BERNIE MARSDEN – Where’s My Guitar? On the Tour Bus With the Snakeman

The extremely talented and legendary guitarist Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake, M3, UFO, Paice Ashton Lord, Alaska, etc.) recently published his memoirs in the shape of this rather excellent book entitled "Where’s My Guitar? On the Tour Bus with the Snakeman", which chronicles his long and fascinating career. Needless to say, this book is a must-have if you are a fan of early Whitesnake. Large portions of the book focus on this legendary act and it is captivating and most engaging to read Bernie’s recollections of that period of time. On top of that, he touches on his time with Company of Snakes, M3, Cozy Powell’s Hammer, the Moody Marsden Band, Alaska, his solo career, the earliest bands he ever played in back in the 60s and early 70s, and his childhood and upbringing.

I especially enjoyed reading about his somewhat short-lived career in UFO as that is one of those things that is very rarely discussed or talked about in classic rock circles. If you read this entertaining book of Marsden’s, you will learn why that is. I also enjoyed learning more about Company of Snakes, but I do wish that there was more on M3. The chapters on Cozy Powell’s Hammer are also great. "Where’s My Guitar? is loaded with information and tales from life on the road and in the studio. There is an awful lot to digest here, folks.The building of a band from scratch, the touring, the late-night recording sessions, the fans, the friends and colleagues, the triumphs and defeats, and the scummy managers and other parasites that are out there. Everything is here in this book for you to immerse yourself in.

There are also many heartwarming and funny anecdotes involving Jon Lord, Micky Moody, Cozy Powell, and a long line of others throughout this book that are bound to move you. In addition, the color photos that are included are brilliant. What shines through in this biography is that Bernie is first and foremost a huge fan of rock and blues music. You can simply tell that he has lost none of his love for great music or the people that inspired him. In fact, there are countless anecdotes and stories revolving around him meeting his heroes and sometimes even performing with them and so on. Great stuff!

I do wish that "Where’s My Guitar?" focused a bit more on some of Bernie’s thoughts and feelings on certain things, be it other musicians or bands or whatever. Not the gossip-y or backstabbing kind of bullshit that we all loathe and abhor, but more about how he felt in certain situations. There have been many ups and downs throughout his career, and most of the time he does explain or put into words how or why he acted the way he did or why he felt the way he did, but some sections of the book lack a bit of that emotional depth and perspective. Then again, maybe some things are better left unsaid or simply left to the reader’s imagination?

Any self-respecting fan of Whitesnake and all the other bands that Marsden has been involved in ought to invest in this one. The book is a hardback edition size A5 containing 264 pages. Head on over to Bernie’s website and order your copy now!

http://www.berniemarsden.com/bjm/