Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

Very interesting history of of the usually untimely deaths of well-known music stars and many obscure ones also. Very hard to put down!

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.

My husband is a music buff and said this is one of th best books for lots of information. Great BD gift!!!

The tongue-in-cheek book title may be the biggest drawback to this treasure trove of interesting information. While the deaths of the famous and infamous always seem to garner enough interest for media outlets to conduct almost daily eulogies on their behalf, it is the death of the "rock star" that often gains some of the greatest attention (think Elvis Presley). The "sex, drugs and rock n' roll" mantra always seems to lead to the early demise of some rock icons (think Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison), the deaths of others are often shrouded in mystery (Brian Jones) or mythology (Mama Cass). What makes the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DEAD ROCK STARS so impressive is that it is simply a great resource on the lives (not just the deaths) of both prominent and obscure "rock stars" (a term used liberally considering the book includes the likes of Kurt Cobain ... and Frankie Lymon).

The book is presented chronologically rather than alphabetically as each chapter represents a complete year (January-December, from 1965 through 2006) containing the "obituaries" of those who have passed during the given year. True to the book's title, each "obit" is preceded with an icon that represents the cause of death (drugs, illness, suicide, etc.) and is followed with a healthy dose of useful and interesting details that inform the reader of the decedent's significance ... including the good, the bad and the bizarre (GG Allin for example). Jeremy Simmonds' methodical approach to the subject matter includes a preface that explains the likelihood of certain "rock stars" not being included in the book, the rationale for those who were included and the deaths of some prominent figures prior to 1965. To include as many individuals as possible, the author opts for brevity over bounty and the presentation is more factoid-based than biographical ... even then, the book clocks-in at 600+ pages. Interesting sidebar lists and photos are peppered profusely throughout the book and some of the more significant individuals are given a full page "obit". What I found most useful about the book was the diverse range of those individuals referenced, from the totally obscure to the superstar icons with the almost famous, one-hit wonder types filling the middle. Throughout this voluminous accumulation of obituaries, I learned a great deal. The book reminded me of artists I'd long forgotten about, informed me of those whose contributions I knew little about, shocked me with those who I thought were still alive and clarified certain deaths that have been mischaracterized over the years.

At first glance (again, blame it on the title) the book alludes to a sarcastic/distasteful approach on the subject matter ... but it is not. The ENCYCLOPEDIA OF DEAD ROCK STARS is a fairly comprehensive resource that takes account of those who contributed to the music scene but are no longer around. The book should appeal to anyone that enjoys/appreciates modern music and/or pop culture.

Who would have thought to put a book together of dead rock stars? I liked it! It's in a strange way kind of fascinating. Finding my own deceased husband in there was kind of odd, but I see it rather as an honor than macabre!
Best of Johnny and the Hurricanes

Sonja Paris (MAKE THE COUGAR PURR)
MAKE THE COUGAR PURR
Make The Cougar Purr

I love this book & all the fun and unknown facts that come along with it. I only have one problem...poor editing. I've read numerous typos and grammatical errors. If it wasn't for that, I definitely would have given this book 5 stars. Enjoy!

I just opened book to December 1980, because I wanted to read about how both John Lennon and (punk rock icon) Darby Crash both died on basically the same day. Imagine my surprise to see a photo of Lennon during his "lost weekend" period. It shows him kissing May Pang while Harry Nilsson looks on drunkenly. Photo caption: "John makes up with Yoko"! Uh no... that's not Yoko.
Ok, then on the previous page, in the description of the death of the gay punker it talks about him and "his girlfriend" having a suicide pact. Yes, she is a girl and she is his friend, but that term is mighty misleading.
In short, this book is fun, but if I could spot 2 big errors in the first one minute of glancing through it, who knows if I can trust anything written in it?

Duncan Browne is not listed in the book. This is a major omission IMO, and considering the obvious care that went into the whole project, a bit baffling. Could somebody call Mr. Simmonds and pass this along?

As someone else mentioned, there were a few factual things he noticed. I noticed the same--one that stood out to me was Jeremy's statement that the body of Pete Ham from Badfinger was "discovered by his friend" Tom Evans. Not so. Pete was found by his partner, Anne (who was pregnant with his child.) Although it may be true that Tom never recovered from his friend's suicide, I feel like the truth was either stretched or made to be more "tragic." (Not that it wasn't tragic already.) Approach this one with caution.