A memoir by Nivrana’s manager. An interesting accounting of Nirvana’s meteoric rise, from the early indie days through the massive success of Nevermind, and the rest of their recording career. There’s more about the recording business (and less about Cobain) than I expected, but the genius of Cobain’s songwriting and vision for the band comes through very clearly. Many interesting…
I’m very into music, with the music of the 60’s being my favorite genre. I read a lot of books about that era, but this one is undoubtedly the best one I’ve read so far. Filled with fascinating inside information, not just about the artists, but about the social, political, and cultural climate that gave rise to the music. The…
I found this book in a bookstore in Amsterdam. I’ve been a Chet Baker fan for years (I have over 200 of his albums). Most of the books about Baker focus on the salacious. This book promised a different take on the man, and it delivered. A very personal memoir by the jazz drummer Artt Frank. Frank befriended his musical…
A pretty boring autobiography, I have to say. The struggles of their early years as they tried to make it big were moderately interesting, but Daltrey just isn’t much of a writer. Not much analysis of the music, and not a whole lot of compelling stories. Daltrey is a great singer and The Who are one of my favorite bands,…
The plot sounded cute: a guy sells and gives away his old vinyl, and then decides he wants to get these records back. Not just the music, but the actual, individual albums that he specifically owned. He would hunt for the actual albums in record stores and conventions, looking for the Bon Jovi album that had a high school girlfriend’s…
There are many biographies of Lou Reed out there, but people say that this one is the best. (I’ve read one other; I have three more on my bookshelf.) DeCurtis is amazingly comprehensive, chronicling every phase of Lou’s life, personally and musically, with many fascinating and insightful stories. It also goes into detail about Lou’s bisexuality, something other books tend…
Ah, home sweet second home. I arrived in Amsterdam, to spend the last few days of this long winter trip. The weather forecast for the second Amsterdam leg of the trip did not look promising. As is typical in Amsterdam, it was rain, rain, and more rain. I would have liked sunny weather, but I didn’t really care. In my…
I’ve been a fan for years (mainly as S&G, although I like his solo stuff as well). I figure he’s led a pretty interesting life, so let’s take a look. The book is a well-written journey through Paul Simon’s Brooklyn and Queens childhood; his musical career, from his first recordings with Art Garfunkel as Tom and Jerry, through all of…
“Do you remember lying in bed with the covers pulled up over your head, radio playing so no one can see?” -The Ramones It was just the way Joey Ramone described it. I’m in my tiny bedroom in our apartment in Brooklyn. I’ve made a little tent with my blanket, and I’m beneath it, a tiny AM radio no bigger…
Call me particular, but I like to listen to music when I spay a cat. Having a live band in the operating room would be impractical, but through the miracle of the interwebs, I can listen to anything I like these days. Perusing the playlists on Songza is one of life’s simple pleasures, although choosing a playlist can be challenging.…