Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of the Black Crowes--A Memoir

by Steve Gorman, Steven Hyden (With)

Overview

Black Crowes drummer and cofounder Steve Gorman shares the band's inside story in this behind-the-scenes biography, from their supernova stardom in the '90s to exhilarating encounters with industry legends.


"This book is literally the Angela's Ashes of rock memoirs. .. I absolutely loved this book."

-BILL BURR, comedian



"I couldn't put the book down-absolutely unbelievable read!"

-JOHN MCENROE, New York Times bestselling author of But Seriously and You Cannot Be Serious



"I honestly couldn't put [this book] down. Made me nostalgic, sad, and happy too."

-CHRIS SHIFLETT, lead guitarist of Foo Fighters




"Essential reading for rock fans everywhere."

-BRIAN KOPPELMAN, co-creator and showrunner of Billions



For more than two decades, The Black Crowes topped the charts, graced the cover of Rolling Stone, and reigned supreme over MTV and radio waves alike with hits like "Hard to Handle," "She Talks to Angels," and "Remedy." But as the old cliché goes, stardom can be fleeting, and the group's success slowly dwindled as the band members got caught up in the rock star world and lost sight of their musical ambition. On any given night, they could be the best band you ever saw-or the most combative. Then, one last rift in 2013 proved insurmountable for the band to survive. After that, The Black Crowes would fly no more.

Founding member Steve Gorman was there for all of it-the coke- and weed-fueled tours; the tumultuous recording sessions; the incessant fighting between brothers Chris and Rich Robinson; the backstage hangs with legends like Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and the Rolling Stones. As the band's drummer and voice of reason, he tried to keep The Black Crowes together musically and emotionally. In Hard ToHandle-the first account of this great American rock band's beginning, middle, and end-Gorman explains just how impossible that job was with great insight, candor, and humor. They don't make bands like The Black Crowes anymore: crazy, brilliant, self-destructive, inspiring, and, ultimately, not built to last. But, man, what a ride it was while it lasted.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306922022
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	05/26/2020
Pages:	368
Sales rank:	102,191
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Steve Gorman is a founding member of the Black Crowes as well as his current band, Trigger Hippy. He has created and hosted two nationally syndicated radio shows. Hard to Handle is his first book. He lives in Nashville with his family.

Steven Hyden is the author of Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me and Twilight of the Gods. His work has also appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Washington Post, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Grantland, The. A.V. Club, Uproxx, and The Ringer.

Table of Contents

Preface: A Good Day in The Black Crowes Was Just a Day That Wasn't Bad ix

1 The Jump 1

2 Do Not Join This Band, They're Fucking Crazy 11

3 "He is Rotting from the inside Out" 19

4 "No, No, No … Try Open G, Like Keith" 27

5 The KKK 39

6 Michael Corleone Will See You Now 47

7 Are We Gonna Win or Are We Gonna Lose? 51

8 Uncle Bob 61

9 When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Will Appear 65

10 Welcome Home. You're Fired 69

11 The Exhaustion of Success 74

12 The End of Shake Your Money Maker 81

13 Round Two 89

14 Losing the Grip 97

15 Splat 103

16 High as the Moon 112

17 Tall 121

18 Björk, Hans Gruber, and an Earthquake of Note 132

19 Best Not Buy 138

20 Money 144

21 Just Lease. Go Home and Be Done. 153

22 Peking Duck is Now on the Menu 163

23 "Know 'Em? Hell, I Wrote 'Em, Baby!" 171

24 Three Snakes and One Honorable Man 176

25 Things to Do in Denver When Your Band is Dead 183

26 To Hell and Band 193

27 "Put on Some Fucking Clothes, Will Ya?" 203

28 The Three-Headed Monster 209

29 Reality Bites 216

30 By Your Side 226

31 The Black Crowes Are Back! (Even if We Never Left) 232

32 "Just When I Think I'm Out … Mr. Jimmy Fucking Page" 237

33 Asleep at the Greek 259

34 Sven Pipien, Over and Out 261

35 Trouble Brewing in Valhalla 272

36 "Which One of Those Two Stupid Motherfuckers Did This?" 280

37 At Long Last … Out 293

38 The Poison Pill 308

39 Me, Hunter S. Thompson, and Bruce Spingsteen Walk into a Bar … 317

40 The Long Goodbye 327

Epilogue: The Headstone 340

Acknowledgments 345

Editorial Reviews

"One of the year's most buzzed-about rock bios!"—JamBase

"Bands are beautiful fragile toxic things—always one wrong glance or argument away from falling apart. Steve manages to tell the tale of the internal turmoil of the Black Crowes, in all its sordid detail, without ever getting finger-pointy about it. I honestly couldn't put it down. Made me nostalgic, sad, and happy too."—Chris Shiflett, lead guitarist of Foo Fighters

"Reading this book brought me back to a time that rock and roll mattered to me more than almost anything else. I was at some of the early Black Crowes gigs depicted here, and the book is so well drawn, that I could not only hear the music again, but smell the sweat coming off the band and crowd as clearly as I did back then. This is Almost Famous, told by the guy behind the drums, who remembers every chord change, every fight, every song's journey from demo to record to live performance. Essential reading for rock fans everywhere."—Brian Koppelman, co-creator and showrunner of Billions

"Hard to Handle is an amazing and a lot of times uncomfortably candid account of Steve's time in the Black Crowes. The opportunities presented and then lost. The ups and downs. The fights. The fuck ups. This book is literally the Angela's Ashes of rock memoirs. Every time things seem to be looking up for the band an insane decision, comment or substance seems to drive the band right into a ditch, only to see them somehow use that negative momentum to then attain a new level of success. I absolutely loved this book. Can't wait for the movie!"—Bill Burr, comedian

"I couldn't put the book down—absolutely unbelievable read! Now I know why I was lucky to play tennis; I didn't have to deal with anyone except myself!"—John McEnroe, New York Times bestselling author of But Seriously and You Cannot Be Serious

"A raw, intimate portrait of the band vividly unfolds as Gorman recounts his history with the Crowes, from their conception to their final days. While this is a familiar tale in some ways, Gorman sidesteps the usual clichees. The book is a reminder of the band's wide-ranging talent and great music... Gorman has written a brutally honest, deeply personal memoir of the group he helped to create. A must for fans of the Black Crowes and American rock and roll."—Library Journal

"Insightful and explosive....almost every page has some sort of jaw-dropping revelation...and Gorman was there from the very beginning to the last downbeat."—The Houston Press

From the Publisher