British American writer, filmmaker and former roadie, Joel Miller, recently released his autobiography, Memoir of a Roadie, which explores his time traveling the world and working with bands like Guns N' Roses, Stone Temple Pilots, Poison and The Cranberries.
With a large dose of humor that helps lighten up even the most serious of moments, Miller does a great job of shining a light on the human side of these larger-than-life musicians, whether it's through tea with Axl Rose, chatting with Dolores O'Riordan or watching Scott Weiland fish outside one of the venues.
He also brings the laughs with little asides of his own thoughts on the most random of things that pop into his head, which brings the reader almost into the conversation.
Music fans will love all of the little tales and backstage moments that Miller details here, but the book will appeal to everyone because at its heart, the memoir is a coming-of-age tale of a man in his twenties struggling to find his place in life.
A fly on the wall, Miller uses his experiences to learn and grow as he goes along.
As he attempts to be the best roadie he can be, he tries to puzzle out just what life has in store for him and exactly what his place is in the grand scheme of things.
Along the way, he meets a crazy cast of characters who all touch his life in both small and meaningful ways and he deals with his own family tragedy while being far from home.
In the end, he decides that he's ready to hang up the roadie lifestyle and exits stage left to whatever life is prepared to throw at him next.