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The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches
 
 
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The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches [Paperback]

Jeremy Simmonds (Author)
3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Book Description

May 1, 2008

Did you know that Brian Jones was told by a medium to “avoid water”? Or that Buddy Holly only decided to fly so he’d have time to finish his laundry? The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars reveals the truth behind these and thousands of other fascinating stories, while answering such perennial questions as:

 

      • which band boasts the most dead members?

      • who had the bright idea of changing a light bulb while standing in the shower?

      • and did Cass Elliot really check out before finishing lunch?

 

The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars is the bible of pop music’s dead--the ultimate record of all those who arrived, rocked, and checked out over the last forty-odd years of fast cars, private jets, hard drugs, lethal weapons, and reckless living. Jeremy Simmonds here draws on a lifetime’s obsession to match the industry’s biggest departed stars--Buddy, Jeff, Sid, Jimi, Biggie, Janis, Elvis, Marc, Tupac--with more than a few lesser-known tales of rock tragedy. He also includes a smorgasbord of lighter-hearted sidebars, including strange facts, lucky escapes, and top-ten death discs.

 

An indispensable reference full of useful and useless information, with hundreds of photos of the good, the bad, and the silly, The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars is guaranteed to rock the world of trivia buffs and diehards alike.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"An engrossing read."  —Library Journal



"A definitive guide to how our fave rock stars kicked the bucket."  —The Observer



"Hard to put down."  —Under the Radar


"A huge, affectionate and strangely compelling chronicle . . . There’s no shortage of rip-roaring sagas, shot through with black humor, pathos, and peculiar insight."  —The New Statesman



"A strange, entertaining chronology . . . comprehensively detailed and interspersed with lighter facts and interesting charts."  —The Daily Express



"Simmonds . . . plays on our obsession with the bizarre and the tragic in equal measure. As humorous as it is enthralling."  —Rock Sound



"Fascinating. . . . A must-have for the shelves of every music obsessive."  — Lincoln Journal Star



"As death goes, the book is pretty darned amusing."  —Winston-Salem Journal

About the Author

Jeremy Simmonds is the coauthor of Rough Guide to Rock and a freelance music writer. He wrote and produced seven series of the popular BBC television show, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, as well as the pop quiz show Mental!


Product Details

  • Paperback: 624 pages
  • Publisher: Chicago Review Press; Updated edition (May 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1556527543
  • ISBN-13: 978-1556527548
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #339,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.7 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Enough in a Macabre Sort of Fashion!, October 28, 2008
This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches (Paperback)
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DEAD ROCK STARS is a 2008 updated version of NUMBER ONE IN HEAVEN published in 2006. If your interest is departed rock stars, this is the book for you. Maxing out at 604 pages, this little beauty will fill you in on just about every major and minor pop star who cashed their chips between 1965 and 2006.

Though another reviewer faulted this book for inaccuracies, I found it to be a treasure trove of info on not only the death but also the life and times of hundreds of singers/musicians/composers/DJs/etc.

Leafing through Simmonds' book you come across all the 'usual suspects' (Morrison, Joplin, Redding, Croce, Allman and Lennon), lesser lights and the "how do they rate" personalities (i.e. Divine?). The book has some photos but mostly 1000s and 1000s of facts presented in a surprisingly tasteful and sympathetic fashion.

All in all, a well-done book on an interesting - if macabre - subject. Recommended.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and Thorough, August 7, 2008
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This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches (Paperback)
Very interesting history of of the usually untimely deaths of well-known music stars and many obscure ones also. Very hard to put down!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Fun Coffee table book, December 19, 2008
By 
Fester Lipschiz (Flower Mound, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars: Heroin, Handguns, and Ham Sandwiches (Paperback)
Despite complaints about inaacuuracies from other reviewers, i would have to recommend this. Its a really fun book to just thumb through. If you want super detailed bios about all the subjects then this is not the place. But if you want to read some interesting stories and learn about some realy tragedies in teh music world....here it is.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
chuck wagon, jeff ward, drowning pool, big hawk, mad season, vocal troupe, notable deaths, loyal fanbase, commercial zenith, further albums, beli eved, oldies circuit, parent album, eponymous debut album, vocal act
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Top Ten, Los Angeles, The Beatles, Top Twenty, Top Five, New Jersey, San Francisco, Top Forty, Jimi Hendrix, North Carolina, John Lennon, New Orleans, The Temptations, Bob Dylan, Golden Oldies, George Harrison, The Wailers, Marvin Gaye, Led Zeppelin, The Drifters, Bob Marley, Gene Vincent, The Byrds, Jackie Wilson
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Front Cover | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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