Rock Bottom : Dark Moments in Music

Excess has always gone hand-in-hand with popular music.

The roll-call of what Kurt Cobain's mother called "The Stupid Club" is well known, but behind the famous names lies a thread of common tragedy.

As a former groupie, Pamela des Barres is well placed to write a survey of rock's casualties.

She has met/interiewed/had sex with and counted among her closest friends, many stars whose fates she now recounts.

Among her subjects are: Marc Bolan, whose cutting-edge judgement fell foul of cocaine abuse; Marvin Gaye, the tortured genius whose hellish last months were ended by a bullet from his father; Led Zeppelin drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham, who choked on his own vomit after 40 vodkas; and the elite of rock's departed, such as Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison.