Rock Monster: My Life with Joe Walsh

In ROCK MONSTER Kristin Casey’s beautifully written memoir of her relationship with music legend Joe Walsh manages to combine a detail rich history with superb storytelling to poetically evoke the wildly emotional rollercoaster ride of their relationship. Her compassion and understanding doesn’t just detail these complex and complicated individuals but chronicles how they impact, change, heal, hurt, love and lose each other. By no means a standard celebrity gossip, tell-all addiction and recovery text it is a ballad of survival—moving forward without stopping through a life of travel, excess, drugs, sex, music, performances and alcohol on stage, at parties and during binges.Anyone who has written on musicians and music understands that the most difficult part is bringing so many diverse and varied elements together in a way that manages to be honest without losing the mayhem.Rock stars are different—years of attention and adulation have an effect. A phenomenally gifted guitarist and often inspired songwriter Walsh had become a rock star shortly after turning 21, a full two decades before Casey, then just 20 herself, met him. The two decade calendar difference between them was mostly mirage—in so many ways he had never really grown up while she had been forced to long before her time. She attended college, dropped out, been a meth addict, come out the other side, a serious drinker who loved her work as a stripper, Casey’s age gave little indication of her range of skills, experiences, knowledge and abilities.In their years together Walsh pursued his solo career, toured with Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, was in The Best with John Entwistle, Skunk Baxter, Simon Phillips and Keith Emerson and finally ended up playing with the Eagles again.Casey’s epic tale of their odyssey combines an abundance of salacious details of threesomes, B&D, voyeurism, sex toys, kinks, flirtations and role playing—with a mega drug store inventory of substances used and abused.Never a victim, always an observer - a full and often willing participant Casey thinking like a skilled writer was the sharpest of observers. The book is a constant surprise not just loaded with amazing stories and Casey’s writing skill, but her take is one laced with joy and grace.Many will read this as an ink blot test, missing the humanity and poetry they will claim there is not enough of the guitarist—some denouncing it for not being more fawning, others wishing it was harsher. Those takes are sad reflections on their authors and have nothing to do with this book.Always more grateful than bitter, more amused than soured, far more intrigued than fatalistic, Casey maintained a certain innocence, such that the book brilliantly reveals her story, something about love and desire, strength and weakness, confusion and clarity. There is an immediacy in the writing that makes it far more about life and love than celebrity misbehavior and decadent lifestyles. Those really reading Rock Monster will find—as in the best personal writing—that no matter how different the circumstances there is more than a little of their own story here.

I'm a child of the 80's - I've read all the rock autobiographies of the era from Slash to Motley Crue. I enjoyed Shannon Tweed's book 'Kiss and Tell', and even Bobbie Brown's 'Dirty Rocker Boys'. I didn't know anything about Joe Walsh ( except that he was an important member of the Eagles with a revered solo career that I don't care much for), but I was so intrigued by Kristin Casey's writing that I gave this one a try. She does not disappoint. Her journey through drug fueled madness and her road to redemption is thoughtful and deep. She takes full responsibility for her addiction ( mostly I'm guessing as a result of her 12 step recovery) and although she tries diligently to keep the story about her ( and her relationship with Joe) I felt it was lacking in some aspects. She tries to be respectful of Joe, while being true to the utter nightmare it must have been at times to be in a relationship with him, but I finished the book feeling it was lacking something. The drug rampages where a bit redundant- but I suppose that is necessary in order to get the point across- and I was left with the feeling that she still carries a cross for Mr. Walsh. I liked her a lot- her writing was fantastic, her story is inspiring. But I didn't end up liking Joe Walsh anymore than I previously did and I felt the book would be better marketed as Kristin's story- not her life with him. But don't let my opinion of Joe Walsh sway you- great read and well worth the purchase.

Riveting. I stayed up after midnight, a few nights in a row, unable to tear myself away from Kristin's story. I'd put it down, only to feel like I was withdrawing from drugs--as if experiencing a literary contact high. I've read many memoirs and biographies, and so many rock and roll bios, but Kristin's book may be one of the rawest tales of the rock world and addiction I've ever read. She shares her thought process as she spiraled into darkness...deeper and deeper. I wanted to reach in and pull her out.Heartbreaking and fascinating.Yes, Joe is an important part of the book. But this is her story. She places no blame. Makes no excuses. On these pages, she's torn open her heart, her fears, her hopes and dreams.This isn't a book you'd read for a few laughs, so I was happily surprised to read a kooky experience involving Joe Walsh, Burton Cummings and Zak Starkey. I wrote to Kristin the next morning. I know Burton and Zak! This happened? It's not just a rock and roll myth? My husband, a friend and former band mate of Burton's, confirmed--"Oh yeah. That happened."Thank you for such an honest book and incredible story. What a life!I highlighted and saved many excerpts I found worth saving to ponder.This one really got me:"I shut down inside, unaware that in detaching from pain, I would lose touch with joy and therein plant the seeds of my alcoholism."That's really insightful.This idea works for life in general, when we avoid feeling life and all its ups and downs--thinking, dealing, facing anything difficult--we also avoid the ability to feel happiness. Without the dark there is no light.Life is yin and yang. Without feeling it ALL, life can become gray. Or, in some lives, completely colorless.In "Rock Monster," you WILL read what daily life in the rock star world is like. But here's how Kristin experienced it...up close and extremely personal.

What a life they led,sad to know they didn't remain friends,joe ignored letters from her.great read & funny in some ways.recommended if you like joe walsh.

Great story. Feel like you know her after reading her story. Cheers to her!

Delivery was early. Enjoying the book but you have to be interested in this type.

About halfway through, but enjoying it.

What can I say an incredible read telling the story of two people who were so made for each other but just weren't destined to be which was probably a good thing in the end because I believe neither would be here today to tell the story or make the music a must .