Turn That Down!: A Hysterical History of Rock, Roll, Pop, Soul, Punk, Funk, Rap, Grunge, Motown, Metal, Disco, Techno & Other Forms of Musical Aggression Over the Ages [Paperback]

Lewis Grossberger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2005

In this slightly fictional riff, Grossberger chronicles the history of loud music, revealing all the vicious rumors and unsubstantiated scuttlebutt the Man doesn't want you to know about.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

: When the phenomenon known as rock and roll burst upon the world in the 1950s, few people realized how completely it would come to dominate American life in just a few short weeks. But Lewis Grossberger, then a neurotic adolescent, instinctively grasped the danger posed by Elvis, Chubby, Chuck, and their successors, and took shelter under a pile of trash in his parents' basement.

Now, after more than half a century of McCartney's, Morrison's, Miss Ross's, Madonna's, and Michael's musical mayhem, Grossberger has re-emerged to fulfill his destiny as the one person qualified to complete the work of the great historian Arnold Toynbee, who said on his deathbed, 'Sadly, I have cancelled my epic chronicle of rock and roll as my subject is too silly for a man of my caliber. Also, I am defunct.' He then expired.

Although rock and roll's riotous, ridiculous history has foiled hundreds of lesser authors, Grossberger employs the latest in writing techniques, including sensationalist jests, inappropriate puns, and saucy bon mots, in order to reveal the shocking hilarity that courses through rock history like some underground stream stocked with phosphorescent fish. Yes, we said phosphorescent fish. Flickering deep, deep in the blackness of a winding cavern for untold millennia.

Now stop puzzling over that last paragraph, put this book in your shopping cart and just buy it. You've been web surfing on company time for long enough.

About the Author

Lewis Grossberger, recently ranked America's 126th funniest humorist by the American Academy of Rank Humorists, has written a whole bunch of stuff that has appeared in various places and probably won many prestigious writing awards that got lost in the mail or something. Born in Tahiti, the illegitimate son of Prince Philip of England and a half-wild Gypsy girl, he attended the Sorbonne, but was expelled for failing French. Before becoming a writer, he worked as a stevedore, a muleskinner, a pirate and other colorful jobs that you aren't man enough to handle. He lives in New York City with his furniture and appliances. For career reasons, his wife, the actress Salma Hayek, refuses to acknowledge their relationship in public.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Clerisy Press, Emmis Books (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578602157
• ISBN-13: 978-1578602155
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Monumental Study of Rock & Roll! It's Glacial!, July 14, 2005

By 

2ManyCooks "avid reader, avid cook...just an ... (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Turn That Down!: A Hysterical History of Rock, Roll, Pop, Soul, Punk, Funk, Rap, Grunge, Motown, Metal, Disco, Techno & Other Forms of Musical Aggression Over the Ages (Paperback)

Grossberger is a force of nature. His comedic gift blurs the lines between fact and fiction, music and mischief. He invents a history of music from the 50s to the present day, leveling the playing field. It's zany, zooey, unglued, and hyperbolic, just like the musicians themselves. It's a book for Elvis fans, Beatlemanias, Little Richardarians, Motownians, Madonna maniacs, Bowie wowies--in other words, all of us with iPods and LPs and old copies of Rolling Stone. It's the music industry unplugged, unzipped, and zapped. I can't imagine anyone else having such a smart perspective. A great read, with photos (and wayward captions) throughout!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Bazell, February 11, 2006

By 

Robert Bazell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Turn That Down!: A Hysterical History of Rock, Roll, Pop, Soul, Punk, Funk, Rap, Grunge, Motown, Metal, Disco, Techno & Other Forms of Musical Aggression Over the Ages (Paperback)

This is one of the funiest books I have ever read. It has a magnificent sense of musical history and the story is told with astounding insight and humor. Buy it. Read it. You'll laugh.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all, February 20, 2008

By 

Timothy J. Kropp "toxicologist/carpenter/cook" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Turn That Down!: A Hysterical History of Rock, Roll, Pop, Soul, Punk, Funk, Rap, Grunge, Motown, Metal, Disco, Techno & Other Forms of Musical Aggression Over the Ages (Paperback)

A great buy for anyone who wants to learn about rock history without falling asleep (which would be very sad considering the topic). I'd buy it more for the humor but you'll come away knowing quite a bit aobut how music evolved and it's history. Browsing the picture captions is worth the price alone.