Rockers and Rollers: A Full-Throttle Memoir

Love AC/DC

I was introduced to AC/DC in either 1977 or 1978 when an Australian submarine pulled into Pearl Harbor. They had High Voltage and TNT with them. It was love at first hear for me from that moment on. Naturally I wanted to get my own copies but alas, the US didn't get a release of any of their music till the Back in Black album. The Aussies kindly made a reel-to-reel copy for me so I could keep on listening (yes reel-to-reel's were popular back then everyone had them). That said, this book is not about AC/DC it is about Brian's love of cars. As could be expected from the frontman of AC/DC, he has a hard hitting writing style. The book is not really in chronological order so if you're looking for that you might be disappointed. He does mention his bandmates from Geordie and AC/DC in relationship to his car mania but mostly, its a delightful memoire about his cars. I laughed out loud in many parts of this book. The book is a very quick read. It took me about 2 hours to finish it on Saturday (I got the book on Friday 17 June 2011). I am also a fan of the "true" muscle cars of the 60's so this book was a fantastic read for me. If you are looking for a book about AC/DC, this is not it. I highly recommend Maximum Rock and Roll and the hardcover High Voltage. Between these two books, you'll probably learn just about everything there is to learn about my all time favorite band. I love them from both eras.Brian if you read these reviews, ya did good! Keep on rocking for us fans and driving for you.

Before I start to review this book let me say that I grew up on Tyneside in the 60s and 70s and even worked at Parsons for 10 years (where Johnna "served his time"). So I can probably relate to many of the events, situations and locations described a lot more than most readers.The style of the book is really off the wall and works so well because of that. There is no timeline or plot. Just a bunch of chapters describing various cars and how they've affected Brian's life. In many cases he uses cars as a vehicle (groan!!) to describe his feelings for various family members, friends and acquaitances. Although his style appears to be haphazard it works really well. The main thing I took away from the book was that Brian is a really cool guy who certainly hasn't lost sight of where he came from (unlike a certain ex-teacher from Wallsend that I could mention). He appreciates the breaks that he's had (joining AC/DC) and has made a great life for himself. He cerainly doesn't come off as the big shot rock star who gets to drive fast cars.His recollections of North East England in the 60s and 70s are spot on and while he may stretch some of the tales to get a punch line, his stories ring true and many of the characters in them are for-real.If Brian ever does an audio version of this book I'd buy it in a heartbeat, but it would have to be the full unexpurgated Geordie version - not the English translation!

I have not laughed this hard in a long time, what's with the COVID and other stuff going on. My wife yelled at me for laughing so loud: 'You'll wake the neighbors!' Well, I'll tell you this is pure Brian Johnson from AC/DC. If you've ever seen his interviews you'll feel like that's him just talkin' to ya. Amazing narrative, very easy and light. And the language! Loved every word!Can't understand some grouchy reviews. This book is very entertaining. If you want juicy details of AC/DC life go to Wikipedia or whatever gossip literature you can find, there's plenty online. This is Brian about Brian and it's brilliant!

I've been an AC/DC fan all of my life. They are absolutely my favorite. This book is not strictly for AC/DC fans.This book is hilarious as well as informative on the topic of cars. I'm not a car guy, but I still enjoyed reading it, because it is so passionate.Brian is a cool mofo. I loved it.

If you're looking for an in-depth look at Brian Johnson and his life in AC/DC, sadly this book probably won't be for you. Probably less than 10% of the content in the book revolves around the band. It is mostly stories of cars he has owned over the years and tales that involved them. Even though I am someone who is a casual car fan at best, I still found his stories interesting enough to keep reading. As far as stuff regarding the band, you're probably better looking for one of those unauthorized biographies.

great Christmas present, just what he wanted.

If you're a car nut, and a fan of AC/DC music this book is a fun read.

I kept on meaning to buy / read this for a couple of years but you know how things go - and it must have been a couple of years of thinking I must get round to it that I eventually did - Wish I'd done it sooner.The main thing I get from this book if the enthusiasm and love of cars that one man has - and how he just loves the fact that he is able to indulge himself in this because of his music career- and I don't begrudge him a second of it!Oddly, reading it I can hear his Geordie accent and it genuinely comes across like he just wants to share his love of cars with you - lets face it Brian probably doesn't need the money from this book! Little stories of growing up, bad buys, good buys and stories involving cars (and invariably girls) such as -his friends buying impetuously and then suffering the consequences all make up for a very humorous and enjoyable easy read.He's a great raconteur with a great sense of humour and a genuine passion for all things automotive - I ripped through it in one sitting and its been a while since I did that to a book!

I'm a big AC/DC fan so decided to give this a go, I was a bit dubious as I don't actually know anything about cars however I found that Brian had enough stories about all aspects of his life to keep my interest and I found that even his car stories were interesting and funny and you didn't need to be a car expert to enjoy his anecdotes!Brian's always came across as quite a private person so it was nice to learn more about him. Yes it would have been awesome to find out even more about his life and the band etc as many reviewers have commented however at the end of the day the book is called 'an automotive autobiography' so you can't really be disappointed that there's quite a lot in there about cars :-)

A book primarily for blokes who love cars and engines with the odd anecdote about groupies thrown in for good measure. It's more about his experiences with cars than with AC/DC but there are some good bits in it related to the band as well.It reads as Brian talks - I wouldn't be surprised if someone interviewed him, taped it, and then typed it all up word for word afterwards - not that it matters much.Not the best written or longest book I've read but I laughed a lot reading it so it was good value. Light reading; short but sweet. I would recommend. Some of the car pictures should have you drooling.

I'm not a car nut, motorcycles are more my obsession. However... I loved this book. It's full of humour and an easy read. So even if you have no interest in cars whatsoever you'll still enjoy reading this. Highly recommended.

This is a great read funny and a real inspiration for not giving up on your dreams got it for Christmas and had finished it in three days