Glenn Hughes, The Autobiography: From Deep Purple To Black Country Communion (click here to buy)

Bass Guitar Magazine December 2011, featuring interviews with Les Claypool and more. Buy here.

I'm currently filled with a sense of ever-so-slightly-smug vindication, as Glenn Hughes's autobiography has become Jawbone Press's fastest-selling book ever. It hit No. 1 in its category at Amazon.com after a couple of weeks on sale and it's still selling like the proverbial heated pastries. If you bought one, thank you. If you bought two, well, I owe you a lot of beer. You can also buy the original luxury version here.

As you'll know if you've read any of the entries below, I'm currently co-writing three other autobiographies, none of which I've been able to identify until now. The news is out about one of them, though: specifically the autobiography of the great Max Cavalera, founder of Sepultura, singer with Soulfly, all-round metal legend and man of steel. Max and I have been working on his book for most of this year and, like Glenn Hughes's memoir, it's going to be a hell of a tale, with revelations that will shock anyone who's been following his career. Here's Max talking about the book at Youtube, and here's an interview I did with him a few years ago. Watch this space, headbanger.

In between all the book-related goodness I was interviewed by this newspaper and this website and did a bit of interviewing myself, specifically for Metal Hammer, Guitar Buyer, Drummer and Bass Guitar magazines. The great and the good this month included Bachman Turner's Fred Turner, a Rival Son, an Ozric Tentacle, Warrel Dane of Sanctuary/Nevermore, new UK metal act Elimination and most awe-inspiringly, the great, great, great Johnny Marr, once of the Smiths and now a living Leg End. In complete contrast to my chat with the greatest living Mancunian I had a night on the piss with Morbid Angel, splendid Floridian death metallers and invokers of dread Cthulhu. I have a strange job, I admit, but it's a hell of an entertaining one.

Glenn Hughes, The Autobiography: From Deep Purple To Black Country Communion (click here to buy)

On the left you'll see the paperback version of Glenn Hughes's autobiography, which complements the original luxury version that appeared this summer and which you can order here. Those with weaker shelves will appreciate the new, expanded version, which adds several thousand words to the already rather gobsmacking tales found in the first version. Glenn will be doing an acoustic tour and reading from the book in November: dates can be found here. As I co-wrote the thing, I'll be in the audience yelling loudly: feel free to buy me beer.

I did a bunch of press this month, notably for this Middle Eastern newspaper. You can also see me interviewing Dave Lombardo of Slayer at this year's Sonisphere here, although there's only really one of my arms and a bit of beard in the shot. Reasonably enough, I suppose.

Otherwise, October was a watershed of relative relaxation between writing books, in which I interviewed a few of the great and good of rock for the usual magazines. These included Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest, Mike Patton of Faith No More, sometime Machine Head shredder Logan Mader, the mighty Tony Iommi and singer-songwiter Damian Wilson. I was also on holiday quite a lot, and frankly I had a right old time, too.

The fun really starts in November, when I have to get at least three books started. It's OK though. I love not having a real job.

Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads (click here to buy)

Overkill: The True Story Of Motorhead (click here to buy)

So many books, so little time, it's a bit like that picture out of Alice In Wonderland when all the playing cards fly in the air and attack her.

I realise that's quite an emo image.

In fact life is rather pleasant. As well as the four memoirs which I mentioned below and which I STILL can't be specific about or I'd wake up with an equine head on my pillow, there are updated versions of my Black Sabbath and Slipknot books on bookshelves near you, as well as the current tomes (left). The paperback version of Glenn Hughes's autobiography is out next month, heralding a new wave of press no doubt.

Talking of which, I was interviewed here by Metal Review and took the opportunity to ramble on about more or less all aspects of the writer's life, from the importance of not being a jerk onward. Read and learn, grasshopper.

With my hack hat on I interviewed the following musos in September: Chris Spedding, Jay Lane from Primus, Michael Anthony of Chickenfoot and once of Van Halen, Danny from Headcat, Shawn Drover from Megadeth and Martin Mendez from Opeth. Actually I did about 20 more than that, with the great and the good of the industry du rock, but they're connected to the new books, which... I... can't... talk... about... yet... aaargh...

Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads (click here to buy)

Overkill: The True Story Of Motorhead (click here to buy)

This year has been pretty nuts so far, so I took most of August off before returning to the fray. Autobiography Of Famous Headbanger 1 is ready to be drafted, AOFH 2 is approaching the end of the interviews stage and AOFH 3 is about halfway done. 2012 is going to be simultaneously gratifying and exhausting, rather like [insert your own reference here, according to how rudely your mind works]. Next year I'm also doing the official book of a particularly amazing death metal band that everyone has heard of. It will be epic.

But all that is ages away. In the meantime, in between lazing about the place and visiting Sir Patrick Moore (true -- see the About page and scroll down), I interviewed a bunch of reprobate musicians for the usual magazines, namely Ade Edmonson, the sometime Young One who now has a folk band; Frank Bello of Anthrax; Dean Guitars CEO Elliott Rubinson; sometime Squeeze and current Jar Family bassist Keith Wilkinson; and bluesman Buddy Whittington, along with several others that I can't mention or my career and/or life would be in jeopardy, grasshopper.

Here's an obituary of the late Warrant singer Jani Lane which I wrote for the Guardian: my contributor page is here. I also gave a bunch of interviews to magazines who were interested in my recent books, specifically Rock Pages (here), Decibel (here) and Nervous Breakdown (here). I'm especially grateful to the latter writers Jonathan Horsley and Joe Daly, who really know their stuff and even managed to make me look like I know what I'm talking about...

Bass Guitar Magazine, with my System Of A Down cover story -- a UK exclusive. Order it here.

Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads (click here to buy)

Overkill: The True Story Of Motorhead (click here to buy)

How cool would it be if all reviews were like this one, for Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads? "Like his book and its subject, McIver's a class act all the way... a warm, loving, and immaculately researched biography of the late, great guitarist with Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne. McIver's research is unassailable, and his writing style so engaging it's difficult to put down the book." This came from the Jas Obrecht Archive, which I suggest you visit immediately and often.

Regular visitors will know that I'm working on five gazillion books at the same time, but there's also been a stack of journalism to get through, including this interview with the mighty Ice-T and an obituary of Motorhead guitarist Wurzel in the Guardian. I also interviewed the great and the good of the music world, specifically Genesis guitarist Steve Howe, Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo, Ben Christo and Chris Catalyst of the Sisters Of Mercy, singer-songwriter Ben Howard, both of Erasure, the two Amott brothers from Arch Enemy, bluesman Karl Demata, Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, John Petrucci and Jon Myung of Dream Theater, Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Joe Satriani, Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse and Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover. All that and a bunch of festivals has left me mentally spongified...

Sharing the man-love with Glenn Hughes at the launch of his autobiography, which I co-wrote. Order it here.

Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads (click here to buy)

Overkill: The True Story Of Motorhead (click here to buy)

Having three books out at the same time is great. If a bit mental like.

Reviews are coming in for Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads, with the esteemed Mick Wall at Classic Rock concluding "the book comes into its own when tackling the intricacies of Rhoads' guitar style" and giving me the thumbs up for "diligent research", while Noo Joisey's premier rock mag Steppin' Out called it a "fascinating read" and critic Bill Kopp called it "thorough and well-researched" -- although Bill wasn't keen on an awesomely rude quote from Zakk Wylde, who also supplied the foreword. Each to one's own, of course. Glenn Hughes's autobiography Deep Purple And Beyond (which, as I've told you hundreds, perhaps thousands of times by now, I co-wrote) got the nod from Word magazine, who called it "a remarkably personal document… astonishing in a number of ways". I really must buy these kind chaps a beer.

I also gave a few interviews, notably this one at Ultimate Guitar and this one at Gibson Guitars. Here's a third one in which I stroke my chin learnedly about the life of the working hack, I mean writer. I was also on Rock Radio a couple of times. NIce geezers, I thought.

If you wish, you can listen to me rant in a state of mild intoxication about the catalogues of the Big Four Of Thrash at three Shockwaves podcasts: the first two are here and here. Now this was a lot of fun. Thanks to the host Bob Nalbandian for tolerating my sarcasm when he compared AC/DC's 'Let There Be Rock' to Slayer's 'Reign In Blood'.

Magazine interviews this month: Erik Chandler of Bowling For Soup, Phil Demmel and Dave McClain of Machine Head, Imelda May's guitarist Darrel Higham, Testament shredder Alex Skolnick, blues leg-end Derek Trucks, Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy, Yes drummer and guitarist Alan White and Steve Howe, James Taylor bassist Lee Sklar and Pestilence bassist Jeroen Thesseling, who plays a fretless 7-string Warwick, should you be interested.

Look out for Naz Box, a hefty 4-CD Nazareth anthology on the Salvo label with sleevenotes straight from my fevered fingertips.

And I finally joined Twitter, come and see me here -- although I use my Facebook page more often.

And I saw the mighty Deicide!

Glenn Hughes and I at the launch of his autobiography, which I co-wrote. Order it here.

Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads (click here to buy)

Overkill: The True Story Of Motorhead (click here to buy)

Working on three new books at the same time (see May's entry below) is enjoyable but confusing, especially since each of them is the autobiography of a heavy metal hero and a fully immersive experience. My brain tends to spongify at times.

Occasionally, though, I emerge from the near-psychedelic confusion to do some magazine work: in May I interviewed Mike Mangini of Dream Theater, sometime Ozzy/Whitesnake bassist Rudy Sarzo, Fugees bass player Jerry Wonda (who made Mary J Blige wait outside while we finished up... brilliant), Shavo Odadjian of System Of A Down (I believe it was System's only interview, pre-Download), Def Leppard bassist 'Sav' Savage, David Vincent of the mighty Morbid Angel, the amply-nourished gentleman from Bowling For Soup, blues-rock legend Robin Trower, Funeral For A Friend singer Matt Davies, country session man David Roe, rock'n'roll twangmaster Duane Eddy, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine, uber-producer Kevin Shirley, Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho and Black Stone Cherry bassist Jon Lawhon. Most of those were for Total Guitar, Bass Guitar and Rhythm magazines, fine publications all.

I also did a podcast with the great Bob Nalbandian, who was pretty much the first guy to write about Slayer and who now runs the excellent Skull Sessions radio show.

And I saw Rush!

The forthcoming autobiography of sometime Deep Purple and current Black Country Communion singer Glenn Hughes, which I co-wrote. Order it here.

Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads (click here to buy)

Overkill: The True Story Of Motorhead (click here to buy)

As books 19, 20 and 21 firm up, 16, 17 and 18 are all about to appear in May and June, making my various press commitments a confusing but ultimately rewarding task. That is, unless I start mixing up my answers...

Book 16 is the first edition of Glenn Hughes's autobiography (left) which I co-wrote with Glenn over a four-year period between 2007 and a couple of months ago. The first edition is a luxury collector's item called Deep Purple And Beyond: Scenes From The Life Of A Rock Star, and is a sumptuous, limited-edition thing of beauty. I can safely say that it's the most ambitious project that I've ever been involved with. As for the actual contents, let's just say that you've never read a story like this one, unless you were in Motley Crue. As Glenn admits, he really should not be alive: the fact that he's performing at the peak of his powers nowadays is almost impossible to believe, given how low he sank during his battle with various substances. Order it from the publisher, Foruli, here.

17 is Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads, published by Jawbone and featuring a foreword by Zakk Wylde and an afterword by Yngwie Malmsteen. Like the biography of the late Cliff Burton of Metallica which I wrote in 2008 (also a Jawbone book), Crazy Train celebrates the life and achievements of an icon who was taken from us way before his time. I haven't placed Randy on a pedestal, although he deserves no less: I've tried my best to portray him as a real person with his fair share of human strengths and weaknesses. In order to do this I got the great and the good of the modern rock guitar to speak about Randy, including Phil Demmel (Machine Head), Joey Jordison (Slipknot), Alexi Laiho (Children Of Bodom), Jeff Waters (Annihilator), Gary Holt (Exodus), Ron Jarzombek (Watchtower), Pat O'Brien (Cannibal Corpse), Mille Petrozza (Kreator), Ralph Santolla (Deicide) and Tomas ‘Samoth' Haugen (ex-Emperor) among others. I also spoke to Randy's bandmates Bob Daisley (ex-Ozzy) and Kelly Garni (ex-Quiet Riot), his guitar students Peter Margolis and Frank Santa Cruz, and perhaps most importantly his close friends Tami Forward and Pete Wilkinson. Pick it up here.

Finally, I've written an extensive biography called Overkill: The Untold Story Of Motorhead for Omnibus Press. This was a blast to write from start to finish, as you'd expect: the life and times of Lemmy and his various bandmates haven't really been dissected in book form in real detail before, Lemmy's 2002 autobiography notwithstanding. Glenn Hughes provided the foreword, and I flatter myself that I've brought a culturally informed eye to Motorhead's story which has been previously lacking. I realise that makes me sound pretentious, but there you go. Order this beast here.

In between all that I spent April interviewing the usual mix of headbangers, folkies, jazzers and all-round special people for various magazines, specifically Steve Harris, Nicko McBrain and Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden, blues-wailer Warren Haynes, one of Rival Sons, Billy Duffy of The Cult, Lenny White of Return To Forever, twangmeister Duane Eddy, Queensryche shredder Michael Wilton, Alter Bridge six-stringer Marc Tremonti and Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. Some of these were for the Download festival programme, which it's nice to be asked to write for again, in part because the exposure to 50,000 festival-goers is well useful, innit.

Between those commitments I'm also doing a few interviews a week with Famous Metal Guy 1, Famous Metal Guy 2 and Famous Metal Guy 3, whose autobiographies I'm assembling for publication later this year or in 2012, hopefully before the end of the Long Mayan Calendar.

Thanks for reading this far and, for a bit of extra perspective, check this out.

Bass Guitar Magazine's 65th issue, for which I wrote a piece titled 65 Basses You Must Play. Geddy Lee and others helped me do it. Buy it here.

Between interviewing the subjects of books 19, 20 and 21 (you'll find out who they are sooner rather than later, grasshopper) and assembling their life stories, I've been meeting the great and the good of the rock world for the usual bunch of magazines. In March I had face time with Duff McKagan, Geddy Lee (see left), Carmine Appice, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Gregg Bissonette and Robb Flynn. That's a lot of heavy rock and metal poundage, but gentlemen to a man.

Here's an interview I did with Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, whose views on the occult make for gripping reading.

And here I am on Canadian radio, chatting about my forthcoming biography of Randy Rhoads. Look for the March 19 episode.

Read this!

The German Metal Hammer, with an excerpt from the German translation of To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton (click here to buy)

Record Collector magazine, with a feature on 50 collectable extreme metal releases (click here to buy)

Six books are firming up for the next year or so, some of which have been referred to below and some of which have not. Sorry for all the cloak-and-dagger stuff, but until the contracts are signed that's about all I can say, other than each one involves the official, co-written, warts-and-all autobiography of a famous heavy metal person or band. No, not Joey DeMaio.

Interviews in February: ex-Megadeth chap Chris Poland, current Megadeth chap Dave Mustaine, country-pop chapette Amanda Stansky, Trans-Siberian Orchestra chaps Al Pitrelli and Paul O'Neill, the P in ELP Carl Palmer, Slayer's Kerry King (my ninth chat with the guy), Rob Zombie bassist Piggy D (his mum calls him Matt, and so did I), Corey Beaulieu of Trivium and the Aussie acoustic maestro Tommy Emmanuel.

The German edition of Metal Hammer (see left) has teamed up with the publishers of the Fatherland's version of my Cliff Burton book, and there's an excerpt from the text in their new issue plus an interview with me. Useless to you unless you speak German, of course, but a useful indicator of the Cliff book's spreading popularity -- there are already French, Italian and Japanese versions and probably other translations that I don't know about. Not a bad result given that the idea to do a book on this frankly ace guy came to me while I was stuck in a traffic jam one day.

See this film!

Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads (click here to buy)

Overkill: The True Story Of Motorhead (click here to buy)

Here's an interview in which I stroke my chin self-indulgently about the ups and downs of my career thus far. It explains quite a lot of the motivations, inasmuch as there are any, behind what I laughingly call my "job".

Books 16 to 18 -- Glenn Hughes's autobiography plus my Randy Rhoads and Motorhead biogs -- are done, finally, and on their way to bookstores in the late spring. While the next couple of books firm up (both autobiography co-writes of musicians who you've heard of if you've read this far), I'll be writing for a bunch of magazines.

Fot the record, you can read my outpourings of bile every month in Metal Hammer, Bass Guitar, DVD & Blu-ray Review, Acoustic, Record Collector and Rhythm; frequently in Total Guitar; sometimes in Classic Rock; and occasionally in a wide range of publications such as the NME, the Daily Telegraph, Metal Hammer Germany, Rolling Stone, Apollo, Stool PIgeon, Guitar Ink and Bass Player. In total, I reckon I'm accountable for about 10 hectares of rainforest per month.

In January I interviewed Fairport Convention's Simon Nicol, producer Ed Stasium, Destruction singer 'Schmier' Marcello, Joe Bonamassa, the members of Cannibal Corpse, country twangmeister Doyle Dykes, John O'Neill of the Undertones, up-and-coming metallers Primitai, Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse, the great, great, great Devin Townsend, Rob Zombie, Marten Hagstrom of Meshuggah, Robert Westerholt of Within Temptation and Mr Big shredder Paul Gilbert. The usual mixed bag of nuts.

I suggest you read this every five years or so. It gets better every time.

Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads (click here to buy)

Overkill: The True Story Of Motorhead (click here to buy)

2011 is going to be a pivotal year for me. If everything comes off as I hope it does, the nature of the books I write will be changing to a new and more interesting (to me, at least) direction. Watch this space.

December was spent finishing off books 17 and 18 (left): be sure to order six copies of each -- one for you, one for a friend and four to bury in the garden in case of nuclear holocaust. Glenn Hughes's amazing autobiography is on its way soon, as is the TV series which I recorded last year and which I've been slavering on about for ages.

Interviewees in December: Chris Difford and Glen Tilbrook of Squeeze, Children Of Bodom shredder Alexi Laiho, Satyricon main-man Satyr, Yngwie J. Malmsteen and Mark Brzezicki of Big Country. A quiet month on the magazine front, thank Gawd, as these book things really do take up a lot of energy.

I'm turning 40 in February, which has given me a bit of perspective. In my four decades I've accumulated 18 books (selling about 150,000 copies between them), 2 kids and 1 wife. No Pulitzer Prize yet, but I'm happy with those numbers. Cheers!