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Edwin Ammerlaan - Lost Souls
A fictional journey through 50 years of Pink Floyd
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In Lost Souls, protagonist Matt accidentally bumps into Pink Floyd on a ferry from Ibiza to Formentera. What follows is a lifelong fascination for all things Floyd and, eventually, acceptance into the band’s inner circle. Travelling the globe, Matt meets a lot of interesting people, including Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Nick Mason, Steve O’Rourke, Ginger Gilmour, Snowy White, Polly Samson, Tim Renwick, sir Bob Geldof and many others.
Matt joins Pink Floyd on tour, in the studio and even on the golf course, building a fragile bond of trust and friendship with the band along the way. Following him on his musical journey, we revisit some relevant moments in Pink Floyd history: Formentera (1967), The Paradiso, Amsterdam (1968), Charlton Park, Bishopsbourne (1970), Abbey Road Studios (1971), USA & Canada tour (1973), Wembley Empire Pool (1977), Super Bear Studios (June 1979), Wembley Stadium (1988), Potsdamer Platz, Berlin (1990), The Astoria (1994), Live 8 (2005), O2 Arena (2011), Berkeley Hotel (2017) and the Victoria & Albert Museum (2017).
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Published in January 2021 | Hardcover and paperback | 248 pages | ca. 65,000 words
Full English manuscript available
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Edwin Ammerlaan began as a music journalist for OOR Magazine in 1986. Since then, he has interviewed over 300 musicians and bands and his articles have appeared in various Dutch music publications including Revolver, Lust For Life, Aloha and iO Pages. He is also the author of SAGA, The Biography (2010). Edwin Ammerlaan lives in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
“A colorful and fun journey back to the early days of a legendary band, seen through the eyes of a casual observer soon to be a lifelong fan. Lost Souls is a poignant view of a storied band. The author does an admirable job in personalizing the triumphs, foibles, ins and outs of Pink Floyd. This is a great read for all...whether fans of the band or not.” - Philip Zozzaro, Reedsy.com
“This book is highly recommended, especially since it tells the history of Pink Floyd from a completely different angle.” - Theo Beckers, Pinkfloydfans.nl
“Lost Souls offers a new perspective on an over-familiar history; fan fiction with factual overtones, that nevertheless adds something to the already overcrowded bookshelf alongside Nick Mason’s Inside Out and the many specialized reference books.” - Willem Bemboom, OOR Magazine
"A visceral and addictive picture of life in Pink Floyd’s inner circle. This faux-memoir and coming of age story is a riveting read; the powerful writing style and clear adoration the author has for the band give the entire story an epic glow. For fans of Pink Floyd, this book is the ultimate press pass to their decade-spanning career beyond what has already been written, but this backstage Bildungsroman is also appealing for anyone who likes a good story. Lost Souls delivers a wild ride of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll that doesn’t disappoint." - Self-Publishing Review, ★★★★
“Edwin Ammerlaan masterfully showcases the impact of Pink Floyd on generations of music lovers and provides an intimate and personalized glimpse into the lives of its members. He paints a realistic depiction of the mad genius Syd Barrett, the peacekeeper Nick Mason, the introverted Richard Wright, the gifted David Gilmour, and the flamboyant extrovert Roger Waters. Everyone knows about the rift between Gilmour and Waters, but Edwin Ammerlaan provides a thorough breakdown to put things into perspective. As someone who grew up listening to Pink Floyd records, I thoroughly enjoyed Lost Souls. A must-read for Pink Floyd fans.” - Pikasho Deka, Readers' Favorite, ★★★★★
“Lost Souls is a story about the life of a fictional protagonist, peppered with facts about Pink Floyd. Thanks to the enormous musical knowledge of the author and his fluent pen, Lost Souls a book you will not want to put down. Edwin has done in-depth research into the quotes by all musicians involved. The conversations are as close to reality as they possibly can get, what makes the story very credible.” - Martinka Zandijk–van Noorloos, iO Pages
“The book is a fascinating and moving read. Obviously written with love and passion for the subject matter, the author conveys this to the reader in spades. It left me eager to find out more, (especially just how much of it was actually true), to listen to their music and, above all, it left me wondering how I could have lived through those times and remained largely unmoved by their influence.” - Drena Irish, LoveReading UK
“The storyline is beautifully and attractively worked out. You’ll find out a lot of previously unknown facts about Pink Floyd. Lost Souls, A Fictional Journey Through 50 Years of Pink Floyd is definitely worth discovering.” - Lambert Smits, Keys & Chords
"He turned away from the suggested Dutch language book, repeating all the normal stories, to write in a more personal, subjective way for an international audience. It weaves together actual events, and interviews he, and others, conducted with the band members, into an absorbing fictional narrative following his main character's "coming of age" story conflating his development with the band's. Some of the interviews have been changed to sound more conversational, and there's a healthy dose of fictitious invention thrown in to move the story along. It's a curious concept but seems to work very well. The easy, conversational style of writing keeps the interest going, not least to see where the story goes. Having experienced some of the concerts Ammerlaan describes in the book, he captures things that I noticed and felt at times, and with his use of Matt as his main character's name, on a personal level this felt a little odd at first but I got used to it! From the reaction of others in the Floyd community who have also got the book, the attention to detail and atmosphere seems to have captured the imagination, and there's some very positive word of mouth for this book. It won't be for everyone (and don't expect a thorough biography of the band - that can be found elsewhere in numerous places) but for something quite different it could be just what some people are after." - Matt Johns, Brain-damage.co.uk
MUSICIANS/VIPS' REVIEWS
“Just when I thought it was impossible to put a fresh spin on the history of Pink Floyd (and this is from the type of fan who has books on Floyd artwork alone) I read this wonderful book by Edwin Ammerlaan : Lost Souls, a fictional journey through 50 years of Pink Floyd. Highly recommended reading material for PF fans or anybody else for that matter!” - Marcel Singor (Kayak & solo guitarist) @ Facebook
“Excellent read whether you're a fan of Pink Floyd or not - Highly Recommended!” - Michael Sadler (lead vocalist SAGA) @ Facebook & Twitter
“It’s a must-read for everyone who’s interested in the history of Pink Floyd and the music industry of the past 50 years.” - Arie Verstegen, CEO Boerderij Stage @ Facebook
READERS REVIEWS
“For music fans this biopic-like book is a treasure. The writing is strong, well researched, and as a ‘fictionalized version’ it is thoroughly entertaining. Edwin Ammerlaan is proving his new skills as a novelist!” - Grady Harp @ Amazon.com
“The story provides an insightful and unique look to Pink Floyd's life but is also a coming of age story. It is written well, the pace of the story was steady and kept me going. I appreciated the author's effort in researching and making sure everything was accurately fact-checked.” - S. J. Main @ Amazon.com
“As a lifelong Pink Floyd super fan who obsessively searches for rare video & interviews I absolutely LOVED this story! Beautifully written & fun to read.” - Tim Rasmussen @ Amazon.com
“This is an entertaining and a deep account of the soul of the band as well as a nostalgic memoir that superbly recounts one of the most fascinating periods in contemporary history, entertainment and music, specifically.” - Tim Terry @ Amazon.com
“Lost Souls combines many facts, quotes and events from 50 years of Pink Floyd with a fictional, yet compelling coming-of-age story. By doing so, he gives the reader an intimate and unique perspective on one of the most successful bands in music history.’ Highly recommended.” - Piaras @ Amazon.com
“This fictional (factional) story is kind and loving towards the band and at the same time (thereby perhaps) brutally honest. I think that unexpected blend of creative storytelling will resonate well with the band and, I hope, with many Floyd loving readers.” - Tjeerd Veninga @ Goodreads
“What an impressive story about the members of this great band and their music, through the eyes of a music journalist who meets the band on several occasions during their history. Based on real life events and interviews.” - Freek Talsma @ LinkedIn
“5 stars. A worthwhile, captivating book for Pink Floyd lovers and not only. The best thing about this book is how creatively the author intertwines the fact and fiction, playing with real life events, interviews from Pink Floyd history and ‘imaginary truth’.” - T.M. @ Amazon.nl
FOREWORD
67- ECHOES - Berkeley Hotel, London, July 5, 2017
17 - BIKE - Ibiza & Formentera, August 1967
18 - KEEP SMILING PEOPLE - Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 23, 1968
20 - THE GATES OF DAWN - Charlton Park, Bishopsbourne, Kent, August 31st, 1970
20 - IF - Release of Atom Heart Mother, October 2, 1970
21 - FEARLESS - Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood, London, May 27, 1971
23 - CHILDHOOD’S END - USA & Canada tour, March 1973
24 - GREEN IS THE COLOUR - Sunningdale Golf Club, May 18, 1974
25 - DON’T LEAVE ME NOW - Home, December 21, 1975
27 - HAVE A CIGAR - Wembley Empire Pool, London, March 19, 1977
27 - IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE? - Hospital & home, July 10, 1977
29 - GOODBYE BLUE SKY - Super Bear Studios, Berre-les-Alpes, France, June 1979
29 - MAROONED - Calling from home, November 1979
38 - WELCOME TO THE MACHINE - Regency Café & Wembley Stadium, London, August 6, 1988
40 - THE POST WAR DREAM - Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, July 21, 1990
44 - A BOAT LIES WATING - The Astoria, River Thames at Hampton, March 2, 1994
55 - COMING BACK TO LIFE - Hyde Park, London, July 2, 2005
58 - WEARING THE INSIDE OUT - Fort William, Scottish Highlands, September 16, 2008
61 - OUTSIDE THE WALL - The Ship, Rotherhithe, London, May 12, 2011
67 - ABSOLUTELY CURTAINS - Berkeley Hotel, London, July 5, 2017
67 - THEIR MORTAL REMAINS - Victoria & Albert Museum, London, August 5th, 2017
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR