Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside of AC/DC

The fact that this book is not written by a fan, music critic, or run of the mill biographer makes it worth a read. What makes the book terrific is the writing of Mark Evans. He is clearly bright, funny, and surprisingly honest and self-effacing. I personally cannot remember the details of my late teens and twenties through the fog of a partying lifestyle. I have no idea how Mark remembers the dates and details of this time in his life! As a rock star, it must have been non-stop pandemonium. Unless their last name ended in Young, former members (which is everyone now) probably have some ill-feelings about AC/DC. Mark doesn't dwell on the negatives. He should have a bad taste in his mouth for the band, but that doesn't come through. What does come through is pride for his contributions to one of the best rock 'n roll bands ever (the best IMHO). This is not a knock on Cliff Williams ( I doubt Cliff had any creative control), but I do feel that early AC/DC albums' bass had a primal groove that disappeared in later albums. It was the kind of thump that hits your heart and produces an autonomic curl to the lips. This may have been due to Mark, or it may have been because of George Young. Heck, it might have been a reflection of changing music tastes and a rare example of proof that AC/DC has been influenced by the times. In any case, I miss it! I didn't have any expectations that I would end up liking Mark Evans when I began reading this, but ultimately, I came away thinking that this guy seems alright.

For fans looking for a Fly on the Wall (wink,wink) account of the bands early years, one where the band members are actual people and not the impressions of rock journalists, this book is for you. Evans writes with a deft pen, making you laugh, cringe, smile and even cry...this is a book where you can smell the beer soaked floorboards of cheap clubs and feel the sweat of the band as it claws it's way from Australian dives to the premier clubs of London in record time. Along the way you're introduced to a batch of colorful characters that only a life in rock and roll produces. An eye opening and highly entertaining account of a band 's rise to the brink of superstardom.

(NOTE: My first review was negative. See the end for the original review.)The book is an excellent read. It went by really fast. I believe it's the first genuine insider's look at AC/DC, and it's from a band member who was there during the climb to the top. I recommend it to any fan of rock-n-roll and especially AC/DC.The original review I wrote is below. All of those problems are gone with my second purchase. I think it was just one of those strange technology glitches. The ebook is flawless on the second try. No problems. I have a Kindle, plus the Kindle app for Android, and the book reads perfectly on both devices now.Original review:There's a lot of missing text in the electronic edition of this book, which I bought a few days ago. I'm at the 21% mark and have found five instances of missing text so far. It's unreadable.I just returned the book and received a full refund in about 15 seconds. Not bad at all! I checked "defective content" for the reason. So, that menu selection and this review are the only ways Amazon has of knowing there's a problem with the electronic edition. I hope they resolve the issue and let me know about it, because I'd buy this book again in a heartbeat.Based on the text I was able to read, the book is excellent. Any AC/DC fan would love this book. Too bad I can't read it.Despite this problem, I make no condemnation of Amazon or the ebook system. I like both, and have had excellent service all around. Amazon sells thousands of products, possibly millions, and there's bound to be a lemon lurking here and there.

I was expecting a bemoaning exposition of AC/DC dirt from a guy who needs bus fare donations, I was relieved this was not the case. Mark Evans story is pretty damn Horatio Alger, as he visualized, applied himself, and overcame rough origins in Australian government housing, and, loss of a parent.No, this is not a tell all, bordering on slander. It is the remarkable story of Mark Evans meteoric rise , and cycling through an early Ac/Dc lineup. The story is well written, very thoughtful, incredibly interesting regarding Bon Scott's alienation issues and need for a life outside of the band - the band being more of a cult/corporate brand exposure machine than a loose grouping of great players.Mark Evans depiction of his life story is very literate, and he completely walks you through what he later realized were his mistakes leading to his dismissal from AC/DC, in a very adult manner. I was very impressed with this book and it is a fascinating piece of history to me as I've seen the early videos for jailbreak and IALWTTPIYWTRAR on that truck in Melbourne, but, really knew nothing about the band.Phil Rudd fans will walk away from reading this with a renewed appreciation of Mr. Rudd , he's a good guy.Note to self: start band... meet chicks... stat!!!

The problem with books like this is that the reader invariably wants to get inside info on the band rather than read about the life story of the author. Evans' book is a bit of both, so if you are looking for a book solely about life on the road with AC/DC, you might be disappointed.Autobiographical in nature, Evans talks a lot about his early life, and post AC/DC life. A large chunk of the book is devoted to life in the band, but this is only a part of Evans' story.There is better literature on AC/DC out there though this is an interesting glimpse behind the scenes into the early years, and in doing so fills a gap that other authors have left. Evans provides an interesting take into the workings of the Young family and into the personality of Bon Scott. He does not display any animosity toward the band over the way he was treated (which others have done) and he tries to give a fair and impartial account of many of the events he describes.There's not a lot here to surprise any long term AC/DC fans, but it's a good read nonetheless. The only real criticism I have is that the book is too short.

I really liked this book - Gives the full rundown of all the places & things AC/DC did during the 'Bon Scott' years. If you like this band - This is a very good read.

Mark Evans est le bassiste des premiers albums d'AC/DC.En 1978 il quitte le groupe car il est physiquement "lessivé" par le rythme des tournées notamment européennes.Il rappelle dans son livre oh combien Malcolm et Angus ont été des bourreaux de travail, ce dernier obsédé par sa SG GIBSON n'hésitant pas à en jouer en quasi permanence du lever au coucher et même lors des voyages entre chaque concerts.A l'époque AC/DC ce sont en général 2 lives par jours pendant des tournées littéralement interminables.Mark EVANS jouait de la basse de façon très rock avec une véritable rage et une puissance inouie. Il suffit d'écouter l'album "let there be rock" pour s'en convaincre.Je l'adore et son livre est vraiment sympa.

I've read a number of books about the life and times of AC/DC, but I rate this as the best. It's very different. It describes Mark Evans's two years with AC/DC in a very straight, balanced and revealing way. A lot of the credit has to go to his writing assistant for nailing the tone perfectly and telling the story in a such way that I couldn't put it down.The book is a great window into AC/DC members, their personalities and quirks at a very important time when they were just starting to make it big on the international stage. But it's a more than that as it follows an emotive and interesting journey of guy who came from a very modest background to be propelled into experiences the rest of us can only dream of.It's very easy to relate to Mark. He comes across not as a rock star, but as an "everyday Aussie bloke" who happened to play in one of the world's biggest rock acts. Despite his grievances as to being pushed from the band, he comes across as more thankful than bitter. He's certainly had some very highs and lows. He seems to be getting there, but ultimately I hope he finds true peace.A very good read. Thanks for telling your story Mark.CJ

What an unexpected gem of a rock autobiography this is. I was never a huge fan, but I did once go to see AC/DC, when Bon Scott was the front man, at Festival Hall (I'm not even going to pretend I was in nappies at the time) and I do have an AC/DC album.The book falls roughly into three parts: growing up pre-AC/DC, the three years with the band, and the author's life post AC/DC.It's a fascinating insight into the business of being a rock musician. By business I don't mean it's all about the deals, it's a personal memoir by Mark Evans of life on the road. It gives great insight into the rock band as a work unit, and the things that can happen when you put together a small group of people with vastly different temperaments and shift them together around the globe, far from most of their friends and family. You can sense how Evans' outward character changed with his surroundings and how difficult it is to be a "normal" person when you're living that kind of lifestyle.Of particular note is the author's affectionate portrait of Bon Scott. If this is an accurate depiction, and I've no reason to suppose it isn't, then Scott was nothing like I imagined.Evans also delves into his own personal tragedies in this book and it is a measure of his humanity and skill that he is able to convey his feelings simply and movingly without being mawkish.This is a great read for anyone who remembers the Australian rock scene in the 70's and even for those who don't, which makes it an all-round worthwhile book in my opinion.

It covers his life before and after of course but the majority of it is his time in the studio and gigging as the bassist with AC/DC, and the various people he met along the way (women rather often!)Of course it’s his story not Bon’s but it does fit well with Jesse Fink’s “Bon: The Last Highway” which pretty much follows on chronologically as that book covers the last two years of Bon’s life which is just after Mark Evans had been replaced.It’s well-written and his life has certainly been an interesting one, I thought I’d skip past the point where he left the band but I didn’t!