To call Rick Wakeman a voluble person would be a severe underestimation: when he speaks, he cannot be stopped – and it’s for the better, because the tales the veteran tells during his various outings, including live shows, are vastly entertaining. No wonder the legendary keyboard player once penned an autobiography; it’s surprising, however, that 1995’s “Say Yes!” – which became a collector’s item – has never been reprinted.
The Wizard Of Prog
His website says, “Rick certainly intends to update ‘Say Yes!’ and he has plenty of material to hand, however there are no immediate plans to update the book, nor are there any plans by the publisher to reprint it in its current form” – and yet there are. The slim tome isn’t the only volume he has issued over the last three decades, but both 2008’s “Grumpy Old Rock Star” and its sequel, “Further Adventures Of A Grumpy Old Rock Star” from 2009, were merely collections of separate stories, rather than a straight narrative. And that’s why Wakeman’s new literary effort feels so welcome. Hitting the shelves on October 29th, “The Wizard Of Prog: The Truth And Something Like The Truth” will take the reader – or the listener – through the many arresting twists and turns of the English keyboardist’s life.
An expansion of what was out before, it promises to be as hilarious and informative as ever – even though there always are discrepancies in the description of events between what Rick and his colleagues, such as Dave Cousins, provide, which doesn’t really matter. Wakeman is shortly going on tour to promote the book, so it would be wise to catch him on the road.
