Biography explores what made The Angels frontman Doc Neeson tick

"Am I ever gonna see your face again?"

Well, sadly he can't anymore. Or not in the flesh.

According to his last partner, Anne Souter, he said he'd like to come back as a bird. Indeed the very last picture he drew was a picture of a cockatoo. Then on the arrival of her advance copies of Doc, which she had written with Doc's old friend Jon Bradshaw, a cockatoo landed on top of the box of books, as if to say, "Here I am."

"It's a psychological encyclopaedic biography that explores what made this Belfast-born boy, who became an Australian icon, tick," Souter says. "It covers how he specialised in doing the unexpected, what he achieved and dreamt of doing in the future and sets the record straight on what really happened in his life, that shaped this rare Renaissance man."

Following a blistering prologue by Souter that douses the reader in the blood, sweat and Jim Beam of an early Angels gig, Bradshaw's first chapter then opens with Neeson being a little grumpy. He was known for it. Of course, not always. But you might be too, if you'd lived the life he had as a newly arrived immigrant teen. And you can be forgiven for speculating if this is just another tale about The Angels.

But as Bradshaw says, "We are here to talk about Doc. Who still remains Australia's first-order bona fide rock star. An unconstrained free spirit, a unique theatrical stage presence, the point of the Angels' sonic spear and with a propensity to continue to cause mischief long after his passing."

There is an underlying heartbeat to this tale. One of a need to relive some history. And look for the truth behind the many stories Neeson left behind him. One packed with high tales of love and glory. And the odd drama that may have sprung up as a result of his forceful yet empathetic personality.

Untangling webs was something Souter needed to do a lot of, over the years that their relationship played out. A perfect partner for a perfect storm. When he wasn't in his kitchen cooking, wondering about mathematics.

"There's a Canberra story in Doc's love of maths," Souter says. "He had a lot of very special female friends - some of whom were lovers or ex-lovers, and some platonic. He had a strong platonic connection with one Canberra girl called Ivana. What they loved most was to discuss equations and things like maths in nature.

"He loved numbers and sometimes invented equations, including one that described the result of combining science with cooking.

"He thought it up after he came across the work of a French scientist and English chef which explored flavour through molecular gastronomy which had resulted in ice-cream that tasted of bacon and eggs."

With the great mess that became The Angels, with two Angels bands touring at once, and relationships scalded beyond repair - Neeson and Souter surfed the wave of venom that came their way, and lived them all. As does his legend. Just ask anyone anywhere in Australia, if you can't find someone next door, to fill you in on exactly who this frontman is. He/she (or they) may know.

Firmly in Neeson's corner, with the kind of journalistic integrity inherited by her Walkley Award-winning father Gavin Souter (AO), Souter has sought to correct the misinformation on Doc and explain what he was up against.

"Doc had that thing about maintaining the integrity of the name, The Angels. He thought if his own name was tarnished, that was going to tarnish the name of The Angels. And he couldn't have it. Especially if it wasn't true," she says.

Bradshaw adds, "Remember that much of the bigger story happened upwards of 40 years ago. People move on with their lives, memories go dim, recollections change. And as even Her Majesty the Queen is wont to remind us, 'recollections may vary'. The real story for various reasons often takes time to emerge. Extensive new research and the surfacing of further information not available at the time has provided back stories to many events that up till this point were completely unknown."

So if you are an Angel's fan, or even if you are not, there is plenty to dig into in this integral and extensive coverage of one of our landmark heroes.

Then, just try firing up one of The Angel's famous tracks. It doesn't matter which one. Neeson's voice, and the Brewsters' iconic crackling guitar sound and rhythmic combination just takes you instantly back. Spend a moment, once the nerves have settled, and listen to Neeson's teeth gnaw over some lyrics. Ask yourself, 'Have I ever listened to a rock poet like this?'

Of course, you could be forgiven for thinking this rave was lifted from an album review from when the Angel's were breaking. With some fact checking, it almost could be true. But it doesn't do justice to his live work.

For that, you'd need to read the aforementioned prologue to Doc. Take it slow though. You don't want to miss a beat.