Overview
Impish yet informative guide to the days the music died
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.Reviews
"An engrossing read." —Library Journal
"Captivating, time-consuming, and fascinating page-turner, a physically capacious and emotionally weighty tome/tomb. It’s 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 rock’s forgotten or overlooked losses, and the painstakingly researched nature of the book is bound to enthrall fanatical music and trivia fans."—PopMatters
"A definitive guide to how our fave rock stars kicked the bucket." —The Observer
"Hard to put down." —Under the Radar
"A huge, affectionate and strangely compelling chronicle . . . There’s no shortage of rip-roaring sagas, shot through with black humor, pathos, and peculiar insight." —The New Statesman
"A strange, entertaining chronology . . . comprehensively detailed and interspersed with lighter facts and interesting charts." —The Daily Express
"Simmonds . . . plays on our obsession with the bizarre and the tragic in equal measure. As humorous as it is enthralling." —Rock Sound
"Fascinating. . . . A must-have for the shelves of every music obsessive." — Lincoln Journal StarAuthor Biography
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!