Music & Film
The Life I’ve Picked: A Banjo Player’s Nitty Gritty Journey
John McEuen
#1 New Release on Amazon’s “Country Music” bestseller list!
John McEuen is one of the founding members of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, NGDB. Now 50-years strong, the band is best known for its evergreen bestselling album Will the Circle Be Unbroken and for its gorgeous version of the song “Mr. Bojangles.” McEuen is one of the seminal figures who conceived and originated the fusion of . . . READ MORE
“Nitty Gritty is one of the greatest bands and gifts music will ever hold. John McEuen doesn’t know how not to be honest . . . as a player or an author. You’re going to love this read!!”
I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie
Pamela Des Barres (Foreword by Dave Navarro)
The stylish, exuberant, and remarkably sweet confession of one of the most famous groupies of the 1960s and 70s is back in print in this new edition that includes an afterword on the author's last 15 years of adventures. As soon as she graduated from high school, Pamela Des Barres headed for the Sunset Strip, where she knocked on rock stars' backstage doors and immersed herself in the drugs, danger, and ecstasy of the freewheeling 1960s . . . READ MORE
“This irresistible sexual memoir of rock’s golden age doesn’t just name names, it sings them out.”
“Sunny, uninhibited prose.”
The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk
Steven Lee Beeber
Based in part on the recent interviews with more than 125 people —among them Tommy Ramone, Chris Stein (Blondie), Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Hilly Kristal (CBGBs owner), and John Zorn—this book focuses on punk’s beginnings in New York City to show that punk was the most Jewish of rock movements, in both . . . READ MORE
“A unique new perspective on the history of punk rock.”
“Entertaining, engrossing, and provocative.” —The Villager”
Vanilla Pop: Sweet Sounds from Frankie Avalon to ABBA
Joseph Lanza
This pop culture history serves up the soda fountain sound of the musical form that pervaded popular culture from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s: vanilla pop. The argument that vanilla, rather than being the absence of flavor, is a unique, identifiable, and underappreciated characteristic of pop music is presented. Paying tribute . . . READ MORE
“Interesting and fun to read.”
“With contagious enthusiasm, Lanza reveals the engineering tricks behind the dulcet sounds of the ‘50s and ‘60s froth.”
Based on a True Story: Fact and Fantasy in 100 Favorite Movies
Jonathan Vankin and John Whalen
Exposing the real stories behind 100 hit reality-based movies, this captivating resource offers interesting facts about some of the most well-respected and much-loved films. For both film buffs and casual moviegoers, this invaluable guide explores Hollywood's ardent and often uncomfortable relationship with the factual accounts it converts into fantasy. Illuminating films such as . . . READ MORE
“A lively and worthwhile read.”
“This fun, fact-filled pop culture book is sure to raise (and answer) a lot of questions.”
Stardust Melodies: A Biography of 12 of America's Most Popular Songs
Will Friedwald
This pop culture history takes 12 legendary songs and, with a staggering wealth of detail and unprecedented understanding, provides an extended history of each. The circumstances under which each was written and first performed are explained and their musical and lyric content are explored. Those who were . . . READ MORE
“Friedwald’s writing, both erudite and funny, complements the standards he so clearly loves, like melody set to the perfect lyric.”