10 reasons why every Indian Rock fan will love "The God of Sex & Gold and Rock'n'Roll"

Full disclosure. I am the author of 'The God of Sex & Gold and Rock'n'Roll' but let that not deter you. Instead humour this head-banger trying to defy hipsters and subscribers of "eat, sleep, rave, repeat" if only for a while

So perhaps you don't need no education. You talk about checking out any time you like but never leaving. You may also know a lady who's sure all that glitters to gold. Then "The God of Sex & Gold and Rock'n'Roll" may be for you and here's why-

1) It features music from all of your favourite bands
Metallica, Maiden, Floyd, Zeppelin, Sabbath, the Beatles, the Eagles, Dire Straits,  Pearl Jam, the Doors, Opeth and then some. The world may not think of India and Rock'n'Roll in the same breath but we know better. And the 'God of Sex & Gold and Rock'n'Roll' pays homage to the rich heritage of Rock fans in India as it captures growing up in this magical world.

Yes, these images need no explanation for you

2) In a soundtrack that blends the good ol' days with the new
Wait a second. Isn't this a book? How does a book even have a Soundtrack? That's where the magic of Spotify comes in.  Featuring everything from rock staples modern metal, pop classics,  and even a tinge of Bollywood thrown in for good measure, even if you don't read the book, " The God of Sex & Rock'n'Roll Read Track" is perfect accompaniment for the book or even for those evenings when you are sick of the incessant thumping of house music or the latest rehash of the millennial whoop.

Gasp! What is the Sound of Music doing in there? Thank God, you guys can't scroll down and see ABBA

Readtrack link here: tinyurl.com/readtrackgosgrr

3) Musicians love it

I have been lucky enough to have a couple of successful musicians read "The God of Sex & Gold and Rock'n'Roll" and this is what they have to say.

‘The writing is funny and smart. The author uses inside jokes and a breezy narrative style that distances the reader from the bad things that happen to his characters. Even when shit gets serious, there is a timely reminder that we are inside a novel, and the point of it is simply to entertain. I wish Rohinton Mistry took some tips and didn't manipulate his reader's empathy so much!

The writer constantly makes fun of his characters. Words and phrases have an authenticity of how people talk. The writer does not try to disguise his own voice. He proudly owns what he is, an Indian who grew up in India looking at the shiny, synthetic melting pot that Singapore is from where he is standing..’
- Nikhil Rao, Guitarist, Indian Ocean

‘A true coming of age story that perfectly summarizes the joys and burdens of growing up chasing a creative pursuit. A page turner’- Stas Madorski aka DJ Stas, Rave Republic

4) So do 'wannabe' musicians
I'm dissing myself and my band-mates. Sorry, Rishab. The Mug Shots Band Singapore play to packed, very drunk audiences but we aren't quite as big as the Beatles. Or even Beatallica

"Being a musician from a middle class Indian background, this book started off by instantly hitting the right notes for me (pun somewhat intended) in capturing the real slices of life associated with the coming of age of a musician (in context of a society where music is a transient hobby at best, never to be dabbled in as a profession) - when you pick up the instrument, to when you form a band, to when you have your first successful show, how the show goes on, and how that affects your hopes and dreams for your band (and yourself)"- 
Rishab Mukherjee, Vocalist, Guitarist, the Mug Shots 

From early days,

That's me looking like the Marlboro man

to bigger things,

If the music didn't dazzle you, we made sure the lights would

And then rather umm.. grander

Some things change but the Les Paul remains the same

Yeah, it ain't too bad

5) It captures the rich journey of the global Indian citizen 
Growing  up in India but studying and living in Singapore  since, as well as marketing to consumers across diverse countries, has probably influenced my story a little. Here's what acclaimed Indian historic fiction author (and resident of Geneva) Sumedha Verma Ojha has to say about "The God of Sex & Gold and Rock'n'Roll"

" It is not only a coming of age story which will leave you deeply nostalgic but also has a deftly etched background which will give you an insight into the global world, the pan Asian and global interrelationships of today. 

The characters are real, fleshed out and you have met them in your life sometime or the other, you meet them almost as old acquaintances and they stay with you long after you have finished the book. 

If you have grown up in India, the first page will catch you and you will be immersed in the book before you know it.

This is a book for the global citizen, the global Indian will read it and sigh over her past but smile at the present."- 
Sumedha Verma Ojha, author, Urnabhih, Ramayana, columnist, cultural activist


6) And our ups and downs in foreign lands
Growing up in India and then going abroad to study was an eye opening experience for me. On one hand, our brutal education system gives us an upper hand but then there is much to learn on a social front. A small snippet from my book captures a unique insight one would never expect till one goes outside India.

"As he walked past her, Sophia got a better look at him, and up close, she realised it was no tan. He wasn’t exotic at all, he was clearly Indian.

Sophia had to confess to her shame that she was slightly disappointed. Thanks to her mom being Indian, she was not like some of the Chinese girls in Singapore who would never even dream of dating an Indian guy. Nonetheless, she wasn’t completely immune to the views of a reasonably-sized portion of the society she grew up in. It was a stigma, bubbling under the surface, fuelled by negative stereotypes that derived, as negative stereotypes often do, from observations misconstrued in the convenient fashion, of assuming the worst about the unknown. A good example was the commonly-held belief that Indians were smelly. Sophia’s theory was that this was due to the proliferation of low-wage construction workers in Singapore, typically from India and Bangladesh, who occasionally thronged public transport after a long, hard day of physical labor with all its olfactory offending ramifications. An alternative theory was that Indians smelled due to the amount of curry in their diet.

What surprised Sophia, however, was the pervasive nature of this perception, even amongst her friends, who were not racist in the least. Like her roommate, Melissa, who, when she had found out that Sophia was half Indian, had told her that it was really surprising because she didn’t “have the Indian smell” at all. Resisting the urge to give Melissa a tight one on the cheeks, Sophia had explained nicely to her that there was no such thing as the “Indian smell” and body odour was pretty much a universal human condition, not the privilege of one particular race. Indians being smelly was just the beginning. There were many other reasons that Indians were just not cool. However, to be fair to the girls Sophia had in mind, it wasn’t specifically Indian guys who had the pleasure of their disassociation. Chinese guys from Mainland China were typically no-no, too, for a multitude of equally-ridiculous reasons. The only advice that she could give to potential suitors of these girls was that their origins would need to stray either west of the Black Sea, or east of the Yellow, in order to see the tides turn and their luck change."

7) The bloodline of Freddy Mercury runs through the novel
Well, this is fiction. And Zara Sorabjee, distantly related to a certain Farrokh Bulsara, the sweet girl next door with talent to trouble Mozart but a deep dark secret, has a central role to play.

The original 'Indian' Rock Star. And probably the best Rock frontman ever. If you haven't seen Queen at Live Aid,  Wembley, then you better youtube it now if only to see one man control a hundred thousand

8) It features a Rock'n'Roll inspired Marketing Campaign
No prizes for guessing which songs. But perhaps, which guitars;)?

9) It's rated 5 stars on goodreads
Well it's very early days and while the first few readers love it, I hope you will too. A couple of reviews below for you to see.

Goodreads link: http://tinyurl.com/goodreadsgodsexgoldrocknroll

10) And it's cheaper than a trip to the movies 
At only Rs. 248 for the Amazon Kindle version, I suspect that only just the coke and popcorn will probably run you that much. So it's your choice folks, what will it be? Calories for that burgeoning tummy or Chapters for that Netflix'd mind?

That said, a free preview of the first couple of chapters is available right here on this blog. And the link to the book is below

Amazon India Link: tinyurl.com/indiagosgrr

The God of Sex & Gold and Rock'n'Roll is available on Amazon worldwide on Paperback (limited countries) and Kindle eBook Form. Please check your country's Amazon store for local pricing and availability.

Utkarsh Mohan is the Brand Operations Head of Procter & Gamble Malaysia Singapore Brunei, alumnus of the Singapore Economic Development Board and co-founder/lead-guitarist of the MugShots rock band.
​
His third book ‘The God of Sex & Gold and Rock’n’Roll’ is inspired by the author’s experience of having artistic promise take the back seat due to the all-consuming academic effort and pragmatic prioritisation required to ‘make it’ in overpopulated middle class Asia. 

The evolution of love in an increasingly global world underpins the book as the author draws heavily on his own interracial relationships, blending memory and fiction. All of which is topped off by an authentic self-taught musician’s journey, nuanced enough to delight those in the know while enticing even those without the slightest interest in music, thanks to the accompanying Read Track on Spotify, a world first.