Customer Reviews

Better to Burn Out: The Cult of Death in Rock N Roll

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First off this book takes a much different approach to chronicling the deaths of musicians. Not all are rock stars and the heavy hitters of Morrison, Hendrix, Joplin, Elvis are not here (they are mentioned in the calender of rock and roll causalties at the end though), and to me that's a good thing who wants another book about them? instead you will find some of the lesser know casualties such as (Ian Curtis, Darby Crash, Stiv Bators, Marc Bolan, Jobriath) mixed with some more prominent(the day the music died, Cobain, Hutchence, Freddy Mercury)over 60+ musicians covered in detail. The way this book is written is neither cold hard facts or by a mourning fan, more like a mixture of both This book also tries to connect all deaths mentioned within a chapter by a association game (this guys was the producer for these two bands and then this person from one of the bands died). The deaths are described with such vivid detail, but not to the point of morbidity. Its like you can see these poor souls during their final minuets which is really interesting. This book is not a chronicle of lives. A little background on each artist is given but most attention is focused on those last gasp. Some of the pictures are graphic, not in the sense of blood or guts but of mangled machinery and body bags. Others are just of the artist caught in the prime of life. This book for me was quiet profound, one feels as if they were there with these people before the end..maybe holding their hands as they slipped away.

Dave Thompson has done an excellent job of covering the deaths of so many artists who left us all to soon. The well known to the somewhat obscure, rock, folk, pop and everything in between. Though the stories of life and death are brief, they still leave you with a great sense of loss and sadness.

These aren't just accounts of the self destructive whose deaths should've came as little suprise (Sid Vicious, Brian Jones), but people struck down by illness (Ronnie Lane, Fred "Sonic" Smith), accidents and neglect (Buddy Holly, Steve Marriot, Sandy Denny, Nico), and suicide (Nick Drake, Curt Cobain). Death is in no way romanticised in this volume, but treated as an often seemingly senseless and shocking part of life, written in a nonsensationalistic style.

Mr. Thompson is to be commended for his ability to bring the passing of so many to such a personal level in such a small amount of space. Melancholy but essential reading.