Author: Greil Marcus
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300196644
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 599
Book Description
The Washington Post hails Greil Marcus as our greatest cultural critic. Writing in the London Review of Books, D. D. Guttenplan calls him probably the most astute critic of American popular culture since Edmund Wilson. For nearly thirty years, he has written a remarkable column that has migrated from the Village Voice to Artforum, Salon, City Pages, Interview, and The Believer and currently appears in the Barnes & Noble Review. It has been a laboratory where Marcus has fearlessly explored and wittily dissected an enormous variety of cultural artifacts, from songs to books to movies to advertisements, teasing out from the welter of everyday objects what amounts to a de facto theory of cultural transmission. Published to complement the paperback edition of The History of Rock & Roll in Ten Songs, Real Life Rock reveals the critic in full: direct, erudite, funny, fierce, vivid, astute, uninhibited, and possessing an unerring instinct for art and fraud. The result is an indispensable volume packed with startling arguments and casual brilliance.
Real Life Rock
Author: Greil Marcus
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300196644
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 599
Book Description
The Washington Post hails Greil Marcus as our greatest cultural critic. Writing in the London Review of Books, D. D. Guttenplan calls him probably the most astute critic of American popular culture since Edmund Wilson. For nearly thirty years, he has written a remarkable column that has migrated from the Village Voice to Artforum, Salon, City Pages, Interview, and The Believer and currently appears in the Barnes & Noble Review. It has been a laboratory where Marcus has fearlessly explored and wittily dissected an enormous variety of cultural artifacts, from songs to books to movies to advertisements, teasing out from the welter of everyday objects what amounts to a de facto theory of cultural transmission. Published to complement the paperback edition of The History of Rock & Roll in Ten Songs, Real Life Rock reveals the critic in full: direct, erudite, funny, fierce, vivid, astute, uninhibited, and possessing an unerring instinct for art and fraud. The result is an indispensable volume packed with startling arguments and casual brilliance.
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300196644
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 599
Book Description
The Washington Post hails Greil Marcus as our greatest cultural critic. Writing in the London Review of Books, D. D. Guttenplan calls him probably the most astute critic of American popular culture since Edmund Wilson. For nearly thirty years, he has written a remarkable column that has migrated from the Village Voice to Artforum, Salon, City Pages, Interview, and The Believer and currently appears in the Barnes & Noble Review. It has been a laboratory where Marcus has fearlessly explored and wittily dissected an enormous variety of cultural artifacts, from songs to books to movies to advertisements, teasing out from the welter of everyday objects what amounts to a de facto theory of cultural transmission. Published to complement the paperback edition of The History of Rock & Roll in Ten Songs, Real Life Rock reveals the critic in full: direct, erudite, funny, fierce, vivid, astute, uninhibited, and possessing an unerring instinct for art and fraud. The result is an indispensable volume packed with startling arguments and casual brilliance.
More Real Life Rock
Author: Greil Marcus
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300260989
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 344
Book Description
A funny, fierce, and uninhibited musical chronicle of the convulsive recent past from one of our finest cultural critics "A one-of-a-kind guide to rock music's resonance in every aspect of our lives."--David Kirby, Wall Street Journal "A smart set of suggestions for further reading, viewing, and listening by a most trustworthy guide."--Kirkus Reviews For decades, celebrated author Greil Marcus has applied his unmatched critical apparatus to everything from music, television, radio, and politics to overheard comments, advertisements, and happenstance street encounters--an eclectic collection of what he calls "everyday culture and found objects." This book collects hundreds of items from the crisscrossing spectrum of culture and politics throughout the tumultuous past six years of American life, an essential travel guide to the scorched landscape of recent history. Tracking the evolution of national identity during the Trump administration, Marcus spotlights the most whip-smart cultural artifacts to compose a mosaic portrait of American society, replete with unexpected heroes and villains, absurdity and its consequences, humor and despair, terror and defiance--as seen through media, music, and more. Bursting with Marcus's effortless, no-nonsense, unapologetic verve, this book features seventy-three columns from 2014 through February 2021.
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300260989
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 344
Book Description
A funny, fierce, and uninhibited musical chronicle of the convulsive recent past from one of our finest cultural critics "A one-of-a-kind guide to rock music's resonance in every aspect of our lives."--David Kirby, Wall Street Journal "A smart set of suggestions for further reading, viewing, and listening by a most trustworthy guide."--Kirkus Reviews For decades, celebrated author Greil Marcus has applied his unmatched critical apparatus to everything from music, television, radio, and politics to overheard comments, advertisements, and happenstance street encounters--an eclectic collection of what he calls "everyday culture and found objects." This book collects hundreds of items from the crisscrossing spectrum of culture and politics throughout the tumultuous past six years of American life, an essential travel guide to the scorched landscape of recent history. Tracking the evolution of national identity during the Trump administration, Marcus spotlights the most whip-smart cultural artifacts to compose a mosaic portrait of American society, replete with unexpected heroes and villains, absurdity and its consequences, humor and despair, terror and defiance--as seen through media, music, and more. Bursting with Marcus's effortless, no-nonsense, unapologetic verve, this book features seventy-three columns from 2014 through February 2021.
History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs
Author: Greil Marcus
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300190301
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
The legendary critic and author of Mystery Train “ingeniously retells the tale of rock and roll” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Unlike previous versions of rock ’n’ roll history, this book omits almost every iconic performer and ignores the storied events and turning points everyone knows. Instead, in a daring stroke, Greil Marcus selects ten songs and dramatizes how each embodies rock ’n’ roll as a thing in itself, in the story it tells, inhabits, and acts out—a new language, something new under the sun. “Transmission” by Joy Division. “All I Could Do Was Cry” by Etta James and then Beyoncé. “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” first by the Teddy Bears and almost half a century later by Amy Winehouse. In Marcus’s hands these and other songs tell the story of the music, which is, at bottom, the story of the desire for freedom in all its unruly and liberating glory. Slipping the constraints of chronology, Marcus braids together past and present, holding up to the light the ways that these striking songs fall through time and circumstance, gaining momentum and meaning, astonishing us by upending our presumptions and prejudices. This book, by a founder of contemporary rock criticism—and its most gifted and incisive practitioner—is destined to become an enduring classic. “One of the epic figures in rock writing.”—The New York Times Book Review “Marcus is our greatest cultural critic, not only because of what he says but also, as with rock-and-roll itself, how he says it.”—The Washington Post Winner of the Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award in Music Criticism, given by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300190301
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 278
Book Description
The legendary critic and author of Mystery Train “ingeniously retells the tale of rock and roll” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Unlike previous versions of rock ’n’ roll history, this book omits almost every iconic performer and ignores the storied events and turning points everyone knows. Instead, in a daring stroke, Greil Marcus selects ten songs and dramatizes how each embodies rock ’n’ roll as a thing in itself, in the story it tells, inhabits, and acts out—a new language, something new under the sun. “Transmission” by Joy Division. “All I Could Do Was Cry” by Etta James and then Beyoncé. “To Know Him Is to Love Him,” first by the Teddy Bears and almost half a century later by Amy Winehouse. In Marcus’s hands these and other songs tell the story of the music, which is, at bottom, the story of the desire for freedom in all its unruly and liberating glory. Slipping the constraints of chronology, Marcus braids together past and present, holding up to the light the ways that these striking songs fall through time and circumstance, gaining momentum and meaning, astonishing us by upending our presumptions and prejudices. This book, by a founder of contemporary rock criticism—and its most gifted and incisive practitioner—is destined to become an enduring classic. “One of the epic figures in rock writing.”—The New York Times Book Review “Marcus is our greatest cultural critic, not only because of what he says but also, as with rock-and-roll itself, how he says it.”—The Washington Post Winner of the Deems Taylor Virgil Thomson Award in Music Criticism, given by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers
There Goes Gravity
Author: Lisa Robinson
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101632089
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
From a legendary music journalist with four decades of unprecedented access, an insider's behind-the-scenes look at the major personalities of rock and roll. Lisa Robinson has interviewed the biggest names in music--including Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Patti Smith, U2, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Jay Z and Kanye West. She visited the teenage Michael Jackson many times at his Encino home. She spent hours talking to John Lennon at his Dakota apartment--and in recording studios just weeks before his murder. She introduced David Bowie to Lou Reed at a private dinner in a Manhattan restaurant, helped the Clash and Elvis Costello get their record deals, was with the Rolling Stones on their jet during a frightening storm, and was mid-flight with Led Zeppelin when their tour manager pulled out a gun. A pioneering female journalist in an exclusive boys' club, Lisa Robinson is a preeminent authority on the personalities and influences that have shaped the music world; she has been recognized as rock jounralism's ultimate insider. A keenly observed and lovingly recounted look back on years spent with countless musicians backstage, after hours and on the road, There Goes Gravity documents a lifetime of riveting stories, told together here for the first time.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101632089
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 323
Book Description
From a legendary music journalist with four decades of unprecedented access, an insider's behind-the-scenes look at the major personalities of rock and roll. Lisa Robinson has interviewed the biggest names in music--including Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Patti Smith, U2, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Jay Z and Kanye West. She visited the teenage Michael Jackson many times at his Encino home. She spent hours talking to John Lennon at his Dakota apartment--and in recording studios just weeks before his murder. She introduced David Bowie to Lou Reed at a private dinner in a Manhattan restaurant, helped the Clash and Elvis Costello get their record deals, was with the Rolling Stones on their jet during a frightening storm, and was mid-flight with Led Zeppelin when their tour manager pulled out a gun. A pioneering female journalist in an exclusive boys' club, Lisa Robinson is a preeminent authority on the personalities and influences that have shaped the music world; she has been recognized as rock jounralism's ultimate insider. A keenly observed and lovingly recounted look back on years spent with countless musicians backstage, after hours and on the road, There Goes Gravity documents a lifetime of riveting stories, told together here for the first time.
Mystery Train
Author: Greil Marcus
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110166164X
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 1525
Book Description
Now Available as an eBook Catch a train to the heart of rock ‘n’ roll with this essential study of the quintessential American art form. First published in 1975, Greil Marcus’ Mystery Train remains a benchmark study of rock ‘n’ roll and a classic in the field of music criticism. Focusing on six key artists--Robert Johnson, Harmonica Frank, Randy Newman, the Band, Sly Stone, and Elvis Presley--Marcus explores the evolution and impact of rock ‘n’ roll and its unique place in American culture. This sixth edition of Mystery Train includes an updated and rewritten Notes and Discographies section, exploring the evolution and continuing impact of the recordings featured in the book.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110166164X
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 1525
Book Description
Now Available as an eBook Catch a train to the heart of rock ‘n’ roll with this essential study of the quintessential American art form. First published in 1975, Greil Marcus’ Mystery Train remains a benchmark study of rock ‘n’ roll and a classic in the field of music criticism. Focusing on six key artists--Robert Johnson, Harmonica Frank, Randy Newman, the Band, Sly Stone, and Elvis Presley--Marcus explores the evolution and impact of rock ‘n’ roll and its unique place in American culture. This sixth edition of Mystery Train includes an updated and rewritten Notes and Discographies section, exploring the evolution and continuing impact of the recordings featured in the book.
How to Rock Your Life
Author: Taraleigh Weathers
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781504355964
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 310
Book Description
How to Rock Your Life is the book the author wished existed when she was suffering from a chronic case of post-show blues. Beating them with a rainstick, a hacky-sack, and a big boatload of intentional life changes, she knew she had to share what she learned. If you're a live music fanatic, you'll go anywhere the music is playing for just one more taste of the good stuff. Is it possible to bring that live music magic home with you? It is, and Taraleigh Weathers will show you the way. Filled with entertaining, laugh-out-loud, inspiring, and vulnerable stories, been-there-done that advice, playful exercises, and many references to Phish and the Grateful Dead, How to Rock Your Life will guide you to maintain the live music magic in your everyday experience. Just like you do when your favorite band is performing, Taraleigh will show you how you can channel the wildest expression of your authentic self on a daily basis, feel those unique music festival feels at home, and find the magic in even the most mundane and uncomfortable of situations. She'll prove to you that it is indeed possible to surrender to the flow of the present moment before, during, and after the show. If you don't read this book, there'll be curse placed upon you. From now until eternity, the person next to you at the show will never stop talking from the time the band plays the first note until the last. Just kidding. The truth is that if you're seated next to Loose Lips Lucy, after reading this book, you'll have the tools to deal with that situation with ease and grace. Read the book. "The creative power of intention, visualization, prayer, hoping, loving, listening, legging go, being honest with yourself, curiosity, openness, patience, action, quietude, and forgiveness is boundless. Taraleigh sees this so clearly and teaches it in this book." -Oteil Burbridge Dead & Company/Bassist "The stories and advice from Taraleigh and her collaborators in 'How to Rock Your Life' will fill you with laughter, emotion, and encouragement. Her book truly embodies what she stands for as a person and will inspire anyone who reads it." -Ryan Dempsey Twiddle/Keyboardist "Taraleigh radiates positive energy, and a sense of wonder while embracing the endless possibilities each new day brings!" -Jay Blakesberg Long time photographer of the Grateful Dead and Author of Hippie Chick
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781504355964
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 310
Book Description
How to Rock Your Life is the book the author wished existed when she was suffering from a chronic case of post-show blues. Beating them with a rainstick, a hacky-sack, and a big boatload of intentional life changes, she knew she had to share what she learned. If you're a live music fanatic, you'll go anywhere the music is playing for just one more taste of the good stuff. Is it possible to bring that live music magic home with you? It is, and Taraleigh Weathers will show you the way. Filled with entertaining, laugh-out-loud, inspiring, and vulnerable stories, been-there-done that advice, playful exercises, and many references to Phish and the Grateful Dead, How to Rock Your Life will guide you to maintain the live music magic in your everyday experience. Just like you do when your favorite band is performing, Taraleigh will show you how you can channel the wildest expression of your authentic self on a daily basis, feel those unique music festival feels at home, and find the magic in even the most mundane and uncomfortable of situations. She'll prove to you that it is indeed possible to surrender to the flow of the present moment before, during, and after the show. If you don't read this book, there'll be curse placed upon you. From now until eternity, the person next to you at the show will never stop talking from the time the band plays the first note until the last. Just kidding. The truth is that if you're seated next to Loose Lips Lucy, after reading this book, you'll have the tools to deal with that situation with ease and grace. Read the book. "The creative power of intention, visualization, prayer, hoping, loving, listening, legging go, being honest with yourself, curiosity, openness, patience, action, quietude, and forgiveness is boundless. Taraleigh sees this so clearly and teaches it in this book." -Oteil Burbridge Dead & Company/Bassist "The stories and advice from Taraleigh and her collaborators in 'How to Rock Your Life' will fill you with laughter, emotion, and encouragement. Her book truly embodies what she stands for as a person and will inspire anyone who reads it." -Ryan Dempsey Twiddle/Keyboardist "Taraleigh radiates positive energy, and a sense of wonder while embracing the endless possibilities each new day brings!" -Jay Blakesberg Long time photographer of the Grateful Dead and Author of Hippie Chick
TIME-LIFE Rock & Roll
Author: The Editors of TIME-LIFE
Publisher: Time Home Entertainment
ISBN: 1683308115
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
From iconic love songs and odes to domestic bliss, to bloodcurdling screams and provocative performances, TIME-LIFE presents a history of rock and roll, and the stories behind the songs.
Publisher: Time Home Entertainment
ISBN: 1683308115
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 200
Book Description
From iconic love songs and odes to domestic bliss, to bloodcurdling screams and provocative performances, TIME-LIFE presents a history of rock and roll, and the stories behind the songs.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev
Author: Dawnie Walton
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982140186
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
An electrifying novel about the meteoric rise of an iconic interracial rock duo in the 1970s, their sensational breakup, and the dark secrets unearthed when they try to reunite decades later for one last tour. A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2021 BY BARACK OBAMA * THE WASHINGTON POST * NPR * ESQUIRE * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * GOODREADS * THE MILLIONS * READER’S DIGEST * PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER * EERIE READER * PUBLIC RADIO TULSA * CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY * KIRKUS REVIEWS “Feels truer and more mesmerizing than some true stories. It’s a packed time capsule that doubles as a stick of dynamite.” —THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, Afro-punk before that term existed. Coming of age in Detroit, she can’t imagine settling for a 9-to-5 job—despite her unusual looks, Opal believes she can be a star. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her at a bar’s amateur night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together for the fledgling Rivington Records. In early seventies New York City, just as she’s finding her niche as part of a flamboyant and funky creative scene, a rival band signed to her label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. Opal’s bold protest and the violence that ensues set off a chain of events that will not only change the lives of those she loves, but also be a deadly reminder that repercussions are always harsher for women, especially black women, who dare to speak their truth. Decades later, as Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton seizes the chance to curate an oral history about her idols. Sunny thought she knew most of the stories leading up to the cult duo’s most politicized chapter. But as her interviews dig deeper, a nasty new allegation from an unexpected source threatens to blow up everything. Provocative and chilling, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev features a backup chorus of unforgettable voices, a heroine the likes of which we’ve not seen in storytelling, and a daring structure, and introduces a bold new voice in contemporary fiction.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982140186
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 368
Book Description
An electrifying novel about the meteoric rise of an iconic interracial rock duo in the 1970s, their sensational breakup, and the dark secrets unearthed when they try to reunite decades later for one last tour. A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2021 BY BARACK OBAMA * THE WASHINGTON POST * NPR * ESQUIRE * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY * GOODREADS * THE MILLIONS * READER’S DIGEST * PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER * EERIE READER * PUBLIC RADIO TULSA * CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY * KIRKUS REVIEWS “Feels truer and more mesmerizing than some true stories. It’s a packed time capsule that doubles as a stick of dynamite.” —THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, Afro-punk before that term existed. Coming of age in Detroit, she can’t imagine settling for a 9-to-5 job—despite her unusual looks, Opal believes she can be a star. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her at a bar’s amateur night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together for the fledgling Rivington Records. In early seventies New York City, just as she’s finding her niche as part of a flamboyant and funky creative scene, a rival band signed to her label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. Opal’s bold protest and the violence that ensues set off a chain of events that will not only change the lives of those she loves, but also be a deadly reminder that repercussions are always harsher for women, especially black women, who dare to speak their truth. Decades later, as Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton seizes the chance to curate an oral history about her idols. Sunny thought she knew most of the stories leading up to the cult duo’s most politicized chapter. But as her interviews dig deeper, a nasty new allegation from an unexpected source threatens to blow up everything. Provocative and chilling, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev features a backup chorus of unforgettable voices, a heroine the likes of which we’ve not seen in storytelling, and a daring structure, and introduces a bold new voice in contemporary fiction.
Queen Unseen - My Life with the Greatest Rock Band of the 20th Century: Revised and with Added Material
Author: Peter Hince
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre
ISBN: 1784188794
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
Imagine being alongside one of the greatest bands in the history of rock, touring the world and being there as they perform at some of the best and biggest music venues in the world. Peter Hince didn't have to imagine: for more than a decade, he lived a life that other people can only dream of as he worked with Queen as head of their road crew. In 1973, Queen was the support act for Mott the Hoople, for whom Peter was a roadie. Back then, Queen had to content themselves with being second on the bill and the world had not yet woken up to the flamboyant talent of Freddie Mercury. Peter started working full time for Queen just as they were making A Night at the Opera, the album which catapulted them to international stardom. In this intimate and affectionate book, Peter recalls the highlights of his years with the band. He was with Freddie when he composed 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'; he was responsible for making sure that Freddie's stage performances went without a hitch - and was often there to witness his famed tantrums! He was also party to the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll which are invariably part of life on the road with a rock band.
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre
ISBN: 1784188794
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 292
Book Description
Imagine being alongside one of the greatest bands in the history of rock, touring the world and being there as they perform at some of the best and biggest music venues in the world. Peter Hince didn't have to imagine: for more than a decade, he lived a life that other people can only dream of as he worked with Queen as head of their road crew. In 1973, Queen was the support act for Mott the Hoople, for whom Peter was a roadie. Back then, Queen had to content themselves with being second on the bill and the world had not yet woken up to the flamboyant talent of Freddie Mercury. Peter started working full time for Queen just as they were making A Night at the Opera, the album which catapulted them to international stardom. In this intimate and affectionate book, Peter recalls the highlights of his years with the band. He was with Freddie when he composed 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'; he was responsible for making sure that Freddie's stage performances went without a hitch - and was often there to witness his famed tantrums! He was also party to the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll which are invariably part of life on the road with a rock band.
Life on Planet Rock
Author: Lonn Friend
Publisher: Crown Archetype
ISBN: 0307487490
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
For the generation coming of age in the years from 1987 to 1994, RIP magazine was every bit as crucial as Rolling Stone. Life on Planet Rock describes how Friend, the editor of RIP, became the Zelig-like chronicler of the biggest musical moments of that time—from introducing Guns N’ Roses (in nothing but a top hat, underwear, and cowboy boots) to sitting in during the making of Metallica’s "Black Album." Life on Planet Rock provides revealing portraits of artists as varied as Kurt Cobain, Gene Simmons, Alice Cooper, Axl Rose, James Hetfield, Steven Tyler, and many more. Part oral history, part candid and humorous memoir, it is a wormhole back to a fast-moving time in music that saw tastes flash from new wave to hair metal to grunge, told as only someone who was there through it all could tell it.
Publisher: Crown Archetype
ISBN: 0307487490
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
For the generation coming of age in the years from 1987 to 1994, RIP magazine was every bit as crucial as Rolling Stone. Life on Planet Rock describes how Friend, the editor of RIP, became the Zelig-like chronicler of the biggest musical moments of that time—from introducing Guns N’ Roses (in nothing but a top hat, underwear, and cowboy boots) to sitting in during the making of Metallica’s "Black Album." Life on Planet Rock provides revealing portraits of artists as varied as Kurt Cobain, Gene Simmons, Alice Cooper, Axl Rose, James Hetfield, Steven Tyler, and many more. Part oral history, part candid and humorous memoir, it is a wormhole back to a fast-moving time in music that saw tastes flash from new wave to hair metal to grunge, told as only someone who was there through it all could tell it.