Runnin' with the devil : a backstage pass to the wild times, loud rock, and the down and dirty truth behind the making of Van Halen

Title:

Author:

Monk, Noel E. author.

ISBN:

9780062474100

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

342 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cm

Contents:

Prologue : 1982 -- We got them for a steal -- Van Halen unleashed -- The road life -- M&Ms and guacamole -- There's no place like home -- How do you lose a rock star? (You get him really high--the rest takes care of itself) -- How Van Halen's hard work and high times were chronicled -- Dumpster divin' & chart climbin' -- Where the hell is Van Halen? -- The bootleg wars -- The girl next door -- Payola? I hardly know her! -- The Midas touch -- No problems (okay, maybe a few) -- 1984 -- Go ask Alex -- The long goodbye -- The writing on the wall -- Epilogue.

Corporate Subject:

Van Halen (Musical group)

Subject Term:

Rock groups -- United States -- Biography.

Genre:

Biographies

Added Author:

Layden, Joseph, 1959-

Summary:

Beginning in 1978, Van Halen's rise was one of the most thrilling the rock world had ever seen. During this infamous run of success, debauchery, and drama, few people were closer to the band than Monk, their manager. He spent seven years with Van Halen, serving initially as their tour manager then as their personal manager until 1985, when he and David Lee Roth exited as controversy, infighting, and egos consumed the band. Now Monk details the hotel room destruction, the outrageous backstage behavior, and the incredible drug use and drinking that would ultimately fuel the conflict between the band members.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	782.42166 MON	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	782.42166 MON	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The manager who shepherded Van Halen from obscurity to rock stardom goes behind the scenes to tell the complete, unadulterated story of David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, and the legendary band that changed rock music.

Van Halen's rise in the 1980s was one of the most thrilling the music world had ever seen--their mythos an epic party, a sweaty, sexy, never-ending rock extravaganza. During this unparalleled run of success, debauchery, and drama, no one was closer to the band than Noel Monk. A man who'd worked with some of rock's biggest and most notorious names, Monk spent seven years with Van Halen, serving first as their tour manger then as their personal manager until 1985, when both he and David Lee Roth exited as controversy, backstabbing, and disappointment consumed the band.

Throughout Van Halen's meteoric rise and abrupt halt, this confidant, fixer, friend, and promoter saw it all and lived to tell. Now, for the first time, he shares the most outrageous escapades--from their coming of age to their most shocking behavior on the road; from Eddie's courtship and high profile wedding to Valerie Bertinelli to the incredible drug use which would ultimately lead to everyone's demise. Sharing never-before-told stories, Monk paints a compelling portrait of Eddie Van Halen, bringing into focus the unique combination of talent, vision, hardship, and naiveté that shaped one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time--and made him and his brother vulnerable to the trappings and failings of fame.

Illustrated with dozens of rare photographs from Monk's vaults, Runnin' with the Devil is manna from rock heaven no Van Halen fan can miss.

Reviews (2)

New York Review of Books Review

There are arguments about how many basic plot structures are available in literature, but in books about rock bands there seems to be just one: A scrappy group of hyperactive manchildren get together, blow the roofs off bars and then arenas, ingest enough toxic chemicals to qualify as a Superfund site, enact all of their teenage sexual fantasies, argue over money and musical direction, explode and vanish. And that's how it goes in "Runnin' With the Devil," Noel Monk's memoir recalling the years he spent in the late 1970s and early 1980 s managing Van Halen. There's plenty of sex and drugs here, along with the absurdities of the hard-rock life. Monk recalls patiently helping the Journey lead singer Steve Perry clean copious amounts of guacamole out of his "silky black hair" after the crooner had gotten caught in the crossfire of Van Halen's dressing-room food fight. We also get views of less well-known rock duties, like battling counterfeit merchandisers - an often physically confrontational task Monk took to with glee. "Just do me a favor," the head of security at one arena told him. "I don't want to find any bodies within three days of when you leave town." Monk covers the financial disputes, the family wars (brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen screaming at each other in Dutch) and the singer David Lee Roth's abrupt segue into a solo career, when he let loose "the flamboyant cabaret act that had long been trying to break through" his "hard rock exterior." But he knows the butter on this bread. "I had been with other bands that had trashed their surroundings," he writes after surveying one wrecked hotel room, "but they had nothing on Van Halen." 'In "Inheritance From Mother" I laundered, sanitized and toned down the kinds of things my mother did and said, for one reason: I wanted my novel to remain within the bounds of what is usually referred to as realism. Simply put, I wanted it to be believable.' - MINAE MIZUMURA, IN AN INTERVIEW WITH LIT HUB

Library Journal Review

Legendary rock group Van Halen went from nobodies to superstars between 1978 and 1985, and former manager Monk finally gets to tell his side of the story. After gaining the young musicians' trust as tour manager in 1978, Monk became their personal manager, albeit one who never had a long-term contract (cue impending doom music) despite the various ways he says he protected the band from those who sought to take advantage of or steal from them. As VH's success grew, so did tensions and drug consumption. After the band released the classic album 1984, with its keyboard-infused megahit "Jump," and toured behind it, their egos, personalities, and destructive habits led to Monk's firing and lead singer David Lee Roth's departure, forever changing the group. In this first insider-penned book about the original lineup (a post-lawsuit settlement statute of limitations has expired), Monk regales readers with stories of VH's tour high jinks, guitarist Eddie Van Halen's unlikely marriage to actress Valerie Bertinelli, Roth's inexplicable desire to record cheesy cover tunes when the band was at the pinnacle of its success, and much more. However, this is more than an insider's story about VH; Monk also shares fascinating firsthand information about how the music industry operated at that time. Verdict An absolute must-read for VH fans and fans of rock music memoirs.-Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Prologue: 1982	p. 1
1 We Got Them for a Steal	p. 11
2 Van Halen Unleashed	p. 27
3 The Road Life	p. 47
4 M&Ms and Guacamole	p. 63
5 There's No Place Like Home	p. 85
6 How Do You Lose a Rock Star? (You Get Him Really High-the Rest Takes Care of Itself)	p. 97
7 How Van Halen's Hard Work and High Times Were Chronicled	p. 121
8 Dumpster Divin' & Chart Climbin'	p. 139
9 Where the Hell Is Van Halen?	p. 155
10 The Bootleg Wars	p. 171
11 The Girl Next Door	p. 187
12 Payola? I Hardly Know Her!	p. 209
13 The Midas Touch	p. 229
14 No Problems (Okay, Maybe a Few)	p. 247
15 1984	p. 267
16 Go Ask Alex	p. 281
17 The Long Goodbye	p. 309
18 The Writing on the Wall	p. 323
Epilogue	p. 335
Acknowledgments	p. 341

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New York Review of Books Review

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