The “KZN Unplugged/Storytellers” book launch concert will be electric ‒ and some beans will be spilled.
Danny de Wet is telling all in his book “Sex Drums and Rock & Rol l… in Africa” which will launch at the Rhumbelow Theatre in Durban next Sunday, April 30.
It is an inside look into the ’80s and the history of rock music through the eyes of a member of two iconic bands, éVOID and Petit Cheval, who was also an original member of Wonderboom.
“I am not a drummer. I’m a drama,” he said.
And there is drama in abundance in more than 600 pages, as De Wet explores his highs and lows, from his marriages to his four-decade career working with legends such as the late Brenda Fassie, and Vusi Mahlasela, to marketing The Parlotones.
“I played in all these bands throughout the years and I’ve worked for record companies and owned a venue in the ’90s where a lot of bands had their careers started and there was a big wave of rock music in South Africa.
“This book is not me interviewing people, it’s all first-hand experiences. It’s basically the history of rock music in SA and the way it intersected with my life. I doubt there is anyone else who can tell this story,” he said.
The first chapter explores his time working with Fassie, playing in the band while hospitalised and wearing a bra, and how much of a national icon she was.
“She was a wonderful person who lived in the moment. She was bigger than any rock star,” he said.
There are also three chapters about his time in Wonderboom, which he described as a conflicting and wonderful time of his life.
“God gave me two gifts: he gave me my son and the best mid-life crises ever playing in a ‘crazy’ band with three guys in their twenties,” he said.
De Wet said the book holds his truth. He has become known for his story-telling over the years and there is still so much to share.
He will share some of these stories at the book launch and show titled “Danny’s Never Ending Acoustic/Storyteller Book Launch”. He will be joined by special guests, including two “phenomenal young musicians in guitar wiz Damian Kruger and Julian Guillot, whose euphonious vocal prowess belies his tender age”.
De Wet said all his former band mates were “still alive and kicking ‒ scattered around the country and overseas” and they usually reunite on stage when he is in that town.
He is also excited to have his long-time friend, David Marks, the legendary songwriter of the beloved ’60s tune “Master Jack”, among his special guests.
Others from Durban will include Ross Tapson and Graham Ellis. Some of his other friends will be there too, such as multi-instrumentalist Quinton Lotter (the musical director in De Wet’s other endeavours) who recently relocated to Durban, as has raconteur Alan Kotze (The Parlotones’ business manager and one of De Wet’s best friends) who is sure to dish some hilarious dirt on the star.
De Wet also plans to publish a second book in the near future that will explore spirituality.
His closing quote: “I used to be a hopeless romantic but now I’m just hopeless.”
The Independent on Saturday