Books about rock/metal/punk

[TheDudeAbides]

Living with the Dead

Written by their manager of 20 years. Even if you're not that into the band, the stories are great and it's fairly well written.

The Real Frank Zappa Book - Frank's autobiography written a few years before he died. Very funny and gives some nice insight into his life and career.

[KJS]

Suprised you didn't mention these 2 metal specific ones:

Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore traces the history of music's best genre from both sides of the Atlantic. Bands covered include Napalm Death, Death, Cannibal Corpse, Slayer and other pioneers of fast agressive music. You'll dig it if you haven't read it.

Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground traces the history of Black Metal and satanic artists who committed some high profile murders and church burnings in Norway. Not really a music book but a good study of how some metal guys took some turf wars too far. Bands covered include Venom, Burzum and others.

For punk, you gotta go with Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk The definitive story of punk from the people that made it happen: Patti Smith, Television, The Ramones, The Clash and anyone else who mattered. This Band Could Be Your Life is simply this book recycled for a different group of people.

And if you ever see Black Sabbath: An Oral History in a used bookstore do pick it up for cheap.

KJS

[Pete H]

[ QUOTE ]
Suprised you didn't mention these 2 metal specific ones:

Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore traces the history of music's best genre from both sides of the Atlantic. Bands covered include Napalm Death, Death, Cannibal Corpse, Slayer and other pioneers of fast agressive music. You'll dig it if you haven't read it.

Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground traces the history of Black Metal and satanic artists who committed some high profile murders and church burnings in Norway. Not really a music book but a good study of how some metal guys took some turf wars too far. Bands covered include Venom, Burzum and others.

[/ QUOTE ]

Obviously I've read both of those, but didn't think there's much of interest for extreme metal over here. Choosing Death was excellent, Lords of Chaos ok/good.

Sound Of The Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal is pretty good history book.

[ QUOTE ]
For punk, you gotta go with Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk The definitive story of punk from the people that made it happen: Patti Smith, Television, The Ramones, The Clash and anyone else who mattered. This Band Could Be Your Life is simply this book recycled for a different group of people.

And if you ever see Black Sabbath: An Oral History in a used bookstore do pick it up for cheap.

KJS

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll look on those.

[ChipWrecked]

I'm too late for 'Hammer of the Gods', oh well.

I'll throw in two:

I'm With the Band by Pamela des Barres

Confessions of a sixties groupie, one of Zappa's "GTO's". Pretty much fluff, but I remember it being a great beach read twenty years ago. The new edition contains a forward by Dave Navarro.



No One Here Gets Out Alive the Jim Morrison bio by Danny Sugarman. Read this when I was 17, before I was exposed to The Doors music except from 'Apocolypse Now'.

I said, "Whoa", and bought all the Doors' albums within a month.

Actually, now that I think about it, if you've seen the movie you've pretty much read this book. [img]/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

[Pete H]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm too late for 'Hammer of the Gods', oh well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Finished it this morning. Excellent read.

Anyone read Nikki Sixx's 'Heroin Diaries'?

[Guy McSucker]

Rip It Up And Start Again: postpunk 1978-1984 by Simon Reynolds is a very good read and covers exactly what the title suggests.

Unfortunately it cost me a small fortune in new CDs/old 7"s.

Guy.