Tagged: getlit

​To the casual classic rock fan, Jack Bruce is the guy in Cream who's not the crazy drummer and not Eric Clapton. But the deeper-track seeker holds the singer/bassist/composer in much higher regar... Continue reading "Get Lit: Jack Bruce: Composing Himself - The Authorized Biography By Harry Shapiro; Interview With The Author" >

​In the long line of rock and roller autobiographies, there is a tried and true formula. You must always recall your humble troubled beginnings, like Anthony Kiedis did with 2004's heroin-addled t... Continue reading "Get Lit: I Am Ozzy by John Michael Osbourne" >

​Though the title indicates this might be a juicy memoir from a punk-rock groupie, it's actually by the brother of the Ramones singer, who did indeed share a bedroom with the tall boy born Jeffrey... Continue reading "Get Lit: I Slept with Joey Ramone by Mickey Leigh with Legs McNeil " >

​Unfortunately, by the time that Robert Palmer (the writer, not the "Addicted to Love" guy) died from liver failure complications in 1997, his fierce brand of music journalism had been six feet un... Continue reading "Get Lit: Blues & Chaos: The Music Writings of Robert Palmer" >

​Rocks Off understands that this effort is meant for a more general audience and not a Beatles obsessive like himself who owns a bookcase stocked with 93 Fab-related tomes (we counted). And on tha... Continue reading "Get Lit: Paul McCartney: A Life by Peter Ames Carlin" >

​Coffee-table books on rock bands usually fall into one of two categories; either they're chock-full of great visuals with very little textual information, or the book looks like the U.S. tax code... Continue reading "Get Lit: Queen - The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock by Phil Sutcliffe" >

​Though his stature as an icon of jazz is secure today, for much of his actual performing life, pianist/composer Thelonious Monk was not always so well-received by jazz critics or general fans. Hi... Continue reading "Get Lit: Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D. G. Kelley" >

​In one of the most rollicking and enjoyable classic rock memoirs of recent years, Chris O'Dell offers scores of interesting first-hand experiences with a who's who of icons, as well as her own ke... Continue reading "Get Lit: Miss O'Dell: My Hard Days and Long Nights with The Beatles, The Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, and the Women They Loved by Chris O'Dell with Katherine Ketcham" >

​While growing up in rural Virginia in the shadow of his beloved Clinch Mountains, a young Ralph Stanley was given his choice of presents to celebrate his 11th birthday: a pig or a banjo. Thankful... Continue reading "Get Lit: Man of Constant Sorrow: My Life and Times by Dr. Ralph Stanley With Eddie Dean " >

​Neil Diamond's hipster cachet has increased greatly in the past few years: The Rick Rubin albums, Saving Silverman, ultimate Neil tribute band Super Diamond and Will Ferrell's deadly funny SNL im... Continue reading "Get Lit: Neil Diamond is Forever: The Illustrated History of the Man and His Music by Jon Bream" >

​ Just as Bruce Springsteen winds down a frenzied period of back-to-back album and tour marathon - despite the death of Springsteen's cousin/assistant tour manager earlier this week in Kansas Ci... Continue reading "Get Lit: Three More for That Already Groaning Springsteen Bookshelf" >

​In addition to his long career as one of modern jazz's finest trumpet blowers and composers, Wynton Marsalis has waged a sort of one-man PR campaign for jazz education. He extols the virtues of t... Continue reading "Get Lit: Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life By Wynton Marsalis with Geoffrey Ward " >

I'm proud to say that this is the first of many productions I'll be introducing under the banner of my new home, Three/21 Films. The concept for this Adidas Original spot was spawned from the understanding that Hip Hop will never die. From Hip Hop's birth in the late seventies to now, the game, energy and freedom of expression remains the same. Kids always come up with new ways to express themselves. There's a YouTube movement where kids video tape themselves dancing or better yet "Get'n Lite". They then post those clips on YouTube and watch the number of view [...]

[Ed. note: Sunday was the 23rd anniversary of the fatal bus accident that claimed Cliff Burton's life.] Cliff Burton's ​When the mighty Metallica was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ... Continue reading "Get Lit: To Live Is to Die - The Life and Death of Metallica's Cliff Burton by Joel McIver" >

Give the drummer some! Over a career spanning decades, Joe Vitale's drumsticks have pounded for a who's who of classic rockers both in the studio and onstage. Ted Nugent, Joe Walsh, Peter Frampton, Ne... Continue reading "Get Lit: Joe Vitale's Backstage Pass" >

I hate to ask this question, as it is overly publicized and just all-around cheesy, but nothing else will fit what this book is about. So, with a heavy heart, I ask, "Are you ready to rock?" Readers ... Continue reading "Get Lit: The Girl's Guide to Rocking by Jessica Hopper" >

As the "godfather of progressive rock drumming," Bill Bruford has done stints on the road and in the studio with many of the genre's biggest bands. He was a founding member of Yes, spent years with Ki... Continue reading "Get Lit: Bill Bruford: The Autobiography by Bill Bruford" >

If productivity alone conferred greatness, then flinty rock scribbler Dave Thompson would be the Trollope of pop-culture quick reads. I Hate New Music is the latest of over 100 titles this insta-book ... Continue reading "Get Lit: I Hate New Music: The Classic Rock Manifesto by Dave Thompson" >

When author and New Yorker journalist Alec Wilkinson first approached folk-music icon Pete Seeger about writing an expansive biography, the modest performer - who turned 90 years old Sunday - demurred... Continue reading "Get Lit: The Protest Singer: An Intimate Portrait of Pete Seeger by Alec Wilkinson" >

Barely out of her teens, Carol Ann Harris met Lindsey Buckingham in 1977 while working at the studio where the singer/guitarist was putting the finishing touches on what would be the band's huge inter... Continue reading "Get Lit: Storms: My Life With Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac by Carol Ann Harris" >