Proof positive that one can be both edgy and erudite, lowbrow and literate, and take joy in the unbridled pleasures of the id without sacrificing the higher mind.” —PopMatters
“Charlie Watts lays it down, and the others follow. He is the Law. This book explains why.” — Clem Burke, Blondie
“Required reading for any Stones fan.” — Bun E. Carlos
“The most colorfully graphic and, arguably, the most accurate description extant of the Rolling Stones at the absolute pinnacle of their career.”— All About Jazz
“[Edison] shoots from the hip from the first line to the last in this extremely entertaining celebration... Edison’s frenzied, gunned up prose repeatedly reminds one and all of exactly why Charlie Watts Matters... Stones fans and jazzers, bluesers and rockers alike all owe Mike Edison a massive thank you.” ★★★★— Shindig
“Sympathy thankfully is not a ponderous academic treatise, and while Edison occasionally leans into gonzo flights of fancy, he takes the reader on a grand tour of forty years of Watts’ contributions to the Rolling Stones... As Keith Richards has said, “No Charlie, no Stones,” and Edison wrote the book to prove it.”— Modern Drummer
“Sympathy for the Drummer is so much more than an incisive appreciation of Charlie Watts, it is an effusively infectious tribute to art in all of its myriad forms. Edison’s insights into the Rolling Stones are backed up by a fluent scope of cultural historicity, and peppered with an array of no-nonsense broadsides. Compelling evidence to convince even the most non-partisan reader that Charlie is indeed the WORLD’S GREATEST ROCK’N’ROLL DRUMMER!” — Jim Sclavunos, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
“It’s not hard to fathom why a former editor of both Screw and High Times magazines would find writing about the Rolling Stones, one of the most dissolute champions of sex and drugs, right in his conceptual wheelhouse. But Edison takes a unique approach by focusing his investigation on Charlie Watts, the woefully underappreciated lynchpin of the Stones sound. This book is a delightful look at the Stones through the eyes and the beats of their most reticent member. Finally someone gave this drummer some.” — Larry “Ratso” Sloman, author On the Road with Bob Dylan
“A great voice of authority and knowledge, dispensed with free-wheeling fluidity. Super entertaining, and right on.” — Katherine Turman, coauthor, Louder Than Hell: The Complete Oral History of Heavy Metal
“A wild ride through six-plus decades of music history... An illuminating and massively entertaining book.” — Dan Epstein, authorBig Hair and Plastic Grass
“Mike Edison’s libertine prose swings and hits like Charlie Watt’s right hand.” — Meredith Ochs, author Rock-and-Roll Woman
“Charlie Watts is the backbone of the Rolling Stones. In this affectionate yet unflinching biography, Mike Edison shows how integral his jazz sensibility makes them a true band: keeping time, creating space, and hitting the crash cymbal at just the right moment.” — Lenny Kaye, guitarist, author of You Call It Madness: the Sensuous Song of the Croon
“An imaginative consideration of the Rolling Stones, one which will let you hear utterly familiar tracks with entirely fresh ears." — Ira Robbin
“Rollicking ... highly engaging ... essential.” — Classic Rock
“A marvelous snare-crack of a book.” — Hot Press (UK)
“Exhilarating... magnificent insouciance... Edison writes like Charlie Watts drums: with panache.””— Planet Rock
“A remarkable achievement... insightful, passionate, knowledgeable, funny, fresh and astute... Sympathy for the Drummer is hard to beat.” — International Times
“Edison’s style captures the effortless nature of Watts’ drumming... you come away with new respect for the man behind the small kit, and I guarantee you’ll blast a Stones cut when done. Highly recommended.”— The Big Takeover
“Fanf**kingtastic.”— Kenny Aranoff
"The most fun and evocative Stones book since Keith Richard's Life." — Record Collector (UK)
"Flamboyant, funny, and frisky... supremely entertaining." — The Stranger
"A verbal roller coaster ride through rock and roll, blues, jazz, drums, voodoo, sex, magic, and everything else that's truly important in life... insightful passion that jumps off the page... irresistible and infectious, and essential." — Culture Sonar
"A remarkable achievement." — Pop Matters
"Utterly fascinating... Edison's words go way beyond the norm of rock and roll writing... it is impossible not to be moved by all Edison believes." — Americana Highways (Book of the Year)
"Edison is a gifted writer with a deft hand for making complex musical ideas relatable and enjoyable for the non-musician rock fan, and Sympathy for the Drummer is not just an interesting read, it's also often quite a funny one as well." — The Recoup
“Sympathy thankfully is not a ponderous academic treatise, and while Edison occasionally leans into gonzo flights of fancy, he takes the reader on a grand tour of forty years of Watts’ contributions to the Rolling Stones... As Keith Richards has said, “No Charlie, no Stones,” and Edison wrote the book to prove it.”— Modern Drummer“
“Fanf**ckingtastic.” — Kenny Aranoff
Animaginative consideration oftheRolling Stones, one whichwill letyou hear utterlyfamiliar trackswith entirelyfresh ears.
Charlie Watts is the backbone of the Rolling Stones. In this affectionate yet unflinching biography, Mike Edison shows how integral his jazz sensibility makes them a true band: keeping time, creating space, and hitting the crash cymbal at just the right moment.
It’s not hard to fathom why a former editor of both Screw and High Times magazines would find writing about the Rolling Stones, one of the most dissolute champions of sex and drugs, right in his conceptual wheelhouse. But Edison takes a unique approach by focusing his investigation on Charlie Watts, the woefully underappreciated lynch pin of the Stones sound. This book is a delightful look at the Stones through the eyes and the beats of their most reticent member. Finally someone gave this drummer some.
Sympathy for the Drummer is so much more than an incisive appreciation of Charlie Watts, it is an effusively infectious tribute to art in all of its myriad forms. Edison’s insights into the Rolling Stones are backed up by a fluent scope of cultural historicity, and peppered with an array of no-nonsense broadsides. Compelling evidence to convince even the most non-partisan reader that Charlie is indeed the WORLD’S GREATEST ROCK’N’ROLL DRUMMER!
Mike Edison’s libertine prose swings and hits like Charlie Watt’s right hand. Bouncing from dusty anecdotes to deft music critique, he builds an unassailable case for the distinction of Watts, not only in the Stone’s hegemonic rock but also in the pantheon of modern drummers.
A wild ride through six-plus decades of music history, vividly demonstrating why there would be no Rolling Stones without the great Charlie Watts. An illuminating and massively entertaining book.
A great voice of authority and knowledge, dispensed with free-wheeling fluidity. Super entertaining, and right on.
Of all the books on the Rolling Stones, this is my favorite — Edison hits all the sweet spots and gets to the heart of what the Stones are all about. Required reading for any Stones fan.
Charlie Watts lays it down, and the others follow. He is the Law. This book explains why.
