Drooling fanatic, n. 1. One who drools in the presence of beloved rock stars. 2. Any of a genus of rock-and-roll wannabes/geeks who walk around with songs constantly ringing in their ears, own more than 3,000 albums, and fall in love with at least one record per week. With a life that’s spanned the phonographic era and the digital age, Steve Almond lives to Rawk. Like you, he’s secretly longed to live the life of a rock star, complete with insane talent, famous friends, and hotel rooms to be trashed. Also like you, he’s content (sort of) to live the life of a rabid fan, one who has converted his unrequited desires into a (sort of) noble obsession. Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life traces Almond’s passion from his earliest (and most wretched) rock criticism to his eventual discovery of a music-crazed soul mate and their subsequent production of two little superfans. Along the way, Almond reflects on the delusional power of songs, the awkward mating habits of drooling fanatics, and why Depression Songs actually make us feel so much better. The book also includes: • sometimes drunken interviews with America’s finest songwriters • a recap of the author’s terrifying visit to Graceland while stoned • a vigorous and credibility-shattering endorsement of Styx’s Paradise Theater • recommendations you will often choose to ignore • a reluctant exegesis of the Toto song “Africa” • obnoxious lists sure to piss off rock critics But wait, there’s more. Readers will also be able to listen to a special free mix designed by the author, available online at www.stevenalmond.com, for the express purpose of eliciting your drool. For those about to rock—we salute you!

Discusses the history of rock and roll music in the comic book industry.

With the school talent show coming up, a young music lover spends most of her time daydreaming about the perfect act. She notices the sounds around her, like the brrrrring of the school bell or the rappa-tappa-tap of rain on the windowpane. But the talent show is the place to reveal her own voice. Will she mix up some hip-hop beats? Will she command an orchestra of dozens, bringing the classics to life? Or, will she go electric, Jimi Hendrix style? Marching out on the talent show stage to the beat of her own drum, this sweet and sassy musician ultimately chooses to be herself and sing her own song loud and proud, “I’ve got a rock ’n’ roll soul!”

The definitive chronicle of underground music in the 1980s tells the stories of Black Flag, Sonic Youth, The Replacements, and other seminal bands whose DIY revolution changed American music forever. Our Band Could Be Your Life is the never-before-told story of the musical revolution that happened right under the nose of the Reagan Eighties -- when a small but sprawling network of bands, labels, fanzines, radio stations, and other subversives re-energized American rock with punk's do-it-yourself credo and created music that was deeply personal, often brilliant, always challenging, and immensely influential. This sweeping chronicle of music, politics, drugs, fear, loathing, and faith is an indie rock classic in its own right. The bands profiled include: Sonic Youth Black Flag The Replacements Minutemen Husker Du Minor Threat Mission of Burma Butthole Surfers Big Black Fugazi Mudhoney Beat Happening Dinosaur Jr.

A founding member of the bands Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the Hollies shares the story of his life from his youth in post-war England through his creative relationship with Joni Mitchell and his career as a solo musician and political activist

Since her debut in 1989, A. M. Homes, author of the forthcoming novel The Unfolding, has been among the boldest and most original voices of her generation, acclaimed for the psychological accuracy and unnerving emotional intensity of her storytelling. Her ability to explore how extraordinary the ordinary can be is at the heart of her touching and funny new novel, her first in six years. This Book Will Save Your Life is a vivid, uplifting, and revealing story about compassion, transformation, and what can happen if you are willing to lose yourself and open up to the world around you.

For half a century he has been the heart and soul of the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band. A riff master of the highest order, his direct, incisive and catchy licks have energized such timeless rock anthems as "Satisfaction," "Start Me Up," "Brown Sugar," "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Honky Tonk Women." A disciple of such great guitarists and proto-rockers as Scotty Moore, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters, Keith Richards has forged a personal vocabulary on the instrument that has influenced generations of aspiring rockers. And as the song-writing partner of lifelong friend and frequent foe Mick Jagger, he formed an indelible team that has secured a spot in the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. The personal life of this larger-than-life rock star and bona fide guitar hero has been plagued by heroin addiction and excessive recreational drug use, which transformed his one-time baby face into a grizzled visage that bears the scars of a road warrior's life. And yet, he is still here. The ultimate rock 'n' roll survivor, Keith Richards is still rocking and rolling after all these years. AUTHOR: Bill Milkowski is a New York-based freelance writer who has contributed to several publications since the 1970s, including Down Beat, Jazz Times, Jazziz, Bass Player, Guitar Player, Modern Drummer, Absolute Sound, Jazzthing (Germany), Guitar Club (Italy) and Guitar (Japan). He is also the author of JACO: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius, Swing It! An Annotated History of Jive, Rockers, Jazzbos & Visionaries, and Legends of Jazz (Edizioni White Star, 2010). Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he began his career in music journalism, Milkowski relocated to New York City in 1980. He moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1993, returning to New York in 1997 and settling in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan, where he currently lives. Milkowski was named Writer of the Year in 2004 by the Jazz Journalists Association. An avid guitar hobbyist, he is also the proud father of a 16-year-old daughter, Sophia Vincenza Milkowski. ILLUSTRATIONS: 140 colour photographs