Paolo Hewitt – författare

From the moment that Ike Turner and the Kings of Rhythm conceived ''Rocket 88'' to the suicide of Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain and Lennon''s Anniversary concert, ''Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky chronicles 50 moments in history that shaped rock and roll as we know it. The stories of behind the iconic records and recordings, the untimely deaths, landmark live performances, on-screen incidents and all of the most outrageous moments are recounted in this captivating, comprehensive overview of the greatest musical form of the twentieth century. Paolo Hewitt''s lively and readable text gives us a unique ''insider''s view'' on each event explaining the background and immediate aftermath to the moment as well as its long term significance and legacy. Each story is accompanied by an ''at a glance'' box about each artist, their most significant achievements and contribution to rock history. Iconic moments include: First show of the Beatles at the Cavern; First show of the Rolling Stones at Eel Pie Island; Dylan goes electric at the Newport Folk festival; The Beach Boys'' ''Good Vibrations'' is the first pop hit to employ electronic sounds; The Ramones debut at the CBGB''s and launch punk-rock; The Sex Pistols singer Johnny Rotten is attacked in a car park by a razor-wielding man incensed by the band''s anti royalty single, God Save The Queen; The Clash''s ''London Calling'' mixes punk-rock with reggae, ska, funk, blues, etc; The Talking Heads'' Fear Of Music, produced by Brian Eno, fuses new wave and funk, and invents ''techno-funk''; Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen die at the Chelsea hotel; Ozzy Osborne bites the head off a bat and urinates on the Alamo; MTV debuts on cable TV with the Buggles'' ''Video Killed The Radio Star''; Born In the USA is appropriated by Ronald Reagan for his election campaign; Live Aid concert; The Smiths release their infamous Meat Is Murder album; Kurt Cobain dies; Anniversary concert for Lennon at the Beacon theatre in New York 2010.

Seven drinking buddies decide to buy a racehorse and embark on the journey of a lifetime in the book that inspired the film Outside Bet.It''s 1985 - Thatcher is in power, Sade is on the radio and the print workers have gone on strike. A motley rabble of seven firm friends: Thimble, Gudger, O''Sh, Fred the Shoe, Dave, Alfie and Bax meet every Sunday in their favourite South London boozer for banter of the highest order and a lot of taking the mick. Then, out of the blue, one of their number receives some news which knocks him and his merry band for six. Reeling from this shock and confused about how to deal with it, the boys meet and rally in standard fashion, in the Dutchman with a few light ales and an aim to set the world to rights. One day an unknown character approaches the crew and asks them a most intriguing question...''Does anyone here want to buy a racehorse?!''From that simple but surreal question unfolds the story of seven likely lads who embark on a unique journey in the name of their mate, and what happens when they just decide to go the whole bifta.

Oasis had risen so swiftly, so dramatically, they now faced the question that no band has yet successfully answered. How do you maintain that rush of excitement which accompanies a rise to the top? And while you''re at it, where exactly do you perform after you''ve played the biggest-ever UK gigs? This six-month tour would give them the answers. But not the ones they expected.

In the late 1990''s Oasis ruled the world. Their album (What''s the Story) Morning Glory?, had become one of the fastest selling records in history, ultimately one of the bestsellers of all time. And along with their instantly-legendary musical reputation went another - as the royal rabble-rousers of Britpop. The Gallagher brothers in particular were famous for drinking and fighting, the scourge of hotel managers the world over.

In 1997 came a new multi-million selling album, Be Here Now, and the start of a marathon global tour. With the band went writer Paolo Hewitt, their unofficial scribe and confidant. The result is this intimate, warm and hilarious account of a charismatic, world-famous group on tour and under stress, on-stage and off. It''s a unique document, featuring cameos from Maradona, Paul Gascoigne, Johnny Depp and Naomi Campbell, while three hotels and two airlines attempted to ban the group worldwide.

International hotel chains will never see the like of Oasis again. And neither will we.