Customer Reviews

Deep Tank Jersey

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In DTJ, James Campion journals a summer with "Dog Voices", one of the hardest working cover bands on the Jersey circuit. He manages to infiltrate their camp, gain their trust, and become one of them. His insightful personality and unique writing style make the book incredibly interesting; especially when you consider it's not a chronicle of a celebrity act AND when you realize he doesn't even use song titles during the descriptions of their performance(s). JC has been a long-time columnist for the Aquarian, a popular music weekly on the East Coast. This book, along with his other entitled "Fear No Art: Observations on the death of an American century" (which compiles his "Reality Check" columns from that paper) are great reading for fans of satire and substance.

I heard about James Campion on a Hunter WS. Thompson site, and picked up Deep Tank on Amazon.com and absolutely loved it! There is nothing down here that compares to the Jersey scene. I was up there once and couldn't believe the atmosphere for music. This is the BEST book on traveling musicians ever written. Campion is the new Gonzo king!!

James Campion is one of the bright young nonfiction writers of the new century, and he got a head start on this one. Back in 1995 the Jersey rock scene was changing and the craziness of life on the road in the clubs began with the swirling tide of Dog Voices. Their outrageous story is all-true in this thrilling page-turner. "Deep Tank Jersey" is "Almost Famous" times one-thousand.

It was one of the best books on rock and roll I've ever read, and I've read my share.

If you are in this book and you remember the things you said and did without having to read about it, congratulations! A great summer, a great band and a fantastic author. I didn't think the insanity could be put into words. LEAVE IT TO BOOK BOY!

This is the book to read if you've ever dreamed of playing in a band. I've seen Dog Voices live several times and it was great to read about what goes on after the stage lights go out. I loved the life stories of each member and reading about the struggle each has gone through to reach this goal of playing music. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in music.

Leave it to James Campion -- the elfin Jack Kerouac of his time -- to expose the soft underbelly of the Jersey bar band scene in a gripping narrative which captures the sights, sounds and (god awful) smells of a Jersey summer as only an insider can do.

Although diminuitive in stature, Mr. Campion's oversized ego makes up for his lack of size and virility, as he becomes -- in essence -- the plot, characters and narrator of his cute little story about a bunch of punch drunk never-was'z.

I first came across Dr. Campion on his weekly cable show, "sports night", in which he was the host, producer, cameraman, gopher, sales manager, & Christ Object -- the Harold H. Heckuba of rancid cable tv.

Of course, the melodrama of Mr. Campion's personal life -- particularly his bachelorette party -- would make for dramatically more interesting reading than the sordid tales of a bunch of losers, but that will likely be saved for his memoir, which we understand is tenatively entitled "Meet me at my Summer retreat in Joe Namath's crotch region," due out in 2025 along with his Jesus book.

Salu, Dr. Campion!

Buy this book to see just how pathetic the world of NJ music is. I found it by accident, bought it on a lark and am glad I did. It reafirmed every joke about NJ i've heard...