Some Asian religions tell of restless spirits that wander the earth, consumed by cravings they can never satisfy: hungry ghosts. With this in mind,the German band To Rococo Rot once named an albumMusic Is A Hungry Ghost.

In fact, it’s the ear that is a hungry ghost – and music is what it craves.

This book is a meandering, partisan, incomplete tale of one man’s hungry ghosts. It’s about life, listening and a headful of music.

Amongst other things, it’s about

• a prefect, pool attendant, potter and parent; a layabout, lexicographer and library assistant

• a pair of greedy ears, used and abused for aural fine dining, extreme eating, street food and TV dinners

• the Voyager space probe’s golden LP with its 90 minutes of music

• Elvis’s hair, Keith Emerson’s organ, sex and pistols, lists, trousers, Aleister Crowley, tubular bells and stamps.

Whether you like music, love music or can’t decide, there’s plenty here to graze on, and lots to get your teeth into. There’s even a tasting menu for every chapter, in the form of a playlist with its own Spotify link. Read, listen and enjoy.