A biography of American rock band KISS --Provided by publisher.

"Gracyk grapples with the ways that rock shapes--limits and expands--our notions of who we can be in the world. [He] sees rock as a mass art, open-ended and open to diverse (but not unlimited) interpretations. Recordings reach millions, drawing people together in communities of listeners who respond viscerally to its sound and intellectually to its messages. As an art form that proclaims its emotional authenticity and resistance to convention, rock music constitutes part of the cultural apparatus from which individuals mold personal and political identities. Going to the heart of this relationship between the music's role in its performers' and fans' self-construction, Gracyk probes questions of gender and appropriation. How can a feminist be a Stones fan or a straight man enjoy the Indigo Girls? Does borrowing music that carries a "racial identity" always add up to exploitation, a charge leveled at Paul Simon's Graceland? Rang[es] through forty years of rock history and offer[s] a trove of anecdotes"--Publisher description.

After years of working day jobs and making music in his basement, Jacob Slichter wondered if his dreams of rock stardom were a vain illusion. Then he was recruited by two of his successful musician friends to form a band that became Semisonic. Who could forget the smash single “Closing Time,” a runaway hit in 1998 that thrust Jake and his bandmates into the international spotlight and helped them sell over two million albums worldwide? But along the road to fame and success came bewilderment and personal chaos: How will we ever get a record deal? Which record company is the best? The worst? Do I really have to wear these ridiculous boots? Why isn’t radio playing our song? What if I have a panic attack right here on stage? What should I write on this fan’s CD? Am I famous? Why isn’t the video director getting more shots of me? Did I say the wrong thing during that interview? Help! So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star is a telling and witty look at what happens just before and during one's time in the spotlight. Jake takes readers on a step-by-step journey of his evolution from fledgling drummer to globetrotting performer and proves to be the perfect guide—feisty and humbled—to the inner workings of the music industry and instant celebrity. So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star speaks to all of us who dream again and again of rock superstardom and shows how one kid can go from picking up a pair of drumsticks to picking up a platinum record.

"An oral history and timeline of the popular 1980s heavy metal subgenre, including its prehistory and decline, profusely illustrated with relevant photographs and memorabilia"--

The Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D Lyrics

This picture book of Dee Snider's classic song of empowerment and self-determination will strike a chord with kids everywhere. Oh we're not gonna take it No, we ain't gonna take it Oh we're not gonna take it anymore We're Not Gonna Take It is a playful picture book echoing 1980s hair band Twisted Sister's most popular antiestablishment anthem. As part of their triple-platinum album Stay Hungry, "We're Not Gonna Take It" spent fifteen weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number twenty-one. With lyrics by Dee Snider and illustrations by Margaret McCartney, this picture book follows three toddlers on a mission to defy their parents, whether it be lunchtime, bath time, or bedtime. We're Not Gonna Take It is a story both parents and children can relate to, and a song they can enjoy together. Released in 1984, "We're Not Gonna Take It" is a signature rock anthem of the 1980s The song was a Hot 100 top forty hit and reached the top ten on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart The album it appeared on, Stay Hungry, was the band's breakthrough and a US top twenty hit Its anthemic quality has propelled the song to become a US pop culture touchstone The song has an iconic music video "'We're Not Gonna Take It' was a watershed moment in hard rock. It delivered a defiant song that originally shook up the establishment." --Christa Titus, Billboard "'We're Not Gonna Take It' is an indelible hit, whose instantly recognizable hook practically invites the listener to shout along." --Rachel Martin and Phil Harrell, NPR

If there is anyone who should be the children's playwright laureate it is David Wood' (Evening Standard) The Owl and the Pussycat Went to See - '... the funniest, prettiest and most melodious children's show I have ever seen' (Guardian); The BFG - 'Any child not delighted by the BFG must have a head filled with squashed flies, and deserves to be fed for a year on disgustatious snozzcumbers' (Guardian); The Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner - 'A milestone in children's entertainment' (Theatre Review); Save the Human - 'A first-rate show, it's colourful, entertaining and thought-provoking' (Sunderland Echo)