Book Review: Son of a Milkman: My Crazy Life With Tesla by Brian Wheat (Post Hill Press, 2020).
I bought Brian Wheat’s autobiography back when it came out at the end of 2020 and then promptly forgot about it. This review is for the Kindle edition and that also explains why I forgot the book. The file got mixed in with so many other titles I have in waiting – and it just kept getting push back. I rectified this oversight the other day and sat down to read the book. At 224 pages, it isn’t a long read and the content is enjoyable and fast to digest. My biggest complaint with Milkman is that it could use a little more editing. Right up front, Wheat says he writes like he talks and that is in a very free-flowing fashion. This seems true as Wheat repeats himself a few times throughout the book. Tighter editing would have fixed that problem.
The title comes from Wheat’s upbringing – he is the illegitimate son of a milkman. The milkman got Wheat’s mom pregnant then took off. He had a bit of a chaotic childhood and his family was poor – his mom was on assistance a lot trying to raise several kids alone. It seems he’s carried his childhood trauma with him his entire life.
Wheat spends a lot of time talking about his obsession for the Beatles, how he eventually became a musician and the formation of Tesla. The opinions in this book are unfiltered: Wheat says what he wants about who he wants and he admits he can be taken as unfriendly or gruff. Some of that personality came from the business side of managing Tesla for so long now and seemingly being the only one to pay attention to the numbers and the money the band was (or wasn’t) making at any given time.
I learned just how close the members of Def Leppard and Tesla are and how much the Leps have helped Tesla along the way. I also learned that singer Jeff Keith was a total meth-head. I knew he was an addict and going off the rails before getting clean but I had no idea his drug of choice was meth. I also learned a lot about Wheat’s anxiety, depression and autoimmune disorders. Actually, Wheat’s health battles are a large theme through the book, starting with his first bout with ulcerative colitis and then eventually an extra diagnosis of Chron’s disease. These days, Wheat knows he has to watch his stress and diet or he will have flareups that will land him in the hospital. This is also woven into his weight battle – how he first gained weight working at McDonald’s – to losing tons of weight every time he has a flare-up to gaining weight from steroids to cure the flares. I know that is a very relatable experience for lots of people.
There are not a whole lot of backstage road stories or anything like that – this is truly a tale of Brian’s life and Tesla just happens to be a big part of it. He also talks about his passion for Victorian homes, his first marriage to singer Sandi Sarya, their divorce and how he met his second wife Monique. Plus there are special stories about his love and friendship with Jimmy Page.
The biggest takeaway from Milkman for me? Just how little money each guy from Tesla was earning at the height of their popularity. The amount is small in comparison to what is pissed away on drugs and women and whatever else. Also the original guys fought nonstop and were just about unworkable in the studio. It's amazing some of their records saw the light of day.
Friday, January 10, 2025 at 12:51PM