A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other

The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon

De: Greg Prato

Narrado por: Greg Prato

One of the most tragic stories of the 1990s rock world was that of singer Shannon Hoon and his band, Blind Melon. Despite scoring one of the decade’s most enduring singles and videos, “No Rain”, and a quadruple-platinum hit with their 1992 self-titled debut album (in addition to touring alongside rock’s biggest names), Hoon could not overcome a dangerous drug addiction.

Only two records into a promising career, Hoon was dead from an overdose at the age of 28. A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other is the first book to tell the group’s story - culled from more than 50 exclusive interviews (including the surviving band members and those closest to the band).

“I am honored that Greg has painstakingly accounted for what the hell happened during those crazy times. He has summed up all the chaos, jubilation, and paranoia that is Blind Melon.” (Brad Smith, Blind Melon bassist)

©2008 Greg Prato (P)2020 Greg Prato

Loved It! Narration Could Be Better…

This is one of those books I’ve kinda-sorta eyeballed for quite some time as a Blind Melon fan from the early 90s. I’d think about buying it, hesitating and vacillating, but just was never quite sure about it (or the author), especially after considering some of the reviews, so it collected dust in my wish list for several years; that is, until just recently. And you know what? I really enjoyed it! While I actually prefer audiobooks that are read by their authors because it (usually) lends a more authentic vibe and enhances the book as a whole, in this case, I’m not so sure it would’ve made much of a difference. Prato reads his own words (for what sounds like the first time) in a dry, emotionless semi-monotone. I mean, I’ve definitely heard worse but many times he jumps from quoting one person to the next too quickly to catch who is “saying” what at any given time, so I did a lot of rewinding. That said, the overall story is engaging and interesting enough to make it easier to overlook what the narration lacks.

New Fan

I loved late 90's music. No rain was one song that didn't resonate with me and I never gave Blind Melon a second look. I was so wrong. I listened listened to the music when songs were described in the book to reveal how deeply talented this band was. Live concert footage was great. The book performance was pretty good. I think we all had that one friend that was ball to the wall pure energy but reckless. Another talent taken too early. This book was well written and it holds your attention through every chapter.

It's great to hear real stories about Shannon

I found this book interesting. I'm a huge Blind Melon fan and feel they were underappreciated. If they had more time with Shannon who knows what they would of become. They also came around when grunge was super popular and I firmly believe that Shannon's death was over shadowed by Kurt's death. Blind Melon was a completely different style then Nirvana and their big hit seemed kinda sappy compared to Nirvanas hit but the difference is that the impression you got from Blind Melons hit was that they were a hippy band and really didn't represent the rest of their music. If you've never listened to Blind Melon I highly recommend the Soup album. It's a masterpiece. I listened to that album over and over in 1995 when I was 15 years old. So I'm biased because Blind Melon lives inside of who I am but all their fans feel the same way. if you're a Blind Melon fan then you just get it.

an excellent read, and not just for Blind Melon fans

the author does an amazing job of giving a super detailed account of one of rocks most underrated bands. providing a super intimate portrait of one of the most tragic figures in music history.

Enjoyable

I enjoyed it. I was thrown off initially when I figured out it was a collection of quotes, but that also made it interesting. You’re hearing different views on what was going on, as opposed to just view (that of the author).