Whatcha reading? Nothing? Why not? A slew of non-fiction books about music/musicians have come out recently that will surely captivate your mind for hours! Whether you're looking for a juicy (auto)biography, fun photos or a lesson in music history, there's definitely something out there for all music lovers! Here's MusikBLITZ's top picks:
Black Tooth Grin: The High Life, Good Times, and Tragic End of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by Zac Crain (Da Capo Press): This unauthorized biography chronicles the life of the late, great guitarist—from his Texas youth to worldwide success with the bands Pantera and Damageplan to the tragic onstage shooting that ended his life.
Elton John: The Bitch Is Back by Mark Bego (Phoenix Books): Sir Elton's astounding five decades in the music biz is chronicled in the pages of this book, including "all of the addictions, the self-doubts, bad toupées, affairs and scandals—but also with the triumphant later years, the coming-to-terms with his sexuality and the establishment of a happy and healthy private life."
Got The Life: My Journey of Addiction, Faith, Recovery, and Korn by Fieldy (William Morrow): Bassist and founding member of Korn Reggie "Fieldy" Arvizu tells the all-too-common tale of drugs, alcohol and womanizing that nearly destroyed both him and his successful band in this memoir. Among his revelations: how he nearly killed a girlfriend during a drug-fueled jealous rampage and how he was almost kicked out of Korn for his out-of-control behavior.
Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music by Greg Prato (ECW Press): This tome is said to be the "definitive" story of the Seattle music scene of the late '80s/early '90s. The book contains over 130 interviews conducted specifically for the book with artists like Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Velvet Revolver/Loaded's Duff McKagan, Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell and more.
Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom by Joey Kramer (HarperOne): Aerosmith drummer Kramer is the first of the Boston Bad Boys to have his own memoir published and, in the book, readers find out about "the early days of the band, glamorous drug-addled events leading up to their eventual sobriety, battles within his family and among bandmates, and the explosive internal dynamics in Aerosmith that continue to unleash a fury of endless creativity."
Mötley Crüe: A Visual History, 1983-2005 by Neil Zlozower (Chronicle Books): In this 275-page all-color hardcover, legendary rock photographer Zlozower captures the Crüe's rise from Hollywood punks to international rock gods. Hundreds of photos (onstage, backstage, hanging out and in the studio) and dirt from the band and those "in the know" are included. Plus, Mötley bassist Nikki Sixx penned the foreword.
Neil Diamond Is Forever: The Illustrated Story Of The Man and His Music by Jon Bream (Voyageur Press): In stores Oct. 15, this tome utilizes pictures and words to retrace the history of the hugely popular singer. Filled with more than 300 photographs and pieces of memorabilia (concert programs, posters, backstage passes, ticket stubs and more), the book also includes a complete album discography, comments from celeb admirers (Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow, Kid Rock, Taylor Swift, etc), previously unpublished quotes from Diamond himself and so much more.
The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists by Eric Danville (Backbeat Books): The 231-page book features over 150 lists about the most rockin' genre of music out there. Find out the names of Alice Cooper's snakes and all of Spinal Tap's dead drummers and learn which metal stars have sex tapes! Members of Guns N' Roses, Motörhead (Lemmy penned the foreword), Sepultura, Vixen, Biohazard, Gwar and more cast their ballots within the book too.
Precious Metal: Decibel Presents The Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces edited by Albert Mudrian (Da Capo Press): Decibel magazine editor-in-chief Mudrian goes behind-the-scenes—inside the recording studios where some of the heaviest metal albums were created—scoring in-depth interviews with band members about their creation processes for this paperback. Tales about Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell, Slayer's Reign In Blood, Cannibal Corpse's Tomb of the Mutilated, Monster Magnet's Dopes To Infinity and Opeth's Orchid are among the featured albums.
Snake Eyes: Confessions Of A Replacement Rock Star by Stacey Blades (BookSurge Publishing): As the guitarist in Phil Lewis' version of L.A. Guns, Blades has had to put up with constant comparisons to his predecessor (band namesake Tracii Guns). But he's also had to deal with an identity crisis, sordid relationships, drugs, alcohol, endless bands, constant dead ends and deaths. This is his story.
The Velvet Underground: A Walk On The Wild Side by Jim DeRogatis (Voyageur Press): The first complete illustrated history book on the influential punk/alternative band—formed by Lou Reed and John Cale and once managed by Andy Warhol—comes out just as the group honors the 45th anniversary of its founding. Interviews with band members, excerpts from Warhol's memoirs and photos (many of which have never-been-seen) are included.
Visit Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, Borders.com or your local book store to purchase these books.
Black Tooth Grin: The High Life, Good Times, and Tragic End of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by Zac Crain (Da Capo Press): This unauthorized biography chronicles the life of the late, great guitarist—from his Texas youth to worldwide success with the bands Pantera and Damageplan to the tragic onstage shooting that ended his life.
Elton John: The Bitch Is Back by Mark Bego (Phoenix Books): Sir Elton's astounding five decades in the music biz is chronicled in the pages of this book, including "all of the addictions, the self-doubts, bad toupées, affairs and scandals—but also with the triumphant later years, the coming-to-terms with his sexuality and the establishment of a happy and healthy private life."
Got The Life: My Journey of Addiction, Faith, Recovery, and Korn by Fieldy (William Morrow): Bassist and founding member of Korn Reggie "Fieldy" Arvizu tells the all-too-common tale of drugs, alcohol and womanizing that nearly destroyed both him and his successful band in this memoir. Among his revelations: how he nearly killed a girlfriend during a drug-fueled jealous rampage and how he was almost kicked out of Korn for his out-of-control behavior.
Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music by Greg Prato (ECW Press): This tome is said to be the "definitive" story of the Seattle music scene of the late '80s/early '90s. The book contains over 130 interviews conducted specifically for the book with artists like Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Soundgarden's Kim Thayil, Velvet Revolver/Loaded's Duff McKagan, Alice In Chains' Jerry Cantrell and more.
Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom by Joey Kramer (HarperOne): Aerosmith drummer Kramer is the first of the Boston Bad Boys to have his own memoir published and, in the book, readers find out about "the early days of the band, glamorous drug-addled events leading up to their eventual sobriety, battles within his family and among bandmates, and the explosive internal dynamics in Aerosmith that continue to unleash a fury of endless creativity."
Mötley Crüe: A Visual History, 1983-2005 by Neil Zlozower (Chronicle Books): In this 275-page all-color hardcover, legendary rock photographer Zlozower captures the Crüe's rise from Hollywood punks to international rock gods. Hundreds of photos (onstage, backstage, hanging out and in the studio) and dirt from the band and those "in the know" are included. Plus, Mötley bassist Nikki Sixx penned the foreword.
Neil Diamond Is Forever: The Illustrated Story Of The Man and His Music by Jon Bream (Voyageur Press): In stores Oct. 15, this tome utilizes pictures and words to retrace the history of the hugely popular singer. Filled with more than 300 photographs and pieces of memorabilia (concert programs, posters, backstage passes, ticket stubs and more), the book also includes a complete album discography, comments from celeb admirers (Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow, Kid Rock, Taylor Swift, etc), previously unpublished quotes from Diamond himself and so much more.
The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists by Eric Danville (Backbeat Books): The 231-page book features over 150 lists about the most rockin' genre of music out there. Find out the names of Alice Cooper's snakes and all of Spinal Tap's dead drummers and learn which metal stars have sex tapes! Members of Guns N' Roses, Motörhead (Lemmy penned the foreword), Sepultura, Vixen, Biohazard, Gwar and more cast their ballots within the book too.
Precious Metal: Decibel Presents The Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces edited by Albert Mudrian (Da Capo Press): Decibel magazine editor-in-chief Mudrian goes behind-the-scenes—inside the recording studios where some of the heaviest metal albums were created—scoring in-depth interviews with band members about their creation processes for this paperback. Tales about Black Sabbath's Heaven and Hell, Slayer's Reign In Blood, Cannibal Corpse's Tomb of the Mutilated, Monster Magnet's Dopes To Infinity and Opeth's Orchid are among the featured albums.
Snake Eyes: Confessions Of A Replacement Rock Star by Stacey Blades (BookSurge Publishing): As the guitarist in Phil Lewis' version of L.A. Guns, Blades has had to put up with constant comparisons to his predecessor (band namesake Tracii Guns). But he's also had to deal with an identity crisis, sordid relationships, drugs, alcohol, endless bands, constant dead ends and deaths. This is his story.
The Velvet Underground: A Walk On The Wild Side by Jim DeRogatis (Voyageur Press): The first complete illustrated history book on the influential punk/alternative band—formed by Lou Reed and John Cale and once managed by Andy Warhol—comes out just as the group honors the 45th anniversary of its founding. Interviews with band members, excerpts from Warhol's memoirs and photos (many of which have never-been-seen) are included.
Visit Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com, Borders.com or your local book store to purchase these books.
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