Published earlier this year in the US is "I Killed Pink Floyd's Pig", a book by Beau Phillips and including a foreword by Sammy Hagar.
Phillips is a former radio DJ, programme director and VP/General Manager of influential US rock stations, later turning his hand to changing the fortunes of MTV Networks output on television. This book spills the beans on his various interactions with rock's then upcoming superstars, along with rock royalty, who, in the eighties, set certain standards of behaviour backstage and in hotel rooms.
"I Killed Pink Floyd's Pig" is an absorbing and fun look at his experiences with the likes of Led Zep (and the inevitable throwing of TV sets from hotel windows), the excesses of ZZ Top, the kindness of Sir Paul McCartney, golfing with Jimi Hendrix's father, the tension caused by an interview arranged with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, and the championing of various previously unknown stars. The book is an easy read, in a conversational style - you feel like you are relaxing in a bar, with Phillips regaling you with stories from his professional life. Some are "right time, right place" experiences, others clearly demonstrate the discomfort when things go wrong!
As the title implies, one of Phillips' stories concerns the inflatable pig used during the Floyd's late 80's touring. His radio station at the time negotiated the loan of it, to provide them with some great publicity whilst promoting the Floyd shows which were in town. Needless to say, not everything went smoothly, and Phillips tells an entertaining story of how things went so wrong, and his efforts to get Algie the pig feeling better.
It is now available in US bookstores, online from Amazon.com, and you can also order it (and find out more info) at PinkFloydsPig.com.
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