Overpaid, Oversexed and Over There: How a Few Skinny Brits with Bad Teeth Rocked America
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- Create Date：2021-08-29 08:51:45
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：David Hepworth
- ISBN：1784165034
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Summary
The Beatles landing in New York in February 1964 was the opening shot in a cultural revolution nobody predicted。 Suddenly the youth of the richest， most powerful nation on earth was trying to emulate the music， manners and the modes of a rainy island that had recently fallen on hard times。
The resulting fusion of American can-do and British fuck-you didn’t just lead to rock and roll’s most resonant music。 It ushered in a golden era when a generation of kids born in ration card Britain， who had grown up with their nose pressed against the window of America’s plenty， were invited to wallow in their big neighbour’s largesse。
It deals with a time when everything that was being done - from the Beatles playing Shea Stadium to the Rolling Stones at Altamont， from the Who performing their rock opera at the Metropolitan Opera House to David Bowie touching down in the USA for the first time with a couple of gowns in his luggage - was being done for the very first time。
Rock and roll would never be quite so exciting again。
The resulting fusion of American can-do and British fuck-you didn’t just lead to rock and roll’s most resonant music。 It ushered in a golden era when a generation of kids born in ration card Britain， who had grown up with their nose pressed against the window of America’s plenty， were invited to wallow in their big neighbour’s largesse。
It deals with a time when everything that was being done - from the Beatles playing Shea Stadium to the Rolling Stones at Altamont， from the Who performing their rock opera at the Metropolitan Opera House to David Bowie touching down in the USA for the first time with a couple of gowns in his luggage - was being done for the very first time。
Rock and roll would never be quite so exciting again。
Reviews
Matt Whittingham
，
An ok read， but not one of Hepworth’s best， a collection of well worn stories from the various waves of British musicians who have found fame， and sometimes， misfortune in the US。 In some early chapters， Hepworth starts to sound a bit of a dirty old Uncle， especially in audiobook form， sat in the corner， lasciviously wringing his hands， as he enthusiastically recounts stories of scrubbers and teenage sexual escapades。
Lindsay
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Every detail in this book is just delicious。 I ate it up！ Every word devoured！ I was born in 1951， the Beatles on Ed Sullivan was culture changing。 I was the perfect age to take it all in。 I knew all about all the young Brits who invaded and remade rock and roll music。 A baby boomer growing up in Canada， I had access to all the singles， the albums， even some of the tours。 The Beatles famously made a plane refuelling stop in Winnipeg！ It was their only appearance here。 The Rolling Stones and many Every detail in this book is just delicious。 I ate it up！ Every word devoured！ I was born in 1951， the Beatles on Ed Sullivan was culture changing。 I was the perfect age to take it all in。 I knew all about all the young Brits who invaded and remade rock and roll music。 A baby boomer growing up in Canada， I had access to all the singles， the albums， even some of the tours。 The Beatles famously made a plane refuelling stop in Winnipeg！ It was their only appearance here。 The Rolling Stones and many of the one or two hit wonders also did shows here。I absorbed every detail in this majestic work as I know all of the artists， all of the music and many of the anecdotes。 There is so much new information about those times and the influences on succeeding generations of rock musicians。 Congratulations David Hepworth on your knowledge， insight and research into this History of the time of my life。 I have the many of vinyl records that are mentioned。 I have been listening to them as I have been reading and the gems are still there。 A lot of great music was made and recorded and those of us who were paying attention at the time bought the records。 。。。more
Ricardo Motti
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Hope for all of us skinny Brits with bad teeth。
Dick
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David Hepworth knows his stuff， finds interesting nuggets of trivia and most importantly is a very good writer。 If you are a classic rock fan of a certain age this is practically a compulsory purchase。
David Ames
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4 stars。 Highly entertaining look at the British musical invasion of America in the 60s， and its ongoing effects over the next couple of decades。 Lots of interesting stuff that I didn't know or hadn't drawn the dots between。 Will be checking out more of David Hepworth's books I think。 4 stars。 Highly entertaining look at the British musical invasion of America in the 60s， and its ongoing effects over the next couple of decades。 Lots of interesting stuff that I didn't know or hadn't drawn the dots between。 Will be checking out more of David Hepworth's books I think。 。。。more
Sarah
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I really liked this。 A wonderfully nostalgic， informative and enjoyable read。 I will be listening to the albums listed at the end that I don’t already know。
Allan Heron
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David Hepworth continues his fine run od books， this time with a look at the British in America。Focuses largely from the breakthrough of The Beatles to the second MTV-led invasion， this is typically entertaining， well informed and with cogent analysis。
Ross Cumming
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I must admit to being a fan of David Hepworth's writing， having read his last four books， I was eagerly anticipating reading this one also。 In this book he examines the bands that left England's shores to find fame and fortune in America starting with the Beatles in 1964 through to Boy George and culture Club in the mid eighties。 He charts the success of a few of these bands and also the many failures who evenutually had to return home with their tails between their legs and the excuses of how A I must admit to being a fan of David Hepworth's writing， having read his last four books， I was eagerly anticipating reading this one also。 In this book he examines the bands that left England's shores to find fame and fortune in America starting with the Beatles in 1964 through to Boy George and culture Club in the mid eighties。 He charts the success of a few of these bands and also the many failures who evenutually had to return home with their tails between their legs and the excuses of how America 'just didn't get them' ！ Many of these stories were familiar to me but Hepworth's slightly mocking and easy style of writing still drew me right in and there were also lots of tales that were new to me too。 I was just a young boy when the first British Invasion of America took place and although I can still recall the Beatles first foray across the Atlantic， I was unaware of the impact made by The Dave Clark Five， whose stomping， beat driven pop made quite an impression on the 7 year old me。 Another story that Hepworth recounts， that was also unfamiliar to me， was the story of The Animals and in particular that of singer， Eric Burdon， who sounds like a particularly unlikeable figure。 Also scattered throughout the book are little titbits which Hepworth drops in every now and again which highlight what other familiar names were doing at a particular time， such as， Terri Garr and Toni Basil being dancers on 'Shindig' back in the sixties。Hepworth highlights what the successful bands did to make them a success and also points out what went wrong with the many bands that tried to 'cross the pond' and failed。 His arguments are always well grounded and based on the huge amount of research that must go into trying to produce such a comprehensive overview of this topic。 For me this was another throughly enjoyable read that both enlightened and entertained me， by a music writer and critic that I never tire of reading。 。。。more
Jonny Brick
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Documenting the era between 1964 and 1984 where many conquered the USA and many couldn't。 Elton John comes across well。 As much a sociology text as a piece of music crit。 Documenting the era between 1964 and 1984 where many conquered the USA and many couldn't。 Elton John comes across well。 As much a sociology text as a piece of music crit。 。。。more
Andrew Foxley
，
David Hepworth is， for me， one of the most consistently entertaining writers on popular music around。 Each new book is something of a treat， and 'Overpaid， Oversexed and Over There' is no exception。 It covers the so-called 'British invasion' of rock and roll artists who enjoyed unprecedented success in the USA， spearheaded by the Beatles in 1964， and continuing across the next decade and beyond。 From savvy beat groups like the Dave Clark Five and Herman's Hermits to rock behemoths such as Led Ze David Hepworth is， for me， one of the most consistently entertaining writers on popular music around。 Each new book is something of a treat， and 'Overpaid， Oversexed and Over There' is no exception。 It covers the so-called 'British invasion' of rock and roll artists who enjoyed unprecedented success in the USA， spearheaded by the Beatles in 1964， and continuing across the next decade and beyond。 From savvy beat groups like the Dave Clark Five and Herman's Hermits to rock behemoths such as Led Zeppelin and the Who， it traces the highs and lows of the British acts who sought to be 'big in America'。。。 some of whom failed， some of whom succeeded beyond their wildest dreams。Hepworth has an array of great stories at his disposal， but also weaves them together into a convincing narrative of how the British experiences of the American market evolved over time， and how and why some cracked it and others didn't。 For anyone with even a passing interest in the artists or the era of music concerned， there's so much to enjoy here。 。。。more
Joe O'Donnell
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An entertaining and dryly acerbic account of the ‘British Invasions’ of bands who sought to make it big in American during the 60s， 70s， and 80s。 Anybody who has read any of David Hepworth’s recent music history titles will be familiar with the format deployed in “Overpaid， Oversexed， and Over There”， but also with Hepworth’s wry style of the perpetually-raised eyebrow。“Overpaid …” covers a period where America was not just paying attention to British music and culture， but was completely in thr An entertaining and dryly acerbic account of the ‘British Invasions’ of bands who sought to make it big in American during the 60s， 70s， and 80s。 Anybody who has read any of David Hepworth’s recent music history titles will be familiar with the format deployed in “Overpaid， Oversexed， and Over There”， but also with Hepworth’s wry style of the perpetually-raised eyebrow。“Overpaid …” covers a period where America was not just paying attention to British music and culture， but was completely in thrall to the sounds floating across from the other side of the Atlantic。 It tells the stories of the canonical British groups who ‘cracked’ America （The Beatles， The Stones， Led Zeppelin， The Who）， other， less-marquee names who also had huge success stateside （The Dave Clarke Five， Herman’s Hermits）， and those British exports who crashed and burned when they attempted to bridge that Atlantic divide （The Animals， The Sex Pistols）。 Hepworth attempts to pinpoint exactly why certain British groups were so successful in America， and he describes how so many of their contemporaries floundered when they made the belated discovery that America is actually quite a large continent。David Hepworth is quite strong on the socio-cultural elements of the story （particularly on how America and Britain remain， as that famous Irishman G。B。 Shaw once said， “divided by a common language”）。 This cultural analysis never seems tacked-on or shoehorned into the musical criticism。 Hepworth skilfully shows how - by taking the American form of rock’n’roll， turbo-charging it then selling it back to the Yanks - these Brits had an influence on everything from the advent of Stadium Rock to the speed at which the Sexual Revolution took hold across 60s and 70s America。“Overpaid， Oversexed， and Over There” isn’t just chin-stroking， historical analysis; Hepworth has a lightness of touch and an eye for the absurd detail。 He realises that completely unpredictable， random factors often lie behind the most stellar successes， not least in the case of The Beatles whose moptop haircuts Hepworth believes were key to their early conquest of America （“the most consequential creative decision they ever took 。。。 it defined them against the entire adult population of an entire continent and invited their youth to join them in this revolution of the head”）。Fans of David Hepworth’s previous books will now that he is a dab hand at poking at the pretensions of narcissistic rock stars。 “Overpaid …” continues that tone， whether Hepworth is describing the monstrous decadence of Led Zeppelin and their repellent entourage， or ridiculing the ludicrous preening of Rod Stewart。 But it is also a terrific account of the cultural differences to fame， monetary success， and the concept of ‘selling-out’ that continue to split the music scenes of Britain and America。 。。。more
Jim Parker
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This is the fifth David Hepworth book I’ve read （or rather listened to via Audible）。 He really is the best and most irreverent chronicler of the music that our generation （the baby boom） grew up with。As an old and endearingly cynical journalist， who has worked for most of the big UK music papers， he has seen it all - been to all the press junkets， interviewed all the ‘legends’ （often in their less-than-legendary moments） and developed a clear-eyed understanding of how the business works。For all This is the fifth David Hepworth book I’ve read （or rather listened to via Audible）。 He really is the best and most irreverent chronicler of the music that our generation （the baby boom） grew up with。As an old and endearingly cynical journalist， who has worked for most of the big UK music papers， he has seen it all - been to all the press junkets， interviewed all the ‘legends’ （often in their less-than-legendary moments） and developed a clear-eyed understanding of how the business works。For all that， Hepworth remains a fan and communicates real fondness for some of the more human stars - or almost-stars - alongside a subtly communicated disdain for the ones who were careerist self-promoters， changelings and social climbers。 Hepworth’s musical territory is always essentially the same but he frames it differently each time - in this case choosing the ‘British invasion’ of the USA which began in glory with The Beatles in 1964 and ended in sad dissolution with The Sex Pistols 14 years later。The story is as much， if not more， about the clashes of cultures and expectations than it is about the music For instance， while The Beatles’ Ed Sullivan experience is a well trodden story， Hepworth breathes new life into it by showing how much of their instantaneous success in America was due to sheer luck。 He also highlights - for a jaded digital generation where everything is instantly available - how exotic and other worldly America appeared to English boys still living in a spartan post-war economy。What’s also striking about the book is how， in retrospect， all this happened in such a comparatively short window。 Within three years of The Beatles’ stumbling into fame through low-fi TV exposure and 20-minute sets in a country who had never seen anything like that before， British bands like The Who were mounting military-style tours of America with increasingly big sound systems and 2-hour concerts that pummelled audiences into submission。So much of the success， or lack of success， of one artist or another came down to different culture readings by either side。 Herman’s Hermits， for instance， a mediocre pop band in the UK became HUGE ‘stateside’ because the younger sisters of the girls who screamed at The Beatles needed something safer and less threatening to fawn over。 The Dave Clark Five， another band who had limited success in the UK， found a big adolescent male audience in the US mid-west for their less-than-subtle military-style stomps。Luck and serendipity appears again in the 70s with Elton John making it literally overnight when his US record company， using industrial strength hype， somehow convinced the few dozen industry in-crowders who turned up at his debut show at the Troubadour in LA that this 22-year-old short， prematurely balding cover-band pianist and singer was the Next Big Thing。Likewise David Bowie， an intensely ambitious， nerdy shape-shifter and chancer， reinvented himself as a cultural zeitgeister after touring America in 1971 on his own， without a band and without playing concerts， but just hanging out with the right people - the Velvet Underground， Tim Hardin， the Stooges etc; Bowie got lucky， essentially。This is a great book， almost as good as Pop Stars， which is my personal favourite。 David Hepworth makes you want to open Spotify and listen to The Animals all over again or The Hollies or The Who’s Live at Leeds。 You come away from it all thinking what an incredibly fertile period that was - with skinny English boys with bad teeth somehow doing the musical equivalent of selling coals to Newcastle and somehow getting away with it。What killed it？ Too much money， too much premeditated ambition， and talent spread too thinly。 But what an era！！ 。。。more
Bryan Wigmore
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Very affable read。 For those who've read his other （or similar） books， probably doesn't provide much that's strikingly new， but the focus on "breaking America" is interesting。 Very affable read。 For those who've read his other （or similar） books， probably doesn't provide much that's strikingly new， but the focus on "breaking America" is interesting。 。。。more
Russell Gibson
，
Wonderful account of the music I grew up withGreat insight into the similarities and differences between the UK and USA in terms of life and popular music。 Explains well how the music of both countries reacted to and complemented one another。 Joins the dots between so much that I have read elsewhere。
Mat Davies
，
Hepworth’s tale of the British Invasion in the 60s and his analysis of the course and varying levels of success of British pop and rock acts from 1964 to 1984 may be very familiar。 What sets this book apart is the freshness that Hepworth brings: his writing is sparkling and personal; his anecdotes well chosen and manifold; his opinions strong and well argued。 More， it’s the connections he observes and the lightness of touch with which he makes them that makes this book， well， sing。 There is plen Hepworth’s tale of the British Invasion in the 60s and his analysis of the course and varying levels of success of British pop and rock acts from 1964 to 1984 may be very familiar。 What sets this book apart is the freshness that Hepworth brings: his writing is sparkling and personal; his anecdotes well chosen and manifold; his opinions strong and well argued。 More， it’s the connections he observes and the lightness of touch with which he makes them that makes this book， well， sing。 There is plenty of familiar stuff: the Beatles on Ed Sullivan etc but also some well observed rumination on the importance of hair and teeth （yes really） in the success of pop stars。 Hepworth is also especially good on the importance of bands and the English psyche。 This is not an encyclopaedia although his knowledge is definitively encyclopaedic but he wears his knowledge lightly and never makes you feel inadequate。 This is a personal and discerning view told with guile and panache。 It’s a book full of insight and joy。 Is Hepworth our best music writer？ I don’t know but he’s doing a terrific case for the prosecution。 Superb。 。。。more
Alan M
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