Men of a Certain Age

THE GUARDIAN BEST MUSIC BOOKS OF 2025

'Unmissable... sparkling, witty and shrewd. In a world of music books retelling tired legends, Men of a Certain Age offers that rare thing: an entirely original take on rock history', Alexis Petridis

'Fascinating, funny and tender' ADAM BUXTON

'My favourite writer and interviewer' JUDE ROGERS

'If Kate Mossman's name is on it, then I want to read it' PETE PAPHIDES

'Terrific' GUARDIAN

From Jeff Beck to Ray Davies, Jon Bon Jovi to Kevin Ayers, Kate Mossman has long fostered an interest in male musicians of a certain age.

Why is it that when I meet them, I feel something ignite inside me? What is this strange connection - to feel so excited, yet so at ease? And how is it that in the presence of a wrinkly rock star twice my age, I sometimes feel like I'm meeting . . . me?
Featuring nineteen long-form profiles lovingly constructed for The Word magazine and the New Statesman, Men of a Certain Age chronicles the lives of some of the biggest rock stars of our time, including Brian May, Gene Simmons, Terence Trent D'Arby, Johnny Rotten and Nick Cave.

The book is a meditation on the powerful archetype of the ageing rock star, but it is also a personal story - of music and obsession, and of the deep unconscious projections at play in our relationships with the famous people who most capture our hearts. As Kate travels 5,000 miles to try and find Glen Campbell, and to the depths of the Cornish countryside for a rendezvous with Roger Taylor, will she finally unravel the roots of her obsession with the elder statesmen of rock?