Synopses & Reviews
Did you know that Brian Jones was told by a medium to avoid water”? Or that Buddy Holly only decided to fly so hed have time to finish his laundry? The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars reveals the truth behind these and thousands of other fascinating stories, while answering such perennial questions as:
which band boasts the most dead members?
who had the bright idea of changing a light bulb while standing in the shower?
and did Cass Elliot really check out before finishing lunch?
The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars is the bible of pop musics dead--the ultimate record of all those who arrived, rocked, and checked out over the last forty-odd years of fast cars, private jets, hard drugs, lethal weapons, and reckless living. Jeremy Simmonds here draws on a lifetimes obsession to match the industrys biggest departed stars--Buddy, Jeff, Sid, Jimi, Biggie, Janis, Elvis, Marc, Tupac--with more than a few lesser-known tales of rock tragedy. He also includes a smorgasbord of lighter-hearted sidebars, including strange facts, lucky escapes, and top-ten death discs.
An indispensable reference full of useful and useless information, with hundreds of photos of the good, the bad, and the silly, The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars is guaranteed to rock the world of trivia buffs and diehards alike.
Review
"An engrossing read." —Library Journal
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"A definitive guide to how our fave rock stars kicked the bucket." —The Observer
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"Hard to put down." —Under the Radar
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"A huge, affectionate and strangely compelling chronicle . . . Theres no shortage of rip-roaring sagas, shot through with black humor, pathos, and peculiar insight." —The New Statesman
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"A strange, entertaining chronology . . . comprehensively detailed and interspersed with lighter facts and interesting charts." —The Daily Express
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"Simmonds . . . plays on our obsession with the bizarre and the tragic in equal measure. As humorous as it is enthralling." —Rock Sound
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"Fascinating. . . . A must-have for the shelves of every music obsessive." — Lincoln Journal Star
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"As death goes, the book is pretty darned amusing." —Winston-Salem Journal
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"Captivating, time-consuming, and fascinating page-turner, a physically capacious and emotionally weighty tome/tomb. Its a triumphant feast of woe, mishaps, misery and artistic wonderments, and there are weeks of reading (and re-reading) here. A rich, often grim history is uncovered behind some of rocks forgotten or overlooked losses, and the painstakingly researched nature of the book is bound to enthrall fanatical music and trivia fans."—PopMatters
Synopsis
The bible of music’s deceased idols—Jeff Buckley, Sid Vicious, Jimi Hendrix, Tupac, Elvis—this is the ultimate record of all those who arrived, rocked, and checked out over the last forty-odd years of fast cars, private jets, hard drugs, and reckless living. The truths behind thousands of fascinating stories, such as Buddy Holly only decided to fly so he’d have time to finish his laundry, are coupled with perennial questions, including
Which band boasts the most dead members? and
Who had the bright idea of changing a light bulb while standing in the shower?, and a few tales of lesser-known rock tragedies. An indispensable reference full of useful and useless information, with hundreds of photos of the good, the bad, and the silly, this collection is guaranteed to rock the world of trivia buffs and diehards alike.
Synopsis
The bible of music's deceased idols--Jeff Buckley, Sid Vicious, Jimi Hendrix, Tupac, Elvis--this is the ultimate record of all those who have arrived, rocked, and checked out over the last 40-odd years.
About the Author
Jeremy Simmonds is the coauthor of Rough Guide to Rock and a freelance music writer. He wrote and produced seven series of the popular BBC television show, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, as well as the pop quiz show Mental!