"John Mellencamp is not your typical rock star. Not only has he absorbed into his own work the influence of Faulkner, Williams, Steinbeck, and other such literary giants, but he himself could have stepped straight from the pages of any of their great American novels. A complex, colorful, and larger than life character, Mellencamp, like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash before him, walks to the beat of his own drum. Or, as he told author and veteran music journalist Paul Rees: 'I just refuse to take shit off anyone.' [This book charts] the life of one of the most fascinating characters in all of American music"--

John Mellencamp's numerous hits, awards, and recognitions—including his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame—puts him in such celebrated company as Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Bob Dylan. In Mellencamp, David Masciotra explores the life and career of this important talent, persuasively arguing for his space among the most distinguished songwriters of our time. Beginning with Mellencamp's modest start in Seymour, Indiana, Masciotra details the artist's road to fame, examines his struggles with the music industry, and celebrates the success he found by remaining true to his midwestern roots. With themes that range from small-town life, race, and religion to poverty and the struggles of adulthood, Mellencamp's songs remain central to the social and historical context of contemporary America. Acting as an artistic archivist, he has never forgotten the hardships faced by workers and Black Americans, and in line with his tributes to 1960s rock and Americana folk, he tells a story his audience and his country need to hear. From a cultural critic whose work has also appeared in the Washington Post, Atlantic, and Los Angeles Review of Books, this thoughtful analysis—now with a new foreword describing the author's interview with Mellencamp at his private recording studio in Nashville, Indiana—highlights four decades of the artist's music, showing how it has consistently elevated the dignity of everyday people, and spanned the genres of folk, soul, and rock and roll to amplify the struggle of democracy.

John Mellencamp is one if the true Renaissance men of popular music. In the public spotlight for over twenty-five years, with a string of number one hits and multiplatinum records side to his artistic talent that is celebrated in the full-color selection of evocation paintings.Mellencamp began pursuing oil painting in 1988 as a means of further artistic exploration. His first subjects were friends, family, and landscapes reminiscent of the French impressionists, which have since evolved into a personal style of portraiture.Critics have drawn parallels between Mellencamp's work and the dark, shadowy paintings of the German expressionists. Mellencamp believes in art as a means of self-exploration and as an incentive to make people more curious about the world. He has exhibited extensively in the Midwest and the South, and most of his paintings have been purchased for private collections.With seventy-five full-color representations if the artist's favorite paintings, twenty-five black-and-white photographs taken from his personal collection, and an introduction by Billboard magazine's editor-in-chief, Timothy White, Mellencamp: Paintings and Reflections is the perfect gift for any Mellencamp fan or anyone who appreciates fine art. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). This comprehensive collection contains 29 gems spanning Mellencamp's career, including: Ain't Even Done with the Night * Authority Song * Check It Out * Cherry Bomb * Crumblin' Down * Dance Naked * Hand to Hold On To * Human Wheels * Hurts So Good * I Need a Lover * Jack and Diane * Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) * Lonely Ol' Night * Paper in Fire * Peaceful World * Pink Houses * Rain on the Scarecrow * R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. * Small Town * This Time * Wild Night * and more.

Featuring interviews with everyone from childhood friends to band members, producers and engineers, this is a portrait of the real man, who grew up in Indiana and still lives there today – a passionate musician and a tireless campaigner for the lifestyle and values of the American family farmer. This is the complete story of John Mellencamp, tracking his progress as he matured from youthful rocker with a made-up name to major star with a social conscience. It is a journey typified by his 2007 release, Freedom's Road, an impassioned call to arms to rediscover America's founding traditions of freedom, justice, and never-say-die spirit. An unlikely story but, in the end, an inspirational one that reveals a remarkable and unique fusion of heartland values and rock 'n' roll stardom.

A collection of previously published works on performance and stardom, examining the relationship between genre and performance, the position of the star within ideology, the construction of a semiotics of performance and stardom, the function of the actor within experimental or independent cinema, and the distinction between performance and everyday behavior. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The First Definitive Biography of John Mellencamp! Johnny Cougar⦠John Cougar Mellencamp⦠John Mellencamp⦠the name may have changed but the man has remained a steadfast champion of American roots music and rock ânâ roll for over thirty years. Featuring interviews with everyone from childhood friends to band members, producers and engineers, this is a portrait of the real man who grew up in Indiana and still lives there todayâa passionate musician and a tireless campaigner for the lifestyle and values of the American family farmer. Here then is the complete John Mellencamp story, tracking his progress as he matured from youthful rocker with a made-up name to major star with a social conscience. It is a journey typified by his 2007 release Freedom Road, an impassioned call to arms to rediscover Americaâs founding traditions of freedom, justice and never-say-die spirit. Itâs an unlikely story but in the end an inspirational one that reveals a remarkable and unique fusion of heartland values and rock ânâ roll stardom. Fully Illustrated.