Together Alone: The Story of the Finn Brothers Softcover, June 2010
Together Alone: The Story of the Finn Brothers, was released 1 June 2010 through Random House in Australia and New Zealand and 1 September 2010 through Omnibus Press in the UK. It's a story that, in its own odd way, has been 30 years in the telling. What follows is an abridged version of Together Alone's opening.
Further info can be found at www.randomhouse.com.auEbook You can download a free chapter here. There's a forum talking about the book at the Finns' website. You can hear a podcast of my talk with Kim Hill from Radio NZ National. The book featured on Border's Top 5 Biography list and made the Top 10 Biography bestseller's lists in Australia and New Zealand and is ranking well at the UK Amazon site.
I recently spoke about the book on TV NZ. I also spoke with Louise Poole from Mix 104.9 in the Top End. Click here to read an interview about the book, with William Verity of the Illawarra Mercury.The Otago Daily Times review can be read here.
The Waikato Times said this about Together Alone: “Apter’s fast-moving writing style makes for a detailed yet easy to read analysis of the triumphs and despairs the Finn family experienced on the way to the top of their game.” You can read the full review here.Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Bruce Elder said this: 'Apter has become Australia's most prolific musical biographer. With this biography of the Finn brothers, he attempts a task of subtlety and complexity. How does anyone tell the story of two brothers and sensitively explore all the potent jealousies and antagonisms that have characterised their deep sibling rivalry?' 'There could be no better biographer for the story of the Brothers Finn,' noted the Courier-Mail. 'In fact, it’s Apter’s encyclopedic knowledge of rock and roll history combined with his punchy prose that makes Together Alone such compelling reading.' Dan Lander of Rolling Stone wrote: 'Apter desn't hesitate to point out the flaws and failures of both men, but he does it in a way that endears them further to us. He also makes it clear that for all the rivalry, neither brother would be what he is without the other.'
Pitt Street Gardens Sydney July 1979 Sydney's Pitt Street Gardens is not your typical rock-and-roll venue. The decor puts a whole new spin on the term lurid: a cheesy mirrorball hovers above the dance floor, and there's a sea of dark carpet to hide the stains of spilled drinks and worse, while its location – smack dab in the centre of Sydney's retail strip – made most serious music fans wary of the place. By its very nature, and location, this was a meat market, where over-dressed suburban Kevins and Sharlenes came together and commingled on the dance floor, ideally to the soundtrack of the Village People. It was not the kind of joint where you'd expect to catch a greasepaint-splattered, be-suited group of expat Kiwis.
Yet there were enough 'real' music lovers assembled on this weeknight, me included, to check out the band that would soon become the hottest act either side of the Tasman. I was still a few months shy of legal drinking age, but when a buddy suggested, strongly, that we check out this 'weird' band that the cool crowd was raving about, I knew it was my duty to catch the next city-bound train. That was more than enough to entice me, a restless teenager living in humdrum suburbia, to scratch together the cover charge and, hopefully, talk my way past the security guy on the door. I was mad keen to check out the freak show.
Split Enz weren't totally new to me. I had heard some of their recent offerings on Sydney's left-of-the-dial radio station 2JJ, such as the tearaway rant 'I See Red' and the heady, giddy 'Give it a Whirl', among others, to know them well enough. But up until now I hadn't had the chance to see them in the flesh – not many rock shows of their theatrical bent included my neighbourhood in their tour schedule. Mine was more a 'beer and Chisel' kind of town, where the louder the band played, the better the response. I knew that the Enz weren't one of those bands, even if I wasn't completely sure what to expect.
Tim Finn once wrote a song called 'Hard Act to Follow' and, though legend suggests it's a nod to Midnight Oil, he may well have been talking about Jimmy and the Boys, their wild opening act for the night. But once the Enz began to play it became apparent they were almost as visual a band as their opening act, and not just because of their garish bespoke suits and eye-popping light show. It was as if each member of the band had rubbed up against a live electrical wire: they crashed into one another while hurling themselves around the stage, their manic stares set just above the crowd's head, their wild hair and pancake make-up greasy and running within minutes. It was impossible to tell if they were laughing, crying or sneering. To me, the impact was as much physical as it was musical – and I had no doubt this band could play – as they caromed off each other like human pinballs. And out front stood Tim Finn, whose dark, towering quiff gave him an extra few inches over the rest of the band, and whose intense stare, ghost-white face dripping sweat, suggested a man who meant business.
I went away duly impressed. And within months the band's star began to shine its brightest, on the back of their most commercially sharp set, 1980's True Colours. I was now a fan and devoured the album as soon as it hit my local record store.
Fast-forward 27 years to August 2006. I was again in the same room as Tim Finn, although we were now in a smart Kings Cross wine bar rather than some sleazy mid-town nightclub. I asked Tim about 1979 and he still remembered the show, not because it was a standout gig, but because it marked a huge turning point for the Enz, as they morphed from 2JJ favourites to 'the band' of 1980 – Countdown darlings, live must-sees and shifters of some serious units. Punters just couldn't get enough of Neil Finn's 'I Got You' and Tim's sadly beautiful ballad 'I Hope I Never'; both were huge hits and the album was an unstoppable commercial force. And in 1979 the Finns and their respectives had just moved to Sydney, so the Emerald City meant a lot to the brothers.
Now, in 2006, Tim was easing himself back into the mainstream after many years of enforced 'indiedom'. The passing of the years was reflected in Tim's shock of grey hair and lined face, but he was still handsome enough, albeit in a King Lear-ish kind of way. He was now regal rather than menacing; his gaze more benign than that of the 1979 pop star who admitted he was on an 'odyssey' with Split Enz.
I was there to speak with Tim about this book – and reminisce a little. He was happy to speak with me, as we flashed back to that 1979 gig and caught up (our paths had intersected over the years through my stint at Rolling Stone and some mutual American acquaintances). Warily, I asked him how he would feel about me writing a book on the life and times of he and his brother Neil. "I'd be horrified," he only half-joked, worried what his two young children might make of his rock-and-roll life. Eventually, though, he gave my project his reluctant blessing and suggested we stay in touch. I went away satisfied. I'd been able to reminisce about a gig that I'd never quite been able to forget, and I'd had a surprisingly easy conversation about a book I genuinely wanted to write.
Subsequently, however, Tim began to inch away from any involvement with the book, so I shelved the project, at least temporarily, and concentrated on other work. I was disappointed but not downcast; this book would eventually happen. It was a worthy, if daunting project. I'd set out to chart Tim and Neil's 30-plus years in music, both together and alone, with Split Enz and Crowded House and as significant, influential solo artists. Their musical lives reflected several decades of Australasian musical history – it was too good a book not to write, in fact. Sure, there had been worthy studies of Split Enz and Crowded House, and some fan club-only volumes, but I felt the real story lay in the brothers' lives, which had intertwined like the roots of some imposing New Zealand cabbage tree ever since their shared childhood in rural Te Awamutu. That's the story I set out to tell.
By the end of 2008 I felt that the time was right to once again delve into the world of the Finns. During the intervening years I'd become their shadow: I'd attended numerous shows by both brothers, in venues large and small, and I'd sat in on record company listening sessions featuring Tim and Neil. I'd read millions of words and devoted endless hours to detailed research and listening. But yet again I met some resistance – in some cases stony silence – from the key players. Nonetheless I moved onwards, as I firmly believed – and still do – that it's a massive injustice that the brothers' musical odyssey hasn't been properly documented. As I review this manuscript, I'd like to think that I've done their lives and work justice, in the same way that Neil and Tim Finn have left a permanent impression on probably millions of listeners and admirers around the planet, both together and alone.
Fortunate Son: The Unlikely Rise of Keith Urban Softcover, 314 pages, January 2009
My latest release is a biography of country singer, Nashville superstar and tabloid favourite, Keith Urban, published by Random House. The book has recently featured in the bestselling country titles list at Barnes & Noble. It is also available through Target stores in America. What follows is the background to both Keith's remarkable rise and my book. More.
To order from Australia please click here or here for North America.Ebook
Click here to read a Sydney Morning Herald feature story.
A Pure Drop The Life of Jeff Buckley Paperback, 256 pages, September 2008 Ebook
Introduction I've written books where the subject has been willing to have their life turned inside out, and other books where the subject has been more elusive than Spiderman. There's a vast difference between someone not wanting to speak in their own defence, and someone not being able to do so, as is the case with Jeff Buckley. The writer Susan Orlean once compared this type of quest to being 'a little like studying animal tracks and concluding everything from the impression that it has left behind.' That's exactly how I felt as this book came together: what remains of Jeff Buckley is a handful of songs, some finished, some merely sketches, and the vivid memories he left behind. That's not a whole lot to go on, really.
A Pure Drop is currently top of the Musicroom.com.au Top 100 Popular Biography Bestsellers list.
For information on non-English language editions, click here.
In Harm's Way Brian Corrigan with Jeff Apter Paperback 288 pages September 2008
In late 2006 Brian Corrigan led an SAS team into Lebanon to retrieve the two small children of Melissa Hawach. While the children, Cedar, 3, and Hannah, 5, were successfully reunited with their mother, Brian and another member of his team were detained at the airport and thrown into a Lebanese prison for the next three months.
In Harm's Way is Brian's story of what really happened in Lebanon – their daring rescue mission and subsequent capture – as well as the inside story of life in Roumieh – Lebanon’s notorious maximum security prison, and how Brian used his innate courage, mental discipline and military training to stay focused and alive.
It is also a fascinating account of the life of a modern day soldier who has served in Australia's elite airborne unit in East Timor, and worked as a private security contractor at the height of the insurgency in Iraq, and now works in conflict zones around the world.
In Harm's Way is a story of risk and honour, and what it really takes to work both at the frontline of modern day conflicts and in undercover operations around the world.
A New Tomorrow: The Silverchair Story Paperback, December 2006 Ebook
Andrew Denton:'I think you're enjoying life now. Would I be right?' Daniel Johns:'Yeah, definitely, I love life. It's the best thing in the world.'
It's taken Daniel Johns a long time to be able to make such a simple statement. Having spent more than 10 years as the frontman for Silverchair, Australia's biggest rock band of the past decade, he's endured teen stardom, depression, anorexia, crippling reactive arthritis and the slings and arrows of the music industry, only to emerge, tattooed and renewed. A NEW TOMORROW tells the complete and unexpurgated story of Silverchair. Jeff Apter documents how Johns and his two schoolmates, drummer Ben Gillies and bassman Chris Joannou, graduated from the loft above the Gillies' family garage to centrestage of Madison Square Garden, all within the time it typically takes most bands to record their first single. When the dust settled and they discovered their debut album, Frogstomp, had sold almost three million copies, Silverchair were faced with an even bigger challenge, as they attempted to prove they were much more than 'Nirvana In Pyjamas'.
With the release of their 2002 masterpiece, Diorama, Silverchair firmly established their own musical identity, while Johns has developed into a songwriter with few peers in modern music.
Featuring exclusive interviews with the band and all of those who have worked with Silverchair over their rollercoaster ride of a career, A NEW TOMORROW covers all of the band members' solo work, the Johns/Imbruglia nuptials, the band's "rebirth" at the WaveAid fundraiser, and a rundown of their latest hit Young Modern.
A Simple Kind Of Life: Gwen Stefani & No Doubt Hardcover, July 2007
The Orange County band was formed in 1986 by Eric Stefani and John Spence, and they soon recruited Eric's younger sister Gwen as co-vocalist. With the addition of Tony Kanal on bass, No Doubt launched a 20-year career that would fuse ska, grunge, alt.rock and shades of other musical genres into a unique mix. The 1987 suicide of John Spence resulted in the battlefield promotion of Gwen Stefani to lead vocalist, a shift that would prove a launch pad for her future solo career and media celebrity status. Despite a shifting line-up, inner turmoil and the potential distraction of Stefani's solo career, No Doubt have stayed true to their mission to be musical and visual innovators. With contributions from former and current band members, collaborators, friends and critics, A Simple Kind Of Life is the first major biography of No Doubt, described by Vogue magazine as a 'smartly told tale of an icon-in-the-making'.
Fornication: The Red Hot Chilli Peppers Story Hardcover July 2004, Paperback August 2005
How can a band that started as a joke become one of music's most unstoppable forces? These sonic soulmates have endured death, addictions, an unstable line-up, and have still managed to produce some of the most vital rock and roll of the past three decades. Fornication, the best-selling biography of the band, charts the Red Hot Chili Peppers' unlikely rise, from their days as funk-loving punks wearing little more than smirks, to their current status as multi-million sellers and dynamic performers. Fornication tells the complete Red Hot Chili Peppers story, from their first meeting at a Los Angeles high school, through death, disharmony and their resurrection, which led to the creation of such career-defining albums as BloodSugarSexMagik, Californication and By The Way.
For information on non-English language editions, click here.
Never Enough: The Story Of The Cure Hardcover September 2005, Paperback November 2007
The Cure emerged in the post-punk 1970s and defied all expectations to launch a marathon career marked by hit records and a string of sell-out arena shows. Never Enough is the first definitive biography of these post punk survivors. It traces their roots in middle-class Crawley, Sussex and tracks their gradual rise, revealing how their first major album Pornography almost ended the band well before their multi-platinum career began. It also documents Robert Smith's escape into the Siouxsie and the Banshees camp during the 1980s, his experimentation with every drug ('bar smack') and his reluctance to return to The Cure, even though they would eventually become superstars, not only on both sides of the Atlantic but all around the globe. Classic Rock magazine described this book as 'a solid, all-encompassing history'.
For information on non-English language editions, click here.
The Dave Grohl Story Hardcover January 2006, Paperback due April 2008
Teenage punk, self-taught musician, bandleader, session man, smoker, drinker, lover, multi-millionaire — David Grohl is a true renaissance man. He has also achieved a rare feat, a rock and roll double crown, having been a member of two hugely successful and influential bands — Nirvana and The Foo Fighters. Loaded with candid interviews and hard truths about Grohl's life in music, this is the first comprehensive biography of an icon whose career charts rock and roll's rise and fall over the past two decades. It also details his drumming and touring with Queens of the Stone Age and Nine Inch Nails and his battle over Nirvana's legacy with Courtney Love, as well as his early life in the Washington, DC punk scene and his accidental stardom with Nirvana.
Now a respected international cricket commentator, Michael Slater shares the complete story of his life in Slats. This remarkably candid account includes the heartbreak he felt when his mother left the family home, his struggles with insecurities, anxiety and depression, his relationships with other cricketing greats from Mark Taylor to Steve Waugh, his clashes with the media and the Australian Cricket Board — and, yes, his passion for red Ferraris.
Split Enz weren't totally new to me. I had heard some of their recent offerings on Sydney's left-of-the-dial radio station 2JJ, such as the tearaway rant 'I See Red' and the heady, giddy 'Give it a Whirl', among others, to know them well enough. But up until now I hadn't had the chance to see them in the flesh – not many rock shows of their theatrical bent included my neighbourhood in their tour schedule. Mine was more a 'beer and Chisel' kind of town, where the louder the band played, the better the response. I knew that the Enz weren't one of those bands, even if I wasn't completely sure what to expect. 
