"Castle stories - A rock and roll scrapbook" 2009
Duane Roy
En mycket charmant och underhållande liten bok om en plats du antagligen aldrig hört talas om. Förattaren Duane Roy växer upp i Kanada, strax norr om Michigan i USA och beger sig under mitten av 80-talet på ett antal äventyrliga resor till Castle Farms i Chalevoix, Michigan för att uppleva konserter med några av de större hårdrockbanden. Allt från Whitesnake till Bon Jovi.
Roy berättar roliga anekdoter från flertalet konserter och jag skrattar för mig själv vid flera tillfällen. Castle Farms ser ut som ett gammalt medeltida slott och när man anordnade konserter där var det i större skala med en publik runt 15000. Numera är konsertaktiviteten dock nedlagd.
Språket är lätt och ledigt och klart humoristiskt. Det är roliga resor över gränsen och historier om föräldrar som ställer upp och kör flera mil för att tillgodose sin tonårings smak för hårdrock och show. Själv känner jag igen mig i flera scenarion efter att ha blivit skjutsad av snälla föräldrar till konserter i Lund och Malmö under det glada 80-talet. Roy berättar bl a om ett möte med Ozzy Osbourne och en väldigt ung Zakk Wylde. Givetvis ges det även bildbevis från detta tillfälle.
”Castle stories” är en fyndig och rolig bok om en tid som inte längre finns och då man kunde göra saker som säkerligen är otänkbara i dagens samhälle. Jag ser med glädje fram emot nästa bok av Duane Roy, för det kommer fler.
Vi skickade lite frågor till Duane Roy och fick snabbt svar.
First off, who´s Duane Roy?
Some dude who lives in Wawa, Ontario, Canada....check the map it's far from everything (9 hours north of Detroit and 12 hours north of Toronto. I work as a "blaster" in an underground gold mine, which means I blow things up every day and tell me that's not metal! I have three kids, two teenagers and a two year old, my oldest son has been playing guitar for about 10 years and I think that will be his future.
When did you get the idea for the book?
I sat around with my buddies talking about the old days, having beers and the stories were so funny and entertaining that I just wrote them down. I knew from the first time I visited the Castle I would write about it some day, it just took 22 years to do it.
How long did it take to put it together?
I started writing the book Jan. 2, 09 and completed it on September 11/09 and it was released on Nov. 11/09
How did you hook up with Alloway´s Publishing?
Alloway's is a small company that is in the area so dealing with someone close by is a lot easier than someone thousands of miles away. Locale was very important and it just worked out that way.
What is it that made Castle Farms so special?
It was the whole event, leaving Canada to go to the US and seeing the biggest bands in the world only a few hours from our doorsteps was cool. The lawlessness of those times was something that you'll never see again in North America. Doing everything and anything that would get you deported nowadays. Charlevoix is a beautiful little town and to see 15,000 extra people jamming every possible orifice of the town was amazing.
What was the first metal show you ever went to and do you have any fun memories of it?
The first show I attended was Ted Nugent, not sure if he's considered metal or not. It was so loud it hurt and that show still ranks as one of the loudest I've ever attended. At that first show I really wondered if I would be able to handle going to concerts with insanely loud music like that. Since then I've been addicted...I just wear earplugs now.
Coolest rocker you´ve ever met was…?
Ozzy of course....The Prince Of Fuckin' Darkness!
During this time frame, did you go to other metal shows somewhere else?
The Sault Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario was the closest place, (small arena less than 5000) lots of Canadian bands like Helix and The Tragically Hip…but of course there were shows like Alice Cooper and Ted Nugent. We also attended some big shows like The Rolling Stones at The Pontiac Silver dome (1989) and Metallica (1989 with Queensryche on the Damaged Justice Tour).
During the writing of the book I still attended some cool shows like...
- Metallica in January 2009 with Machine Head and The Sword (Detroit, MI)
- Metallica in November 2009 with Lamb Of God and Volbeat (Grand Rapids, MI)
- Ace Frehley in November 2009 (Sault Ste. Marie, MI)
And some other non-metal shows with the wife, Bryan Adams and Reo Speedwagon
What was the Canadian metal scene like in the 80´s and how would you compare it to today´s?
The Canadian music scene had so many great metal/hard rock bands that are forgotten about today. We got our weekly dose of metal from Much Music (Canada's MTV) on a show called The Pepsi Power Hour. Bands like Razor, Sacrifice, Sword, all great metal bands that are sadly underrated. We also had the cool hard rock bands like Helix, Kickaxe, and Triumph...still listen to all those bands today. Today's music scene seems a little repetitious, and I don't really listen to many "new" bands from anywhere. I like Fifth Way from Detroit (not Canadian I know) and there are a few cool metal bands in the area like Garden Of Bedlam from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Some Canadian bands keep on going like a rock n roll terminators like Helix....always good stuff from them.
http://www.myspace.com/fifthway
http://www.myspace.com/gardenofbedlam
Could you give us any tips when it comes to writing your first book?
Write lots and read even more. If you're going to write about music, read music books for inspiration. For me the process is pretty standard, I do the internet research about the bands and the era that I'm writing about, listen to the bootlegs, watch the videos, read the interviews, visit the fan sites. Then I have a few beers with my buddies and we discuss the concerts we attended (while I take notes) and I write it all down. So write, read, research and buy Stephen King's book "On Writing" it really, really helps.
Any chance of another book?
I'm working on two books at the same time, one about concerts at the Sault Memorial Gardens in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. I've got some famous Canadian musicians involved in that one. I'm also writing about growing up in a small town and being one of the only rabid metal fans in town....got some cool television personalities doing some blurbs.
Which is the easiest way to get hold of your book?
Exclusively through my website at www.duaneroy.com I ship all over the world email me if you have any questions duane@duaneroy.com
/Niclas Müller-Hansen
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