I tend to buy books, but I have some friends that still swear by the library app. I've only used it a few times. Might need to reinstall it this summer.
Music wise, Richie Unterberger's Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground, Charles Cross's Room Full Of Mirrors: The Bio of Jimi Hendrix, Robyn Hitchcock's Stranded in the Future, Hit Repeat Until I Hate Music: The March Xness Anthology, among them!
Really appreciate your continued support of the Redd Kross book, man. Thank you so much - and thanks for reminding me of the ones on this list that I still want/need to read! (Just finished Mark Ian Wilkinson’s Thunderclap Newman bio, and am about to dive into Robyn Hitchcock’s new one!)
Aaaand my Towering TBR of Terror just got taller. Great list! Robyn Hitchcock just dropped the follow-up to 1967 which follows his hallucinate avatar throught the next decade. It's called Stranded in the Future and it's very pink.
Glad to hear that Fountains of Wayne bio is good; I've had my eye on it. I have the Redd Kross book on my TBR shelves too. Going to save this post for the other recs.
I read and enjoyed The Cars bio by Bill Janovitz earlier this year and enjoyed the fictional band in the book The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead.
I just finished "Alternative For The Masses" by Greg Prato. An oral history, so it was easy to read on my Kindle while on my exercise bike.
For a rec, I'll throw out a more obscure one people might not know about : "Cheese Chronicles: The True Story of a Rock n Roll Band You've Never Heard Of" by Tommy Womack. Fun read.
Recommended in addition to those that have already been mentioned:
Let's Go (So We Can Get Back) by Jeff Tweedy
Drums and Demons: The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon by Joel Selvin
Horror Stories by Liz Phair
Memoir of a Rascal by Felix Cavaliere
10cc: The Worst Band in the World by Liam Newton
Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You by Lucinda Williams
when I finish the six remaining rock-o-tomes pleading for attention on my nightstand and Kindle (Cat Stevens, Sly Stone, Beach Boys, Leon Russell, Dale Bozzio [Missing Persons], Mal Evans [road manager for The Beatles]), I'll weigh in on them also.
The Individualist by Todd Rundgren, and A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons by Ben Folds deserve more than a honorable mention as well.
I have more books to add to my queue. Thank you! 👊🤘🎸
They’re publishing more of them all the time!
I need more time. And money.
I tend to buy books, but I have some friends that still swear by the library app. I've only used it a few times. Might need to reinstall it this summer.
Yes! Love the library. Never used the app.
Great list. I especially endorse Dan Epstein's excellent Now You're One of Us.
Such a great book! Amazing companion to the documentary.
Thanks for the shout out! Lots of bangers here and a few I still need to get to.
It was hard to choose between your many excellent books. But I’m a South Bay guy at heart.
🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
Chris Frantz book is fantastic! I've just finished John & Paul, Ian Leslie's excellent Beatles tome.
Great reco!
Great stuff, thanks SW!
Thanks! What are you reading?
Music wise, Richie Unterberger's Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground, Charles Cross's Room Full Of Mirrors: The Bio of Jimi Hendrix, Robyn Hitchcock's Stranded in the Future, Hit Repeat Until I Hate Music: The March Xness Anthology, among them!
!!!
Death to the Pixies
Our Band Could Be Your Life
See A Little Light (Bob Mould)
Perfect Circle (REM)
Morrissey (autobiography)
Unfaithful Music And Disappearing Ink (Costello)
We Got The Neutron Bomb (L.A. punk)
Please Kill Me
Who Killed Mister Moonlight? (David J and Bauhaus)
Songs That Saved Your Life (The Smiths)
Head On (Julian Cope and The Teardrop Explodes)
Rise Of The Super Furry Animals (SFA)
Born To Run (Springsteen)
Under The Big Black Sun (X and first wave L.A. as it fell to the beach punks)
Kraftwerk: Man, Machine and Music (Kraftwerk)
Krautrocksampler (krautrock)
Frontman (The Bongos and Richard Barone)
Heroes & Villains (The Beach Boys)
I Am Brian Wilson
I loved Head On. Cope is such a character.
Absolute lunatic. Mad as a hatter.
Thanks for the shout-out!
I wrote a blog post about my ten favourite music books but it was a good few years ago now and there have been so many great new ones since. https://olderthanelvis.blogspot.com/2014/06/my-top-10-music-books.html
Of those you mention here, I've read and enjoyed Chris Stein and Chris Frantz's books. I'll have to check out the others.
Loving Atypical Girl!
Really appreciate your continued support of the Redd Kross book, man. Thank you so much - and thanks for reminding me of the ones on this list that I still want/need to read! (Just finished Mark Ian Wilkinson’s Thunderclap Newman bio, and am about to dive into Robyn Hitchcock’s new one!)
It’s a fantastic book about an incredible band!
Aaaand my Towering TBR of Terror just got taller. Great list! Robyn Hitchcock just dropped the follow-up to 1967 which follows his hallucinate avatar throught the next decade. It's called Stranded in the Future and it's very pink.
That one’s on my TBR pile!
Atypical Girl is a terrific read, highly recommended. Especially if you were there!
I wasn’t…been now I kinda feel like I was.
Glad to hear that Fountains of Wayne bio is good; I've had my eye on it. I have the Redd Kross book on my TBR shelves too. Going to save this post for the other recs.
I read and enjoyed The Cars bio by Bill Janovitz earlier this year and enjoyed the fictional band in the book The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead.
I need to check out The Future Saints! Thanks for the reco.
I just finished "Alternative For The Masses" by Greg Prato. An oral history, so it was easy to read on my Kindle while on my exercise bike.
For a rec, I'll throw out a more obscure one people might not know about : "Cheese Chronicles: The True Story of a Rock n Roll Band You've Never Heard Of" by Tommy Womack. Fun read.
Awesome! Thanks for the interesting recommendation.
Greatly enjoyed Robyn Hitchcock's 1967. I own a few of the others but haven't gotten around to reading them yet, so thanks for the nudge, Steve.
Always happy to nudge fellow readers!
Recommended in addition to those that have already been mentioned:
Let's Go (So We Can Get Back) by Jeff Tweedy
Drums and Demons: The Tragic Journey of Jim Gordon by Joel Selvin
Horror Stories by Liz Phair
Memoir of a Rascal by Felix Cavaliere
10cc: The Worst Band in the World by Liam Newton
Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You by Lucinda Williams
when I finish the six remaining rock-o-tomes pleading for attention on my nightstand and Kindle (Cat Stevens, Sly Stone, Beach Boys, Leon Russell, Dale Bozzio [Missing Persons], Mal Evans [road manager for The Beatles]), I'll weigh in on them also.
Awesome! Thank you.
The Individualist by Todd Rundgren, and A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons by Ben Folds deserve more than a honorable mention as well.
If you like tales about young musicians - how about this story from Newcastle in 1965, where the lives of four budding stadium fillers collide. Seriously, I loved researching and writing this story, and there's so much more to say. But is it something others want to read? https://transatlantictimes.substack.com/p/a-subterranean-saturday-in-65?r=of97v&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
Holly George-Warren's Janis bio, Janis: Her Life & Music, is fab.
HGW's Alex Chilton bio A Man called Destruction is great.
Sylvie Simmons' I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen rocks
Mark Lanegan's memoir Sing Backwards and Weep is brilliant
Great suggestions. I read the Chilton book and Lanengan’s memoir, loved both of them.