You can tell a lot about somebody in a minute. If you choose the right minute. As a journalist (for Rolling Stone, the "New York Times", and elsewhere) and bestselling author, Neil Strauss considers it his job to hang around celebrities, rock gods, porn queens, up-and-coming starlets, and iconic superstars long enough - whether it takes moments or months - to find that minute, the one when the curtain finally falls away and the real person is revealed. In this new collection, Strauss offers up 120 of those singular, hit-you-in-the guts, perception-altering, revolutionary minutes, as only he can - with total honesty, deadpan wit, and unmatched style. Among the game-changing moments collected here are interviews with: Tom Cruise; Snoop Dogg; Madonna; Johnny Cash; Cher and Dave Navarro; Oasis; Julian Casablancas of The Strokes; Brian Wilson; Eric Clapton; and, Hugh Hefner. Wickedly illustrated throughout with sketches by artist Sian Pattenden, Strauss' first-ever collection of rock journalism is equally raw and revealing (Tom Cruise on Scientology, Brian Wilson on drugs and alcohol), hilarious (Snoop Dogg on record companies and baby diapers), and deeply honest (Eric Clapton on the death of Kurt Cobain and his own struggle with depression). "Everyone Loves You When You're Dead" is Neil Strauss, cultural journalist, at his finest.

The definitive account of Jeff Beck's journey from his childhood in 1940s South London to the world-wide success of 2010's album Emotion and Commotion and beyond.Author Martin Power has talked to former Yardbirds members Chris Dreja and Jim McCarty as well as manager Simon Napier-Bell and fellow musicians including Max Middleton, Stanley Clarke, Simon Phillips, Jimmy Hall, Mo Foster, Doug Wimbish and many others. Supported by full album reviews, rare photographs and an up-to-date discography, Hot Wired Guitar is the most complete and comprehensive account of the life and times of Jeff Beck, the man who took the electric guitar and showed the world just what could be done with just six strings and 'one hell of an attitude'.

I m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I m notdumb and I m not blonde either. Don t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life. People are always asking me in interviews, What do you think of foreign affairs? I just say, I ve had a few. Dolly Parton or the Dolly Lama, as she has been called is renowned for her hilarious quotes, witty one-liners, and self-deprecating humor.In "Pocket Dolly Wisdom," the Queen of Country s best quotes have been compiled into a handy pocket-sized edition, perfect for reading on the go. So if you re feeling blue, need a laugh, a hug, or some solid Southern advice, this is the book for you. From love to diets, life advice, and more, there s something for every Dolly fan."

This violent and introspective memoir reveals not only 50 Cent's story but also the story of a generation of youth faced with hard choices and very few options. It is a tale of sacrifice, transformation, and redemption, but also one of hope, determination, and the power of self. Told in 50's unique voice, the narrative drips with the raw insight, street wisdom, and his struggle to survive at all costs -- and behold the riches of the American Dream.

Based on the latest research, including Mozart family correspondence recently released, this fully illustrated and definitive portrait of one of the most revered yet enigmatic figures of all time reveals heretofore unknown facets of Mozart's complicated family background and explodes the myth of this musical genius as the "eternal child". Photos & musical pieces.

A pianist, arranger, and composer, William Pursell is a mainstay of the Nashville music scene. He has played jazz in Nashville's Printer's Alley with Chet Atkins and Harold Bradley, recorded with Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline, performed with the Nashville Symphony, and composed and arranged popular and classical music. Pursell's career, winding like a crooked river between classical and popular genres, encompasses a striking diversity of musical experiences. A series of key choices sent him down different paths, whether it was reenrolling with the Air Force for a second tour of duty, leaving the prestigious Eastman School of Music to tour with an R&B band, or refusing to sign with the Beatles' agent Sid Bernstein. The story of his life as a working musician is unlike any other-he is not a country musician nor a popular musician nor a classical musician but, instead, an artist who refused to be limited by traditional categories. Crooked River City is driven by a series of recollections and personal anecdotes Terry Wait Klefstad assembled over a three-year period of interviews with Pursell. His story is one not only of talent, but of dedication and hard work, and of the ins and outs of a working musician in America. This biography fills a crucial gap in Nashville music history for both scholars and music fans.

Steve Beresford's polymathic activities have formed a prism for the UK improv scene since the 1970s. He is internationally known as a free improviser on piano, toy piano and electronics, composer for film and TV, and raconteur and Dadaist visionary. His résumé is filled with collaborations with hundreds of musicians and other artists, including such leading improvisers as Derek Bailey, Evan Parker and John Zorn, and he has given performances of works by John Cage and Christian Marclay. In this book, Beresford is heard in his own words through first-hand interviews with the author. Beresford provides compelling insight into an extensive range of topics, displaying the broad cultural context in which music is embedded. The volume combines chronological and thematic chapters, with topics covering improvisation and composition in jazz and free music; the connections between art, entertainment and popular culture; the audience for free improvisation; writing music for films; recording improvised music in the studio; and teaching improvisation. It places Beresford in the context of improvised and related musics – jazz, free jazz, free improvisation – in which there is growing interest. The linear narrative is broken up by 'interventions' or short pieces by collaborators and commentators.

The diva – a central figure in the landscape of contemporary popular culture: gossip-generating, scandal-courting, paparazzi-stalked. And yet the diva is at the epicentre of creative endeavours that resonate with contemporary feminist ideas, kick back against diminished social expectations, boldly call-out casual sexism and industry misogyny and, in terms of hip-hop, explores intersectional oppressions and unapologetically celebrates non-white cultural heritages. Diva beats and grooves echo across culture and politics in the West: from the borough to the White House, from arena concerts to nightclubs, from social media to social activism, from #MeToo to Black Lives Matter. Diva: Feminism and Fierceness from Pop to Hip-Hop addresses the diva phenomenon and its origins: its identity politics and LGBTQ+ components; its creativity and interventions in areas of popular culture (music, and beyond); its saints and sinners and controversies old and new; and its oppositions to, and recuperations by, the establishment; and its shifts from third to fourth waves of feminism. This co-edited collection brings together an international array of writers – from new voices to established names. The collection scopes the rise to power of the diva (looking to Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Dolly Parton, Grace Jones, and Aaliyah), then turns to contemporary diva figures and their work (with Beyoncé, Amuro Namie, Janelle Monáe, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, and Nicki Minaj), and concludes by considering the presence of the diva in wider cultures, in terms of gallery curation, theatre productions, and stand-up comedy.

Pierre Monteux became famous at the age of 38 for conducting the riotous world premiere of Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring in Paris on May 29, 1913. The composer, fearing bodily harm, escaped through a backstage window, while the imperturbable conductor persisted, forever to be identified with the event. He would also conduct the first concert performance and one of the first two recordings of Stravinsky's masterpiece, the other one conducted by Stravinsky himself. Though French by birth, the distinctively portly man with the walrus mustache resisted being typecast as a French conductor. He could have been a European maestro: he played for Brahms, worked with Grieg, presided over the world premieres of major works by Ravel, Stravinsky and many others, was Diaghilev's conductor of choice. But it was Monteux's American audiences, especially in San Francisco and Boston, who would love him the most over the course of a long career. He conducted many American premieres, works of Debussy, Falla, Ravel, and among the more than a dozen Boston premieres, those of The Rite of Spring and of Mahler's First Symphony. Canarina, a conductor and teacher of conducting himself, studied with Monteux for seven summers and brings great personal warmth and understanding to this wise, admiring and honest book, the first full-length biography of the man whom so many knew and loved as "Maitre."

During a time when toughskin blue jeans, button-down shirts, and flat-top haircuts were all the rage, Gene Odom and Ronnie Van Zant became best friends. Growing up on the same block, Ronnie and Gene fished, played football, anddreamed together. Years later, one of the boys would become famous-and the other would stand by his side through thick and thin. This is the story of two young men from the same neighborhood, school, and world who together, discovered the meaning of true friendship.

As Ronnie's dreams of becoming a professional musician finally became a reality, Lynyrd Skynyrdbegan selling out arenas and became famous for not only their music, but also their substance abuse. After Ronnie offered Gene a job as a security officer for the band, he embarked on an unforgettable journey into a world like no other. But everything would change in October 1977 when the plane carrying the band plummeted from the sky.

"Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ronnie Van Zant, and Me ... Gene Odom" provides a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it was like to be friends with one of the biggest rock stars of the 1970s and how a friendship between two childhood buddies stood the test of time.

Believe Your Ears is the memoir of composer Kirke Mechem, whose unorthodox path to music provides a fascinating narrative. He wrote songs and played music by ear as a newspaper reporter, a touring tennis player, and a Stanford creative-writing major before studying composition and conducting at Harvard. He describes his residencies in San Francisco, Vienna, London, and Russia, and gives detailed attention to his choral music, operas, and symphonies. He writes that "the twentieth century gave us much brilliant music" but shows how atonality came to dominate the post-war period. His lyric style belongs to no particular "school," avoiding the trends, -isms, experiments, fads, and lunacies of the period. He encourages younger composers who are trying to bring back beauty, passion, and humor-even entertainment-to classical music. He asks music lovers to believe their own ears, not the lectures of "experts." Believe Your Ears is addressed to all who love classical music. Along the way, readers will meet Dimitri Shostakovich, Wallace Stegner, Billie Jean King, the Grateful Dead, Richard Rodgers, Benjamin Britten, Bill Tilden, and Aaron Copland-a who's who in Mechem's storied career.

The definitive story of Amy Winehouse's life and career told through key photographs, memorabilia and recollections by those who knew her best. Curated by Amy's stylist and close friend Naomi Parry. Amy Winehouse left an indelible mark on both the music industry and pop culture with her soulful voice and bold 60s-inspired aesthetic. Featuring stories and anecdotes from a wide range of characters connected to Amy, specially commissioned photography of memorabilia, styled and dressed themed sets incorporating Amy's clothing, possessions and lyrics, and previously unseen archival images, this volume presents an intimate portrait that celebrates Amy's creative legacy. Interspersed throughout are personal reflections on Amy's life and work, provided by her friends, colleagues and fans. These include Ronnie Spector, Vivienne Westwood, Bryan Adams, Little Simz, Carl Barat, close friend Catriona Gourlay, Douglas Charles-Ridler (owner of the Hawley Arms), tattooist Henry Hate, goddaughter Dionne Broomfield and DJ Bioux. Each one has a personal story to share and together their anecdotes and reflections build into a complex picture of a much admired but troubled star. Vice Culture Editor Emma Garland puts these insights into context with an introduction that highlights the principal events and achievements in Amy's life and work, and the key characters that played a part in it. Organized broadly chronologically, the book features newly shot lyric sheets, sketches and ephemera together with contextual photographs and video stills, including album, single and promotional artworks and outtakes. Punctuating the story are photographs of dressed room sets each created, designed and styled especially for the book by Naomi Parry to evoke a period or aspect of Amy's life or personality, incorporating Amy's clothing, possessions, lyrics and other memorabilia. With kind support from the Winehouse family. With 300 illustrations in colour

Blackstar Theory takes a close look at David Bowie's ambitious last works: his surprise 'comeback' project The Next Day (2013), the off-Broadway musical Lazarus (2015) and the album that preceded the artist's death in 2016 by two days, Blackstar. The book explores the swirl of themes that orbit and entangle these projects from a starting point in musical analysis and features new interviews with key collaborators from the period: producer Tony Visconti, graphic designer Jonathan Barnbrook, musical director Henry Hey, saxophonist Donny McCaslin and assistant sound engineer Erin Tonkon. These works tackle the biggest of ideas: identity, creativity, chaos, transience and immortality. They enact a process of individuation for the Bowie meta-persona and invite us to consider what happens when a star dies. In our universe, dying stars do not disappear - they transform into new stellar objects, remnants and gravitational forces. The radical potential of the Blackstar is demonstrated in the rock star supernova that creates a singularity resulting in cultural iconicity. It is how a man approaching his own death can create art that illuminates the immortal potential of all matter in the known universe.