David Quantick ‘Duerden finds fascinating layers of humanity, pathos, humour and wisdom in equal measure. In music journalist Nick Duerden explores the post fame careers of a variety of mostly United Kingdom based artists.

Exit Stage Left: The Curious Afterlife of Pop Stars by Nick Duerden is an entertaining look at what happens to pop stars after the hits stop coming. A lot of the time they are bands or individuals who penned one, big hit or had a sustained period of success and this seemingly funds their post fame years.The pop star's bittersweet lot—the mass adoration that comes with pop stardom, followed by the bathetic comedown of what inevitably follows—is represented with flair and empathy. These are tales of heroin addiction, bankruptcy, depression, divorce—but also of optimism, a genuine love of the craft, humility and hope. Plus there were some great artistes who got away from him - no doubt due to a range of reasons such as death eg the wonderful Mark Hollis. There's also the idiotic hyperbole; yes, Frankie Goes To Hollywood had an amazing 1984, but it undercuts more than emphasises that to conclude your round-up of their achievements with "If there were other songs recorded that year, nobody can remember them", especially when on the second page of the same bloody book you were talking about the equally immense Wild Boys, and even following that with a neat "(1984)". There are some revealing testimonies within the book from Shaun Ryder, Rufus Wainwright, Lisa Maffia, Lloyd Cole and many others from pop, rock, dance and indie, making Nick Duerden’s book an enlightening, humorous and extremely entertaining read.

Some artists I was less enthralled by than others, and some stories felt a little repetitive as their careers seemed to follow the same inevitable path (struggle, fame, not-so-famous, obscurity) without offering anything particularly new or insightful. We hear the various motivations to create, how one mentally adjusts or fails to adjust to fame and how music is consumed. Highly recommend this if you've ever been obsessed with being on the other side of the counter or stood adoringly waiting for your favourite band to hit the stage at the height of their fame. Nick Duerden’s gripping, important new book ‘Exit Stage Left’ doesn’t interview Oakey but does many others from the pop pantheon who have had some early success and then swiftly asked ‘Is that all there is? I told my bandmates that I was quitting the band, packed a bag and bought a one-way plane ticket to Philadelphia.

All of which makes Exit Stage Left a fascinating, laugh-out-loud funny and often shocking look at what happens when the brightest of stars fall down to earth. Some ex-stars still seem pretentious and over-the-top, but there’s a genuine warmth running through the stories. Recommended for music fans and for all artists who don't want to think about life on the other side of fame, but being prepared for might not hurt.