LIVE WIRE by Mary Renshaw, John D’Arcy and Gabby D’Arcy
First Published 2015 by Allen and Unwin.
Review by Sharyn Hamey
There are numerous books out there about Bon Scott but very few written by those who had an intimate knowledge of the man behind the rock star. Mary Renshaw, Gabby D’Arcy and John D’Arcy are three of those people. According to Mary, Bon was a ‘genuine, incredibly likable, cheeky, fun but deep person.’ And Live Wire gives us an up close and personal look at a side of the man that the public didn’t see as three people who knew him well provide a rare insight into the ‘real Bon Scott’.
The book offers us three different perspectives on ‘life with Bon’ as Mary, Gabby and D’Arcy share their own memories of those times with their friend and that is what sets this story apart from the rest.
Roadie and long-time friend John D’Arcy recounts the adventures of life on the road with Bon and leaves little to the imagination in the process. His now wife Gabby D’Arcy was a part of it all from the tender age of 14 when she was a devoted fan of The Valentines and Mary Renshaw became a close and trusted friend of Bon’s from the day they met to become, as former AC/DC bass player Mark Evans once said, Bon’s soul mate and companion. Her deeply personal memories of their enduring relationship allow us a rare emotive glimpse into Bon’s private life. Together, their memories piece together different facets of the singer’s life from his time with The Valentines until his untimely passing in 1980.
But the book has something to offer not only Bon Scott and AC/DC fans but to anyone who has even a passing interest in the history of rock ‘n’ roll in Australia. Set against a fascinating backdrop of the local music scene of the time, Live Wire invites the reader to take a step back in time to an era of Australian music, the likes of which we will never see again. And, of course, a revealing look at the real Bon Scott. A must for any fan.
Read our interview with Mary Renshaw
