Around about September 1948, Mr and Mrs Cyril Wakeman had an early night and sometime later, at Perivale in Middlesex, Mrs Wakeman produced a bonny baby son. They named him Richard, but he quickly became known Rick.Rick was likable little fellow who had a talent for the piano and for making trouble. At the age of nine he found inspiration through his first junior school music teacher Miss Dennis who had large breasts and for whom he quickly learned to play 'Side Saddle' - the Russ Conway hit. Music became Rick's life. He attended the Royal College of Music, where he studied piano, modern music, clarinet and orchestration before which at the age of seventeen, forming a band called Curdled Milk a very clever homage to Eric Clapton's Cream.Later he joined a popular music group called Yes and became a legend. Much later he became a 'Grumpy Old Man' who appears on 'Countdown', hosts a hugely popular show on 'Planet Rock' and performs a one man show telling stories about his rather extraordinary life.Which is where this audiobook you are holding comes in. Mr Wakeman is simply one of the great story tellers of our age - let's face it he has some fabulous material. It seemed a shame that some of the funniest yarns should not be more widely known. So he accepted some cash and here we are.Grumpy Old Rock Star is a collection of never-before-told stories from his amazing life. From touring in a white van in the early sixties; playing keyboards on David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' (no really); to buying an American football team some American's with very Italian surnames; his drinking days - beer in copious amounts and port and brandy in pint glasses , (three of those a day) oh yes, plus a few bottles of wine; throwing Salvador Dali offstage because he was spoiling his piano solo; the truth behind the curry on stage episode and how he ended up with the earth from around Che Guevara's body in his shed, given to him by his old friend and fan Fidel Castro.Curl up by the fire with a Grumpy Old Rockstar and your nearest and dearest. We defy you not to laugh.