Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk - Legs McNeil, Gillian McCain

Submitted by lluncheon on Wed, 2014-02-05 12:54
Pat B.

Reading Please Kill Me: An Oral History of Punk Rock is like attending a raucous, bacchanalian dinner party where everyone's talking over each other, throwing food, guzzling and spilling drinks, taking drugs, etc. Sounds fun, right? Please Kill Me covers '67-'92: from the Velvet Underground and Warhol's factory to the tragic fall-out of the Reagan '80s. Cheerful, huh? Maybe not, but you do get the authentic-if-contradictory story of a movement that was led by junkies, nihilists, poets, opportunists and every other type of loser that populated the Lower East Side of Manhattan back then. So dive in, and be careful. As honorary punk William S. Burroughs said: "Life's a killer."

Music

Songbook - Nick Hornby

Submitted by lluncheon on Wed, 2014-02-05 13:01
Pat B.

We all have our favorite songs, but few of us can celebrate what makes them so great with such precise prose as author Nick Hornby (High Fidelity.) What may seem indulgent he makes an essential read for any music fan. Hornby's passion for music approaches a religious fervor. Along with his family and friends it is what gives meaning and shape to his life and work. He'll play Van Morrison's "Caravan" at his funeral while he's given up "Johnny Teardrop" by Suicide as he grows older. Songbook isn't fan-boy prose or high-brow music criticism, it's something beautiful in-between.

Music
Songbook By Nick Hornby Cover Image

Songbook (Hardcover)

By Nick Hornby
$30.00
ISBN: 9781938073847
Availability: Special Order—Subject to Availability
Published: McSweeney's - December 3rd, 2013

What You Want Is in the Limo: On the Road with Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, and the Who in 1973, the Year the Sixties Died - Michael Walker

Submitted by lluncheon on Wed, 2014-02-05 12:59
Pat B.

1973: The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Alice Cooper hit the road in support of their latest albums. The Who attempted to out-do Tommy with Quadrophenia, Led Zeppelin forsook the blues with Houses of the Holy, and Alice Cooper maximized the sleaze and satire with Billion Dollar Babies. These super-tours were a peak for the rock industry before Ticketmaster, AIDs, and drugs took their toll on all involved. Walker's extensive interviews focus on behind-the-scenes (anti-) heroes and heroines like Pete Rudge and Mary Beth Medley who ran these tours with just a map, a telephone, fortitude, forgiveness, and a big bag of cash. A raucous ride through sex, drugs, & rock-n-roll What You Want... is an essential tome for an unforgettable era.

Music

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