Bill Bruford, once called the godfather of progressive-rock drumming, has been at the top of his profession for four decades. This is his memoir of life at the heart of prog rock, art rock, and modern jazz, playing with Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, Earthworks and many more. It is an honest and entertaining account of life on the road and in the studio, rubbing shoulders with the famous, the less famous, and the infamous, and creating an impressive tally of great music.


A rock musician with the temperament of a classical musician who became a jazz musician, Bruford defies all the clichés about drummers. He says: "You write what you have to write, you play what you have to play, because you cannot sleep at night. If you can sleep at night, you shouldn't be doing this anyway."


From time to time, at polite dinner parties, someone will ask Bill what he does. He replies that he is a musician. "Yes, but what do you really do?" retorts the enquirer. This unusual, funny and insightful music memoir answers that question.