Renowned author/radio personality Ludlow Porch returns with another volume of wit and wisdom from his special window on the world. Telling it like it is (like he always does), Ludlow pokes fun at folly in its various forms and reminds readers of the virtues of clear eyes, common sense, and a functional funny bone.
(Selected excerpts and outside reviews can be found by clicking on the blue Python Bonkers hyperlink.) This book may share an alphabetical lineage with the Frey book, but there is no melodramatic redemption here -- it is not a parody of that book but its own entity. As one of the characters from the book says, We're still involved in the commission of the acts that will require redemption -- and those stories are always so much more fun. Bonkers and his bizarre team embarks on a gonzo tear through the streets of Los Angeles and across the pop cultural landscape as well. In his satirical quest for truth in journalism, and life, he must navigate through the many odd tiers of social class, in both the Southern California culture and in his Machiavellian office life and its absurd red and blue political divisions. This is no heart-wrenching tale of excess, its destination is hilarity, so it presses the pedal to the metal and takes no prisoners.
Molly and her husband, John, are professional horse trainers. They love living on a farm in rural North Carolina, they love caring for the horses, and they mostly love teaching others to ride. When John leaves to judge a horse show, Molly stays behind to take care of the horses and students. Her dog, Bingo, is by her side for everything, including finding a body in the woods… Soon Molly and John are sorting through clues to help catch a killer, but they will have to work fast because this one is a little too close to home.
When Sean Astin, veteran Hollywood actor of over 30 movies including The Goonies, and Rudy, landed the part of Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings, he knew it was going to be different to anything he'd ever worked on before. Here he shares his heartfelt opinions on his early movies, how he got the part of Sam at that point in his career, and what it was like to be on set for nearly two years of his life. How did he and the other cast members get along? What were the excitements and the dangers they faced during filming? What happened the evening that Elijah Wood lost the keys to his room? How did Sir Ian McKellen cope when he didn't like the music the hobbits listened to during make-up and what happened when the crew considered striking? Revealing and immensely readable, There and Back Again is the behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to be involved in the making of one of the biggest movie franchises of all time.
Nirvana, the White Stripes, Hole, the Hives—all sprang from an underground music scene where similarly raw bands, enjoying various degrees of success and luck, played for throngs of fans in venues ranging from dive bars to massive festivals, but were mostly ignored by a music industry focused on mega-bands and shiny pop stars. We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988–2001 tracks the inspiration and beautiful destruction of this largely undocumented movement. What they took, they fought for, every night. They reveled in '50s rock 'n' roll, '60s garage rock, and '70s punk while creating their own wave of gut-busting riffs and rhythm. The majority of bands that populate this book—the Gories, the Supersuckers, the Dwarves, the Mummies, Rocket from the Crypt, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and the Muffs among them—gained little long-term reward from their nonstop touring and brain-slapping records. What they did have was free liquor, cheap drugs, chaotic romances, and a crazy good time, all the while building a dedicated fan base that extends across the world. Truly, this is the last great wave of down-and-dirty rock 'n' roll. In this expanded edition, Eric Davidson reveals more about the punk undergut with a new preface, postscript, and even more photos. Includes free twenty-song download!
"It is America in the 1950s. Four different families play out their individual lives in different parts of the country.... Circumstances compel three of the families to head West to California for a fresh start for their children. No one can predict the high-stakes drama and devasting results that ensue when their lives intersect. This tale, the first in a trilogy, follows the families as they struggle with their lives, loves, and longings."--Cover, p. 4.