I wish I was me - Pete Waterman

Pete Waterman is without doubt one of the most important and interesting figures in British pop music. Last year, saw him celebrating 25 years of producing hit records and he entered the new Millennium at the peak of his powers with huge hits from Steps and Westlife. For most people in the music business, Pete Waterman IS pop and yet until now, no one has had the chance to hear his remarkable story in his own words. 'I Wish I Was Me' sets the record straight. His grim childhood in the Midlands, his years as an influential disco DJ, his time working as a plugger in a record company, as a television presenter with 'The Hitman and Her' and of course the sensational run of success with his then partners Mike Stock and Matt Aitken in the 80's all add to the fascination of this unique autobiography. Stock, Aitken and Waterman aka 'the Hit Factory' were a hitmaking triumverate whose astonishing run of successes defined the sound of the Eighties, Way before the Spice Girls, Bananarama became the biggest girl group in the world.;Add in Kylie Minogue, Rick Astley, Jason Donovan and many others and it is easy to see how they became the most prolific songwriting and production team the world has ever seen, with over 200 hits to their credit. Now for the first time in paperback, Pete Waterman tells us why the trio split and how he fought his way to a major personal comeback in 1999. 'I Wish I Was Me' is an essential insider's account of just how the British music industry works and how it has changed over the last thirty years. Pete Waterman is smart, engaging and has more stories than there are stars in the sky. Or the charts.