Nöthin' But a Good Time: The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion
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- Create Date：2021-03-18 08:14:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Tom Beaujour
- ISBN：1250195756
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Summary
"A backstage pass to the wildest and loudest party in rock history—you'll feel like you were right there with us！" —Bret Michaels of Poison
Nothin' But a Good Time is the definitive， no-holds-barred oral history of 1980s hard rock and hair metal， told by the musicians and industry insiders who lived it。
Hard rock in the 1980s was a hedonistic and often intensely creative wellspring of escapism that perfectly encapsulated—and maybe even helped to define—a spectacularly over-the-top decade。 Indeed， fist-pumping hits like Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It，” Mötley Crüe’s “Girls， Girls， Girls，” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” are as inextricably linked to the era as Reaganomics， Pac-Man， and E。T。
From the do-or-die early days of self-financed recordings and D。I。Y。 concert productions that were as flashy as they were foolhardy， to the multi-Platinum， MTV-powered glory years of stadium-shaking anthems and chart-topping power ballads， to the ultimate crash when grunge bands like Nirvana forever altered the entire climate of the business， Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock's Nothin' But a Good Time captures the energy and excess of the hair metal years in the words of the musicians， managers， producers， engineers， label executives， publicists， stylists， costume designers， photographers， journalists， magazine publishers， video directors， club bookers， roadies， groupies， and hangers-on who lived it。
Featuring an impassioned foreword by Slipknot and Stone Sour vocalist and avowed glam metal fanatic Corey Taylor， and drawn from over 200 new interviews with members of Van Halen， Mötley Crüe， Poison， Guns N’ Roses， Skid Row， Bon Jovi， Ratt， Twisted Sister， Winger， Warrant， Cinderella， Quiet Riot and others， as well as Ozzy Osbourne， Lita Ford and many more， this is the ultimate， uncensored， and often unhinged chronicle of a time where excess and success walked hand in hand， told by the men and women who created a sound and style that came to define a musical era—one in which the bands and their fans went looking for nothin’ but a good time…and found it。
Nothin' But a Good Time is the definitive， no-holds-barred oral history of 1980s hard rock and hair metal， told by the musicians and industry insiders who lived it。
Hard rock in the 1980s was a hedonistic and often intensely creative wellspring of escapism that perfectly encapsulated—and maybe even helped to define—a spectacularly over-the-top decade。 Indeed， fist-pumping hits like Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It，” Mötley Crüe’s “Girls， Girls， Girls，” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” are as inextricably linked to the era as Reaganomics， Pac-Man， and E。T。
From the do-or-die early days of self-financed recordings and D。I。Y。 concert productions that were as flashy as they were foolhardy， to the multi-Platinum， MTV-powered glory years of stadium-shaking anthems and chart-topping power ballads， to the ultimate crash when grunge bands like Nirvana forever altered the entire climate of the business， Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock's Nothin' But a Good Time captures the energy and excess of the hair metal years in the words of the musicians， managers， producers， engineers， label executives， publicists， stylists， costume designers， photographers， journalists， magazine publishers， video directors， club bookers， roadies， groupies， and hangers-on who lived it。
Featuring an impassioned foreword by Slipknot and Stone Sour vocalist and avowed glam metal fanatic Corey Taylor， and drawn from over 200 new interviews with members of Van Halen， Mötley Crüe， Poison， Guns N’ Roses， Skid Row， Bon Jovi， Ratt， Twisted Sister， Winger， Warrant， Cinderella， Quiet Riot and others， as well as Ozzy Osbourne， Lita Ford and many more， this is the ultimate， uncensored， and often unhinged chronicle of a time where excess and success walked hand in hand， told by the men and women who created a sound and style that came to define a musical era—one in which the bands and their fans went looking for nothin’ but a good time…and found it。
Reviews
NhaughtyV says Damn the Zon Save the Reviews
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"Cum on feel the noizeGirls rock your boysWe get wild， wild， wild…"-Quiet RiotAnthem rock， hair bands， heavy metal， glam rock， whatever you want to call it， in my opinion， those who grew up listening and attending those concerts in the 80’s are the specific fan base who will luv this book for the sheer joy it will bring in walking down memory lane。 I certainly loved it， and vividly reminisced of concerts featuring Motley Crue， Whitesnake， Faster Pussycat， Cinderella， Tesla， Bon Jovi， Poison， "Cum on feel the noizeGirls rock your boysWe get wild， wild， wild…"-Quiet RiotAnthem rock， hair bands， heavy metal， glam rock， whatever you want to call it， in my opinion， those who grew up listening and attending those concerts in the 80’s are the specific fan base who will luv this book for the sheer joy it will bring in walking down memory lane。 I certainly loved it， and vividly reminisced of concerts featuring Motley Crue， Whitesnake， Faster Pussycat， Cinderella， Tesla， Bon Jovi， Poison， Ratt， Quiet Riot， Twisted Sister and the list goes on and on。 These kick ass metal heads showed the music industry that rock wasn’t dead， and the loyal following of those bands continues to this day。Nothin’ But a Good Time is a time machine in book format that transported this 80’s hair band luvin’ chick back to one of my fav eras！ Written in an oral narration format， it was like handing me a VIP backstage pass to all my favs and giving me the opportunity to read in their own words of how they achieved success and rock and rolled all night and partied every day！ Oh baby， talk dirty to me！ That being said， I’m not sure the new age of canceling culture could stand for some of the antics of these youth gone wild…so if you are in the easily offended line， move on， nothing to read here…Dear Reader， if you were like me growing up and devoured every magazine that had a cover of Motley Crue or spent your lunch money on the next Poison album， you will devour this book！ It’s a fun read that will make you crank up Hair Nation， and I highly recommend！ **I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received via NetGalley。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 ** 。。。more
WantMy$2
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I really enjoyed this trip back to a significant part of my life。 I had heard many of the stories but there were certainly many I had not as perspectives were shared by a lot of lessor known bands as well as others around the music business。 Not just the stories of the before and during， but after the fall， and a humble rise again for some。
Lance Lumley
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This is an objective look at the glam （or hair metal if you want to call it that） bands of the 1980s from the people who were involved; musicians， producers， costume designers and more。 The story is told from the breakout of Quiet Riot and Twisted Sister as ground breakers and follows bands on both the East and West Coast forming bands to make it big。 The book interviews original band members who left before bands broke big， MTV execs， and others。 The Sunset Strip flyer wars， to bands taking oth This is an objective look at the glam （or hair metal if you want to call it that） bands of the 1980s from the people who were involved; musicians， producers， costume designers and more。 The story is told from the breakout of Quiet Riot and Twisted Sister as ground breakers and follows bands on both the East and West Coast forming bands to make it big。 The book interviews original band members who left before bands broke big， MTV execs， and others。 The Sunset Strip flyer wars， to bands taking other members of rival groups to form their successful lineups。 Great interviews by The Nelson brothers， members of Warrant， Vito Bratta， and more are all here。 This isn't one of those books bashing the 80s genre ， and for a fan like me， it is welcomed。 For an in depth review， visit my review on: https://sleazeroxx。com/reviews/nothin。。。 。。。more
Lauren Kelley
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Not an explanation or apology for some of the most misogynistic music out there。 Does a great job mixing up who you hear from， men and women alike， musicians， managers， producers， and record execs。 Shout-out to Penelope Spheeris。 If it's too loud， you're too old。 Not an explanation or apology for some of the most misogynistic music out there。 Does a great job mixing up who you hear from， men and women alike， musicians， managers， producers， and record execs。 Shout-out to Penelope Spheeris。 If it's too loud， you're too old。 。。。more
Mary G。
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This book is billed as "The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion"， and I think it partially lives up to the name。 It's clear that the authors got access to all the big names of the scene， as well as lots of smaller bands。 However， the format really turned me off。 I enjoy oral histories， but usually they are interspersed with text about the period and historical context。 This book is pure oral history， delivered in a longwinded and unedited manner， and it didn't keep my interest bey This book is billed as "The Uncensored History of the '80s Hard Rock Explosion"， and I think it partially lives up to the name。 It's clear that the authors got access to all the big names of the scene， as well as lots of smaller bands。 However， the format really turned me off。 I enjoy oral histories， but usually they are interspersed with text about the period and historical context。 This book is pure oral history， delivered in a longwinded and unedited manner， and it didn't keep my interest beyond 3 chapters。 1 star for a DNF。I also took issue with the way the authors just said "not our problem" to the undercurrents of sexism and misogyny that run through this time period。 In the introduction， they say that these musicians have evolved and become parents and grandparents， and use this excuse to hand wave away any discussion of the topic。 Sure， people change， and you also have to judge these things by the standards of the time， but the dismissive attitude felt really tone deaf to me。 You don't need to make people apologize， but looking back at history is the perfect time to think about how one's actions had unintended effects。 It's also clear from some of the present day interviews that the way many of these men think about women has not fundamentally changed - one section of the book talks about being kind to "ugly fat chicks" because they were more loyal fans。 Yikes。 If you really loved this time in music， you may enjoy this book， otherwise， I would skip it。Thank you to St。 Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Dave
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"Nothin But A Good Time" traces the journey that heavy metal rock took from the explosion of Van Halen in the late Seventies until the days of Nirvana and the grunge monsters bands heralded the dawning of a new generation of rock。 Told not in expository fashion， but through interviews with artists， managers， and industry people， what this book does is give the reader a hands-on view of life in the metal trenches in the Eighties。 For those not too familiar with the numerous hair metal bands of th "Nothin But A Good Time" traces the journey that heavy metal rock took from the explosion of Van Halen in the late Seventies until the days of Nirvana and the grunge monsters bands heralded the dawning of a new generation of rock。 Told not in expository fashion， but through interviews with artists， managers， and industry people， what this book does is give the reader a hands-on view of life in the metal trenches in the Eighties。 For those not too familiar with the numerous hair metal bands of the Eighties like Motley Crew， Vixen， or Guns and Roses， this format might leave you a bit lost at times。 For those who lived through the era and remember what the Sunset Strip was like in those days， it might just be a trip down memory lane。 There are no secrets here。 Every excess of drugs， sex， fame， or straight-out idiocy is laid out in these pages as remembered by those who were there。 。。。more
Norma
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I was a teenager in the 80s when most of these bands in this book were popular so naturally， I wanted to read it。 I liked some of the bands so yeah， cool， right？ No。 This book's format was strange to read， it was boring and I felt like I was once again in a boring class in high school trying to look like I was actually reading the material。 This book early on became a big "nope" and even though I finished it， I only remember being interested in just a few paragraphs。 Not cool。 I was a teenager in the 80s when most of these bands in this book were popular so naturally， I wanted to read it。 I liked some of the bands so yeah， cool， right？ No。 This book's format was strange to read， it was boring and I felt like I was once again in a boring class in high school trying to look like I was actually reading the material。 This book early on became a big "nope" and even though I finished it， I only remember being interested in just a few paragraphs。 Not cool。 。。。more
Scott Schluter
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Great book！ Love the behind the scenes stories not just from the bands but the fans， the crew， the record industry members， and the personalities。 I remember the times well and I too remember hearing Smells Like Teen Spirit and thinking the music world has just changed。 But I never stopped listening to these bands。One star taken away because I think the band should be listed next to the name every time， it wasn't always clear what perspective I was reading （what band was that dude in again？） Great book！ Love the behind the scenes stories not just from the bands but the fans， the crew， the record industry members， and the personalities。 I remember the times well and I too remember hearing Smells Like Teen Spirit and thinking the music world has just changed。 But I never stopped listening to these bands。One star taken away because I think the band should be listed next to the name every time， it wasn't always clear what perspective I was reading （what band was that dude in again？） 。。。more
*TUDOR^QUEEN*
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Five StarsBack in the 80's I was a yuppie working in the Wall Street Area， and I have very fond memories of listening to so called metal "hair bands" on my Sony Walkman cassette player during my commutes。 I had grown up on The Beatles， transitioned to The Bay City Rollers and then KISS， back to The Beatles again。。。and then it happened: Bon Jovi， Motley Crue， Whitesnake， Cinderella， Stryper， Poison， Guns n' Roses， Warrant， Skid Row， Europe， Ozzy and others。 This melodic heavy rock music made me f Five StarsBack in the 80's I was a yuppie working in the Wall Street Area， and I have very fond memories of listening to so called metal "hair bands" on my Sony Walkman cassette player during my commutes。 I had grown up on The Beatles， transitioned to The Bay City Rollers and then KISS， back to The Beatles again。。。and then it happened: Bon Jovi， Motley Crue， Whitesnake， Cinderella， Stryper， Poison， Guns n' Roses， Warrant， Skid Row， Europe， Ozzy and others。 This melodic heavy rock music made me feel alive like no other， and I still react that way to it today。 When I'm working and I feel like I'm getting drowsy， all I need to do is launch my ipod on the playlist I created called "Metal Orgy" and the blood starts coursing through my veins again。 These were bands who teased their long manes of hair to the max and kept it there with Aqua Net spray， wore leather or colorful tight stretchy pants， and makeup。 It was an androgynous look， but seemed to attract scores of women to their audiences。 I became a devotee of watching the "Headbangers Ball" on MTV every weekend and subscribed to magazines such as Hit Parader， RIP and Creem （I still have every issue）。 I read these magazines cover to cover， even if I wasn't familiar with all the bands。 They were still interesting to read about。 They weren't just a bunch of guys in jeans， they were eye catching and each had their own mystique and schtick。 People who don't know me that well are surprised when they find out what a penchant I have for these bands， as they know me primarily as a huge Beatles fan。 I still am， but I'm also a big Hair Band fan！ So I gasped when I saw this book dedicated to the story of this music genre and jumped at the chance to read it。The book is delivered in oral narration format， which I love。 The band members told their stories themselves。 I know the history well of how up and coming bands flocked to LA where they held court at venues such as Gazzarri's， the Whisky a Go Go and The Cathouse to name a few。 Bands would room together in mostly poor conditions relying on the patronage of female groupies who would bring them groceries， etc。 There was a system of bands printing up flyers and posting them all over town。 It was extremely competitive and bands would often find the fliers they had just posted- posted over by someone else。 There was a signing frenzy for a period of time where record companies were snapping these bands up one by one。 After awhile the genre became over saturated and their wave of success came crashing down with the advent of Seattle grunge bands。 But years later， people who had grown up loving this music were nostalgic， and some of these resurfaced on package tours。 A lot of bands had to seriously downgrade their venues if they wanted to play， as Nirvana spearheaded the next big thing with other bands like Soundgarden， Faith No More and Alice in Chains。An iconic moment is emblazoned on the book cover that reminds me of my favorite guitar solo。 When Ozzy Osbourne went solo he had an amazingly talented lead guitarist named Randy Rhoads。 Randy was in his early twenties with soft， long blond hair and was very petite。 There is a photo of Ozzy holding Randy up on his shoulder during a concert （see "Ozzy Osbourne Randy Rhoads Tribute" album cover） If you ever want to hear an incredible guitar solo that meshes classical and metal music， play the video of "Mr。 Crowley" in concert from 1981。 As soon as the music starts， you will recognize the sinister organ intro and you'll be on your way！ Quite tragically， Randy died in a plane accident after only being with Ozzy's band a short time， but his flying V polka dotted electric guitar will never be forgotten。Thank you to St。 Martin's Press who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley。 。。。more
Janine
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If you ever wondered what really took place behind the scenes with your favorite 80s rock bands， you will want to read this book。 There is a lot of fun and interesting information packed inside。 I only thought I knew a lot， but this book was a real eye opener。 You will learn the good， the bad， and everything in between， about your favorite rockers。 This book is a must read for anyone who loved， or still loves， that era of music。
Roxanne
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I was thrilled to win this book。 Even though I grew up in music in the late 1906，s， I also love these hard rock and hair metal bands。 I just love Gun，s and Roses， Kiss， Motely Crue， and Aerosmith。 I loved MTV and I watched it every night and the Headbangers Ball was great。 I could see the bands I loved perform on their video。 It was fun years of music。 Even Arnold saw what an impact these bands had and he went a recorded a video with Guns and Roses that played in his movie。 He knew a really good I was thrilled to win this book。 Even though I grew up in music in the late 1906，s， I also love these hard rock and hair metal bands。 I just love Gun，s and Roses， Kiss， Motely Crue， and Aerosmith。 I loved MTV and I watched it every night and the Headbangers Ball was great。 I could see the bands I loved perform on their video。 It was fun years of music。 Even Arnold saw what an impact these bands had and he went a recorded a video with Guns and Roses that played in his movie。 He knew a really good soundtrack made the movie better。 I still remember the stadium shows and the powerful ballads。 This book is so awesome because it has interviews with members of some of these bands which is very interesting。 This was a good time in music and it had it's own style。 As soon as grunge pushed these bands out I was done。 I have a whole book of these bands and no matter how old I get I still say I am rockin until I am dropping。 。。。more
Beth
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I loved this book！ As a big fan of rock and specifically 80s rock， this book took you back to those crazy days。 I have read other books chronicling these times and this one is the best。 The author had great access to the bands and told their story， both good and bad。 And it is not just the bands， it is the scene。 You go behind the scenes with the venues the bands played， the people who made the costumes， the people at the labels， the magazines， and MTV。 It wasn’t all about the bands。 I found mys I loved this book！ As a big fan of rock and specifically 80s rock， this book took you back to those crazy days。 I have read other books chronicling these times and this one is the best。 The author had great access to the bands and told their story， both good and bad。 And it is not just the bands， it is the scene。 You go behind the scenes with the venues the bands played， the people who made the costumes， the people at the labels， the magazines， and MTV。 It wasn’t all about the bands。 I found myself looking up old videos and recalling where I was at in my life when I heard these songs。 Well worth a read。 ARC generously provided by NetGalley。 。。。more
Elisa
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The 80s Metal Scene was not my cup of tea but I am a huge music fan and I lived through this era。 Anyone who was anyone in the scene was interviewed for this book and not just bands but also scenesters， costume designers， producers and more。 It's a real look at what that era was like。 It was sex and drugs and rock n' roll and they make no apologies for it。 If language offends you， this book probably isn't for you。I've read other books that attempt to take on a music scene （like Meet Me in the Ba The 80s Metal Scene was not my cup of tea but I am a huge music fan and I lived through this era。 Anyone who was anyone in the scene was interviewed for this book and not just bands but also scenesters， costume designers， producers and more。 It's a real look at what that era was like。 It was sex and drugs and rock n' roll and they make no apologies for it。 If language offends you， this book probably isn't for you。I've read other books that attempt to take on a music scene （like Meet Me in the Bathroom - the story about the scene in the 90s in NYC） and there is so much ground to cover and it can get muddled。 "Nöthin' But a Good Time" avoids that and is laid out in an easy to follow way。 One thing this book does correctly is to include a glossary of everyone interviewed and what bands they were affiliated with。 You'll read about the big names - Guns n Roses， Poison， and Mötley Crüe， but you will also hear from members of Tuff， Bang Tango and even Pretty Boy Floyd。 This is a hefty book and you might be sidetracked by google searches or Spotify/YouTube playlists。 I was constantly looking up bands to see what they looked like then and now as well as playing their hits to refresh my memory。 This was so fun to read and I am recommending it to anyone that loved Hair Metal。 I wish this was out in time for Christmas because I know a few people this would be perfect for！ 。。。more
Ashley Osborn - Book Of Salem
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I may be a little biased because I absolutely love 80’s Hair Metal but I really enjoyed this book！One of the things this book has that a lot of other books don’t， are stories from other people in rock who aren’t the actual rock stars。 They have stories from roadies， tour managers， producers and even heavy metal fashion designers。 Of course， we have rock star stories too， from people like Slash， Nikki Sixx， Stephen Pearcy and Dee Snider， but having everyone’s perspective on the 80’s rock scene re I may be a little biased because I absolutely love 80’s Hair Metal but I really enjoyed this book！One of the things this book has that a lot of other books don’t， are stories from other people in rock who aren’t the actual rock stars。 They have stories from roadies， tour managers， producers and even heavy metal fashion designers。 Of course， we have rock star stories too， from people like Slash， Nikki Sixx， Stephen Pearcy and Dee Snider， but having everyone’s perspective on the 80’s rock scene really made you feel like you were a part of it。There are a couple reasons why this book is a 4 start instead of a 5。 This book was pretty long， one of the longest I’ve read in a while。 While I have absolutely nothing against a long book， this could have been a 300 page book。 Also， this is a very personal opinion but I’m not a big fan of Stryper， Winger or White Lion， so I found myself skimming their sections。 To be honest， I feel like many people will not be as interested in the chapter from bands they don’t gravitate towards。 In contrast to that， I loved the chapters about Motley Crue， Ratt and Quiet Riot。I also really enjoyed the last few chapters about 80’s hair metal today and the bands that have been able to last， ie。 Motley Crue and Guns N Roses， just to name a couple。If you love heavy metal， 80’s metal， hair metal， etc， you will love this book！Thank you to St。 Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this book， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Suzanne
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（Thanks to NetGalley。com for the advance digital copy。）I've read lots and lots of musicians' memoirs and books about rock music。 During the years when I was in high school （1987-91） I read every rock/metal magazine I thought was worth reading （so， no Circus or Hit Parader）， over and over， because I managed to be both a headbanger and a bookworm。 However， Nothin' But A Good Time still managed to teach me a few things about the bands of my era， and keep me enthralled for the weekend it took me to （Thanks to NetGalley。com for the advance digital copy。）I've read lots and lots of musicians' memoirs and books about rock music。 During the years when I was in high school （1987-91） I read every rock/metal magazine I thought was worth reading （so， no Circus or Hit Parader）， over and over， because I managed to be both a headbanger and a bookworm。 However， Nothin' But A Good Time still managed to teach me a few things about the bands of my era， and keep me enthralled for the weekend it took me to read it。 （That I got through it so fast is proof of how difficult it was to tear myself away。） I enjoyed the format （using the words of the people who were interviewed， instead of hearing the authors' voices directly） because it made me feel closer to the musicians and others who were there for all this。 （However， it did get confusing at times to remember who each person was if they weren't one of the band members whose names were engraved in my brain 30 years ago。） I particularly like that it doesn't just end in the early 90s and blame the downturn in hair metal completely on grunge bands， but spends some time on what else happened， and a little bit about what figures in the scene did later。 It's as much of a happy ending as the facts allow。 。。。more
Jeff Matlow
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This book definitely isn't for everyone， but it definitely is for me。 I gave it four stars but if you weren't part of the metal scene - either professionally or as a fan - don't bother reading this book。 If you were part。of either， by all means pick it up and you won't be able to put it down。 It's long， but it doesn't drag at all。 I was in the music industry frrom 1987 - 1998。 As an A&R person I spent nights upon nights on the sunset strip - Roxy， whiskey， troubadour， rainbow， Central， etc。 I pe This book definitely isn't for everyone， but it definitely is for me。 I gave it four stars but if you weren't part of the metal scene - either professionally or as a fan - don't bother reading this book。 If you were part。of either， by all means pick it up and you won't be able to put it down。 It's long， but it doesn't drag at all。 I was in the music industry frrom 1987 - 1998。 As an A&R person I spent nights upon nights on the sunset strip - Roxy， whiskey， troubadour， rainbow， Central， etc。 I personally know and had worked。with more than a handful of people in the book。 That aside， it was a wacky time with wacky looks， loud guitars and lots of attitude。 Its the perfect book version of Decline of Westwrn Civilization Part II。 It's a train wreck and you can't look away。 Loved this book。 Well done on bringing the decade back to life。 I've been listening to 80s rock on Spotify since I started the book。 #netgalley #nothinbutagoodtime 。。。more
Joni Owens
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