Waiting for the Man: The Story of Drugs and Popula [Paperback]

Harry Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003

From marijuana and jazz, through acid-rock and speed-fuelled punk, from crack-driven rap to Ecstasy and the dance generation, this is the definitive history of drugs and pop. It also features in-depth portraits of music’s most famous drug addicts: from Charlie Parker to Sid Vicious to Jim Morrison to Kurt Cobain. Chosen by the BBC as one of the Top Twenty Music Books of All Time.

"Wise and witty."—The Guardian

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Helter Skelter Publishing; 2nd edition (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1900924587
• ISBN-13: 978-1900924580
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,249,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive text on the subject, April 22, 2000

By 

Darren Gore - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waiting for the Man: The Story of Drugs and Popular Music (Paperback)

I enjoyed the first edition of this book 10 years ago. Recently, I was pleased to discover that it has been revised and updated, and I bought the new edition immediately.

'Waiting For The Man' is the definitive history of drugs and popular music. It's a compelling study that covers a lot of ground - the histories of various drugs; how they work (and work against the user); why they have been popular with musicians (and others) at various times; and how the rest of society has reacted to this drug use (and, in turn, how drug use in itself is a reaction to the times).

A lot of the information presented in 'Waiting for The Man' is fascinating and surprising. For example - early this century, marijuana could be found growing wild along the banks of the Mississippi; LSD was once used as a psychiatric tool, and Cary Grant gave it high praise; and the heroin-and-cocaine 'cocktail' known as the speedball was not invented by rock stars, but by American GIs during the Korean War - to counter the adverse effects of their government-issue amphetamines.

As well, 'Waiting For the Man' is written in a highly-readable style which contains many witty observations - such as "the worst thing that could happen to a Mod was to have his parents understand him", and "as usual, the press took 2 and 2 and made 137".

So, if you're looking for an informative, thought-provoking and entertaining look at why drugs and popular music have always seemed to go together, 'Waiting for The Man' is the book you need.