In 1974, at the age of seventeen, author Glenn Berger served as "Schlepper" and apprentice to the legendary recording engineer Phil Ramone at New York City's A&R Studios, and was witness to music history on an almost daily and nightly basis as pop and rock icons such as Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, Burt Bacharach, Bette Midler, and James Brown performed their hit-making magic, honed their sound, strutted their stuff, bared their souls, and threw epic tantrums. In this memoir, full of revelatory and previously unknown anecdotal observations of these musical giants, Glenn recounts how he quickly learned the ropes to move up from schlepperhood to assistant to the tyrannical Ramone, and eventually, to become a recording engineer superstar himself. Not only is Never Say No to A Rock Star a fascinating, hilarious and poignant behind-the-scenes look of this musical Mecca, but Berger, now a prominent psychologist, looking back through the prism of his youthful experience and his years working as a counselor and therapist, provides a telling and honest examination of the nature of fame and success and the corollaries between creativity, madness and self-destruction.
"Funny, tender, edgy. I wanted the love story to go on forever."—Joan Johnston, bestselling author of No Longer a Stranger Written in the wonderfully honest, edgy, and hilarious voice she perfected in God-Shaped Hole, Tiffanie DeBartolo shines in a passionate new story of music, love, and sacrifice. Eliza Caelum, a young music journalist, is finally getting her footing in New York when she meets Paul Hudson, a talented songwriter and lead singer of the band Bananafish. They soon realize they share more than a reverence for rock music and plunge headlong into love. When Bananafish is signed by a big corporate label, and Paul is on his way to becoming a major rock star, Eliza's past forces her to make a heartbreaking decision that might be the key to Paul's sudden disappearance. A layered and emotional look into the world of music, this raw summer read will resonate with readers who loved Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Praise for Tiffanie DeBartolo's God-Shaped Hole: "From highs to heartbreak, DeBartolo conjures an affair to remember."—People "Honest, raw, and engaging."—Booklist "This generation's Love Story."—Kirkus Reviews
Have you noticed that some people in infosec simply have more success than others, however they may define success? Some people are simply more listened too, more prominent, make more of a difference, have more flexibility with work, more freedom, choices of the best projects, and yes, make more money. They are not just lucky. They make their luck. The most successful are not necessarily the most technical, although technical or "geek" skills are essential. They are an absolute must, and we naturally build technical skills through experience. They are essential, but not for Rock Star level success. The most successful, the Infosec Rock Stars, have a slew of other equally valuable skills, ones most people never develop nor even understand. They include skills such as self direction, communication, business understanding, leadership, time management, project management, influence, negotiation, results orientation, and lots more . . . Infosec Rock Star will start you on your journey of mastering these skills and the journey of moving toward Rock Star status and all its benefits. Maybe you think you can’t be a Rock Star, but everyone can MOVE towards it and reap the benefits of vastly increased success. Remember, “Geek” will only get you so far . . .
Documenting Danny Marianino's days as a metalhead from childhood into adulthood, Don't Ever Punch a Rockstar somehow rationalizes playing in a few hardcore/punk bands, touring, fighting, drinking, internet bullying, celebrity encounters, satanic curses, house fires, harassment and collecting an immeasurable amount of hate mail from some of the most illiterate human beings the world has to offer. Though Oprah will never add this into her book club, it's still a good lesson in accepting the negative with a laugh and gaining a new sense of temperance and humility. At the very least I will entertain you with a campy memoir and a detailed eye-opening account of the chaos that followed the infamous event that VH1 called one of the Most Shocking Moments in Rock and Roll. This is by no means the same old autobiography that you have read before. Don't Ever Punch a Rockstar combine elements of Get in The Van, Emails from and Asshole and Shit My Dad Says all in one hot mess of a story. Praise for the book - "Danny Marianino's Never Punch A Rockstar is a sock in the jaw to punk/metal scene conformity, and it hurts so good! Final score: North Side Kings 2, Danzig, 0." - STEVEN BLUSH, author/filmmaker, American Hardcore "As trenchant, sometimes funny, insightful and shocking as a punch in the face. WHICH is incidentally what started this whole ball rolling. A pretty potent look into the power of image and the punching of the face of arguably a legend of, well, face punching, Glenn Danzig, and the ensuing firestorm that followed. I'd give it 5 black eyes." -- EUGENE S. ROBINSON, singer for Oxbow & author of FIGHT: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ass Kicking But Were Afraid You'd Get Your Ass Kicked For Asking "With Don't Ever Punch a Rock Star author Danny Marianino has written an entertaining, humorous and humble autobiography. The often times laugh-out-loud recollections of Danny's life up to and following the infamous run-in with the drama-queen of dark metal is more than engaging and, with the inclusion of hate mail, zany rumors, message board threats and internet tough guys, you're sure to get a good giggle while learning what truly transpired that fateful night in Tuba City." - DUSTIN LAVALLEY, author of Spinner "As we have always said on the streets of NY - don't start none -there wont be none - and if you do, at least keep your hands up and guard your grill. Way to K.O. rock star attitudes Danny Boy!" - John Joseph author of The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon and Meat is For Pussies
A compelling and deeply moving novel of friendship, family and the power of love, from the Sunday Times top ten bestselling author of No Child of Mine and Don't Let Me Go. How would you cope with the threat of losing someone you love? Josie Clark is a loving wife and mother. She and her husband Jeff don’t have much and it’s often difficult to make ends meet. But Josie will do anything to protect her family and keep them safe. Bel Monkton is a successful property developer, living in a beautiful house by the sea. She seems to have everything going for her, but she’s lonely. And she’s let the shadows from her past cloud her future. Josie’s life couldn’t be more different to Bel’s. But three years ago, tragedy tore Bel’s life in two. Now it’s happening to Josie. And faced with uncertainty and heartbreak, they come to treasure their growing friendship.
A bad boy rockstar needs a fake girlfriend… Not a girl to fall in love with him when the cameras fall away… When I walked into the party that night, I was worried about my black minidress being too short… I never realized that I was going to meet him. Rhys Grant, lead singer of Misery, one of the hottest bands on the freaking planet. Rhys isn’t just any tanned, muscular bad boy dripping with sex appeal. He’s so hot he’s practically Adonis himself. … and the way he sings… he owns that stage. And he’s interested in me. Well, okay, fake interested. He needs a sweet girl on his arm for the cameras, to smile and look like he’s settled down. Public Relations 101. I just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Right in the middle of that party, pulling down that mini skirt and feeling so out of place. Of course I said yes! How could I ever say no? But the more I find out about Rhys, the more I see the man behind the microphone and tabloids. I don’t want to be one of a thousand screaming fans. When he kisses me, when he touches me... suddenly I want to be his one and only. Paparazzi, crazed band managers, overdoses… Rhys’ lifestyle will either drive me away forever or ruin me for all other men. But one thing’s for sure… he’s going to rock me to my core.
Music is Pete's life. From playing in a jazz band to jamming at 2 AM with his guitar-playing dad, Pete is almost never without his bass. He's sure his treasured Fender Precision bass, along with his vow never to be a sell-out, will lead him to a record deal one day. Then he meets the Carlisle brothers. They can't sing and they can barely play their instruments, but somehow they have a following. And they desperately need a bass player. Pete can play circles around these amateurs, but there's a raw power to their sound that's surprisingly appealing. He can't resist, and he joins The Tiny Masters of Today. When the band gets a chance at real superstardom, Pete wonders if he's ready for the big leagues. He knows the quality of the music should come first... but who knew selling out could be so much fun? Blake Nelson's riveting novel shows the realities of life in a band, and all the temptations that come with it.
Named one of the best music books of 2017 by The Wall Street Journal An elegy to the age of the Rock Star, featuring Chuck Berry, Elvis, Madonna, Bowie, Prince, and more, uncommon people whose lives were transformed by rock and who, in turn, shaped our culture Recklessness, thy name is rock. The age of the rock star, like the age of the cowboy, has passed. Like the cowboy, the idea of the rock star lives on in our imaginations. What did we see in them? Swagger. Recklessness. Sexual charisma. Damn-the-torpedoes self-belief. A certain way of carrying themselves. Good hair. Interesting shoes. Talent we wished we had. What did we want of them? To be larger than life but also like us. To live out their songs. To stay young forever. No wonder many didn’t stay the course. In Uncommon People, David Hepworth zeroes in on defining moments and turning points in the lives of forty rock stars from 1955 to 1995, taking us on a journey to burst a hundred myths and create a hundred more. As this tribe of uniquely motivated nobodies went about turning themselves into the ultimate somebodies, they also shaped us, our real lives and our fantasies. Uncommon People isn’t just their story. It’s ours as well.
Acclaimed music writer Robert Hilburn’s “epic” and “definitive” (Rolling Stone) biography of music icon Paul Simon, written with Simon’s full participation—but without his editorial control—that “reminds us how titanic this musician is” (The Washington Post). For more than fifty years, Paul Simon has spoken to us in songs about alienation, doubt, resilience, and empathy in ways that have established him as one of the most beloved artists in American pop music history. Songs like “The Sound of Silence,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Still Crazy After All These Years,” and “Graceland” have moved beyond the sales charts and into our cultural consciousness. But Simon is a deeply private person who has said he will not write an autobiography or talk to biographers. Finally, however, he has opened up for Robert Hilburn—for more than one hundred hours of interviews—in this “brilliant and entertaining portrait of Simon that will likely be the definitive biography” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Over the course of three years, Hilburn conducted in-depth interviews with scores of Paul Simon’s friends, family, colleagues, and others—including ex-wives Carrie Fisher and Peggy Harper, who spoke for the first time—and even penetrated the inner circle of Simon’s long-reclusive muse, Kathy Chitty. The result is a deeply human account of the challenges and sacrifices of a life in music at the highest level. In the process, Hilburn documents Simon’s search for artistry and his constant struggle to protect that artistry against distractions—fame, marriage, divorce, drugs, record company interference, rejection, and insecurity—that have derailed so many great pop figures. “As engaging as a lively American tune” (People), Paul Simon is a “straight-shooting tour de force…that does thorough justice to this American prophet and pop star” (USA TODAY, four out of four stars). “Read it if you like Simon; read it if you want to discover how talent unfolds itself” (Stephen King).
A story for music lovers about true friendship and finding your own beat. Without music, the world is just blah. That’s Mac’s take on life, anyway. His mum thinks rock is the only music worth listening to, but Mac is a secret musical lover. When he discovers an underground society for students who love musicals, he can finally be himself and make real friends. When he overhears the arts programme at Watterson Primary school is being closed down, Mac and his new friends decide they can’t let that happen. It's time for Watterson: The Musical!
