I just posted something along these lines as a comment to a reader, but since I'd be interested in what others might put on their lists, I'm re-posting (that sounds a little like composing, doesn't it?) here for everyone else.
Basically, I'm interested in what your top ten rock 'n' roll reads might be. Here are mine in no particular order:
1. "Rock & Roll Will Save Your Life" -- Steve Almond (the MAN!)
2. "No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs" -- Johnny Rotten (the other man!)
3."Lipstick Traces" -- Greil Marcus (ok, ok, he's the man too)
4. "Please Kill Me" -- Legs McNeil & Gillian McCain (the man AND the woman)
5. "Elvis" -- Albert Goldman (hate him if you want, but it's a damn fun read and at least as regards Elvis' early recordings, SMART!)
6. "Revolution in the Head" -- Ian MacDonald (an amazing Beatles book)
7. "The Day John Met Paul" -- James O'Donnell (the imagined first meeting of the two based entirely on the factual record)
8. "The True Adventures of the Rolling Stones" -- Stanley Booth (cool and scary)
9. "Beneath the Underdog" -- Charles Mingus (not strictly rock 'n' roll, but the great jazz bassist's autobiography reads like a "Behind the Music" episode as written by Shakespeare.)
10. "Powerhouse" -- Eudora Welty (again, not strictly rock, but this short story about a blues organ player has one of the best evocations of music in words I've read anywhere. Great stuff!)
Oh, and one more has to be squeezed in:
11. "Chronicles" -- Bob Dylan (you've heard of him, right?)
Ok, I'm sure there are others, but these are the first that leap to mind.
Your turn!
