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Here`s a review I posted of this book on a Costello fan forum -

The Reader sat down in Bewley`s Oriental Cafe on Westmoreland St , Dublin. Placing his coat and scarf on the scarlet covered bench seat he left his shopping bag under the table. After buttering his scones and sweetening his coffee he opened his book and started reading it . The afternoon sun shone through the Harry Clarke stained glass windows of the establishment , as other weary shoppers relaxed.......`

All of which is my pathetic imitation of the style of the book that I read this afternoon ; yes! It has arrived ! Bruce Thomas` On The Road....Again arrived in the post this Sunday morning. I cancelled my plans ( which were , roughly , have a look at the cinema listings and see what was on) and adjourned to one of my favourite spots . At 171 pages it would be a quick read , I reckoned.

I enjoyed it. Written in a clear , uncluttered style it told it`s tale briskly enough. It`s basically an account of Bruce`s activites in the 1990`s. In the introduction he note`s

` .................although `The [Big] Wheel` will always be a valid record of a particular period of my life , it tells of a world very far apart from the keen vitality , the endless room to move , and utter bewilderment that I was about to encounter........This new book may go some way to explaining how far , and why , life had moved on for me. My colleagues never knew the half of it.... Like The Big Wheel , I have followed the foramt of writing in a `novel`style in order to give it some continuity. You will have to decide for yourself whether it is `believable`....

And what a tale he tells. From various shenanigans in London to a spell in the Scottish highlands , time spent with Native Americans in Arizona , three years back with The Attractions and - most of the second half of the book - time spent with a community in New Mexico. There`s death , there`s sex , there`s horses in Dublin housing estates ; what more could you want ?

As my opening comment suggests ( I hope!) there are episodes of over-description. He feels the need to re-tell all the tired old details about Los Alamos and the research there in the 1940`s. We also get loads about Roswell and all that. I suppose it`s relevant since earlier on he tells of the tragic consequences that affected a childhood relative who lived near a nuclear power station in 1950`s England.

What`s of primary interest , I suppose , to this forum is what he writes about his return to The Attractions. His `producer friend Mitchell` ( Mitchell Froom , one presumes; as with `Wheel no names are used in the Attractions sequence) had been `hired to produce an album with old band.` After reconciling with `the `Singer``they went on to record and tour together for three years. This all detailed over a thirty page section of the book , Pp.55 - 86 , interspersed with referrals to earlier elements of the text. I`m not going to quote much from this ; it really wouldn`t be fair to Bruce`s right to have you actually spend money to find it out for yourself. Like `Wheel it`s achingly funny in parts , tedious in others. It didn`t illuminate any aspects of the Costello recordings of the period ; Bruce was very much a hired hand. He quite honestly tells of the emotional crisis he was going through at the time ; to be brutal I found myself sorry for Elvis `n co. in having to put up with him all that time.

As the book approaches it`s resolution some telling references are made to his time with The Attractions. As he rests while hiking in the desert he feels `the usual ache in my left shoulder that had taken root from having held a heavy guitar slung across it every other nigh for twenty years`. Sawing logs he notes `Gradually we found a shared rhythm with the big log saw . It was good to work with someone in the same rhythm - but without the same history! `.

He is honest in his anticipation of reaction to this book. After the resolution - of sorts - he imagines what might be said if he publishes this account -

`Whad`ya mean , this guy was in a band , for Chrissakes - he was probably so off his fuckin` face he got the heebie jeebies `

A recurring character is a friend , a London media lady who is achieving fame in 1990`s England ( Julie Parsons maybe? ) . The book ends with a `reproduction` of a review of it by her , ` Serena Wilcox`. It`s closing paragraphs read -

` This is the story of a man suffering from `the Diana syndrome` - someone with too much time on his hands and just enough money to indulge himself. While he conceitedly casts himself in the role of some kind of astral superhero connected to all life itself , he is actually becoming ever more introspective and isolated.
Those who know will take into account his divorce, and his other failed relationships , and worry that what is going on here is a little sadder and a lot more mundane than he , himself , realizes.

The author may well be `on the road again`. But is it a road that`s on anyone else`s map? `

Ouch!
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Incidentally , Bruce inscribed the title page of my copy .
Joking about the six month delay in sending it , he wrote -

`Hope this isn`t too much of a shock!

Very best wishes , Bruce Thomas `

Hearing about Bruce reminds me of last year's R n R Hall of Fame induction. Bad blood or not...when Elvis and Pete and Steve played after the induction...Bruce belonged up there too. No matter how bad the blood might be...that moment should have been a celebration of Elvis Costello and the Attractions ... and without Bruce ... it was NOT the Attractions! No ill will towards the other guys...i just would have loved to see Bruce up there if only for that one last time!