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Writing about people when you know they’re going to be reading it is tough. Just ask Nelson Groom whose debut book saw him document the highs and lows of life on the road his lifelong pals… who happen to be one of the biggest bands in Australia.

Sticky Fingers fans are certainly a different breed. Over the past few years they’ve have stood by the group amid accusations of abusive behaviour, in-fighting, a hiatus, and a scrutiny from the all angles of social and traditional media. Being a fan of the group isn’t easy; it isn’t particularly cool. So why stick by them? Diehards would argue that there’s an inescapable energy within this group that surpasses – or is perhaps even fuelled by – the chaos. Short answer is their music.

Evidence of the love for this band is their Australia stadium tour of 2019. Without major label support, the group were able to sell out the biggest arenas and stadiums in the country, a record-breaking feat that has not been matched since. It was here that the band’s mate, author Nelson Groom, witnessed the group at the peak of their powers and the lowest of their lows.

He’s written all about it in Belly Of The Beast – the no-holds-barred story of life on the road with the Newtown-born outfit. The book, which is available right here, was launched over a string of events around the country with Groom and the band taking to the stage to lift the curtain on how it came to be (yes, those events all sold out).

We caught up with Groom to ask him all about the process of writing the book and treading the line between servicing the fans and writing about his mates. Read it:

Firstly, congrats on finishing a book! Huge achievement. How long was this in the works?

Thanks ya mad dog! This one’s been cooking since early 2020, when I bunked up with the band for their first arena tour. Soon as we came home, COVID hit. This meant that rather than chasing them around for interviews, I could easily catch them holed up at home.

Not sure this project would have got finished any other way. Because after that it took two years to write, one year to edit and one year to publish. Now it’s out, I feel like I’ve given birth to a putrid little beast. And it’s time to take it to the pound.

What were some of the major roadblocks to writing a book? Tell us about the process…

Time is the big one. There’s a reason this took four years to come out. Publishers have big teams to help pump out books quicker. When you’re independent, it takes time. Not everyone is cut out for it. Shoutout to my editor Meredith. Without her this book would have definitely bled out on the side of the road.

You’ve known the Sticky Fingers boys for a long (long, long) time. What do you think makes their journey so unique compared to other artists?

A lot of artists tend to do what they’re told. They work with who they’re told to work with, and make the music they’re told to make.

Stickies are different. By staying independent, they get to do what they want, which is work with their mates and keep creative control of their sound. This means they get all the glory when things go off and all the blame when they don’t. For Stickies to reach this level independently is pretty unique.

Was there much stuff that you couldn’t include in the book? Care to allude to any juicy stories?

The band basically wanted to put the lot in. The only topic there was issues with was addiction. Rock and roll mythology has long glamourised drugs, but some of what I saw during this project didn’t seem very glamourous to me, and I wanted to be real. So, there was some tension about the portrayal of that stuff, though I’m confident I hit the sweet spot in the end.

How has the reaction to the book been? Any things that have caused a stir from readers (or subjects!)?

It was only officially released this week, so it’s early days. But I’m lucky to already be seeing mad love. Some people hit me up to say they read it three times, others said they couldn’t put it down. I do wonder if that’s because they literally have sticky fingers? One absolute sick cunt at the Byron launch asked me to draw a design on his leg and sent a pic of a tatt he got of it the next day. After what the band has been through, Stickies have a ride or die fanbase.

Was it weird crossing that line from mate to documentarian when you were on the road with the band?

It wasn’t weird on the road. Writing it was another story.

They say to write what you know, and I’ve grown up with this band. So I figured telling this tale would be a piece of piss. What I learned is when you’re writing who you know, there’s pressure not to fuck it up. And that pressure sometimes turned me into a bit of a possum. There were nights the band busted me in their bins, growling and hissing, or crawling around in their roofs. I think I left my mind up there.

How receptive were the band to the idea of a book about them?

Very. Given their history I think they were keen to share their story, balls and all. Shame I ended up making them look like massive gronks.

Tell us about a moment where you knew you witnessed some gold on tour? How were you recording these things as it happened?

There were some records broken on this tour, some beefs, some gags, some extreme highs and lows. Going on the road can be an extreme experience. In terms of recording, I’m not proud to say I set up a bunch of secret cameras over the tour. What I captured on them was totally fucked up, though I can’t give it away. You’ll have to buy the book to see.

The cover is reminiscent of the ‘Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas’ artist Ralph Steadman’s style. Was this deliberate? Tell me about the correlations between these two books…

Thanks for noticing. The author of Fear and Loathing Hunter S Thompson was my writing muse. I was confident his gonzo style would work well for the tour diary structure. So, my cover artist Sam Clouston gave a worthy nod to Hunter’s own illustrator Ralph Steadman on the artwork. For sure it was intentional and I reckon he put his own spin on it beautifully too. Fun fact: the artwork Sam created for the cover was actually massive, like the size of a truck or some shit. Shoutouts to Sam.

What was the biggest lesson you learned while writing this book?

Don’t rush to get published. Focus on your craft and living a life worth writing about. The rest will follow… And don’t leave the house with no pants on.

Any other pieces in the works that we should know about?

I got a few things cooking. Actually, fuck me! I left them in for too long. They’re burned.