This summer, a new biography from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press shines a light on the career of music promoter and club owner Peter Jest. The funny, irreverent, nostalgia-inducing We Had Fun and Nobody Died: Adventures of a Milwaukee Music Promoter (pub date: June 25, 2024) details how, from a young age, Jest brought national acts to the UW–Milwaukee campus, booked thousands of concerts across Wisconsin and the Midwest, and opened Shank Hall, the beloved Milwaukee venue named after a club in the cult film This Is Spinal Tap.
Author Amy T. Waldman’s compelling narrative follows Jest as he attempts to manage a turbulent band on the road, negotiates with agents, deals with fires (both real and metaphorical), and takes pleasure in presenting music of all kinds—from world-famous acts to up-and-coming local bands. The book also features stories of the lasting friendships Jest established over the years with the likes of John Prine, Arlo Guthrie, the Violent Femmes, and others.
This rollicking ride through Jest’s career is brought to life with dozens of photos, concert posters, tickets, backstage passes, and other memorabilia documenting decades of rock, folk, and alternative shows that helped put Milwaukee on the live music map. As the industry becomes increasingly dominated by profit-driven corporations, We Had Fun and Nobody Died chronicles a one-of-a-kind, fiercely independent promoter whose love of music and dedication to the artists have helped him keep it real in the music business for more than forty years.