FFO: Music Biographies

What do comedy, television and film star Jay Leno, heavy glam rockers Poison and Warrant, Mountain View, California’s Shoreline Amphitheatre and a bevy of others have in common? The answer to the question is Joel Miller. Providing a behind-the-scenes point of view, while working at shows featuring Guns N’ Roses, Stone Temple Pilots and The Cranberries, just to name a few, Memoir Of A Roadie goes deeper than most.

Tallied Personal Experiences

A candid approach with a particular lighthearted quality, the author never takes life too seriously during Memoir Of A Roadie. Although when Miller recounts the passage about his father thinking he was “going to bounce a check” on Jay Leno and the entertainer responds by saying, “Come on Joel-let’s go to the bank,” an empathetic feeling of sincerity takes hold. Plus, off camera, the famous stand-up is portrayed as a terrific person. It is these great stories within a story that add to the book’s atmosphere. For instance, if any concert enthusiasts ever wondered what it is like to be on a revolving stage, with one band playing, while setting up for the next band on the back of the same stage, just check out the KROQ Weenie Roast on page 87. That also is when Miller’s “Hot Lips” nickname came about.

Resembling signposts of a sort, other humorous points along the way include a “Roadie Ramble Moment” every so often, where Miller typically minces no words. Published Aug. 8, 2020, mouths should curl with a snicker and a smile where Miller writes, “A quick explanation as to why I think graduation ceremonies suck.” In addition to the funny qualities, similar to music appreciation, Memoirs Of A Roadie’s overall accessibility is something to consider. Miller maintains openness through familiar shared imagery. With regard to dreaming about owning his own home, he sighs, “Any place would do. I just wanted a place to hang my hat.”

 A Touring Life

Considering the various venues, events and artists mentioned in the 456-page tome, available as a paperback or on Kindle, readers will find Miller’s authenticity is not just about namedropping; the rich and famous surely are a large part of the narrative. With quotes like GNR’s Axl Rose saying to Miller, at the time a roadie in his twenties, that he “made a great cup of tea,” a degree of levelheadedness over absolute decadence is conveyed while hanging among music’s A-list rock stars, headliners and crowd influencers. Like the time Dimebag Darrell urinated on the band’s bus driver while the guy was lying down making snow angels. For Miller, though sometimes a struggle, insight over impulse was his forte. According to photos in the book, so are the vintage long and short-sleeve concert tour shirts and ticket stubs. Memoir Of A Roadie is an itinerant look back with all the trimmings.

Memoir Of A Roadie by Joel Miller

Publisher: Albion Entertainment, Inc.; ASIN: B08F78FKY7; File Size: 12947 KB; Printed: 456 pages

Photo: Jay Leno – pubic domain

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Paul Wolfle, the publisher of musicinterviewmagazine.com, is a web-based journalist who has written for several popular sites. Paul has a passion for connecting with a diversity of musicians who are looking to grow a positive presence on the World Wide Web.