Music & Dance
Born in rural Kentucky, Mickey Hess grew up listening to the militant rap of Public Enemy while living in a place where the state song still included the word "darkies." Listening to hip-hop made Hess think about what it meant to be white, while the environment in small-town Kentucky encouraged him to avoid or even mock such self-examination.
With America's history of cultural appropriation, we've come to mistrust white people who participate deeply in black culture, but backing away from black culture is too easy a solution. As a white professor with a longstanding commitment to teaching hip-hop music and culture, Hess argues that white people have a responsibility to educate themselves by listening to black voices and then teach other whites to face the ways they benefit from racial injustices.
In our fraught moment, A Guest in the House of Hip Hop offers a point of entry for readers committed to racial justice, but uncertain about white people's role in relation to black culture.
1st edition; inscribed on ffep; dust jacket in protective cover; very slight wear to corners; black cloth with gilt decoration and lettering; binding tight; text clean and bright. VG/VG
"Eddie Trunk is one of the greatest true rock-and-roll fans I've ever met. He hears it, sees it from all angles, with an unusually unbiased point of view." --Slash "Eddie's a true flag-waving defender of all things rock." --Bret Michaels "Eddie's name should be spelled M-E-T-A-L. All of us should be thanking him because he has kept this scene alive for everyone." --Ronnie James Dio In the much-anticipated sequel to the bestselling Eddie Trunk's Essential Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, Trunk picks up where he left off by featuring 35 new bands, both legendary and forgotten, and sharing his passion for all things metal. Complete with his favorite playlists, band discographies, memorabilia, trivia, and more than 200 color photographs, this new book combines brief band histories with Trunk's unique personal experiences and anecdotes in a must-read for all fans of rock and roll. Featuring a diverse lineup, from Marilyn Manson and Ace Frehley to Lita Ford and Whitesnake, Volume 2 salutes all those who are ready to rock!
A brash and dazzling celebration of the instruments that created the sounds of rock and roll from the 1940s to the present day Play It Loud celebrates the musical instruments that gave rock and roll its signature sound--from Louis Jordan's alto saxophone and John Lennon's Rickenbacker to the drum set owned by Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Lady Gaga's keytar, and beyond. Seven engrossing essays by veteran music journalists and scholars discuss the technical developments that fostered rock's seductive riffs and driving rhythms, the thrilling innovations musicians have devised to achieve unique effects, and the visual impact their instruments have had. Abundant photographs depict rock's most iconic instruments--including Jerry Lee Lewis's baby grand piano, Chuck Berry's Gibson ES-350T guitar, Bootsy Collins's star-shaped bass, Keith Moon's drum set, and the white Stratocaster Jimi Hendrix played at Woodstock--as works of art in their own right. Produced in collaboration with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, this astounding book goes behind the music to offer a rare and in-depth look at the instruments that inspired the musicians and made possible the songs we know and love.
Iconic and never-before-seen images of punk and post-punk's quintessential bands In the late 70s, punk rock music began to evolve into the post-punk and new wave movements that dominated until the early 90s. During this time, prolific photographer and filmmaker Michael Grecco was in the thick of things, documenting the club scene in places like Boston and New York, and getting shots on- and backstage with bands such as The Cramps, Dead Kennedys, Talking Heads, Human Sexual Response, Elvis Costello, Joan Jett, the Ramones, and many others. Grecco captured in black and white and color the raw energy, sweat, and antics that characterized the alternative music of the time. Punk, Post Punk, New Wave: Onstage, Backstage, In Your Face, 1978-1991 features stunning, never-before-seen photography from this iconic period in music. In addition to concert photography, he also shot album covers and promotional pieces that round out this impressively extensive photo collection. Featuring a foreword from Fred Schneider of the B-52's, Punk, Post Punk, New Wave is a quintessential piece of music history for anyone looking for backstage access into the careers of punk and post punk's most beloved bands.
The History of Gangster Rap is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating subgenres of any music category to date. Sixteen detailed chapters, organized chronologically, examine the evolution of gangster rap, its main players, and the culture that created this revolutionary music. From still-swirling conspiracy theories about the murders of Biggie and Tupac to the release of the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, the era of gangster rap is one that fascinates music junkies and remains at the forefront of pop culture. Filled with interviews with key players such as Snoop Dogg, Ice-T, and dozens more, as well as sidebars, breakout bios of notorious characters, lists, charts, and more, The History of Gangster Rap is the be-all-end-all book that contextualizes the importance of gangster rap as a cultural phenomenon.
Giftable 50th anniversary commemorative with never-before-seen images and original interviews. Hear from performers and attendees in their own voices! Featuring Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Grateful Dead, as well as unsung audience members and folks behind the scenes. This compendium remembers all the people who made the three days of peace and music an impossible success. The world today feels far removed from the one in which Woodstock was possible, where half a million strangers congregated peacefully for three days.
Longtime music writer Daniel Bukszpan offers insights on how the festival is still making an impact on pop culture, while candid interviews, set lists, and beautiful photographs relive the beautiful chaos and once-in-a-lifetime performances at Yasgur's farm. With images by renowned photographers, including Amalie R. Rothschild and Elliott Landy, including the cover photo of Janis Joplin.
Longtime music writer Daniel Bukszpan offers insights on how the festival is still making an impact on pop culture, while candid interviews, set lists, and beautiful photographs relive the beautiful chaos and once-in-a-lifetime performances at Yasgur's farm. With images by renowned photographers, including Amalie R. Rothschild and Elliott Landy, including the cover photo of Janis Joplin.
New York Times Best Seller From the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train, a profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year. Following a run of New Year's concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland with no design, yet heeding signs--including a talking sign that looms above her, prodding and sparring like the Cheshire Cat. In February, a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, Anything is possible: after all, it's the Year of the Monkey. For Smith--inveterately curious, always exploring, tracking thoughts, writing--the year evolves as one of reckoning with the changes in life's gyre: with loss, aging, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of America. Smith melds the western landscape with her own dreamscape. Taking us from California to the Arizona desert; to a Kentucky farm as the amanuensis of a friend in crisis; to the hospital room of a valued mentor; and by turns to remembered and imagined places, this haunting memoir blends fact and fiction with poetic mastery. The unexpected happens; grief and disillusionment set in. But as Smith heads toward a new decade in her own life, she offers this balm to the reader: her wisdom, wit, gimlet eye, and above all, a rugged hope for a better world. Riveting, elegant, often humorous, illustrated by Smith's signature Polaroids, Year of the Monkey is a moving and original work, a touchstone for our turbulent times.