Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart Has Their New Book Hitting The Shelves This Week – Rayman’s Trac Two

The group Heart is a staple of Kool 101.7's playlist, and are  fantastic band to be sure. The Wilson sisters Ann & Nancy have a new book in stores this week titled  "Kicking and Dreaming"  After getting a sneak preview, I ordered a copy for myself. I thought you might enjoy some juicy tidbits from the book that I found tantalizing.

During Ann's junior year in high school, their parents became aware that their daughters were regularly smoking pot.  One night after dinner, the Wilson parents suggested that the whole family toke together.

"Crazy On You" was inspired by Ann's first serious romance, with Michael Fischer,   Wilson writes that while the lyrics "were straight out of the scenes of wild sexuality that went on," they were also about her feminist awakening and finding empowerment through her music.

The early radio success of "Magic Man" was paid for with hookers and cocaine. The band's publicist would ferry the Wilson sisters to radio appearances where they would meet the DJ, do a station ID and then be told to go wait outside. According to Nancy, "When we were out of the way, he'd pass the DJ a gram of cocaine or the number of a hooker he'd lined up and say 'She's yours, on Heart.'

Heart had a brush with the legendary ego of John Cougar Mellencamp.  He was on the same bill, and scheduled to open for Heart. He also had a number one album, and Heart's album wasn't doing all that great, so he came to the band with a proposition: "Seeing as your album is a turkey and mine is a hit, care to swap places?"

While Heart was on tour with Van Halen, Alex and Eddie, in their own fumbling, wasted way, suggested a four-way-of-sorts between them. The sisters declined, but later that night, when Nancy learned that Eddie didn't own an acoustic guitar she gave him one of her own before sending him on his way.  The next morning, after a night-long binge, he called her hotel room and serenaded her over the phone.

The book is filled with personal stories I'm sure you will find interesting. Enjoy.