current reading

Guess I been reading a lot of rock and roll books. What can I say? They are fun and very easy to get through!.. guess they're kind of like my harlequin romance novels or something. Read the Pearl Jam bio Five against one. Who knew Eddie Vedder was a child actor? That his real father had MS and died at 40 and he won't talk to his adopted father, or the whole Ticketmaster imbroglio in detail (Thanks Janet Reno!)? Then I plowed through a book about Babes in Toyland.

Earlier this week I roared through "A&R" by Bill Flanagan.. a book I bought about 11-12 years ago... a novel about the music industry as it was circa year 2000 (pre-shit hit the fan)....found it very enjoyable although a bit strange at first (reading about made up bands is weird even if they seem real)... I guess I originally bought it cause it had some hype blurbs in the back by Tom Petty, Lou Reed and Elvis Costello praising it.. anyways just got his "Evening's Empire" and its got this blurb on the back jacket "'If you thought you knew something about rock-and-roll management, then wait till you read this book.' -Bob Dylan" and this "'Evening's Empire is an alternative history of the sixties generation that feels truer than what really happened. This is a funny, sad testament to the lost boys who wouldn't grow up.'- Bono" Its not every day you buy a novel that has both Dylan and Bono recommending it! Thats not even mentioning the people he thanks for having helped him learn more about how it really was: Costello, Dimitriades (Petty mgr I believe), Allen Klein (lawyer who managed SAM COOKE, owns the Stones catalog up to 1971, and had some serious dealings with the Beatles), Ahmet Ertegun, Buffet, JT, Chris Blackwell, Robert Plant, Toussaint..shit its like the rock and roll hall of fame.