First and foremost, Mick Walls’ Paranoid is not an
autobiography, rather a contextual memoir.
The experiences
and accounts are candid, occasionally to the point of
becoming deeply personal, and at times, disturbing; the book opens with a
highly detailed description of heroin abuse, and continues in the same vein
(sorry) throughout, involving the reader in the events that transpire with an
objective, slightly cynical perspective.
Although the writing is not spectacularly skilled, this is
not the
main focus of the book, as Mick Walls’ main skill is in his ability to
simply tell a good story, without the
need for conventional talent or flair.
The book hones in on morality-an absolute honesty exudes
from the pages, and Walls’ own personality is clearly visible through the moral
dilemmas and social interaction that are described.
Overall, this book is not for those in dire need of literary
greatness. It is not for those who
would look for an unbiased and entirely clinical analysis of the Rock
Industry. It’s not even for those who
are fans of the bands and people mentioned inside.
It just a bunch of really great stories.