You may have to Search all our reviewed books and magazines, click the sign up button below to create a free account.
In this “highly entertaining snapshot of a wild-frontier moment in pop culture” (Rolling Stone), discover the wild and explosive true story of the early years of MTV directly from the original VJs. Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, and Martha Quinn (along with the late J. J. Jackson) had front-row seats to a cultural revolution—and the hijinks of pop music icons like Adam Ant, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, and Duran Duran—as the first VJs on the fledgling network MTV. From partying with David Lee Roth to flying on Bob Dylan’s private jet, they were on a breakneck journey through a music revolution. Boing beyond the compelling behind the scenes tales of this unforgettable era, VJ is also a coming-of-age story about the 1980s, its excesses, controversies, and everything in between. “At last—the real inside story of the MTV explosion that rocked the world, in all its giddy excess, from the video pioneers who saw all the hair, drugs and guitars up close. VJ is the wild, hilarious, addictive tale of how one crazy moment changed pop culture forever” (Rob Sheffield, New York Times bestselling author).
The great depression in the popular recording industry that began in 1979 still continues. There are signs, however, that the industry is adjusting to new technologies and may soon revive. R. Serge Denisoff documents the decline and possible revival of this comprehensive study of the recording business, a sequel to his widely acclaimed Solid Gold: The Popular Record Industry. Denisoff offers a brief history of popular music and then, in detail, traces the life cycle of a record, beginning with the artist in the studio and following the record until its purchase. He explains the relationships between artist, manager, producer, company, distributor, merchandiser, and media. They all play roles in the scenario of a hit record. He also discusses the new technologies and how they may affect record sales, especially round-the-clock rock and roll on cable television. Tarnished Gold joins Solid Gold as a staple in the popular culture literature.
"This book is an insight into the evolution of the cablevisionphenomena--MTV, VH-1, and their competitors. Denisoff presents his study from the perspectivesof media economics, boardroom politics, and the recording industry's dilemma: how to promoterecorded products with video clips. This text focuses upon the processes involved in thedevelopment and growth of the product, MTV to date (and the medium,cablevision)."--Choice Instde MTV by a leading authority on theAmerican music business, examines the world of cablecasting, the evolution of WASEC, MTV, VH1,and some of their competitors. The strategies, personalities, and the contents that placed MTVon the road to a dominant position are described. The many controversies surrounding the channelare thoroughly detailed, and misinformation on the subject is corrected.
Holly Knight’s singular music career included crafting a good part of the soundtrack to the MTV eighties with mega-hits for Tina Turner (“The Best”), Pat Benatar (“Love Is A Battlefield”), and Patty Smyth (“The Warrior”)—songs that celebrated female empowerment and shaped pop and rock for years to come. “Holly Knight wrote some of the best and toughest songs for female artists. Her songs helped pave the way for women in rock. Not to mention a few dudes.” —Patty Smyth As a writer and musician, Holly Knight worked hard and played hard with the likes of KISS, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Heart. She showed the boys how it was done when many women were still struggl...
A useful resource for people of all ages who want to know more about rock history, Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection links national and international events in music and the world, though the primary focus is on Cleveland. Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection is the first in-depth look at the people, venues and artists that made Cleveland the "Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World." Author Deanna Adams conducted personal interviews with more than 150 musicians, managers, DJ's, promoters, record executives, journalists, and club owners--all pioneers of this new musical movement--to compile these chapters of musical history.
Ever since Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed first called the records he was playing "rock and roll," northeast Ohio has been a driving force in this musical phenomenon. From the disc jockeys who spun the music to the musicians who played it, the clubs that welcomed it and fans who encouraged it, rock and roll has been as much a part of this north coast as the lake that hugs it. It was those early years, from the 1950s on, that led Cleveland to becoming the "Rock and Roll Capital of the World" and ultimately home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. While the city spawned several widely recognized names, such as the James Gang (with Joe Walsh), the Raspberries (with Eric Carmen), and Bobby Womack, it is the music itself that will keep this town rocking on the shores of Lake Erie, and beyond, for a long time to come.
Kevin Mattson offers a history of punk rock in the 1980s. He documents how kids growing up in the sedate world of suburbia created their "own culture" through DIY tactics. Punk spread across the continent in the 1980s as it found expression in different media, including literature, art, and poetry. Punks dissented against Reagan's presidency, accusing the entertainer-in-chief of being mean and duplicitous (especially when it came to nuclear war and his policies in Central America). Mattson has dived deep into archives to make his case that this youthful dissent meant something more than just a style of mohawks or purple hair.
A behind-the-scenes oral history of the early years of MTV, circa 1981 to 1985, by the VJs who had front-row seats to a cultural revolution.
The Celebrity Locator provides the addresses to our complete database of Movie Stars, TV Stars, Authors, Politicians, Rock Stars, Athletes, and Other Famous People! If a person is famous or worth locating, it's almost certain their regular address (almost 12000) agents, representive, or web site can be found in here.
Sellers, a pop culture journalist with articles published in "GQ" and "The New York Times," has written a rock-music fan's memoir overflowing with humor, self-deprecation, encyclopedic knowledge, and Rwish you were thereS personal anecdotes.