The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists [Paperback]

Eric Danville (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 1, 2009

The heaviest book of all time! The Spinal Tap of books! A gorgeous, time-wasting, absolutely essential toilet reader! Part rock trivia contest, part encyclopedia of excess, The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists features over 150 lists that chronicle rock and roll's most enduring genre. Ever wanted to know the names of Alice Cooper's snakes? The names of Spinal Tap's dead drummers? Which metal stars have made celebrity sex tapes?? Get ready to be thrown headfirst into a mosh pit of wacky, wild, and weird lists from metal's hardest-hitting stars - members of Motorhead, Sepultura, Guns N' Roses, Vixen, Biohazard, Whitechapel, Deathklok, and GWAR are among the heavyweights who cast their ballots herein (not to mention porn stars, Air Guitar champs, and the director of Heavy Metal Parking Lot).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Eric Danville (New York City) has (literally) made a career of sex, drugs, and rock n roll. As managing editor of High Times, he contributed the music column High Notes and later wrote the rock column Aural Fixation for Screw magazine, where he was senior editor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat (September 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879309830
• ISBN-13: 978-0879309831
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Danville has spent 25 years in the field of outlaw journalism. His career began with a stint as Managing Editor of notorious pro-marijuana magazine High Times in the late '80s before a seven-year stint working for Al Goldstein as Senior/Managing Editor of Screw, where he also contributed the weekly news column Sex Scene and the monthly music column Aural Fixation. In 1998 he joined the Penthouse family of publications, where he's now the Managing Editor of Penthouse Forum and The Girls of Penthouse.

His books include The Complete Linda Lovelace (original basis for the film Lovelace, for which he served as Consultant; the revised and expanded reissue of TCLL will be published soon) and The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists (BackBeat Books). He has also contributed to The Encyclopedia of Prostitution and The Official Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll Book of Lists, and most recently edited the first Penthouse Forum eBook, Penthouse Forum Presents The Swinging Seventies.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Metal Book! October 6, 2009

By Peter Bloch

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you're into metal, this book is totally essential--you cannot be without it. But even if can't bear to listen to Zeppelin, Cooper, or Roth, this is one of the most compulsively entertaining books you'll ever own. The kind of thing you can dip into anytime and immediately discover a fact that will change your life--or at least amuse you greatly!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A non-essential but good light read on a fascinating subject July 9, 2011

By Tommy Sixx Morais

Format:Paperback

This book has been classified by some other reviewers as "Bathroom reading" and I suppose it could very well be. Eric Danville's The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists obviously wasn't made in order to make anyone smarter, the content is basically just fun facts put together in the form of lists, facts that you may or may have not already known. I like the introduction by Lemmy, to have him give his approval certainly gives the book some credit. That and the contributions from numerous musician which really contribute in making this book an entertaining read. What's great is you get a paragraph or a comment that explains or goes into detail for every single number on the lists. Often those comments are very funny and tell interesting stories about Hard-Rock/Metal musicians. Some of these lists are hilarious, unpredictable and some are fairly accurate and the content and subject differs from one list to another. Before long you'll find yourself looking for that funny list you read the other day or showing a particular list to your friends. The table of contents is a nice addition, that way you can quickly spot your favorite lists. The drawings that accompany the lists are very well done; they really do look like the artists even if they are done in a comical way. This book of lists is divided into 7 sections that cover a specific subject (except the last one): drugs and alcohol, occult, violence, sex/obscenity, noise, on the road and whole lotta lists. One thing is sure, even the most hardcore metalhead will learn at least a few things he didn't know previously (and also probably some other things he didn't want to know about).

One small complaint aside, it doesn't seem that every sub-genre of Heavy-Metal has been covered or covered adequately like Thrash, Black or even Nu-Metal. However, since this is a book composed almost solely of lists and not a book on the history of Heavy Metal (which it doesn't claim to be) it's understandable and forgivable.

If you're expecting an "expose" or a book that tells you the story of this type of music you may be disappointed with this book. I don't think this book of lists was made in order to offense anyone love Metal music and its one of my passions but I can also laugh at how over the top it can be. The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists could also be considered a guilty pleasure because even if you're not attracted to the concept of the book or even this type of music it's a highly entertaining book that is hard to put down. It's far from being an intellectual read as it's a bit on the juvenile and immature side (maybe even a lot) but it's fun and addictive. I must admit that before glanced at this book in the music section of a bookstore I would probably never have bought a book composed only of lists. This is worth the price of admission, it's a fun light and entertaining read that is in some cases, informative. I wouldn't go as far as saying that it's essential to a fan of Heavy Metal but it would still be a good addition to most fans' libraries. It's a quick but fun and entertaining read even for one stranger to "Heavy Metal", 4/5 stars.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book That Goes to 11 October 8, 2009

By D. Orbach

Format:Paperback

A plethora of offbeat facts and anecdotes (some written by the band members themselves) dealing exclusively with the loudest, most rebellious, and most outrageous music know to man - HEAVY METAL! Simply a riot.