Joerg Deisinger & Carl Begai - 'Fire And Fame'

There’s a reason for sayings like “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” If I told you there was a book about a relatively obscure German hair metal/melodic rock band written by a bass player who left the band back in 1994, you probably wouldn’t be that interested, right? That may be the case, but once you dive into Fire And Fame, you’ll be hooked.

Joerg Deisinger, former bassist for Bonfire, along with his friend and metal scribe Carl Begai (Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles) have crafted a very entertaining account of Deisinger’s time in the group. Bonfire actually became pretty popular in Germany (and remain so to this day), but they could never crack the crowded U.S. market. They had some exposure on Headbanger’s Ball and toured the U.S., but never broke through. A combination of bad luck, bad decisions and Kurt Cobain stalled their American career.

Fire And Fame chronicles Deisinger’s life, from childhood through his exit from Bonfire. The struggles of the early days, the process of getting signed, success in Germany and how they dealt with it to their attempt at breaking through in America are all chronicled. Even if you’ve never heard of Bonfire, getting a behind the scenes look at a band’s journey from obscurity to fame is interesting.

Deisinger is a good storyteller with either a really good memory or diaries/journals from that era. There’s a nice balance of personal stories and explanations of the business side of music, which is something way too many musicians have limited knowledge of. These days Deisinger’s path is a little different. A twist of fate allowed him to survive the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, and now he’s pursuing a career in photography.

I was somewhat skeptical going in, but thoroughly enjoyed Fire And Fame. I have a newfound appreciation for Bonfire, Deisinger and his infamous cow pants (you’ll have to read the book for that story).