Nick Bollinger was just 18 when he went on the road with the band Rough Justice and its smoky-voiced, charismatic leader Rick Bryant. It was a journey that would last two years. It was the '70s and pot was plentiful. Often, though, the band was short of other things: money, food, shelter, and petrol for its increasingly ramshackle, broken-down bus. In this award-winning memoir, one of New Zealand's most respected music writers and broadcasters talks with complete candour about his unorthodox childhood, his obsession with music, the impact of a family tragedy, and the journey that would decide the course of his life. He also vividly portrays a divided country, set to shatter apart for a generation.
"'A triumph - illuminating, generous and occasionally downright hilarious'"
CLIFF FELL
"Nick Bollinger takes us back to Wellington in the 1970s and casts a welcome spotlight on some of the unsung heroes of New Zealand rock 'n' roll who, in his own words left their 'handprint on the cave wall of Kiwi rock'. No stone (or stoner) unturned. Good and gritty: New Zealand music history at its finest."
KARYN HAY
"'A compelling collision of social history and vivid first-person stories … Bollinger writes with poetic grace about the dissenters, pioneers and rowdy eccentrics who were blowing amps and minds.'"
