Reviews (6)

not for sale
I read this book because I ordered it from an inter library loan. It is not for sale through Amazon much to my disappointment. The book is a good overview of Mr.Bean's work in films. It does not offer anything else.

Interesting read but...
Laura Jackson does get some of the details wrong, like stating that Sean Bean divorced his first wife after moving to London to attend at RADA. In reality, they split before. However, she provides an overall well-rounded portrait of the actor, which makes for an interesting if rather quick read. There are several pages of colour photos as well, an added point of interest, and fascinating details about several of Sean Bean's projects. How many people know that several of the cast of Sharpe got very ill from the Ukraine catering?

If you're looking for a book to fill in the gaps on your knowledge of this actor, or just something to while away a lazy summer afternoon, this one will do quite nicely. And the cover alone is gorgeous - surely Sean Bean should get an award for Best Smile of the Year?

Great title no content
I have been a fan of Sean Bean for some time - from the first time I saw the Sharpe series through the Robert Lovelace/Clarissa role and the odd villainous appearances. I don't generally read biographies of actors but thought since he'd portrayed such an interesting variety of characters that there would be an interesting person behind them. However, I wouldn't know if there was or not. He seems to have led an interesting life but there really isn't a shred of the man himself in this book.

Maybe it's too much to expect - I wasn't looking for dirt but I was certainly looking for substance and found nothing. "Everyone likes him, he's a man's man, he's a great actor". The book leads you to believe that he had about as much depth as a cereal bowl and I tend to think that there's more to this actor than that. I found it very vacuous.

Great for Fans who are new to the world of Sean Bean
As I am a relatively new devotee to the works of Sean Bean (FOTR), I found this a wonderful guide to his past roles. Although it does not delve very deeply into Sean as a person, it is a very useful travel guide to the World Of Bean. Also very nice to know that there are some actors who like "real" women & not skeletons!

An Interesting and Informative Biography
Born in Sheffield of working-class stock, Sean Bean has risen to become one of Britain's most popular and respected actors, while always remaining true to his roots. Biographer Laura Jackson does a splendid job of covering the life and career of this charismatic yet enigmatic individual.

Sean Bean is a very private individual, and apart from the first dozen pages which deal with his youth, and tidbits here and there pertaining to his personal life and relationships, the focus of the book is on his career. Commencing with his first acting job at the age of 21 in a 1980 production of "Cabaret," through his subsequent (and impressive) enrolment in London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and culminating with his role in 2001's "Fellowship of the Ring," Jackson takes us year by year through Bean's extensive and varied career. She presents a brief summary of each project Bean was involved in, as well as background information such as how the particular project came about, how or why Bean was chosen, and so on.

The project given the most attention in the book is the tremendously popular "Sharpe" series. With five series filmed over as many years, much of the latter half of the book is devoted to a behind-the-scenes look at this series. There are plenty of anecdotes from many involved in the production (including author Bernard Cornwell himself!), and it is the part of the book that I personally enjoyed the most.

Bean's character, personality and professional ability are revealed primarily through interviews with former tutors and teachers, as well as professional colleagues (such as directors, producers, and fellow actors). Being human, Bean is not without his flaws, and some of his opinions are sure to cause many a cringe. Overall, however, the portrait that is painted is of a man who, though naturally shy and reserved, is kind, thoughtful and considerate of others and whose unpretentious and down-to-earth nature belies his hard-earned status as an international celebrity.

As for the book itself, it is 231 pages and includes an index and a list of all Bean's appearances in film, television and theatre. There are 19 photos (mostly colour) on eight pages. Most of the photos are of Bean in his professional capacity; only three are of his family, and they are public shots rather than from any personal collection. There are (somewhat surprisingly) no photos of Bean growing up; the earliest photo of him is at age 21.

All in all, this was an interesting and informative book focusing on the career of a very talented and versatile actor. Recommended to fans of the "Sharpe" series or of Sean Bean's work in general. ... Read more

Book Description

After three decades of undying adoration, KISS fans will get their first fully authorized and total access look at the band who loves to "rock 'n' roll all nite and party every day!"Twenty years ago, KISS officially revealed the faces behind the stage makeup, and fans all over the world got their first look at the band. Now, in KISS: BEHIND THE MASK, the band's legion of fans and music enthusiasts alike will get to know the men behind the stage personas. After 30 years as a band, KISS are more than just a rock 'n' roll institution--they are legends. For decades, they have consistently remained among the most successful acts in the history of popular music. KISS' legendary stagemanship and extreme theatrics are well known by two generations of rock fans, and they are already pulling in the next one. Now, through their own words and exclusive material contributed by some of the biggest rock stars in the industry, KISS: BEHIND THE MASK will tell the band's full story. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Worth The Wait!
Heard rumours of this book a few years back at the NJ Kiss Convention. Just got my copy two days ago and have been absorbing the almost overwhelming amount of detail in the interviews. The band's entire album and song discography is talked about and it's incredible to finally hear what the band and all the poeple involved in the inner workings had to say all along in one complete book. Definately a MUST for real fans and may just be the best book on the band I've ever come across!

A treasure for KISS fans.
The key factor of the success of this book is that the first half was written in 1979. KISS was the biggest band on the planet, had peaked in their popularity, and was just about to start a tremendous career slump. The manuscript lay dormant fro a few decades until renewed interest sparked it's release.

The second half of the book consists of edited comments from band members, producers and sundry musicians, regarding all of their albums, songs and career choices. This half is fairly dry and clinical, but for those of you unfamiliar with their later phases, indispensible.

Let me return to the first portion of the book. What struck me was the singlemindedness displayed by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons from day ONE.
These guys had a plan and despite all odds, took themselves to the top. They were driven. I found their biographies to be fascinating...how they got be who they are.

I was the perfect age to be a KISS fan in the seventies. I loved comics. I was in junior high. My father took me to the L.A. concert that was recorded for "Alive II"
I still have the "I Was There" button.
I am the person this book was written for.

Having said that, I loved following the development of their "act".
Wanting only to "rock". Wanting only to entertain. Wanting to do something that no one had ever seen. I was impressed by their dedication to the concept of KISS.
I was also impressed by their candid comments. When they screw up, they're the first to speak up. When they got a bit too full of themselves, they tell you exactly when that happened.
The tensions between the two "factions" within the group, Paul/Gene vs. Ace/Peter is well described, and all of them are brutally about the faults of their bandmates as well as themselves.

Business ruthlessness or substance abuse, everybody's vice is on display here. Not in any tabloid sensationalistic fashion, but as clear sober history.

The album-by-album, track-by-track notes section is awesome for fans like myself. I joined the "KISS Army" between the "Alive" albums. "Destroyer", "Rock and Roll Over" and "Love Gun" were albums I knew inside and out. Played them 'til they were grooveless. I've developed a new appreciation for that era of their music. There's stuff here I didn't know or hadn't considered.

I enjoyed this book far more that I anticipated, and I anticipated that I was gonna like it a lot.

This Book Is Priceless - Behind the scenes of every song!!!
I got this book a few weeks ago. All I have to say is the section that goes over every Kiss album and every song is priceless. You find out which songs and albums the band loves and which ones they hate. This is a dream book if your into this type of thing. The bible of info on every Kiss song. Thats all that has to be said.

Extremely Well Written & Objective....
With tons of books swirling around regarding the now legendary KISS, it becomes very difficult to separate fact from fiction (for example, Gene & Paul really care about the fan$).
This book sheds away a lot of the bull and leaves the reader with a very objective & realistic picture of the band. Of all the books I have read on KISS, this one & Gordon G.G. Gebert's "Kiss & Tell" are far away the best. If the hardcover seems a little pricey, just search it out at your local library like I did. (Use the extra money to buy the remastered version of Ace's solo album). A must have read for anyone who had the orignal album posters from "Alive" on their bedroom wall. "Ace Frehley Lead Gee-tar!"

It's an ordinary book and the Kiss fans deserve better
This book is pretty much basic info about Kiss more aimed at newer fans or those mildly familiar with the band. Knowledgeable fans should avoid it. The flow of the book doesn't work for me as the comments by band members and others in the book gives it a confusing touch. Other reviewers have well detailed the flaws of this book but let me say it is average and adds little to understanding the Kiss legacy.

By far the best book on Kiss is "Kiss and Sell" by C.K. Lendt who was a former Kiss employee during their 70's heyday. This is the ultimate Kiss book and a fantastic rock book in and of itself. Buy this and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

"Authoritative . . . highly nuanced . . . gives the reader a palpable sense of Mr. Eastwood's career."
--The New York Times

From the moment The Man With No Name first fixed the screen with his murderous squint, from the first time audiences heard Dirty Harry Callahan growl "Make my day," Clint Eastwood has been an icon of American manhood in all its coolness and ferocity. But that icon is also an actor of surprising subtlety, a filmmaker of vast intelligence and originality--and an intensely private man who eludes the stereotypes with which his fans and critics try to label him.

In this in-depth biography, the distinguished film critic Richard Schickel talks with Eastwood's family, friends, and colleagues--and, above all, with his notoriously reticent subject--to produce a portrait more astute and revealing than any we have ever had.

Following Eastwood from his unstable childhood through his turbulent love affairs, assessing films from A Fistful of Dollars to the Oscar-winning The Unforgiven, and locating the subversive streak of rage and solitude that runs through all his work, Clint Eastwood is candid and endlessly fascinating, an unerring closeup of one of our brightest stars.

"Exhilarating . . . substantial, insightful, and right."
--Newsday ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Sufficient overview of Eastwood's career
With few biographies of Clint Eastwood available, Richard Schickel's 1996 effort fills a void. Unfortunately, the void, though smaller, still exists since this is far from an objective look at either Eastwood the man, the star, or the filmmaker. It's certainly not a surprise. Schickel wrote a 1992 TV special promoting "Unforgiven," and also compiled the film clips for the tribute preceding Eastwood's reciept of the Irving Thalberg Award at the 1995 Oscars. Eastwood cooperated with the author for this biography and even did some interviews in tandem with Schickel to promote the book. And when informing us that the critic for Life magazine praised 1968's "Hang 'Em High," Schickel neglects to point out the name of that critic who just so happened to be...duh, Richard Schickel. When biographer and subject are such good buddies, well, you just have to wonder if you're getting anything closely resembling the truth. But...

As an overview of Eastwood's career, particularly his transformation from a superstar in genre movies to respected auteur, it is sufficient, even though some easily detected errors go undetected ("Unforgiven" recieved 9 Oscar nominations, not 8 as Schickel says - doesn't anybody bother to check these things?).

Enjoyable read, very informative.
This is an excellent book about the life and work of a legend. Richard Schickel gives us a close look at the free spirited man that's living inside of the veteran actor. Very detail work about Mr. Eastwood's movie making process and his no bulls**t attitude toward the studio execs and anyone who stands on his way. Ms. Pauline Kael should just say it out loud that she's begging for the legend's attention or just shut the hell up. Any Eastwood fan will really appreciate the author's work.

A mixed bag biography
Being a huge fan of Eastwood as well as a close personal friend creates quite the conflict in TIME film critic Richard Schickel as he attempts to write a biography about an artist who closely guards his privacy. This obstacle results in a hap-hazard biography that provides few surprises or insights into the laconic, silent man who has become on of America's true unique artists.

Schickel also drives a stake through the pacing of his writing by providing scene by scene recounts of each of Eastwood's key films. He is overlooking the fact that the majority of his intended audience already has each film memorized. This causes the book to often languish in molasses and cause the reader to skim- never a good thing.

Where Schickel does succeed is in the all-too brief insights into Eastwood's technique and artistic philosophy. Had Schickel chosen to focus in this area, his work would have provided more depth and sustained interest.

As is CLINT EASTWOOD: A BIOGRAPHY is a mixed bag read. Worthwhile only if one is willing to skim.

A very good informative biography
Richard Schickel's biography of Clint Eastwood is very informative and immensely readable, though Schickel's critical distance may be marred by his closeness to Eastwood. (This book is sort of an authorized biography and had Eastwood's cooperation.) An interesting look at the last great icon of American cinema.

A Book For Insomnia
If you have trouble going to sleep, read this book. It's really dull.

This is no biography. It's a compilation of reviews from the author and a bunch of incidents in Eastwood's life that sounds like a copy-and-paste from press releases. As far as the reviews go, Eastwood does not star in bad movies. So, just rent the movies, and don't buy the book. I didn't buy it. I borrowed it from the library.

I read his Disney biography and some people say that is garbage. The Disney biography was interesting. This isn't. ... Read more

Book Description

George Harrison was one of the most adored and accomplished musicians of the rock & roll era. His brilliant, understated guitar playing helped define the sound of the Beatles, and his songs -- including "Something," "Here Comes the Sun" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" -- are among the group's finest. Harrison's lifelong quest for new sounds had a profound influence on the Beatles; he introduced the sitar and other Eastern instruments into the group -- and to rock & roll. In the late sixties he also led the Beatles to explore Eastern religion and embarked on a personal spiritual journey that continued for the rest of his life. In 1970, following the Beatles' breakup, Harrison released a solo masterpiece, All Things Must Pass, and the next year he pioneered rock's first large-scale charity event with the Concert for Bangladesh. Harrison launched a solo tour in 1974 and made a series of wonderful solo albums and side projects with friends like Eric Clapton, Ravi Shankar and fellow Beatle Ringo Starr. In the late eighties he formed the Traveling Wilburys with his friends Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne, but Harrison spent most of that decade and the nineties at home in England and Hawaii, tending to his garden, playing the ukulele and enjoying a quiet life with his wife, Olivia, and son, Dhani.

ROLLING STONE featured George Harrison on its cover three times for his post-Beatles work and eight times as a Beatle. He was also featured on the cover of a special commemorative issue, as well as on the magazine's regular edition, following his death from cancer at age fifty-eight, on November 29, 2001. Now, in a definitive tribute that features a new foreword by Olivia Harrison, the editors have drawn on their archives and hundreds of photographs, both the iconographic and the rarely seen, to celebrate the life and career of one of the most important musicians in rock & roll history.

Compiled by the editors of ROLLING STONE, Harrison chronicles the guitarist's life before, during and after the Beatles. Contributing editor Mikal Gilmore offers an expansive, thoughtful new essay, "The Mystery Inside George." ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award winner and ROLLING STONE senior editor David Fricke tells the stories behind Harrison's best-known songs, and offers a guide to twenty-five essential Harrison recordings. Harrison also features news stories and interviews with the guitarist from throughout ROLLING STONE's history -- from his first Q&A with the magazine, in 1968, to his last, a 1987 interview with ROLLING STONE contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis.

Harrison also collects more than one hundred photographs -- from intimate, never-before-seen family photos to iconic images of Harrison as a member of the world's most photographed band. The work of nine renowned photographers is featured in a stunning sixty-page gallery. Included among them are German photographers Max Scheler's and Jürgen Vollmer's early photos of the band's wild days in Hamburg. There is also the deeply personal work of Astrid Kirchherr, who shot the Beatles' earliest formal portraits in a Hamburg fairground and became a close friend of George's. P.J. Griffiths photographed the band for a newspaper article in 1963 on the Liverpool scene. David Hurn shot the filming of A Hard Day's Night and Help! Curt Gunther was one of the few photographers allowed to travel with the group during their 1964 North American tour. And Mark Seliger shot what became the definitive late-period portrait of Harrison for ROLLING STONE's twenty-fifth anniversary issue in 1992. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Beautiful photographs
The somewhat neglected Beatle gets his just rewards in this beautifully produced book which is memorable chiefly because of the photographs. Many are by noted early Beatle photographer Dezo Hoffman and they are stunning and previously unpublished. I have hundreds of Beatles books and this one comes into its own solely because of the weight and merit of the photos. The text is another matter. There are several glaring errors (George and Patty were not married in 1965, but a year later) and the analysis of George and Eastern mysticism is a not quite accurate. The description of Harrison's personal friendship with Ravi left something to be desired.

In addition, this is revisionist history and it's understandable, since the book was hustled into circulation on the heels of George's untimely death. But it's a stretch, to put it mildly, to place Harrison in the same league as Lennon & McCartney as a songwriter. Ouch! I love George as much as anyone, but still expect truthful history to be written.

Another nice aspect is that much space is devoted to George's post-Beatles career, a period which spanned more than 30 years and left us with some magical songs. It was wonderful to see much text devoted to George's relationships with Dylan, Petty, Orbison and Jeff Lynne. If you are a George fan, this is an essential contribution to your library.

Marvelous Book
If you want a serious, mature tribute to George Harrison, buy this book. Lavishly and lovingly illustrated, it's a compilation of wonderful articles, from "A Rare Visit to Friar Park" to "Twenty-Five Essential Musical Moments," and from "The Historic 1971 Concert for Bangladesh" to "The Strings of His Heart." Each article is excellent and makes one want to keep reading.

My favorite parts of this book are "Remembering George," a section of super tributes written by such people as Paul Simon, Yoko Ono, and Tom Petty; and "A Few Words About George," an incredibly moving, beautiful, inspirational foreword by Olivia Harrison. The latter alone is reason enough to buy this book; no true George Harrison fan would want to miss it.

I'm grateful to the Editors of Rolling Stone for publishing this book; it's a treasure I will cherish for years to come. I'm grateful, too, to Amazon.com for carrying "Harrison." I promise you, you'll not find a better tribute to this marvelous man and his music.

THE CONFLICTED ONE
Harrison is a coffee table book put out by the editors of Rolling Stone as a tribute to the late Beatles guitarist. What you have here is mostly pictures but there is text in the form of a short biography that scans over George's whole career. It features photographs from the 60s when Beatlemania was at its height and even offers commentary by the people who took those pictures. It also has pictures of his post Beatle career. It also has musical documentation of all of Harrison's output on his and other artist recordings. All of his interviews in Rolling Stone magazine are compiled in this book.

The picture of George that emerges after reading this book is of a man who ideally lives his life according to certain religious precepts but nevertheless has to live in the material world. Left to himself, George would have painted himself as a purely spiritual being. The pettiness of the Beatles in their breakup and how shamefully they all acted, including George himself, shows that no divine being can exist in human flesh. It seems he was always conflicted between being an entertainer and being somewhat of a divine monk. I don't think he ever reconciled the two.

An especially poignant moment is when an interviewer asks him about his relationship with John Lennon right before he was shot to death. George says that he felt John was trying to reconnect with him. He went to see him in New York and he could tell John wanted so badly to restart a relationship with him but because of his circumstances, probably Yoko's possessiveness of him, he could not communicate what he wanted to say.

It was also apparent that time heals most wounds and that George was at peace with his Beatles past, a past which at one time he hated. He seemed resentful that all his life was judged by a span of 7 short years. Remember, he was only 27 years old at the time the Beatles broke up. Paradoxically, he missed his old band, just like John, Paul, and Ringo did. Beneath all their spats in later years, they knew they had a good situation. They were the best band on the planet.

Great tribute to George
A loving tribute and great coffee table book. A must have!

George Harrison is sorely missed.
I have and always will be a Beatles fan. The best of all of them was George Harrison. It was the sadest day in Nov. 2001, when he passed away. I have heard that this book was comming out in the spring of 02. And It tells the most fasinating and interesting things about him. Things I probably didn't know myself. That is why I am getting this book. As it is rated the best ever written story about him. I am very excited about reading this and learning more about the "Quiet Beatle". I would recommend this book to anyone who is a George Harrison fan. And I am sure that I will cherish this book forever. Miss you George~~ ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Her father and her uncle were U.S. congressmen. Her grandfather was a U. S. senator. Although born to privilege in Alabama and groomed in a convent school, Tallulah Bankhead resolved not to be just another Southern belle.

Quickly she rose to the top and became an acclaimed actress of London's West End and on the Broadway stage. Her performances in many plays of the 1920s brought her to the notice of Hollywood. She starred in such Paramount films as My Sin, Faithless, The Devil and the Deep, and Thunder Below. Even though she won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for her leading role in Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944), she never achieved the prominence in movies that she enjoyed in the theater and on radio. On the New York stage she originated the starring roles of Regina Giddens in Lillian Hellman's The Little Foxes and of Sabina in Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth.

Tallulah, like Eudora, Flannery, and Coretta, was a southern woman identifiable by her first name. Her flamboyant public personality may be the most fully realized and memorable character Bankhead ever played. She became famous for her snappy repartee, candid quotes, and scandalous lifestyle. She was disposed to remove her clothes and chat in the nude. Overfond of Kentucky bourbon and wild parties, she was a lady baritone who called everybody "Dahling."

In Tallulah, first published in 1952 and a New York Times bestseller for twenty-six weeks, Bankhead's literary voice is as lively and forthright as her public persona. She details her childhood and adolescence, discusses her dedication to the theater, and presents amusing anecdotes about her life in Hollywood, New York, and London. Along with a searing defense of her lifestyle and rambunctious habits, she provides a fiercely opinionated, wildly funny account of American stage at a time when the movies were beginning to cast theater into eclipse. This is not only a memoir of an independent woman but also an insider look at American entertainment during a golden age. ... Read more

Book Description

Double Down is a true story, a terrifying roller-coaster ride deep into the heart of two men, and into the world of floating Gulf Coast casinos. When both of their parents died within a short time of each other, the writers Frederick and Steven Barthelme, both professors of English in Mississippi, inherited a goodly sum of money. What followed was a binge during which they gambled away their entire fortune-and more. And then, in a cruel twist of fate, they were charged with cheating at the tables.

Told with a mixture of sadness and wry humor, and with a compelling look at the physical aura of gambling-the feel of the cards, the smell of the crowd, the sounds of the tables-Double Down is a reflection on the lure of challenging the odds, the attraction of stepping into the void. A cautionary tale (the brothers were eventually exonerated), it is a book that, once read, will never be forgotten.

... Read more

Reviews (43)

A must read!!!
Excellent! A wonderfully entertaining story, beautifully told. The only problem, I wish it had gone another 100 pages! This is one of those stories you wish someone would develop into a screenplay for a movie!
Final thoughts: BUY THIS BOOK! You wont be disappointed!

Of Nepotism and Naivete
First, the obvious:neither Barthelme brother would have cushy college-teaching jobs had not their eldest brother, Donald, been a trendy post-modernist icon. The younger brother, Steven B., has managed to publish exactly one (1) book of short stories; Rick, the larger, plumper one, has some sort of gossamer reputation among those who like trailer-park fiction.There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of better writers with better qualifications who would kill and maim with gleeful abandon for jobs at Southern Mississippi -- and who would devote themselves to those jobs, and to their students, rather than run off two or three times a week to squander Daddy's money at the blackjack tables [disclaimer: the undersigned thinks she is one of those "better writers"]. That said, this slender volume does indeed fascinate: I read it straight through in five hours, and so will most readers of a literary bent. The brothers B. have in fact done me a service, one years of shrink visits and antidepressants have failed to do -- in one stroke, they have made me glad, glad, glad that I abandoned the academy, failed to obtain a Ph.D., and find myself teaching high school English thirty years after my Iowa fiction MFA. Theirs is a cautionary tale, of what may happen to smart people with minimal reality contact and few, if any, day-to-day responsibilities. The cavernous lack of common-sense knowledge they display in their forays to the Gulf Coast casinos would be inconceivable to anyone who's punched a clock or handled an insurance claim.They are actually surprised to find that casinos have a corporate identity! Gee, they thought those people were their friends ... gahh!As for the dead father they apparently despised, I felt sorry for D. Barthelme Sr.His hard work, his habits of deep thinking and attention to detail, become monstrosities in the ham-hands of his two youngest sons, who in fifty-plus years on this planet have not managed to obtain perspective one. The book is good -- the descriptions of gambling's intoxications, the minute processing of each foolish and silly and self-deluding thought as it arises, are executed with consummate skill -- and yet one can't help concluding, as the memoir shrinks down upon itself into a puddle of anticlimax, that six months or so in prison would have been good for these men, taught them a painful life-lesson or two. Crucial to an understanding of the brothers' plight is the fact that neither Barthelme bothered to have children, thus giving themselves the right to be babies forever. They are not so much perpetual adolescents as they are pre-pubescent (wife and girlfriend notwithstanding), mired forever in Fiftiesland where, if you want to be a cowboy, you just put on the hat and yell, "Bang-bang!" They are not intellectual -- or accomplished -- enough for the ivory-tower defense they so quickly assume; what they are, are second- and third-tier journeymen blessed with a famous name and a glib ability to sling the relativist Crisco. While one may end up wishing Barthelme Sr., who unlike his sons appeared to be able to distinguish right from wrong, had willed his inheritance somewhere else, this reviewer is grateful for the folly of his heirs. A job at Southern Mississippi may be gravy, but that thin gruel isn't nourishing.Real life is the real meat.

A story of loss
Double Down is a terrific book about loss. Frederick and Steve Barthelme are brothers who moved to Mississippi to become college professors. They come from a very close knit family, and when it is unwoven from the death of their Mother and Father, a gambling addiction is triggered. Steve and Frederick become regulars at The Grand, a local casino, and they start going at least once a week and spending the whole night there all the way into early morning. After blowing all of their inheritance from their parents, they are acussed of cheating. They were indicted and charged with a felony, and forever kicked out of their favorite casino. This didn't stop their gambling addiction, however it did slow it down. They make fewer trips, to another casino and are less intense gamblers.

The book was well written and for the most part it kept my attention. Some parts they seemed to ramble off about their parents and family, and it gets slow. The accounts of their gambling binges keep you wanting more. They know they should stop, but keep throwing their money in anyway. I recommend this to everyone who is intrested in gambling.

Double Down
Double Down, a book about two brothers who discover the world of gambling, has the suspense and drama needed for a good gambling story. The two brothers, who happen to be respectable college professors, move down South to Mississippi to be around their parents. The family, which has drifted apart through the years, has come together for their parent's final years. Soon after their dad die's, the inheritance money starts burning a hole in the brother's pockets. Riverboat gambling puts out the fire. The wild ride lasts for two years, until the Casino accuses them of cheating. Through it all, the brother's learn about themselves, family, and why people do the things they do.

Good story poorly told
An interesting book for anyone who's ever been addicted, especially to gambling. This work has a major weakness, the lack of an ending, satisfactory or otherwise. The idea that gambling addicts could spend as much time at the casinos as they say they did and not shortchange their employer and students, doesn't ring true. Also, there is no indication that either brother kept a detailed diary during their gambling sprees. The details, amounts, conversations,they supposedly recall for the book are suspect. Still, Double Down is a decent read. The brothers, however, were about the easiest pickings ever to enter a den of gambling. They learned surprisingly little about how to gamble. There is a bookshelf full of better books on the gambling life than this one. For example,Anthony Holden's Big Deal, Andy Bellin's Poker Nation, Jesse May's Shut Up and Deal, Ben Mezrich's Bring Down the House. ... Read more

Amazon.com

John Lennon could be angry, as he is in Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970, and nasty, as proven by Albert Goldman's brilliant, scathing The Lives of John Lennon.

But he could also be charming, smart, and extraordinarily witty, as he is in his last interview, published in book form as All We Are Saying. Co-interviewee Yoko Ono is charm-free but valuable, because she sparks the conversation and brings up fascinating stuff that Lennon wished she hadn't, like their mad plots to kidnap her daughter from her ex-husband. As interviewer David Sheff's tape rolls, John and Yoko's anecdotes flow effortlessly: the joys of making their 1980 comeback album, Double Fantasy; the mortifying horrors of John's "lost weekend" in L.A. with Harry Nilsson; John's interestingly twisted family life; John and Yoko and Paul's last get-together, watching Saturday Night Live the night producer Lorne Michaels offered the Beatles $3,200 to reunite on the show (they almost got in a cab and did it!).

Best of all is Lennon's song-by-song account of who wrote which famous tunes and where they came from. "Strawberry Fields" contains an entire childhood memoir, and the production reflects Paul's alleged "sabotage" of Lennon's work. "Please Please Me" was based on a Roy Orbison melody and Bing Crosby's punning song title "Please (Lend an Ear to My Pleas)." The "element'ry penguins" in "I Am the Walrus" refer to idiots like Allen Ginsberg who chant "Hare Krishna" worshipfully. "Hey Jude" was Paul's song comforting John's son Julian when John left his family for Yoko, and Paul's unconscious, reluctant farewell to his writing partner ("go out and get her").

Lennon had been publicly silent and artistically dormant for five years before these interviews, and he was just bursting with the exhilaration of the rebirth of his imagination days before his death. Reading this book is like sharing a day in the life of a very happy man. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Reviews (12)

essential reading
This book is basically a re-issue of 'The Playboy Interviews With John Lennon & Yoko Ono - The Final Testament" (Berkley Books, New York, 1982, ISBN 0-425-05989-8) with a new preface. It contains the last interviews with John & Yoko conducted in September 1980 (first published in the December 1980 issue of Playboy) and is absolutely essential reading for any Beatles fan.
The interviews stand out for their honesty and frankness and provide (among other things) a very good insight into John's views of The Beatles. The part where John discusses almost every released Beatles' song is a joy to read and read again.
Of course John's relation with Yoko also gets ample exposure.
If this book is still missing from your collection, get it now!

Very moving
Right before his death in 1980, John Lennon gave his most open and candid interviews. In 1980, Lennon was out of the public limelight for 5 years, was happily married, had a son, and his comeback album Double Fantasy was selling well. Previous interviews were usually marred by his overhwelming sense of anger, cynicusm anbd political activism that almost got him deported in the early 70s. With that behind him, Lennon was ready to move forward with life, and candidly talked about his troubled youth, his inspiration from rock and roll, his time with the Beatles, his solo career, Yoko, and his plans for the future. You read htis and think "oh how nice, he has finally found himself, and he's finally happy," but then unfortunately you feel sad at the same time, considering the events that happened right after these interviews. It's very sad and a letdown because he was so optimistic with quotes like "and I'll continue to do what I'm doing until I'm dead which hopefully won't be for a very long time."

Even though his bliss was tragically cut short, these interviews with John Lennon serve as a good epitaph of his life, and even serve him better than most of his uneven solo career.

A must have for any Lennon fan
John Lennon gave only two lengthy, in-depth interviews in his life. The first was in 1970 to Rolling Stone magazine and his final interview was given in 1980 to Playboy, which is reproduced here. Both are instructive to read, especially when you contrast their tone and content. The Lennon in the 1970 Rolling Stone interview had just left the Beatles and was trying desperately to convince the interviewer and the public that it just didn't bloody matter. Though history has shown Lennon emerged from the Beatles break-up much more undamaged emotionally than McCartney, the dissolution of his band was bound to leave some scars. John puts up a bit of a front here and I fear he doth protest too much, especially when he says he can't remember much about the Beatles and didn't think they were that great of a band to begin with.

In 1980, John was coming out of his self-imposed "house husband" exile and had recorded his first record in five years. The most interesting chapters of the interview are undoubtedly his thoughts about the Beatles and his individual bandmates. Whereas in 1970, John claimed Lennon and McCartney rarely collaborated on a song post-1964, he corrects this in these '80 recollections. He tells some wonderful stories about Ringo and how he helped George with the lyrics to Taxman in 1966. He also talks about how hurt he was when George omitted reference to him in his memoirs.

These interviews should be an integral part of any Lennon collection and makes for some excellent reading. Whether you've grown up on Lennon or are new to him, this is an indispensable tool in trying to understand his mindset just before he was senselessly murdered by Mark David Chapman on the sidewalk in front of the Dakota. What a terribly dark day that was.

It's like sitting at John's table and conversing.
This is not a literary classic,and I normaly do not read books about celebraties, but this paperback is just great. John Lennon goes through many of the Beatle songs and lets you know who did what, and what he thought about each song. Many little story's, and some verbal feedback on his solo album's. I cannot say I have/had a favorite Beatle, I liked all four of them and this book is just like sitting down with a Beatle and discussing the old days. It's not a Bio discussing the dark side of a rocker, or a sunny picture of a celebratie. It's just a Beatle on The Beatles. For a baby-boomer like myself it is pure nostalgia. It also re-kindles the old depressing feelings I had when he was murdered back in 1980, and I wonder why anyone would kill a Beatle.

Astounding
In my top ten list of books. Moving and inspiring. Read it. ... Read more

Book Description

In this moving and poignant autobiography, Yanni shares with his readers the story of his immense success, but also of the failures along the way.He tells the story of staging three career-defining concerts at The Acropolis in Athens, and the toll it took on him; his relationship with his father; his intense nine-year love affair with Linda Evans, and the exhaustion and depression that made him leave Linda and quit music altogether-before his eventual renewal and return. Yanni, In Words is more than just an autobiography. Woven through this text is a variety of lessons he's learned, including working through pain, keeping an open mind, and his discoveries about the creative process-and how anyone can access it. Yanni, In Words is the story no one knows and millions have been waiting for. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Pleasantly Surprised
I''ve been a big fan of Yanni's over the years, but not so much where I knew his life story. After seeing his most recent concert for his new CD Ethnicity, I was inspired to read his book. I was pleasantly surprised that the book kept me glued from page to page. There were things I learned about Yanni I never knew. It's easy to conjure up an image of a famous entertainer based on interviews, media coverage, etc. His "story" was actually very enlightening -- like, I always thought Yanni was a health nut. I find out he's a big smoker and coffee drinker. (I think he's since quit smoking.) I thought he had help along the way in building his amazing career. He did not. He had to do it all on his own. The book reveals the amazing battle he had convincing the music industry of the appeal of his music. Yanni had to make everything in his career happen himself - including gambling millions of his own money to make the Acroplis, Taj Mahal, and Forbidden City concerts happen. It paid off for him in spades.

I also got insight into his relationship with Linda Evans. Linda participated in this book.
In the end, I now look at Yanni a little differently. When I listen to his music, I "hear" more -- I know his story from whence these songs come.
Yanni fans will not be disappointed with this book. It's a very candid and honest account of Yanni's life.
I can't imagine anyone other than a Yanni fan or one who appreciates the kind of music and artistry he's created caring to read this book though.

Yanni has found a new medium along with music!
I wonder why MARY from Long Island have it 2 stars...

I've read many biographies, but this one is by far the best. This isn't one of those "I wish this was shorter" or "*Yawn*" type books. In this book, Yanni is very articulate about his emotions, but even more, it's exciting. It covers everything from his childhood in a picturesque seaside village to his historic concerts at the Taj Mahal to his insights on creativity. Words aren't quite my medium either, i'm an introvert, but I feel that people need to know about this book. Even if you're not a Yanni fan, this book teaches many valuable lessons, which has begun to make my life better believe it or not. And more than often, I've laughed my head off at some wonderfully hilarious moments.

This truly is the man behind the music, or even more the spirit behind mankind.

INSPIRING JUST AS HIS MUSIC!!!
YANNI IN WORDS, the awaited biography, of a great instrumental artist.

The book is magnificent, full of events, stories & lessons... Yanni is very open and honest, discussing most of his life details. The book is very surprising infact in several aspects.
It's inspiring, emotional, interesting, uplifting, optimistic & detailed.

I recommend this book to all, whether fans or non-Yanni fans, since the book mainly focuses on life aspects, and how Yanni dealt with such situations. It's like talking about his journey with life, rather than focusing on his music only & himself.

Personally, I learnt many things about the man, life, and success, which shall benefit anyone who reads it. Yanni talks about his experiences, music, creativity, childhood, relations, concerts, achievements, his parents, Greece, etc

I see YANNI IN WORDS as a book about Life, rather than just a simple biography of an artist. Simply, you live it... :)

Way to go Yanni, another great master piece of work! ;)

This book has no soul
A thoroughly bland book, written in a matter-of-fact, flat narrative -- sorely lacking depth and dimension. There is no sign of introspection or personal reflection, only Yanni's inflated ego. The book is a simple-minded retelling of his life. Yanni's self importance and arrogance lurk throughout. While he purports to "tell it like it is," it is apparent he is most concerned with portraying himself in a certain light. Even when he talks about things like his rock 'n roll days, he makes sure he doesn't come off looking too bad, i.e. "every one was doing it then" and "I was always upfront with the girls before getting intimate with them." (Hmmmm). It seems his ego is such that he can't really reflect upon his own weaknesses and mistakes - he can only make excuses. His memory and accounts of some of the facts in the book are equally biased and inaccurate. One can only hope that he isn't as monochromatic and one-dimensional in his own mind as he comes off in this book.

Another Masterpiece
I picked up the book because I love the man's music but my expectations were not high. But I was thrilled at yet another masterpiece (in words - this time) from the maestro.In this completely honest introspective autobiography you are informed,entertained, at times saddened but above all inspired. A look into what makes music,creativity and an inspiring life. In Yanni's words "Dive in, and let the magic begin." ... Read more

Book Description

The national best-selling autobiography of Bill Graham, the colorful, larger-than-life architect of the modern concert industry.

As a child, Bill Graham fled Europe to escape Hitler's armies. He grew up on the streets of New York and in the dining rooms of the hotels in the Catskills. After failing as an actor, he headed for San Francisco right before the Summer of Love where he founded the Fillmore and launched the rock icons of a generation--Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Jefferson Airplane, Cream, the Grateful Dead, and more. He was a complex, caring, compassionate whirlwind of energy who rock stars either loved--or hated.

In his own voice and those of the people who knew him--Jerry Garcia, Keith Richards, Grace Slick, Ken Kesey, Eric Clapton, Pete Townshend, and Carlos Santana--we hear Bill's story as well as the scoop on the major events in rock for more than three decades, ending with his tragic death in a 1991 helicopter crash. Gritty, moving, funny, and always fascinating, Bill Graham Presents is the inside story of the explosive and unforgettable man who created the business of rock. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Want to know what it's like...
As a former roadie, this book gives a very accurate depiction of what it was like in the last 20-30 years in the concert tour industry. My experience comes firsthand, as well through the lore that is passed down from seasoned veterans. Bill Graham was an inspiring, hard-headed, revolutionary and daring character that made the concert experience what it is today, both for punters and roadies.

A must read for rock or any music fans.

A Great, True-Life Account
'My Life Inside Rock and Out' is a very interesting account of the great rock'n'roll impresario Bill Graham, documenting his rough beginnings from the East Coast to San Francisco, where he really settled in to sink his teeth into putting on some amazing shows such as Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, the Doors, etc. Bill Graham was perfect for the budding psychedelic rock and blues industry because he had a strong business sense but also a tolerance for the absurd- and you will read more than a few absurd accounts in this book. What Mr. Graham did with BGP, the Fillmore, and the Shoreline, to name but a few, was so enriching to the Bay Area musical community, not to mention he also put on shows in the far reaches of the world. He was an agent/producer before things became so commercialized and calculated, and his tragic death struck a very deep and elegaic chord which still now resonates off the walls of corporate-sanitized America. But I Ratmouse will NEVER forget him.

Portrait Of An Era
This is a book that tells the life story of Bill Graham and rock'n'roll as it existed in New York and San Francisco in the 1960's to his death in 1991. It is told in an "interview" format: whereby it has "Bill" and his narrative on a subject, followed by, say, "Graham Nash" and his contributions, and so on, in roughly a chronological order.

It is an effective method that, in a few cases, would have benefitted from some editor's notes. Also, I would have liked more factual information (i.e., a listing of bands that played at his venues, addresses, dates of operations, etc.) that would have been valuable to read.

With that, it tells the story of rock'n'roll in the U.S. - and especially from 1965 to 1971. For that, it is invaluable.

horatio alger in the flesh
I am impressed with the stories in this book. First and foremost, there is Mr Bill Graham. Surviving the Holocaust, arriving in the US with less than nothing he was to become not only a successful entrepreneur, but also an icon. He is the promotor who developed the stadium concert format in the late sixties and early seventies. In addition to his own story, there are the stories of the bands who have become household names. If a rock band toured the US, Mr Graham was probably involved, especially if they played in either New York or San Francisco. This book is chock full of stories which make many a rock idol much more human. Unfortunately, it also reveals some of them as "scum buckets". If you are interested in a real-life, rags to riches story, or in popular music, this book will be interesting to you.

One of the greatest 'Rock' books of all time
I truly can't say enough about this book. It's an incredibly informative piece of work, insightful in so many ways other than simply the rock industry--although it has a lot to say about that too. But the the story of Bill Graham's life is far more entertaining than any self-indulgent 'memoir' you can possibly think of.

You don't have to be a music fanatic to love this book; just a human being is enough. But for a behind-the-scenes look at Woodstock, Altamont, Live Aid, Amnesty Internation, the Stones various tours, CSNY, Santana, the Dead... you can't get anything that compares to it.

RIP Bill. You definitely deserve it. ... Read more

Book Description

Russell Simmons, the original and eternal hip-hop mogul, is one of the most innovative and influential figures in modern American business and culture. When no one outside of inner-city New York had even heard of hip-hop, Simmons saw the seeds of a global force that would change the way people talk, dress, listen to music, and choose the heroes they hang on their walls. Today, he oversees a sprawling, multimillion-dollar empire of culture-defining businesses in everything from music to fashion, advertising to film, and media to visual art. At the same time he’s broadened his interests and influence and pushed hip-hop to new plateaus of power and relevance. Life and Def is a one-of-a-kind tale that interweaves the remarkable journey of Russell Simmons with the story of the culture he’s transformed and been transformed by.

In his own brash, compelling voice, Simmons chronicles his numerous business successes and occasional failures. He tells the story of the founding of the legendary Def Jam Records, whose roster stretches from original rap icons like L.L. Cool J, Public Enemy, and the Beastie Boys to today’s top stars, including Jay-Z and DMX. He traces the launching of Def Comedy Jam, the long-running hit television series that introduced a new generation of black comedic stars to America, from Martin Lawrence and Bill Bellamy to Bernie Mac and Chris Rock. He spins hilarious tales of his adventures in Hollywood, where he’s produced hit movies like Eddie Murphy’s The Nutty Professor and worked with quirky geniuses like Abel Ferrara. He also tells the story of Phat Farm, the wildly successful pioneering urban clothing label whose origins lay in Russell’s longtime fascination with fashion (and fashion models).

Simmons’s story is also one of personal transformation, from the driven man who in the heady days of early success indulged himself with drugs, sex, and world-class decadence to the husband and father he is today, a man who has found meaning in activism, philanthropy, and spiritual practice while never losing his passion for the social, political, artistic, and commercial potential of hip-hop.

Through it all he relates telling anecdotes about the characters he’s dealt with: models and gangsters, street poets and gurus, and major players like Donald Trump, Sean Combs, Jon Peters, and Tupac Shakur. Full of advice, opinions, and behind-the-scenes scoop, Life and Def is the story of the quintessential hip-hop life.
... Read more

Reviews (16)

Some very valuable information
When I first started reading this book there became a point when I wanted to stop because of the writing being so horrible. Russell Simmons uses so much profanity and I know that he believes that he is being real by doing so much cursing. However, at the same time the usage of so much profanity shows a lack of creativity in the usage of the English language.

However, in the middle of book the until the end of it Mr. Simmons gave us some valuable information about how the big parent record companies really don't want to see companies like Def Jam, Uptown, and other companies that specialize in producing hip hop artists to succeed. In the same aspect Russell Simmons sheds some light on Andre Harrell firing Puff Daddy from Uptown records and how the big executives at MCA did not like Puffy or Biggie Smalls levels of success which was too great for the executives over at MCA to handle. The book is a must read for all people aspiring to enter the music game period and how recording artists are really at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to points, royalties (money) and most of all respect.

This book was really good, but Russell kept jumping back and forth in time which confused me a great deal. Nevertheless just because this book was poorly written does not take away that Russell Simmons is a genius and great role model for a lot of us to look up to for guidance. This book has given me a higher level of respect for Mr. Simmons and the hip hop world, which I was already a big fan of many artists like LL Cool J, De la Soul, NAS, Jay-Z, Tupac, Biggie, Queen Latifah, Mc Lyte, Jungle Brothers, Tribe Called Quest and I could go on for hours listing artists that just move me whenever I hear them.

Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons' autobiography with Nelson George is not quite what i had hoped for when i purchased this book. It begins with an interresting story of Russll's childhood in Queens, New York, and eventually fades into the business aspect of his life.

When i first bought this book, I was hoping for more stories about the artists that he has signed to his hip hop record label, Def Jam. There are quite a few interresting stories in the book, but it seems as though the more you read the less interrested you become. Don't get me wrong, this book isn't all that bad, i just hoped for more on his record label and less on his other ventures that no one has ever heard of. If i had the choice in the future to purchase this book, I'm fairly confident that i would choose something else instead.

Resurrection
Russel Simmons book was just like listening to his music. Simmons invited the rest of the world to listen, but he was truly writing to his base audience. Simmons was not trying to be Cornel West and talk about black xenophobia, but the evolution of hip hop.

To put it simple Russel Simmons was trying to communicate to his audience one point: "He {Simmons} was not trying to 'pimp' the system, but change the system", period.

THE URBAN MUSIC BLUE PRINT FOR SUCCESS
Simply put: "Life and Def" does the best job of illustrating (with real life examples) how to survive and thrive in the music industry. This is the most important book for urban entrepreneurs to own.

Buy it today!

rare reader
This book should attract anyone, because of the many fields Russell has been in. I read this book in three sitting and I NEVER read books, and afterwards I felt as if a could accomplish anything. ... Read more

Book Description

Howard Hughes led a life of unprecedented debauchery, at least for his era.This biography documents that corruption and the A-list Hollywood legends who participated.

Researched over a period of 40 years, and documented through hundreds of interviews, Hell's Angel is a stormingly good read about WHATand WHO money can buy.

Howard Hughes: Hell's Angel:A completely original biography of America's most bizarre but most seductive billionaire. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This is the second-best way to expose yourself to the particular genius of Frank Zappa (music is the best, after all)--through his own words. In addition to being an idiosyncratic American composer of some degree of controversy, Zappa was an orator of no small ability or scope. He was known for his ability to expound at great length (and to hilarious effect) on any number of topics. The Real Frank Zappa Book faithfully captures this side of its author, composed of essays on everything from his background and upbringing, to politics, capitalism, and raising children. Zappa takes the opportunity to dispel some of the most pervasive rumors that surrounded him right up to (and even persist after) his death in 1993 (no he didn't do drugs, or sleep with all those groupies). If you're familiar with the man, you will be able to hear his distinctive enunciations (aided by the bold-facing of certain words and Zappaisms) as you read the assorted road stories, his views on making music for a living, and scenes from two--count them, two--organized hearings on obscenity in music. Of course, the chapter titles speak for themselves and include such Zappa winners as "All About Schmucks," "Marriage (As a Dada Concept)," and "America Drinks and Goes Marching." ... Read more

Reviews (53)

An energetic experience
The only biography on Zappa, authorized by himself, is a truly great book to read. It is crammed with knife-sharp and humorous personal thoughts and comments on various areas. For instance there are quite funny comparisons on the music "industry" of the era belonging to composers of traditional classical music as well as the music industry people living now encounter. Also, Frank Zappa describes his beliefs in different questions, such as religion and governmental policies. He wanted to make it clear that he acccepted that other people may have different opinions than him, but also that he did not accept that people impose their beliefs on others.
Read it, if you want to!!

Not an autobiography, but quite fun
We get some of everything with this one.

It gives us a feel for his personality and speaking style. Italics, underlining, and boldface are used liberally; I could hear his voice as I read.

It gives us a nice collection of anecdotes from various stages of Zappa's career, from his high school years up through the orchestral work with the LSO - even a couple of tales from the 1988 'Best Band You Never Heard'. If you like these, you will wish there were more, though.

It gives us what has to be the best general description of a composer's work ever ('wiggling air molecules, changing over time'). That chapter alone is worth the cost of the book, if you are at all interested in music or art.

We also get the political Zappa, some lyrics, the Zappa home life, and even a bit of What Frank Eats (whatever the kids don't, apparently).

The only thing we don't get (and this is why I wish he'd lived another 30 years) is some detailed analysis of his compositions. We get a couple of places where he is discussing musical theory and practice from a technical perspective (chord progressions that cannot occur in doowop, or why jazz drummers are not normally appropriate in a Zappa band), there is no music printed in the book to help the interested reader follow along. Certainly I can't fault the book for this, but, man, it would have been nice if he'd written one like that.

If you are a student of music, a budding composer, artist, or just think Frank freaks folks out, this is for you.

A Worthy Addition to Your Literary Family
The Real Frank Zappa book is a modern day masterpiece. The Zappa experience, or the point by point aspects of "who might this man be who makes music and sings of how the clouds are really cheap, the way he's seen em' through the ports, of which there is a half a dozen on the base of his resorts. You wouldn't think he'd have too many, since he never cared for sports. But he's never really lonely in his Excentrifugal Forz," is carefully and specifically discussed here by the adept and forward-thinking composer himself, with just a bit of assistance from vigilant co-author Peter Occhiogrosso.

I strongly suggest that you purchase this book for your personal collection. Consider: the habit of reading is probably the greatest mechanism for thought, change, education and even human evolution in the history of mankind; and we specifically take pleasure from reading books that belong to us. Much more than if the books are someone else's. Books unavoidably become a part of your extended family. In any event, this I do swear: Buy this book, and it will provide you with years of literary enjoyment. Its combination of fantastic road stories, political commentary and philosophically sharp wit will make it a favorite son within your personal literary family. Just as with Frank Zappa's musical catalog, this book should be treated as genuine kith and kin, and afforded an affectionate intimacy that eradicates any unbending propriety. As a borrowed book is like some sort of red-headed step-child who must be beaten and/or treated with stiff correctness, (or at least with a certain unsympathetic formality), this book should belong to you as true family, and given a loving home with the care and respect it deserves.

In fact, the so-called "Book-family" has some distinct advantages over living friends and family. You can enjoy the company of the most admirable and truly intelligent individuals in the history of the world whenever you care to. Just as the distinguished dead are beyond our bodily reach, likewise the distinguished living are usually just as unreachable. Perchance they are asleep, uninterested, watching TV, or, in the case of my cousin Bernie, just stupid. (Just try reaching your husband while he is watching Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, or your wife during the Lifetime Movie of the Week, and you have that picture.)

The Real Frank Zappa Book is for use, not for show. Besides, you should own no book that you are afraid to place on the dining room table, wide open and face down, or to mark up with your favorite crayon. (You should always mark your favorite passages in books, so that in later years it will be like visiting a deep forest where you once blazed your own trail. You then have the gratification of going over your old stomping grounds, and recalling both the overall cerebral landscape and your own preceding self. Additionally, your future generations will get a general idea of your likes, dislikes, and overall interests in this mysterious forest of your contemplations.) If that's not a damn good analogy I don't know what is.

Remember, (and this is a most precious gift), in your personal library you can at any moment have a discourse with, or pick the brains of, individuals the likes of Edgar Allan Poe, Thomas Harris, William Shakespeare, Robert E. Howard, Michael Crichton, Plato, Pluto, Mark Twain (who was also know as MC Six Feet), Allan W. Eckert, Charles Dickens, or, more importantly to our current purpose, Mr. Frank Zappa. And there is no doubt that in books you experience Frank, and indeed all these learned men, at their very finest. They have "laid themselves out" for you, as it were, and they have done their categorical best to entertain you, guide you, inform you, uplift you and make a favorable impression upon your life. You are as indispensable to them as peanut butter is to jelly; as Bruce Willis is to his youthful ward Dick Grayson, as ants are to an anteater, or as ear lobes are to earrings, (or vice-versa)... only instead of seeing these great men protectively masked as we see our present acquaintances, you look into their inner-most thoughts and their most intimate soul. Read more Zappa.

You Must Pick This One up!
We start with Zappa's rather sarcastic yet opinionated introduction in which he claims that he never reads. That claim may be misinterpreted by a few, yet I took it as a stab of sarcasm at those who never bother to, preferring to keep their mind on what's on TV at the time. From that point, it's a short read to the first chapter, which opens with a quote from a Baltimore Sun interview in which Zappa observes: "I never set out to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird". The first chapter is a brief recollection of his childhood years, in which he describes in detail why his birth certificate lists his first name as Frank rather than Francis and his early interests in science. In the second chapter, he talks about developing a love for music (Rock, Jazz and Classical especially Stravinsky) and his first attempts at bands.

It continues that way through the first half of the book. We get chapters on his various bands through the years up until 1988 (when this book was written), his association with Lenny Bruce, his formation of The Mothers Of Invention, Various tour stories, a treatise on why he doesn't like Great Britain and a chapter devoted to his own dad.

The second half of the book shifts gears totally and moves away from the memoir side to the polemical side. We get chapters in which Zappa comments on marriage, the failed drug war, the PMRC, Reagan, Republicans, the religious right, Big government, high taxes and so on.

What's interesting about the polemical second half of the book is that while a lot of the events that much of it was written in response to are now history, so many of the rants about them are still on target. From the opening of his Church and State chapter: "A lot of the mongos in the TV religion industry claim to be conservative. But are in fact the US equivalent of the Mongos blowing the shlt out of the Middle East".

In the chapter titled "Practical Conservatism", Zappa makes a strong case for the Libertarian point of view and offers up a good skewering of so-called anti big government Republicans. I also highly recommend reading the chapter entitled "Porn Wars" in which Zappa details his battle with the PMRC. Highly essential reading, especially in the recent puritanical crackdown by the FCC on people such as Howard Stern.

The final two chapters in the book feature Zappa showing off some of his more outrageous ideas that never really came to fruition (IE: A Football Opera) and the last one allows him to get in a few more digs at certain political targets as well as offering some advice to the readers (IE: Vote!).

The Real Frank Zappa book is an interesting read overall. I liked both halves of it equally. But some of the not so politically minded readers will prefer the first half. Puritanical types are advised not to read the second half, as it will doubtlessly infuriate you. Pick up a copy! Another unconventional Amazon quick-pick I heartily recommend is THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez -- just wonderful!

One of the greatest composers the US has ever produced
As a guitarist and very amateur composer, someone like Frank Zappa was someone I had always admired on multiple levels. As a guitarist, he was never what you would call "overly gifted". His solos were madcap forays into his own influences, and he could hit it really big sometimes, and sometimes he could be rather choppy and noisy. But that's OK, Frank never touted himself as a virtuoso or even a premier kind of soloist. He had fun with it, he did it with gusto and panache and I was always entertained by what he did. As a composer, he ranks up there with Copeland in my opinion.

This book is not a big hoorah about how culturally important he was and still is, or anything pretentious and high falutin. He was a very normal man with a grasp of the absurd, a very vivid imagination and a firm hold on reality that few other people have. This book is about the MAN and his views on the world. I think he wanted people to really understand that he's not this weirdo genius that other people tried to make him into, but a normal man who writes (brilliant) music and has very intelligent views of the world around him.

His political views virtually mirror my own (very Libertarian) and his stories of the old rock and roll days are amusing. But I loved the fact that, despite all of the weirdness around him, he retained a very grounded view of himself and the world. His caustic wit and acute observations of things he came into contact with are, in my view, utterly brilliant and shows the man for what he was. A true genius and a very nice man who didn't like a lot of w