In a world where many pop music fans prefer their idols remain locked into their halcyon days, “forever twenty-seven and pretty, treading water endlessly” how do many musicians handle the days and years after the limelight fades? That’s the question Nick Duerden poses in this book. Focusing mainly on Brit-pop he explores the lives of some after their stars have faded. “Nobody ever suggested that pop stardom offered a lifetime career, and precious few get tenure.”

Most music fans may not consider the pressure on their favorite acts to stay on top and remain relevant in the face of changing tastes. Duerden’s interviews reveal how not all music acts get rich. Manipulated by record companies and the market, some emerge from truncated careers, broke or owing money and unsure of what to do next. Some are able to carry on or rebound, many are not. But of course, not all former stars are washed up. Duerden’s interviews show a variety of outcomes and second acts. Bob Geldof, David Gray, Suzanne Vega, Terence Trent D’Arby “perhaps the most virile pop star of the 1980s if we do him the courtesy of overlooking Prince” and several others get the treatment here. And it is eye-opening to the average fan.

Duerden is also a skilled and witty phrase-turner. He describes Lloyd Cole “with cheekbones to ski off, and a mouth always pursing toward its next cigarette.” Or how the music of The Mission, “the furrow-browed goth band from Leeds” sounds like “an articulated lorry moving slowly through heavy traffic.” ( )

Exit Stage Left by Nick Duerden is an intriguing look at what happens after that peak of popularity for most pop stars. This is more than the vacuous "where are they now" shows and books, as interesting as many of them are. This looks from the artist's perspective at what happened and why, with some commentary from Duerden to contextualize and, sometimes, clarify.

While this is not just quote after quote from his interviews, each chapter does use a mixture of quotes and paraphrasing to convey the story. I am more than happy with this style since just putting the interviews down as they were would have been far less organized. In other words, I appreciate Duerden helping each artist form a more cohesive whole to their narrative.

While there were only a couple of artists I didn't recognize (by that I mean some combination of either the individual and/or the group) there were a lot I had forgotten about, even if their big hit still periodically played in my mind (think "Pass the Dutchie"). There were some for whom their movement through that peak of stardom seemed from the outside to be an intentional journey.

I found a way to get into each chapter, no matter how well I was familiar with the artist. Part of that is my natural tendency toward wanting to understand what others have experienced, and not only if I remember or was a fan of theirs. The other thing that helped was looking up a quick video or two once I knew who the chapter was about. That was both nostalgic for me and helped me visualize them at the time they were popular. The usual warnings apply, watch out for rabbit holes, I went on several trips that were fun but had nothing to do with the book.

I would recommend this to readers who like to read about the artists that didn't have the lifelong pop careers that so few do but that didn't all crash and burn (though there are plenty of crashes). If you have always listened to a bit of everything and thus have forgotten a bit of everything, this will be a great opportunity to also take a nostalgia trip. Additionally, for those in the book who have continued in music but not necessarily for fame, you can find some examples of what they have been up to. Quite a bit of what I found was actually pretty good.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )