcan't get one sound, not one note, out of the guitar rig....I shouted toChris Martin's roadie for help....what am I going to do"?After describing how the fellow roadie saved the day, we learn thatchangeover time, at a large event can be less than 30 mins and thismeans moving and installing huge lighting towers and while drum kits,pianos and amps must be wheeled in not only must they work - they mustbe safe.Most people would feel nervous walking on stage at Glastonbury just tomove a guitar 3 inches to the left. The roadie must set up an entirestage while thousands of screaming people, some not even fans of thatparticular act - watch on.Matt McGuinn genuinely has a story to tell and any fan of rock music, guitars, stadium gigs and of course Coldplay will find this a worthwhile read.

For anyone expecting to pick this book up and read purely about how gifted Chris is, how gifted Johnny is or how amazing Coldplay are then you will be in for a surprise. McGinn has really crafted this book well, staying away from the ego trip of being in such a big band, he states straight into the book in the introduction how lucky he is to be in the band and just what it means to him, a `Coldplay family'.The book has a real homely welcoming effect of sorts when reading it, there are no alienations between reader and writer, and McGinn welcomes you into the life of a roadie with open arms. The voice allows the reader to create a real rallying of mental images of just what it is like working along side one of the worlds biggest bands, meeting top artists and playing for Coldplay (which I had never known he had done prior to this book). There is a great mixture of the social side to being with a successful band and the work side, the gig day chapter is almost a day in the life of a roadie that highlights the hard work that goes into each and every Coldplay gig.If your looking for a book that just wants to talk about the band specifically and how great there lives are, then this is not the book for you. This book shows the other side to a band, if people like McGinn didn't exist frankly Coldplay wouldn't be who they are today and many other bands would be nobodies without their roadies support

Coldplay appear to have an astute grasp upon the nature of music, and their role within it ; carefully cultivating a small body of work that is understated, eschewing the cult of personality and identity in favour of a Floydesque group identity, I guarantee you almost everyone would stand next to their bass player and not have a clue in the local supermarket queue. "Roadie" then is a glimpse under the bonnet into the day and life of a group that appears to have mastered the rare art of inescapable anonymity whilst also telling the tale of the often unsung and unknown heroes of the rock world ; the technicians that make everything happen, and have been called on to deputise when illness and boredom strike.Part memoir, part understated expose, and also a general travelogue of the human experience, "Roadie" is the type of book you have read before, and the type you haven't ; similar tales have been told in big-money books written by the leade guitarists of more bands than I care to mention, and yet, the distance from the side to the front is also very short and a very very long way. McGinn captures that distance with no small talent. if you like Coldplay, and a well-written rock book from someone who was there, then this is your answer.

I hoped this book would give me some insight in to what it is like to work as a roadie, and also what a touring band's lifestyle is like. I've given it three stars, because it does give you a feel for what a roadie does, but somehow it doesn't always ring true.You have to allow for the fact that Matt McGinn is still working for Coldplay, so I'm sure the content of the book has been carefully vetted, and any material that might be offensive to his employers will have been removed. Sadly, given the hours roadies work, and the nature of their work, McGinn tells you enough to leave you aware that it can't always be as rosy as he seems to make out. There are lots of amusing anecdotes, and it's probably worth reading if you're either a huge fan of Coldplay, or planning to become a roadie yourself (and have the imagination to fill in the gaps!). But for me it was a bit too sanitized. I'd rather have read a book that had been written several years after the roadie left the job, and preferably one that had been threatened with a lawsuit for telling the story warts and all. But this was still an enjoyable read, and as I can't suggest any similar books that are less flawed, definitely worth a look if like me, you were curious about what a roadie actually does.