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A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon
One of the most tragic stories of the 1990’s rock world was that of singer Shannon Hoon, and his band, Blind Melon. Despite scoring one of the decade’s most enduring singles and videos, “No Rain,”and a quadruple platinum hit with their 1992 self-titled debut album (in addition to touring alongside rock’s biggest names), Hoon could not overcome a dangerous drug addiction. Only two records into a promising career, Hoon was dead from an overdose at the age of 28. ‘A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other’ is the first book to tell the group’s story—culled from over 50 exclusive interviews (including the surviving band members and those closest to the band) and featuring many never-before-seen photos. “I am honored that Greg has painstakingly accounted for what the hell happened during those crazy times. He has summed up all the chaos, jubilation, and paranoia that is Blind Melon.” -Brad Smith, Blind Melon bassist
344 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2008
About the author
Greg Prato
55 books66 followersGreg Prato is a Long Island, New York-based journalist, whose writing has appeared in such renowned publications as Rolling Stone. He is the author of several popular books, 'A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon,' 'Touched by Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story,' 'Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music, 'No Schlock . . . Just Rock!,' 'The Eric Carr Story,' 'MTV Ruled the World: The Early Years of Music Video,' 'Sack Exchange: The Definitive Oral History of the 1980s New York Jets,' 'Too High to Die: Meet the Meat Puppets,' 'Dynasty: The Oral History of the New York Islanders, 1972-1984,' and 'The Faith No More & Mr. Bungle Companion.'
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 8, 2013
“They take the music off into uncharted places.” That's what Robert Plant said about Blind Melon, and I think that this quote can really sum up the essence of this great band.
During the grunge era, Blind Melon were able to stand out by taking the epic music of the 60s and turning it into something personal and absolutely unique.
This book collects precious quotes from the bandmembers (even past Shannon's interviews), their wives and girlfriends, friends and other musicians who got the chance to know them and play with them.
This stratagem permitted to open a window and look into their lives with such a honesty and such a naturalness that it's all so heart-warming... I don't know, I still have chills!
This book does justice to Shannon, but it does with a brutal honesty that everybody should appreciate: it doesn't idolize him or label him like a junkie or a loser who didn't do anything good during his entire life... I really liked this choice, every biography should be objective like this one.
In conclusion, I have to say that "A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon" is not only about the rise and fall of a beautiful band full of wonderful and talented human beings or the tormented life of a legend who's still missed... it's a story of friendship and musical affinities, success and mistakes, failures and rebirth... life, death and love.
During the grunge era, Blind Melon were able to stand out by taking the epic music of the 60s and turning it into something personal and absolutely unique.
This book collects precious quotes from the bandmembers (even past Shannon's interviews), their wives and girlfriends, friends and other musicians who got the chance to know them and play with them.
This stratagem permitted to open a window and look into their lives with such a honesty and such a naturalness that it's all so heart-warming... I don't know, I still have chills!
This book does justice to Shannon, but it does with a brutal honesty that everybody should appreciate: it doesn't idolize him or label him like a junkie or a loser who didn't do anything good during his entire life... I really liked this choice, every biography should be objective like this one.
In conclusion, I have to say that "A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon" is not only about the rise and fall of a beautiful band full of wonderful and talented human beings or the tormented life of a legend who's still missed... it's a story of friendship and musical affinities, success and mistakes, failures and rebirth... life, death and love.
October 11, 2014
I'd known about this book for a while but hadn't read it because I feared it was the kind of bad, fan-written bio that just makes you cringe. But after seeing a few good reviews I gave it a chance and was pleasantly surprised. It's actually a well researched and edited oral history that really does the band and Shannon Hoon justice. Probably not something that will interest those who aren't big fans of the band, but definitely recommended to long-term fans like me.
January 29, 2020
Probably the most beautiful voice and charismatic personality in rock. Rock star, husband, son, father and sadly, drug abuser. Mesmerizing biography that breaks your heart. Such a happy, loving talented person that no matter how hard he fought he just couldn't kick his drug habit.
January 10, 2011
As a huge fan of Blind Melon, this book really made me feel more of a connection with who the band was. I like how it is written, more of an interview format. Not just Q & A, but a topic then different perspectives. I laughed, I cried, I couldn't put it down.... and now the only thing I have listened to the past 3 weeks is Blind Melon.
September 27, 2009
How in the world someone can claim to have "written" a book, when all they did was transcribe interviews, is beyond me. Maybe it's only the aspiring writer in me that takes offense at someone plopping their name on something compiled as though they wrote it, but the book really should have said that it was edited by Greg Prato, rather than by him. I would then have known that it was just interviews, rather than a biography. I was looking forward to reading this book, and was greatly disappointed to find out that was all this was - a bunch of interviews with way too many people to keep track of. After the first couple of chapters, I got sick of flipping back to the front to figure out who each person was, as I quickly forgot by the time their name showed up again.
It was horribly edited, with a lot of mistakes, which I guess is what you get from a self-published book. It's as if no one even read over the manuscript before it was printed, and relied entirely on spellcheck.
This had potential to be good, but fell short when the supposed "author" decided that all he needed was the mash together the interviews into some semblance of a timeline; had he actually used them as a catalyst to add some writing in between other people's words in an effort to help paint the picture of what was going on, it might have been great. I would assume since he is a journalist by profession that he has the ability to write, why he chose not to is strange. Don't get me wrong - the interviews at time are interesting, and it's nice at times to hear the stories straight from the horse's mouth so to speak, but having it entirely composed of the interviews makes it quite hard to sit & read for very long, and some parts of Blind Melon & Shannon Hoon's journey are screaming for someone to actually write about, rather than just transcribe.
The one good thing about this book; it got me interested in listening to more Blind Melon. I originally was only interested in this book for two reasons; because of Shannon's connection with Guns n' Roses, since they are one of my all-time favourite bands, and because I like reading rock biographies. I was only familiar with two Blind Melon songs prior to this book, but have since found & fell in love with other songs mentioned in the book after reading about them. So I guess you did that much for me, Mr. Prato.
It was horribly edited, with a lot of mistakes, which I guess is what you get from a self-published book. It's as if no one even read over the manuscript before it was printed, and relied entirely on spellcheck.
This had potential to be good, but fell short when the supposed "author" decided that all he needed was the mash together the interviews into some semblance of a timeline; had he actually used them as a catalyst to add some writing in between other people's words in an effort to help paint the picture of what was going on, it might have been great. I would assume since he is a journalist by profession that he has the ability to write, why he chose not to is strange. Don't get me wrong - the interviews at time are interesting, and it's nice at times to hear the stories straight from the horse's mouth so to speak, but having it entirely composed of the interviews makes it quite hard to sit & read for very long, and some parts of Blind Melon & Shannon Hoon's journey are screaming for someone to actually write about, rather than just transcribe.
The one good thing about this book; it got me interested in listening to more Blind Melon. I originally was only interested in this book for two reasons; because of Shannon's connection with Guns n' Roses, since they are one of my all-time favourite bands, and because I like reading rock biographies. I was only familiar with two Blind Melon songs prior to this book, but have since found & fell in love with other songs mentioned in the book after reading about them. So I guess you did that much for me, Mr. Prato.
January 26, 2012
Sad in depth look of the life of an amazing talent lost to drugs... Well written - tons of insight from people who knew Shannon Hoon the best. Good read for anyone who is a Blind Melon or Shannon Hoon fan.
May 26, 2021
Oral biographies, even if you love the subject, can be exhausting and feel overly long. This book is only for big fans of the band.
September 22, 2011
Well, I must say that I've learned a lot about Shannon and the gang from the book. It's not the greatest book ever written, especially that it's mostly made up of interviews, however it's an amazing read for anyone interested in the band and Shannon Hoon. The interviews are well structured and the author knows the topic very well, as he's a close friend of Blind Melon. I really enjoyed the crazy stories and devoured this book in two days. One of my favourite rock'n'roll books ever.
August 17, 2012
I loved the book! It was nice to take an in depth look into Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon. They are an awesome band!
September 23, 2013
Amazing book!!!
September 2, 2015
If you're a fan, read this immediately. It's like hanging out in a room with your friends.
May 11, 2017
I liked this book. It really made me think about life and death, as you get a picture into a talented but troubled soul in Shannon Hoon. I can't give it a 5, though, if only because it's only a series of interviews. I wish the author would have inserted a little more of his voice, and maybe structured it differently. The first few pages/chapters were weird - I didn't want this book to be only about Shannon Hoon, but I came to understand a little more about him as the book went on, so I understood why the first chapters were like that. But a introduction, hook, or thesis statement in the beginning would have really helped out this book.
April 6, 2020
I’d say it’s more 3 stars but I love this band and grew up inspired by Shannon Hoon that I gotta give it 4. A nice collection of interviews. I had kind of expected more of a biography but found it very intimate and enjoyable.
July 11, 2017
A must read for fans of Blind Melon (of which i am) and a great read if you are not.
April 12, 2021
Really enjoyed this. Interesting to get most or all sides of the countless stories in a sadly shortened life and career.
September 8, 2021
A good and easy read. It was great to get a deeper insight into Hoon. Only three stars as the entire book is made up of interview quotes with zero narrative around the quotes... Which gets a little repetitive and/or disjointed at times. Worth a read for anyone who is a fan of Blind Melon. But not the ultimate biography by any means.
December 5, 2021
Such a shame, but a wonderful insight to an amazing band, and a truly one of a kind person. Still missed all these years later
February 10, 2024
Never has a death of a singer affected me this way since Freddie Mercury. Shannon Hoon was everything an amazing soulful singer could be. Lyrical genuis, there isn't a bad song on thier debut album. Reading his story, Greg Prato captured the pure essence of Blind Melon
May 31, 2015
Although this book can become a little tedious due to its interview style, it reveals so much more than the press ever did about Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon. The more stunning revelations include Hoon's mental illness that fueled his drug addiction, his friendship with Layne Staley and his role in Hoon's final descent, and just how rapid that final descent was for him. In certain places the book is hard to put down, especially during those pages that chronicle his life after the making of 'Soup,' since you certainly know that Hoon's death is coming. Little new is revealed about that death, yet it is discussed in a way that connects you to the moments surrounding the discovery of his body and it stays with you as you read the last chapters of the book. Multiple remembrances of Hoon fill the last good chapter of the book, while the final one could have been cut as it simply reads as press for the first Blind Melon recordings without Hoon as singer. The book paints an interesting picture of one of the most charismatic and lovable lead singers of the early 1990s: a man who was prone to excess well before the Blind Melon years, but also extremely compassionate and full of life with an evil tyrannical (and paranoid) side when under the influence. Great discussions from the band, particularly drummer Glen Graham whose eloquence and emotional intelligence gives the greatest insight into Hoon. A good read that makes you love and pity Hoon even more than you did before.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 23, 2024
Shannon Hoon y sus Blind Melon fueron un frontman y una banda inclasificables, geniales e inigualables. Esta es la historia de la tristemente corta carrera de Hoon y los Melon, contada por sus principales protagonistas. Quizás la edición sea (muy) mejorable, así como algunos aspectos de la estructura, pero es un placer encontrarse con algo de la casi inexistente literatura sobre uno de los músicos más especiales de la historia. Le entran a uno escalofríos de todo lo que nos podría haber dado estas más de dos décadas desde que nos dejó....
October 27, 2012
was an amazing book... sometimes confusing to keep straight who people were talking (besides band members and celebrities). Gave so much more meaning to their music for me. Would highly recommend it for anyone that is a fan or if you think you know who Blind Melon was ... here is the chance to know what they were really about. So sad to see such a great talent gone too early.
August 28, 2016
It helped answer a lot of the why and how questions around Shannon Hoon's untimely passing. I loved the behind the scenes stories but the writing was a bit choppy. Also a few typos throughout. If you're a Blind Melon fan, you'll enjoy the book.
June 13, 2009
One of my new favorite books. I love the way it was written and suggest it to anyone who is a fan of the band.
January 11, 2013
Amazing book. Must read for all Melonheads.
September 8, 2016
I'm a big fan of Blind Melon, loving their music!
So sad...
So sad...
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews