Excess has always gone hand-in-hand with popular music. The roll-call of what Kurt Cobain's mother called The Stupid Club is well known, but behind the famous names lies a thread of common tragedy. As a former groupie, Pamela des Barres is well placed to write a survey of rock's casualties. She has met/interiewed/had sex with and counted among her closest friends, many stars whose fates she now recounts. Among her subjects are: Marc Bolan, whose cutting-edge judgement fell foul of cocaine abuse; Marvin Gaye, the tortured genius whose hellish last months were ended by a bullet from his father; Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonzo Bonham, who choked on his own vomit after 40 vodkas; and the elite of rock's departed, such as Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison.