Sick of Being Me (Paperback, New edition)

The brilliant debut novel by respected music journalist Sean Egan, SICK OF BEING ME is the alternately exhilarating and harrowing story of guitarist Paul Hazelwood, from his childhood on a London council estate where he nurtures his dreams of stardom to his agonising realisation on the cusp of his thirties that talent doesn't necessarily bring success. Egan - author of four previous non-fiction titles - portrays the reality of being a struggling musician and of achieving low-level success in that profession with an authenticity that spurns the sensationalism and cartoon nature of previous literary depictions of this milieu. Similar compelling verisimilitude informs the drug scenes, which reveal the touching pain that can be hidden beneath an unpleasant junkie exterior. Vulnerable, truthful, moving and beautiful, SICK OF BEING ME is one of the great coming-of-age tales of our times. The manuscript of this remarkable literary entree has led an array of musicians and writers to garland the book with some stunning endorsements (reproduced on the cover and interior). The endorsers include Charles R. Cross, author of 'Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography Of Kurt Cobain', well known rock critic Richie Unterberger, Gary Valentine (formerly of Blondie) and Frank Allen (The Searchers). The book will attract considerable publicity in the music press, much of which Egan has written for. Coverage is also planned in the half-dozen or so UK guitarist's magazines.