An entertaining and interesting companion

Guy is a classic side man. He's played on numerous well-known albums and been a touring bassist with some of the biggest names: Pink Floyd; Bryan Ferry; Jimmy Page; Madonna; etc, but I'd never heard of him. He came to my notice through his excellent podcast with Gary Kemp, so I took a chance on his book.

It is an entertain canter through his life and times and as he is a natural communicator, it makes for an entertaining listen. Given the number of artists he's lent his skills too, he really plays down his obvious talent, which must be unusual in the music industry. I especially enjoyed the insightful tales of working and touring with all the artists/bands he's been associated with. The tales of drunken/drug excesses during the 80s/90s does become a bit repetitive, but everyones entitled to be young and foolish, especially when touring the world in a band.

So, if you've any interest in music of that period or just music generally, it's well worth a listen, especially as he strikes a nice balance between keeping 'musos' happy without alienating the general listener. Then go and check your record collection and see how often his name materialises.

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Fantastic

Brilliant narration by the author. Interesting stories and a brilliant David Coverdale impersonation. His Jimmy Page wasn’t too shabby either. Didn’t want it to end. Always a good sign.

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Just perfect

So then, I bought Guy’s book when it first came out, read it and loved it being an avid Floyd fan and tech head so when I was perusing Audible for something to listen to as I was in the car the audio version seemed like it might be a good idea. Understatement! Guy’s delivery of his book is masterful, there are plenty of laugh out loud moments that are made all the more laugh out loud able because of the delivery.
Guy does what all good audio book readers do and that was draw you into their world, strange I now consider him a mate !!

I can heartily and hastily recommend this audio book to anyone who has even the slightest interest in Guy or Floyd, you won’t be disappointed in any way

Cheers Mr P , when’s the next volume due??

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Brilliant stories

I was recommended this book from a friend, who like me, loves music, now I have to confess I am not a huge Pink Floyd fan and had never heard of Guy Pratt but was told this would make no difference to my enjoyment of listening to Guy's rise from session musician to base player in one of the worlds biggest bands and how he would go on to play with many other international singers and bands.
I took a punt and bought the audio book, what a great recommendation this turned out to be, it does not matter if you are not a fan of the many artists he has played with, Pink Floyd, Maddonna, Michael Jackson, Ice Works, Brian Ferry, Bowie etc etc you will soon be drawn into his world of touring, writing and generally having a great time doing something you love, you will soon realize that this man who you may not have heard of is a fantastic comedian, song writer and artist. I have also booked to see him live in one of his One Man Shows and look forward to his follow up book, highly recommended.

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Amiable but repetitive

I saw session bassist extraordinaire turned stand up comedian Guy Pratt perform extracts from this book at the Cheltenham Literature Festival in 2007. As a raconteur, he did a decent job, so I had high hopes for the audiobook version.

Unfortunately, what proved to be amusing over the course of an hour or so proved to be pretty wearing for nearly nine. Pratt has played for a variety of artists from Madonna and Michael Jackson through David Coverdale & Jimmy Page to Australian Roxy Music impersonators Icehouse, but most famously for Pink Floyd, for whom he played Roger Waters' bass parts once he'd departed from the band.

My Bass and Other Animals mainly consists of tales of tour hi-jinks, largely involving what he got up to following the consumption of large quantities of alcohol and often stronger substances, mixed with pen portraits of the various stars he's played with, most of which conform to the perceptions one already has of them: Madonna is domineering, Michael Jackson shy and eccentric due to a botched nose job etc. With a band like Pink Floyd, where the music was always larger than the people who made it, David Gilmour and cohorts simply come across as your average multi-millionaires.

This is a laddish, larky reminiscence about an over-indulgent 1980s and '90s. Fun, but probably best consumed in small doses.

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Predictable 'Man behaving boorishly'

The chronicle of Mike Pratt's 'Sex and Drugs and Rock'n Roll' life as he spans the globe playing bass for the great and famous...
...actually it's more drink and drugs and pranks and mishaps....Ha Ha Hilarious? Not really - it's all silly overgrown boys being naughty away from home. Predictable, repetitive, monotonous. Not as funny as he thinks it is...I suppose you would have to be out of your head on stage in Venice to really get the joke, maaaaaan.
Not really impressed mate.
Despite rubbing shoulders with the legends there are no revelations here: What was Robert Palmer really like? what does David Gilmour talk about? did Johnny Marr ever say anything interesting? how did Brian Ferry come across in private...? No idea...
Where did he go, what did he see?...no idea
We do know just how smashed and stoned he was all the time (I do hope his children don't read this self glorification).
We're missing out here - perhaps he's missed out too - all those things he would have seen and done if he hadn't been out his head all the time.

Forrest Gump UK Style

Guy has great style here and it was a riveting listen but I think the roads would be safer if he is never given a driving licence. This is the type of story you'd hear from somebody like Forrest whilst sitting on a beach waiting for a bus or a chance meeting in a pub. Once heard never forgotten.

Had some good chuckles with this character whilst he kept me company on those endless drives to work and back. and I'd say it is an insight into working musicians' lives. Lucky bastard!!!

I'm glad Guy hasn't turned out to be a recovering homeless alcoholic as this would have been tragic for this talented British born man. Thanks for the book. A contribution to the library of life stories of people you have heard in the background but never known but have always been there. Good book. Worth the time to listen without judgement.

Pleasenty Surprised - Excellent Listen

Even though I'm familiar and a fan of several bands and artists Guy Pratt has worked with, I'd never heard of him (bass players don't seem to be very memorable). His journey through the music industry as a touring artist and session musician is fascinating though, and a nice alternative view compared to the usual autobiographies of lead singers or megastars.

His story is well written, funny, and very engagingly read by himself.

Dude! This was a brag fest!

I really wanted to like Guy, and he had his truly inspiring moments, however, bragging about drugs and conquests was always awful and this book really wasn't worth the money.

Very well read by the author

Guy tells it as only he can, and very well too! A great series of on the road anecdotes.