MeDC

Superb, surprising and not just for Geils fans

Revisado: 03-31-25

I hate spoilers, so suffice to say that Peter Wolf was everywhere, met everyone and walked away with some amazing tales. This isn’t your typical rock bio, and while far from being a tell-all, tells you what is needed to leave your jaw hanging. I came across a lot of amazing reviews and figured, how good could the story of the Freeze Frame guy be? So glad I gave this book a shot because it paid off. Surprisingly, the Geils guys barely have cameos, and I’m not sure they could compete with the icons Peter Wolf rubbed elbows with back in the day. My only complaint about this book is that it ended! If you’re a fan of ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s culture, or you just want an interesting read, grab this book now and thank me later.

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Yes [sigh] a LOT of politics ...

Revisado: 04-06-23

This book is well-written, well-performed, and very entertaining when Stevie is telling the story behind the story. Stevie's a bit of a bragger, but it's all in good fun.

Unfortunately, his incessant, gratuitous political detours from beginning to end are an unfortunate distraction.

If you're a conservative and get easily offended, this book probably isn't for you. On the flip side, a lot of liberals likely to applaud his politics will probably wish he'd told more of his personal story and throttled back on the punditry.

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gARgles = Aumented Reality Goggles

Revisado: 08-02-21

I almost passed up this gem because of two reviews complaining about how the narrator repeatedly mispronounced the word goggles. Turns out that’s not true, and thank goodness I decided to listen for myself because this is a fine book with a very talented narrator. Apparently these picky reviewers weren’t listening closely, because it’s clearly explained that the main character is wearing augmented reality glasses sold under the brand name gARgles. It’s like the brand Gargoyles combined with goggles and a little AR thrown in. Pretty clever - and really an unfounded reason for negative feedback. This book is a fun romp.

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Would've ... Could've ... Might've ... Maybe ...

Revisado: 12-18-20

It's really discouraging that a book about one of the best-known reporters of her time is filled with such shoddy reporting.

This book starts with the assumption that Dorothy Killgallen couldn't possibly have just accidentally died after ingesting too many pills and too much alcohol, and then proceeds to tick off a series of potential suspects ranging from her husband to a preeminent mob boss. The so-called evidence for her murder by any of these potential suspects is so thin, it's laughable. Someone didn't remember the exact time something happened decades earlier? Must be guilty! Conflicting accounts of how she looked? Guilty? Didn't repond to the author? Super guilty!

And what's the motive? She had cracked the Kennedy assassination and had a bunch of papers to prove it. Papers that were so important she carried them with her night and day and never showed to anyone. And they disappeared after she died. Also, she was found dead in the wrong room of her house wearing the wrong clothes. This author makes the case that false eyelashes are a smoking gun.

This book is readable enough, but the theories strain credulity. The author just raided some old police files, wove them with some decades-old gossip columns and got a few new comments from people who don't really add much to the narrative.

Sadly missing is anything revealing about the life and career of a woman who stood out in her time and left far too soon.

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Questionable history

Revisado: 11-25-19

So Jim Morrison fatally overdosed in a Paris bar and his corpse was spirited back his flat and staged in a bathtub?!? What the ... ? I've heard that conspiracy theory before, but it's shockingly presented in this book as unquestioned fact. He also states that John Lennon's marital problems with Yoko Ono were the consequence of an affair with assistant May Pang. Anyone even casually aware of Lennon's story knows that Yoko put their marriage on hold because he was a mess, and pushed May Pang to join him in a temporary relationship that famously became known as the Lost Weekend. And everyone has seen film of the Beatles' iconic first press conference in the United States. A reporter asked them, "Are you going to get a haircut while you're here?" and George Harrison's cheekily answered, "I had one yesterday!" The author has Lennon saying that. In fact, Lennon was the only one of the four Beatles who did NOT speak during that classic exchange. It's one of the most replayed moments of that news conference, and is all over the internet in both video and transcript form, and yet this book got it wrong.

Three isolated examples? Maybe. But this book is presented as a history, and how much attention to detail did the author pay to the nitty gritty stuff if he got such superficial, easily researchable facts so wrong? I bought this book because I read the first volume in this series and enjoyed it. Even so, I noticed a few discrepancies compared to other accounts on the subject, I figured this guy is the historian and must've done his homework. Who am I to question, right? The Jim Morrison conspiracy theory presented as fact in this book has me questioning everything this guy wrote.

The author is 100 percent accurate when he wrote in his opening chapter that this book is an overview and nothing more. It's almost like he organized a bunch of rock anecdotes on index cards, typed them up and called it a day. He takes precious little time to add any context or analyze how musical trends come together or diverge. If rock and roll was a city, this book would be a tour from a speeding car that never stops and blows through every light. The author may have tipped his hand in his notes at the end when he recounts how he was on vacation in Spain and his house was flooded back home, and he returned to find all of his stuff ruined. Why does that belong in this book. Is he admitting that he needed some quick cash? That may or may not explain why this book seems incredibly rushed and fact checked casually - if at all. Seems like he needed a quick buck. He got a few of mine, and I don't regret buying this book, but I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed. Hopefully, he'll take a little more care and attention with volume 3.

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Shining light on an American enigma

Revisado: 12-21-17

What did you like best about this story?

Well written and presented. There's lots of conspiracy fodder here, but presented in a clear-headed way. Jefferson Morley fleshes out one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of spycraft, and lays out how James Angleton infected a nation with his virulent form of Cold War paranoia.

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A fun little romp ...

Revisado: 12-21-17

What other book might you compare Artemis to and why?

This compares favorably to Andy Weir's bestseller, The Martian. Fun and clever, with a likable, believable character thrust into extraordinary circumstances.

What does Rosario Dawson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great narration. She brought an extra level to a well-written book.

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No tell all ... not at all

Revisado: 07-04-15

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not a bad book. But it's hardly enlightening. Rarely do we get any glimpses behind the scenes or any insight into the giants of rock mentioned in the title. Stories about the Stones, The Who, The Eagles and others are legendary, oft-told, and nowhere to be found in this book. It's kind of surprising that a book about rock 'n' roll can be so boring.

What could Glyn Johns have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The title promises "A Life Recording Hits With the Rolling Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Eric Clapton, the Faces…" but this book really doesn't deliver. It's a really shallow presentation of some of the most extraordinary recording artists of the 20th Century or the birthing process for their most treasured works. This book reads more like a calendar, with a few diary notes thrown in. The real revelation in this book is how bad Glyn Johns judgment seems to be. Several times, he poo-poos iconic artists (the Eagles, Clapton, Joan Armatrading), only to be saved by friends and colleagues to ask him to give them a second look.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Fine narration. Wish Simon had better subject matter.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

If this was a movie, it would be some dude briskly walking past a bunch of famous people, commenting briefly on each one, and then stopping at the end to whine about how computers and radio stations ruined the music business.

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esto le resultó útil a 14 personas