You can purchase the books reviewed in this article at most online bookstores, including www.amazon.com, www.borders.com and www.barnesandnoble.com
Let's get right to this month's reviews:
The Real Beach Boy: Dennis Wilson - Jon Stebbins
(ECW Press, 2000)
Dennis Wilson was an intriguing figure. He lived a wild and reckless life and died a broken man. This book tells about the rise and fall of Beach Boy founder and drummer Dennis Wilson. The author wasn't a friend of Wilson's but did meet him a few times and is a big fan. That is evident because the book is filled with a few too many superlatives describing Wilson's music and musical abilities. But for the most part, it is a balanced look at Wilson's short life.
Dennis Wilson is the most underrated member of the Beach Boys. Looking back on their music, the songs he wrote and sang may not have been their biggest hits, but they are some of the most well written and stand up to the test of time. He was also underrated as a drummer and an influence on popular music as a whole. His brother Brian gets most of the publicity, but Dennis was just as important to the Beach Boys.
The author draws on interviews with some of those closest to Wilson, and through their eyes and his, we learn more about this very interesting and troubled man.
Rock Stars Do the Dumbest Things - Margaret Moser and Bill Crawford
(Renaissance Books, 1998)
This book is hilarious! We all know rock stars do some wild, crazy and stupid things, and most of them are chronicled here. Over 80 rock stars from AC/DC to Frank Zappa are included. The chapters give a brief bio of the artist, their dumbest quotes, and a list of some of the stupidest things they've done. By reading this book you'll gain some valuable knowledge that will impress your friends, such as Izzy Stradlin of Guns N' Roses' deep thoughts on the virtues of vomiting out of a bus going 65 miles per hour, or how live octopuses end up in a bathtub with Led Zeppelin and some female friends. If you had any respect for these rockers, you won't after reading some of the moronic things they say and do.
Go To Page: 1 2
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Chad Bowar's Pop Music topic, please visit the Discussions page.