Hunter, Seb 1971-

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HUNTER, Seb 1971-

PERSONAL: Born 1971, in England.

ADDRESSES: Home—London, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Fourth Estate/HarperCollins, 10 E. 53rd Street, Seventh Floor, New York, NY 10022.

CAREER: Writer. Formerly rock musician in bands, including Rag 'n' Bones and the Trash Can Junkies.

WRITINGS:

Hell Bent for Leather: Confessions of a Heavy Metal Addict, Fourth Estate (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Seb Hunter embraced heavy metal rock and roll when he was an adolescent, and his obsession led to a fifteen-year stint as a journeyman metal musician who never quite made it to the big time. Along the way he experienced the overindulgence, the ego clashes, and the artistic differences common to the rock-and-roll lifestyle. In the end, Hunter gave up his pursuit of rock dreams for a more stable career, but he captured his experiences in Hell Bent for Leather: Confessions of a Heavy Metal Addict.

In his memoir, Hunter admits that the most attractive characteristic of heavy metal music, initially, was that it irritated his father. He went on to learn a great deal about the genre and its practitioners, however, and his book serves not only as a personal memoir but as an informal history of metal. "He proves on target in discussing the relative merits of metal stalwarts" such as bands like Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin, according to Booklist reviewer Mike Tribby. Hunter also discusses the rivalry between Kurt Cobain, of the band Nirvana, and Guns 'n' Roses guitarist Axl Rose. A Kirkus Reviews writer recommended Hell Bent for Leather, advising that the author's "self-deprecating British humor highlights the absurdities inherent in the self-serious gloss of metal's performers and fans," and calling the book a "winning blend of headbanging trivia and adolescent fantasia." A Publishers Weekly reviewer also found Hell Bent for Leather an entertaining read, reporting: "True metalhead readers will have a great time disagreeing with some of" the author's statements, while "everyone else who reads this book will just have a great time."