Your favorite music books/bios?

brianlux

What are your favorite music books/music biographies? (I'm limiting myself to ten for the major challenge of doing so and because I tend to get carried away with these lists. But do list as many books as you want that are favorites.)

My favorites (so far):

Michael Azerrad; Our Band Could Be Your Life
Greil Marcus; Ranters & Crowd Pleasers
Willie Nelson; The Tao of Willie (actaully more philosophy than music, but it's Willie!)
Neil Young; Waging Heavy Peace
Keith Richards; Life
Patti Smith; Just Kids
John Densmore; Riders on the Storm
Henry Rollins; Smile, Your Traveling
Steve Kurutz; Like a Rolling Stone
Laurie Lindeen; Petal Pushe, A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story

STAYSEA

Come As You Are, Michael Azerrad
Screaming Life, Charles Peterson
Cash, Johnny Cash
5 against 1, Kim Neely
Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman
Touch Me I'm Sick, Charles Peterson

I never realized Azerrad wrote more stuff. I need to look into that....

Thanks B. Hide the Q-tips.

brianlux

STAYSEA wrote:

Come As You Are, Michael Azerrad
Screaming Life, Charles Peterson
Cash, Johnny Cash
5 against 1, Kim Neely
Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman
Touch Me I'm Sick, Charles Peterson

I never realized Azerrad wrote more stuff. I need to look into that....

Thanks B. Hide the Q-tips.

Azerrad, Our Band... YES! You'll like it, S., for sure!

This message brought to you by: Save the Q-tips Foundation.

red mos

5 against 1- Kim Neely

STAYSEA

brianlux wrote:

STAYSEA wrote:

Come As You Are, Michael Azerrad
Screaming Life, Charles Peterson
Cash, Johnny Cash
5 against 1, Kim Neely
Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman
Touch Me I'm Sick, Charles Peterson

I never realized Azerrad wrote more stuff. I need to look into that....

Thanks B. Hide the Q-tips.

Azerrad, Our Band... YES! You'll like it, S., for sure!

This message brought to you by: Save the Q-tips Foundation.

I save mine, I keep them locked up!

Where is the movement?

I gotta go by the library this week, so I'll snag a copy. He is a great writer.

brianlux

STAYSEA wrote:

brianlux wrote:

STAYSEA wrote:

Come As You Are, Michael Azerrad
Screaming Life, Charles Peterson
Cash, Johnny Cash
5 against 1, Kim Neely
Fargo Rock City, Chuck Klosterman
Touch Me I'm Sick, Charles Peterson

I never realized Azerrad wrote more stuff. I need to look into that....

Thanks B. Hide the Q-tips.

Azerrad, Our Band... YES! You'll like it, S., for sure!

This message brought to you by: Save the Q-tips Foundation.

I save mine, I keep them locked up!

Where is the movement?

I gotta go by the library this week, so I'll snag a copy. He is a great writer.

Cool!

The movement? I think I hear movement coming from the bathroom where the Q-tips are stored.

Annie? Annie? Kitty, kitty?

Ah oh, gotta run!

reesdog

Some I've read and enjoyed, not sure about authors sorry...

Heavier Than Heaven - Kurt Cobain/Nirvana
Scar Tissue - Anthony Kiedis/RHCP
This Is A Call - Dave Grohl
Bad Seed - Nick Cave
Hammer of the Gods - Led Zeppelin
No One Here Gets Out Alive - The Doors
Passion Is a Fashion - The Clash

Am going to read next....Life - Keith Richards.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

reesdog wrote:

Some I've read and enjoyed, not sure about authors sorry...

Heavier Than Heaven - Kurt Cobain/Nirvana
Scar Tissue - Anthony Kiedis/RHCP
This Is A Call - Dave Grohl
Bad Seed - Nick Cave
Hammer of the Gods - Led Zeppelin
No One Here Gets Out Alive - The Doors
Passion Is a Fashion - The Clash

Am going to read next....Life - Keith Richards.

Heavier Than Heaven and Scar Tissue were great books.

Hammer was a classic as was No One Here.

brianlux

Question: when will the great Pearl Jam book be written? Or do you believe Five Against One or PJ 20 is it?

SatansFuton

brianlux wrote:

Keith Richards; Life

I think "Heroin" would have been a more appropriate title, as that's the main subject of the book it seems. Not in a glorified way or anything, just talking about how much of a junkie he was, all the cold turkeys he went through and all the crap he had to go through just to survive tours. I don't think "Life" is a very good place to start for people looking to read a book about the Stones though. I think Keith wrote it under the assumption that most readers would have a pretty good working knowledge of the Stones, and he wrote his book to fill in the gaps and give his own personal anecdotes and feelings about what he was up to (mostly drugs) during those times. Lots of interesting stuff, but not a good "Stones Starter Book" or anything. It's hilarious the way he builds Mick up only to tear him down in pretty much every chapter though.

brianlux

SatansFuton wrote:

brianlux wrote:

Keith Richards; Life

I think "Heroin" would have been a more appropriate title, as that's the main subject of the book it seems. Not in a glorified way or anything, just talking about how much of a junkie he was, all the cold turkeys he went through and all the crap he had to go through just to survive tours. I don't think "Life" is a very good place to start for people looking to read a book about the Stones though. I think Keith wrote it under the assumption that most readers would have a pretty good working knowledge of the Stones, and he wrote his book to fill in the gaps and give his own personal anecdotes and feelings about what he was up to (mostly drugs) during those times. Lots of interesting stuff, but not a good "Stones Starter Book" or anything. It's hilarious the way he builds Mick up only to tear him down in pretty much every chapter though.

That's pretty much been the relationship for decades now. They've been like an old couple nagging and bitching at each other from early on.

Spoony C

I tend to like the oral histories, like PJ20, U2 by U2, According to the Rolling Stonesand Everybody Loves Our Town, but other books have really worked for me. As a Who fan, I loved Dave Marsh's Before I Get Old, which really captured the emotions of things like Keith Moon's death.

One oddball recommendation, if you can find it: Everything I'm Cracked Up to Be by Jennifer Trynin. Trynin was a Boston-area musician in the mid-nineties who had a couple of minor radio tracks in the "alternative" boom. The book traces her near-rise and semi-fall as her demo gets spread around and she's wooed by several record companies during the post-grunge "gold rush" where artists who could be packaged as "alternative" in any way got snatched up with big advances and spit out by the machine by the time Hanson and the Spice Girls were making pop explode again. Trynin finds herself signed by Warner Bros (I think), only to find that the labels' subsidiary, Madonna's imprint Maverick Records, has lightning in a bottle in a new female artist from Canada with an angry song about her ex-boyfriend as calling card, and before you can say "Isn't it ironic?" (incorrectly, of course), the label is no longer giving Trynin the push, as they've only got room to get behind one female rock artist at a time. Meanwhile, she's going crazy on the road, playing small clubs and getting closer to her bass player, despite the boyfriend back home. It's an interesting read about an artist whose songs were basically footnotes to the summer of '95. Makes me nostalgic, at least.

Indifference71

Clapton's autobiography is great. I also just finished Rod Stewart's book which was pretty good as well.

Thirty Bills Unpaid

I Am Ozzy was hilarious. A very enjoyable read.

Citizen Zack

Wasn't previously familiar with Everybody Loves Our Town so I was checking it out on Amazon. At the bottom, they show recommendations based on the current selection, and this was available -

http://www.amazon.com/The-Strangest-Tribe-Seattle-Invented/dp/1570617430/ref=pd_sim_b_3

Nice title choice. Probably coincidental, but perhaps a nod to Stone's song? Anyone familiar with this book?

reesdog

Even though I can't stand the band, but, The Dirt - The Motley Crue story was areally good read, those guys were so fucking out of control and excessive! Probably still are...

reesdog

This is a good read...

Nevermind90

reesdog wrote:

This is a good read...

oh, I have totally forgot to read that.. I should be ashamed of myself...

brianlux

Henry Rollins: Fanatic. This book compiles the song lists notes and updated notes for Henry's "The Harmony in My Head Radio Show". A whole book of notes for a radio show? Sounds really boring, right? No way! Henry's the man. His encyclopedic knowledge of music, the stories he liberally tosses in, the description and history of the music- it all adds up to a fast moving and (well, for me at least) totally engrossing music read. Big thumbs up!

SVRDhand13

drlovemonkey

reesdog said:

Even though I can't stand the band, but, The Dirt - The Motley Crue story was areally good read, those guys were so fucking out of control and excessive! Probably still are...

Agree 100% - figured it wouldn't be too popular on this board, but I LOVE that book.

brianlux

Recently on another music site someone asked, "What is your favorite book about The Rolling Stones". I posted something a little off-topic by mentioning Steve Kurutz' book, Like a Rolling Stone which is a book about Glen Carroll and his Stones tribute band Sticky Finger. Another poster wrote back and mentioned he plays in that band from time to time. Cool!

Any other recent music book favorite finds out there?

InHiding80

Just purchased the new Tom Petty book on iTunes.

Red by Sammy Hagar
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis
Who I Am by Pete Townshend

brianlux

InHiding80 said:

Just purchased the new Tom Petty book on iTunes.

Red by Sammy Hagar
Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis
Who I Am by Pete Townshend

I picked up Red recently as well. Not a huge Hagar fan but it looks interesting. A little browsing gives me the sense he's a pretty good guy. Haven't gotten around to the Kiedis or Townshend yet either but I hear they are both quite good.

Others anyone?

JOEJOEJOE

The Basketball Diaries - Jim Carroll

DriftingByTheStorm

Here, There, Everywhere (My Life Recording The Beatles)
Geoff Emerick

samjam

I devoured Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis. Holy crap that man has lived one hell of a life. Great read. Probably my favorite music auto-bio/bio I've read.

brianlux

I just finished reading Kim Gordon's (of Sonic Youth, et al) memoir, Girl in a Band.  First rate!  I love it.  Great stories about her growing up days in L.A./ So Cal, and later years in NYC and Massachusetts, and (of course) here years with Sonic Youth.  Great reading!

CarryTheZero

I can’t say enough about this book. Both a wonderful history of the South (which is not always good), but a stellar biography of an amazing band, connecting the history of cities in the South and how they played into the creation of the band and their songs. Great stuff on Muscle Shoals and the fantastic recording history there as well.

GB281198

Recently read Geddy Lee's book My Effin' Life and a biography of Tom Petty. Both very good. They were an interesting contrast of a band that got along very well (Rush) and one that didn't at times( the Heartbreaker's).  Currently reading Wayne Kramer's book The Hard Stuff.

brianlux

GB281198 said:

Recently read Geddy Lee's book My Effin' Life and a biography of Tom Petty. Both very good. They were an interesting contrast of a band that got along very well (Rush) and one that didn't at times( the Heartbreaker's).  Currently reading Wayne Kramer's book The Hard Stuff.

Warren Zanes' Petty is one of my favorite music biographies!

I didn't know Wayne Kramer had a memoir- might have to check it out!