Somewhere in this Vook is a great rock movie waiting to be made. But for lovers of rock lore, this will do until it comes...
Oral history of the making of an iconic rock album.
Canter is described in the meta-material of this e-book as “best friend” of guitarist Slash for 30 years. Who better to tell the story of Guns N’ Roses than an eyewitness (and obsessive collector of memorabilia) who knew the guitar hero since fifth grade? But to say Canter wrote this Behind the Music–style account of the origins of the best-known and beloved version of the Los Angeles band is, perhaps, a bit of an exaggeration. The videos Porath shot featuring snippets of interviews with three of the original band members (absent Axl Rose, of course, and Izzy Stradlin), several girlfriends, managers, hangers-on and employees of Geffen records, as well as with Canter himself, are actually the basis for much of the text. In fact, sometimes the text takes the form of a transcription of the videos. This makes the e-book occasionally redundant, particularly when several interviewees tell the same story on tape and in the text. But redundancy can’t make the story of these unusual rockers and their brilliant first record anything less than riveting. Simultaneously glam, grungy, metal and punk, GNR made their own rules and stuck to them ferociously. They lived hand-to-mouth on the streets of L.A., sacrificing normalcy, security and safety for an art that they created collectively. And for a moment in the mid-1980s, they were rock ’n’ roll because of songs from the album like the ubiquitous anthems “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child of Mine.”
Somewhere in this Vook is a great rock movie waiting to be made. But for lovers of rock lore, this will do until it comes out.Pub Date: June 25, 2010
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Vook
Review Posted Online: April 3, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Well-told and admonitory.
Young-rags-to-mature-riches memoir by broker and motivational speaker Gardner.
Born and raised in the Milwaukee ghetto, the author pulled himself up from considerable disadvantage. He was fatherless, and his adored mother wasn’t always around; once, as a child, he spied her at a family funeral accompanied by a prison guard. When beautiful, evanescent Moms was there, Chris also had to deal with Freddie “I ain’t your goddamn daddy!” Triplett, one of the meanest stepfathers in recent literature. Chris did “the dozens” with the homies, boosted a bit and in the course of youthful adventure was raped. His heroes were Miles Davis, James Brown and Muhammad Ali. Meanwhile, at the behest of Moms, he developed a fondness for reading. He joined the Navy and became a medic (preparing badass Marines for proctology), and a proficient lab technician. Moving up in San Francisco, married and then divorced, he sold medical supplies. He was recruited as a trainee at Dean Witter just around the time he became a homeless single father. All his belongings in a shopping cart, Gardner sometimes slept with his young son at the office (apparently undiscovered by the night cleaning crew). The two also frequently bedded down in a public restroom. After Gardner’s talents were finally appreciated by the firm of Bear Stearns, his American Dream became real. He got the cool duds, hot car and fine ladies so coveted from afar back in the day. He even had a meeting with Nelson Mandela. Through it all, he remained a prideful parent. His own no-daddy blues are gone now.
Well-told and admonitory.Pub Date: June 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-06-074486-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Amistad/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2006
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