Title: Lipstick and Leather – On the Road with the World’s Most Notorious Rock Stars
Author: Kim Hawes
Pages: 332 Pages
Publisher: Sandstone Press
The Blurb
What do Motörhead, Black Sabbath, Elvis Costello, Rush and Chumbawamba have in common?
Kim Hawes, pioneering female tour manager.
Through hard work, hard partying and hard times, Kim refused to conform to others’ expectations. She hurled a TV through the glass ceiling of the male dominated music industry, blazing a trail for young women today.
This is no ordinary tale of life on the road.
The Review
When I was younger I had one ambition in life and that was to stand at the side of the stage at rock concerts and gigs and to follow a band on tour. Blame Almost Famous. I craved it so much but alas it wasn’t the life I ended up having.
It is still something I wish had happened but I have come to terms with the fact that it hasn’t happened for me. One of the ways that I deal with that blow is to read rock memoirs so that I can experience things vicariously. Lipstick and Leather was a perfect read for me in that respect. I was never going to be a musician or a roadie but I would have loved to have been a tour manager like Kim Hawes.
Lipstick and Leather is a warts and all memoir about what life on the road was like. She shows you the highs but brings you back down to reality with the lows. What you get when you read Lipstick and Leather is a sense that Kim Hawes has no regrets over the experiences that she had. She recognises the privilege of her experience and knows that very few get to do what she did. However, rather graciously she has invited you to ride pillion with her in her memories. What a gloriously rock and roll time she had.
I’m envious but thankful for the vicarious experience.
Lipstick and Leather – On the Road with the World’s Most Notorious Rock Stars by Kim Hawes is available now.
For more information regarding Kim Hawes (@KimTM) please visit www.kimtm.com.
For more information regarding Sandstone Press (@sandstonepress) please visit www.sandstonepress.com.
