Traffic’s Dave Mason is ready to share his story in the upcoming memoir Only You Know and I Know, but it may not have happened if it wasn’t for his fans and his wife.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer tells ABC Audio he was “badgered” into writing the book, noting that for a long time fans have been telling him he should write one.
“And frankly, if it was up to me, you know, left to my own devices, I probably would never have done it since I’m (a) pretty private person,” he shares. “And then, of course, my wife got on my back, which was, that was the end of that.”
Mason writes about all the artists he’s worked with over the years, including his Traffic bandmates, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Eric Clapton, but he notes that the book is about more than the music.
“For the most part, I tried to write about a personal journey, a life’s story,” he says. “It just happens to have some major sort of highlights that … normally most people would never get to do.”
The book also contains essays from several of Mason’s friends and colleagues, and he says he was open to include whatever anybody wanted to write about him.
“Write whatever you want is how I left it with everybody,” he says. “If they want to say well it was great, and this was great, but he’s a real a******, I mean, it would have been fine. It would of just lent a little more salt and pepper to the narrative.”
Only You Know and I Know will be released Sept. 10. It’s available for preorder now.
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