WAYNE HUSSEY – Heady Daze: The Mission Years 1985-1990

This scribe was madly in love with the inimitable Wayne Hussey’s previous autobiography (or rather the first part of what is presumably a trilogy), namely the brilliant and ridiculously entertaining Salad Daze from 2019. His latest literary output, Heady Daze, picks up where its predecessor ended, and as its title so neatly suggests, this one covers the first few years of Hussey’s time with Gothic rockers The Mission. In other words, it revolves around the inception of the band and its rise to success and the trials and tribulation along the way – all of which is superbly narrated and put into perspective by the guitarist.

These 455 pages deliver everything that you could possibly want from an autobiography by a rock star, i.e., there are numerous stories involving drunken shenanigans and awful behavior, drugs and sexual debauchery, appearances on stages and TV shows all over, long tours and exhaustion, rambunctious recording sessions and band members blowing their top during heated arguments, souring relationships and late-night conversations that go nowhere, and last but not least, the noble art of writing some damn fine songs that have stood the test of time and possess an enduring influence. Riveting, fast-paced, and so utterly charming and unforgettable that it is impossible to put down, there is absolutely nothing that I would change about this one, and Wayne truly is the born storyteller. He has a way with words that makes you feel as if you are present and very much a part of the (oftentimes chaotic) scenario that he describes.

Engagingly down-to-earth, full of deadpan humor, and able to convey a fondly nostalgic picture of a long-gone era without being sentimental, Heady Daze sucks you in and provides you with a vibrant history of how a great band and an oftentimes unruly and loud-mouthed musician fared in the late eighties. Exceptional, well-written, and obligatory. To be continued, of course.