"How was I to choose between the Pete McKinney version of ‘Fisherman’s Blues’ with its lusty, crashing drums and the Noel Bridgeman version with its subtle groove, both of which I loved? Even as I vacillated the music kept evolving with new sounds and players entering our orbit, like Vinnie Kilduff and his Irish pipes. We fearlessly integrated these new elements with often thrilling results, but with the consequence that songs we’d cut a year, even six months previously now sounded like another group."
Those interested in rock and roll or traditional Celtic music in general will take pleasure out of reading the passages when Scott got himself invited to hang out with the Patti Smith Band, or his dalliances with other musicians like Bono, Bob Dylan, members of De Dannan, The Pogues, Simple Minds, The Pretenders, Robert Plant, and so on. There are plenty of names dropped through the book.
The ups and downs of Scott’s career has been honestly explored in this book, and the first person narrative is cozy and accessible. For Waterboys fans, Adventures of a Waterboy is a bracing, utterly enjoyable read that will illuminate the many turns and twists of Mike Scott’s life and music. But you don’t need to be a Waterboys fan to enjoy this book. Scott is, above all else, a writer, with an intuitive sense of words that matches his musical capability. Reading this book leaves the reader with the sense of being privy, not only to a story about what happened with a particular person through a particular period of time, but an exploration of the meaning of the creative process in its broadest sense. This is a deep, well-written book that, like Mike Scotts music, manages to toe the line beautifully between grass-roots intimacy and a grand, big picture. Above all, there is music, woven into every line, every relationship, every twist.
The Waterboys are touring Australia from the 19th - 25th of January. More information about the tour, or about The Waterboys in general can be found at: http://www.mikescottwaterboys.com.
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