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Detours
Publisher's Summary
A charming, honest, funny, sad, tender and beautiful literary memoir, from Tim Rogers of You Am I. Think Patti Smith meet Dylan Thomas, by way of Banjo Paterson.
"Rogers is a beautiful writer, both literate and lyrical ... Detours makes most rock memoirs look like How to Hypnotise Chooks. A heartbreaking work of staggering honesty." (West Australian)
"Of all the utterances delivered to me by strangers, my least favourite after 'We can no longer legally serve you' would have to be, 'Well, that isn't very rock'n'roll.'"
Tim Rogers of You Am I has always been a complicated man: a hard-drinking musician with the soul of a poet; a flamboyant flâneur; a raconteur, a romantic and a raffish ne'er-do-well. In this offbeat, endearing memoir, Tim walks us through years jam-packed with love, shame, joy, enthusiasms, regrets, fights, family - and music, always music.
A work of real grace and tenderness, Detours is often impossibly sad and beautiful - but also full of wit, wordplay and punching jolts of larrikin energy to make you laugh out loud.
Critic Reviews
"Rogers is a beautiful memoirist...[Detours is] an authentic, beautiful, unusual - and yes, brave - book that stands up on its own as a strong work of literature." (The Guardian)
"Artfully written and reflective...descriptive, insightful and anecdote-rich." (Herald Sun)
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
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- David
- 09-22-18
No regrets. Privilege and an honour to hear this.
I guarantee you'll love it, or your money back.
God bless the bloody lot of ya.
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- William Radford
- 02-15-18
Glad I Detoured
This is pure heart all the way through!
His shirt must have blood stains on the sleeves, as his heart has spent the whole writing process!
Congratulations Tim
I've read it and listened to it and was captivated!
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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- kieran j forster
- 09-11-19
authentic book by “real” man
big enjoyment ! thanks Tim for writing and reading your own book. I loved the honesty, the unforced juxtaposition of the light and the dark as well as the pomposity-exploding self-satire. As i listened , I did a quick rendition of you as some kind of lovable clown (see it at instagram on kieran_forstet_artist. the prick at the end summarises a lot about you. He was v lucky not to “get it” bc you clearly have moved into a more loving place. The book is a rare combination of vulnerability, honesty, refusal to self delude and fighting the fight against anxiety. As a psychiatrist , i’ll be adding this book to my recommended list. Thanks mate!
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- Rob
- 07-06-18
The name says it all
Tim Rogers, what an amazing man. To hear the honesty he speaks of and the way he recounts his words so articulately makes me smile. Such a great musician, now a great author.
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- Lisa
- 06-28-18
Honest, raw, entertaining, eloquent
It’s hard to critique someone who is clearly smarter and better read so I can’t comment on the writing style. What I did like was Tim’s honesty. He writes about himself warts and all. His drinking, his tantrums, his weaknesses, his insecurities. He might be fallible, but he knows who he loves and clearly he’s loyal to them.
Any comparison would be to that of David Sedaris, to circular stories about his observations, telling us nothing really about himself but everything at the same time. Thanks Tim. Truely enjoyable.
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- Ben Hughes
- 05-23-18
A great example of self-narrated autobiography
Being a You Am I fan, I was always going to love this book (and I did), but what made it far more enjoyable than I had imagined was Tim Rogers' delivery. I've recently listened to another Aussie rock icon's self-narrated autobiography, and was disappointed that - at times - the author was essentially just reading from the page as if it was a year 7 book report. No so with Tim Rogers. Here, Tim's inflection, pauses and overall poetic reading style brought the stories to life. This is a craft in itself, and I'd love to see Tim lending his voice to other written works.
The mock phone conversation between Tim and his Mum was brilliant and hilarious; his frank discussion about his relationship with his daughter was just beautiful; and the affection for which he speaks of his bandmates, family and friends shows a side of him that we might miss if we only focus on the swaggering, screaming, spitting, on-stage version of this gentle soul.
I've had opportunities to meet Tim a handful of times, and in each instance my shyness let me down. After reading this book, I might not waste any future chances. I reckon we'd get along pretty good.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Scott Nicholas
- 02-12-18
Insightful and Entertaining from an Amazing Aussie
If you could sum up Detours in three words, what would they be?
Prosaic, Thoughtful and Authentic
Who was your favorite character and why?
Well, its about Tim, right? I admire Tim's honesty so much. He ranges between his upbringing, touring, his relationships and his personal trials with aplomb. There's so much history. It's not salacious. It's true and laden with emotion.
What does Tim Rogers bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Hearing Tim reads this elevates the experience so much. You can hear the character in the words and he brings every story to life. The doubt. The joy. The frustration. It's all there in his voice. I particularly love his imitations. The phone call with his mum is truly wonderful.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Tim Rogers: You've got 'im all wrong, mate.
Any additional comments?
I loved this book so much more than I expected. I love Tim's flair and willingness to follow his own narrative. It's not chronological and probably makes perfect sense to him. It's totally Tim and I'm grateful for it. What a wonderful book.
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- James Chaplin
- 02-05-18
Inside a thoughtful mind
You dont have to be a devoted fan of You Am I , or any of Tim Rogers musical ventures to appreciate this meandering series of observations .
With little linear flow ,each story/observation stands On its own , some with a point ,others with just an “it is what it is “ air about them .
Honest , heart felt and engaging ,this is a look inside the mind of a thoughtful man . Five Stars
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- Kazcrawf
- 01-13-18
Loved Tim's reading
I enjoyed listening to Tim Roger narrate his memoir, it's like listening to someone tell you personal stories. Every now and then he'll even throw in a song.