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

Harry Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2001 | Series: Music

Drugs counsellor and rock journalist Shapiro documents the favoured drug of each era of pop history and studies in detail the most famous casualties-Charlie Parker, Hendrix, Keith Moon, Jim Morrison et al-while examining the disturbing collusion between two billion-dollar industries. First published in 1988, this new edition features over 100 pages of new material on Tupac, Cobain and the rise of Acid House.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Helter Skelter Publishing; Rev Upd edition (July 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1900924080
• ISBN-13: 978-1900924085
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,071,711 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.