5 comments about The Pema Chodron Audio Collection: Pure Meditation:Good Medicine:From Fear to Fearlessness.

1. Have you seen that ad on TV - "Your mind controls you, but do you control your mind?" Pema Chocdron shows you how to stop the incessant noise and criticism of your mind by finding a space where ideas are allowed, but teh spontaneous reaction to those ideas is not. By becoming compassionate towards others, you become more compassionate towards yourself, and learn to laugh at yourself and feel less alone by realizing "others feel like this too".
   
   Buy this - it helps.



2. I put Pema in my walkman (yes, I'm old) and listen to her on my long walks with the dog. I can listen to them over and over and enjoy them. She's easy to listen to and imparts information without preaching.



3. Every CD in this set is excellent, and since they were taped on site at sessions in Cape Breton you feel like Pema is right there in the room with you. Pema's words along with her wonderfully soothing voice will truly heal the aches and pains of living. It's not just the simplicity but the honesty that makes owning everything Pema worthwhile. If I had known about her years ago, I would have lived differently, if not more easily. Now, because of Pema, there are no regrets, just today. This set is very good therapy.



4. This is a very nice collection of three of Pema Chodron's CD's. She is an excellent teacher--compassionate, thoughtful, and very user-friendly. Listening to these CD's has helped open my heart and mind during stressful moments in life when taking a moment to pause and stay with an uncomfortable emotion is the more difficult but, beneficial mode of operation.



5. I stumbled across Pema Chodron on Amazon and am so glad I did. What a truly inspiring person. I loved this collection because it is warm and human and funny. She shares her many years of wisdom with heart and her messages are simple and inclusive. This cd has not only helped me meditate but also reminded me to treat myself with kindness.

5 comments about Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time.

1. This book reads like an awesome mix tape that forces you to stay in your car after arriving at your destination, leaving you without a care about getting out of your car and wanting to just listen to it over and over again.
   
   At points its laugh-out-loud funny and at other times its eye-watering sad. But its so well written that you won't put it down. This is easily a one day read.
   
   If you like chuck klosterman, you will like this book.
   If you grew up in the 80s and 90s and made mix tapes for your friends (and still make mix CDs and playlist on itunes) than this book is for you.
   If you are looking for an easy quick read that will bring you back to a younger you, this book is it.
   
   awesome awesome awesome



2. This book is honest and bittersweet. He goes on just enough tangents to satiate curiosity without straying too far from the story. The story is about his love for Renee, but also about how music kept them together, changed who they were and helped him recover after she dies. About half the music mentioned I haven't heard, but in a way you don't have to. The language is friendly and simple. A quick read if you can dry the tears fast enough.
   
   What I mainly took away from this book? It's a cliche, but it's how you really should appreciate the people in your life while you have them. There's a difference in hearing that phrase and actually feeling it. This book makes you feel it without ever saying it.



3. What a unique and touching book. The concept of telling his story via music, which played such a key role in his life, was genius. As a music lover who grew up in the 80s and 90s myself, each time he mentioned a song that I remembered, I would start to sing it. This book reminded me how much the music you like reveals so much about you and is so ingrained in our lives. How many times have I listened to a song and it's taken me back to a certain time in my life? Countless. For Rob Sheffield, as for many of us, the memories might be happy or sad (although maybe not as sad as some are for him). This book reminded me how precious life is and how to enjoy everyday. Not to mention, it made me mad at myself for throwing away last month all of the mixed tapes I made for myself or my friends throughout my life. What a great book!



4. Rob Sheffield's small but mighty book is about love and loss, but also weaves music in the story seamlessly. He writes for Rolling Stone now, but back when he met his future wife, he was just a self-proclaimed geek who loved music. Their relationship progressed to the tunes of Sonic Youth, REM, and everything in between.
   
   Sheffield gives readers a full list of songs that influenced his life, so you can read while listening. This book made me laugh and cry, and gave me new tunes to add to my ipod. I highly recommend if you want a book that you can't put down from beginning to end.



5. I wanted to read this book to discover some new songs and reminisce about making tapes in the 80's and 90's but the extremely gloomy story quickly killed that buzz. Yes, I realize the story about anyone's wife dying young will be sad but the author really went to great lengths to detail just how depressed he had become. So much so that the songs and mix tapes really didn't seem to matter much anymore.
   
   A good read but the story seemed to be more about closure for the author. Someday I'll go back and lookup the song lists again but for now I'm just too dispressed.

5 comments about A Hard Day's Write, 3e: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song.

1. this book is great for an older beatle fan. i grew up with them from ed sullivan on. while we all had our own ideas what every song was about it was good to finally learn the true meaning of so many of my favorite songs.



2. This was a book that I couldn't put down reading the first time. Now, when I hear a Beatles song and have a question, it serves as a great resource book.



3. I purchased this book for my son-n-law and I almost kept it for myself! This book has a lot of really good photos and very interesting stories. I highly recommend this book!



4. Turner's book is another essential one about Beatles music. I have read a few of these "about the songs" books, and while another title, Beatle Songs, used to be my favorite, it was nudged out recently by A Hard Day's Write. It feels more substantial, is easier to read, and has some great pictures.
   
   This is a book that focuses on the genesis of the Beatles tunes we know and love so well. It fills in a gap that the other books don't...they are more interested in the recording or instrumental aspects, while this one sticks with comments and quotes by the Beatles and other insiders that explain how and why they chose to write the songs they did. It is more about inspiration.
   
   I love this book because it gives a peak into the minds of some creative geniuses. Reading this book is as close as you will ever come to having the Beatles over for lunch some day and getting the chance to pick their brains over BLTs. This is because the contents of the book are mostly from the Beatles themselves; this book is not just some blowhards interpretation of how Lucy in the Sky stands for LSD. The information is from the horses' mouths (not Henry's) and that is the premier source.
   
   I like a lot of these new-fangled Beatles books. Improvements in technology have allowed new books on old subjects to be printed with more pictures, better quality, and good durability. It has a lot of the same information you can dig out of other books or interviews, but here is is collected and organized for easy access. This is another book that you can read straight though or as time allows. Pick out your favorite albums or songs, or just start from the beginning and see how the music evolved.



5. I love The Beatles and thoroughly enjoyed reading about each of their songs. I just wish there was more information! I felt as though some songs barely received any attention. I'm hoping to find a book with more detail.

5 comments about Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road.

1. i don't know what more i can say, book more than worth reading, if you love music, RUSH, adventure, bikes, just to name a few and i you can appreciate what it takes for soul to lose everything an want to keep moving forward this is a worth wild read for you.
   
   i personally love it for all that and the way he speaks so painfully honest of eventing, himself included. not to mention his amazing ability to be perfectly descript and yet it inst my method of choice to fall asleep, if you have ever read those kind of books im sure you can relate. and as you go you will see more and more of who Niel Peart is, much of it being hi sense of humor, all be it subtle r dark at times always there. all i can say is buy it and read it, i did it on a whim simply cuz i love Rush and always like to hear what fellow drummers have to say.



2. First let me say that I am a big Rush fan. Peart is one of the best if not the best drummer in rock in role and I enjoy the lyrical content of his songs which are deep and profound. Second, I can not imagine or even pretend to imagine the extreme emotional pain he experienced losing his daughter and than his wife a short time later. He is a survivor. With that said, I did enjoy the very small parts in the book where he spoke about the loss of Selena (daughter) and Jackie (wife) and his experiences with them. I wish he would have spoken more about them. The description of his travels was nice as well especially the areas that I am familiar with. However, the letters he wrote to his friends, especially his pal Brutus who was in prison for trying to sell drugs in the United Stated, got very old and where as boring as hell. He called it an injustice in regards to Brutus being in prison. Hey, you do the crime than you got to do the time, Neil! The letters where just way too much. I heard more about his druggie friend Brutus than about Jackie and Selena. The only reason I finished the book because I am stubborn, what I start I finish even if it is boring as hell. Furthermore, I spent 20+ bucks on the book and I could not justify to myself not finishing it. I bought the book thinking that it would give some insight to a man who I admire as a drummer in my favorite band but it seems he was very guarded. Nonetheless, it is his book and he can do as he pleases. I would not recommend it and the only reason i gave it two stars was because I am trying to be nice because I am a big Neil Peart fan when it comes to music but not when it comes to this book.



3. As a faithful fan of the Canadian rock-trio Rush since 1976, I had read about the heart breaking double tragedy in drummer Neil Peart's personal life: first the death of his daughter in a car accident, followed by that of his wife to cancer eight months later. Driving home from a recent Rush concert, I felt it was time to delve into Peart's writings, beginning appropriately with _Ghost Rider: Travels of the Healing Road_.
   
   Constantly surrounded at home by memories of his beloved wife and daughter, while consumed in his misery, loss and anguish, Peart, an empty shell of a man with no will to continue living realized he would die from the ravages of depression, if he did not keep moving "Book One" recounts Peart's motorcycle journey of healing through some of North America's most remote, rugged and majestically beautiful National Parks. Like many of his literary heroes, Peart set off with a writer's eye and journal in hand. When not riding, Peart hiked forest trails, rowed on mountain lakes, anything to keep moving. Peart finds wonder in nature, its beauty, and is a knowledgeable bird watcher. Along the way, he investigates local used book stores, museums and the stomping grounds of some his favorite American authors. Peart often digresses and recounts the history of a little known piece of Americana and the people who laid claim to a piece of it.
   
   Although a self-professed "saddle tramp," Peart eats at the top of the food chain, and his efforts to satisfy his Champaign tastes (described in minute detail) on beer menus is sometimes comical. It soon becomes apparent that, despite his grieving heart, Peart is a loner, by nature, comfortable in his solitude. Yet, Peart the loner battles loneliness, especially at meal times or in crowded familial settings. Happy to sit alone in a darkened corner, he eats and vents to his journal about overweight tourists with "mullet" hair cuts, name tag wearing conventioneers, or "Califoricators." When he goes as far as to label people "low lifes," however, Mr. Peart apparently has forgotten that this social strata could easily buy Rush CDs and concert tickets too. Always polite (after all Peart is Canadian), he does not warm up to people easily, nor does he choose friends readily. When he does form friendships, they tend to be lifelong: his band mates, his wife's relations, and his best friend and riding pal Brutus. After hearing that Brutus was incarcerated for illegal dealings in medicinal-herbal trade, Peart discovers a renewed purpose in the form of describing it through letters to Brutus in jail.
   
   "Book Two" finds Peart in a winter hiatus at home, after a brief but unsuccessful relationship with a woman in California. Here, motorcycle treks are replaced by snowshoes and cross-country skies as Peart re-explores his snow covered winter soulscape, and intimates the process of his healing through more letters to colleagues and friends. Although at times repetitive, Peart's letters are often more personal and revealing; less formal, and more soul bearing than his narrative. Skimming over these letters, one risks missing some of Peart's most insightful self-analysis. Yet, several of the letters to Brutus containing nothing more than adolescent banter and coded insider jokes certainly should have been chopped.
   
   It is said that wisdom is attained through pain. Neil Peart, through grief, and in spite of himself, has gained a wisdom some of us may never hope to grasp. The ancient Chinese general Sun Tzu wrote: "Know yourself, then know others, and you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles." Peart not only possesses the self-honesty to know himself, his human foibles, and character defects, but also came to identify the ghosts and demons that taunt a grieving soul on a daily basis. The more tangible aspects of the book contain a few flaws, though.
   
   Travel narratives offer unique challenges to a writer. Anyone who has attempted to put pen to paper soon realizes that everything surrounding them is called something. Peart's numerous descriptions of flora and fauna, and efforts to research afford the reader the joy of watching a writer in the process of developing his craft. Redundancy is another challenge. Keeping thousands of miles of roads, highways, rivers, valleys, mountains, forests, and Best Western Hotels fresh on every page is a daunting task indeed. The combination of Peart's narrative, journal entries, and too many letters to Brutus, needless to say, created overlap that unfortunately escaped an editor's keen eye. It seems Peart is enamored with the Shift-I keys. Peart's more than generous sprinkling of italicized words, is quite distracting. After a few hundred pages, Peart's final chapters and epilog take a steep nose dive. One can almost hear Peart's publisher saying, "I need that manuscript tomorrow!"
   
   Though bound handsomely the book contains some needless flair. Each new chapter shows an artsy black and white photograph of Peart's riderless BMW motorcycle, pointed down a different stretch of scenic, yet lonely North American highway. Peart hints at having taken hundreds of photos on his journey, yet not one (other than the chapter photos mentioned above) appears in the book. A photo section offering views into Peart's family life before, and during his healing journey would have been a joy. Likewise, Journal passages headed with a facsimile of Peart's handwriting, only offers more needless attempts at flair. For map lovers, the absence of a simple rudimentary map outlining Peart's route will surely disappoint.
   
   At the risk of appearing fragmented, this book offers much to a varied audience. Lack of smoother flow and tighter ending is perhaps more the fault of a keen editor than the author's. Yet the joy of watching Neil Peart grow both emotionally and literally makes Ghosts a must read, whether you are a Rush fan or not.



4. Neil reveals a lot about himself which I don't think he intended to do in this book. He comes off as being an elitist in a lot of ways. He almost seems like he wants to be Hemingway, with his drinking, smoking and just doing his own crazy travels with little regards for anything else. I think his digs into America were very revealing too about himself. Yet, he doesn't seem to have a problem with his best friend being a drug dealer; or that he was never officially married to Jackie (common law wife of 22 years); then jumps into a relationship and marriage fairly quickly to Carrie; that he breaks speeding law constantly on his BMW bike and that he is only self consumed with himself and no one else outside his little small bubble of friends/family.
   
   I love Rush and I think Neil is awesome at his craft, but I'm not jumping on board with everything he does or puts out. This book took me forever to read because it was really boring at times with his letters to Brutus and his ramblings of his travels which were very dry and repetitive. This is not a self help book for someone who has had a similar tragedy in their life. This book could have been cut down to a fourth of the pages written and accomplished the same thing and kept me interested.
   
   The only thing I really got out of this book was that it probably takes longer for you to get on with your life when you have an unlimited bank account to be able to stop working. In Neil's case, it allowed him to travel all over North America on his BMW bike and spend the winter months walking on snow shoes around the lake at his house in Quebec. I believe all this free time allowed him to think more and more about things and feel sorry for himself. I think the average "fat" American, which he ran into on his travels, would probably have to go to work shortly after this type of tragedy and not be able to take two years off. Not that getting over this would be easy for anyone, but I think being forced into the work environment would eventually allow distractions in your life to stop you from thinking 24/7 about the tragedies. Neil didn't have this type of distraction and traveling alone only allowed him to dwell more and more on the tragedies in his.
   
   I by no means am putting Neil down for what he had to deal with, but I am critical of the dribble he put into this book. I don't think if you are not a hardcore Rush fan or a friend/acquaintance of Neil's you would get much out of this book. I think a lot of the praise this book gets is because it's "Neil Peart" and the tragedy he had to deal with and not because this is a particularly good book.



5. This is well-written and comes from the heart. I am a RUSH fan(atic) so of course I wanted to read this book. At first I read all of the reviews on this page - mostly the bad ones was interesting. Yes, he is after the American people all right. And after these reviews I realize he is right. What small-minded people... "Oh he doesn't like us but we have made his fortune - he should be greatful". I am not an American and now I pretty much take Neil's side when it comes to the critisism of the people. I would not be very fond of people who were so arrogant to think that they were responsible for all of my talent and fortune either.
   
   Funny to see that all of the bad reviews comes from offended American people who can't take critisism. Well, it is okay to kill people in the name of Godd too, isn't it? Jesus Crist...
   
   Anyway, I really did like this book. It is right that it gets some how boring at some points (it is self biographical - what can you expect?) but it is well-written. I really admire that he seems to make everything important and tries not to take anything for granted (family, friends, a good meal, the trees etc.) and if you can get over your self-rightous, arrogant, and offended mind you will see that the man's got a point. Musicians can't lie on their knees for fans and be begging and thankful all of the time. Fans can be a pain in the butt sometimes. Like friends can be the same.
   
   Read the book as an experience - and stop being offended and so bloody patriotic about everything.

5 comments about A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties.

1. A nicely written reminiscence that brings to life an exuberant period of creativity in the folk arts, politics and civil rights. Reader-friendly and filled with personal and revealing anecdotes that help illuminate the Dylan phenomenon and the tumultuous 1960's New York music scene.



2. Great book by a natural writer. As if effortlessly, the author weaves the political and social threads of the early sixties with the Village folk scene and her personal journey of intellectual growth.
   
   I love that the book doesn't focus too much on Dylan. I'm lucky enough to live a block from their first apartment and have been devouring every historical fact (or fiction) about the neighborhood and it's people since I moved in.
   
   A great book if you love NYC history and music. Probably just an ok book if you aren't into one of those two.



3. When you look at the iconic photograph, that graces the cover of the classic '60s record album "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" it brings about so much emotion. A young Bobby Dylan, hunched over, hands in the pockets of his jeans, walking down a snowy NYC street. Clutching his arm is a beautiful, young woman with a smile, that looks like it could light up the whole world. The photo to me speaks volumes of both young love and the innocence of a new generation at the begining of a new decade.
   
   We all know Bob Dylan and how he would eventually become a potent voice and icon of the 1960's. But who was this young women in the photo? The simple answer would be Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan's girlfriend at the time. But that answer is really too pat (and dismissive) and dosn't really tell the whole story.The story is told now in Suze Rotolo's new book, "A Freewheelin' Time". On the book's cover it says "A Memoir of Greenwhich Village in the sixties". And that's what it is. Anybody, who comes to this book expecting 'The Life and Times of Bob Dylan' is going to be sadly dissapointed.
   
   Instead, Ms.Rotolo concentrates on writing about her days as a young woman, living in NYC's bohemian Village of the early 1960's. She talks about growing up in her very non-traditional, politically active, Italian family. She terms herself a "red-diaper baby", because of her family's communist beliefs. By a young age she was on her own, pretty much taking care of herself. And yes, by 1961 she had met and passionately fallen in love with an up and coming folk singer, by the name of Bob Dylan. She talks of living with Dylan and what their life was like in the Village, where there was a very close sense of community made up of musicians, writers, artists and a whole host of interesting characters, who came and went in their lives, some of whom were almost like family.
   
   In the end Suze Rotolo watched as Dylan was starting down his road to fame and fast becoming a musical icon. She didn't want to become part of that and just be 'Bob Dylan's girlfriend' (or as she termed it "another string on his guitar".) Instead this bright, vivacious, artistic person lead her own life and it was a very interesting one to boot. This is a good read, that vividly recalls a certain time and place with a touch of nostalgia. Highly recommended!



4. I liked reading Suze's account of her time with Dylan, the folk scene in Greenwich Village, the affordable housing and easy employment opportunities. Once time moves forward there's no going back to the simplicity of that particular time, the early 60's, so it's enjoyable to read about.
   
   She had an unorthodox background and a lot of independence for someone underage, and she had a lot of adventures. Her descriptions are earnest and vivid. Unlike some other biographies about women behind rock stars, there's no sex. It's an impassioned story of two teenagers growing up and one of them becoming very famous.



5. Suze Rotolo has captured the essence of the sixties in The Village with devastating accuracy. She has told my story, with all my own experiences, these many long years later, ; parts of which moved me to tears. Here I thought I was the only one who saw and remembered things this way. Her descriptions were spot on target; it was just like being back there working at the Gaslight and hanging upstairs at The Kettle of Fish.
   
   People were enthralled by the stardom, recording contracts and the money floating around; everyone trying to grasp that "golden ring." Even though we thought we were there for such lofty ideals, it was difficult to be there too much of the time. Excellent writing; she has painted a perfect picture of hopes and dreams, some gone awry. Yet she points out that the gifted, creative force, will always find a way to survive. What happened to all of us, the children of the sixties? Where did we all go? Rotolo has done a great service to us all, reminding us that creativity and the good spirit still exists. I thought it was gone for good. * * * * *

5 comments about Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me.

1. A story well told. Patty Boyd has had quite a life and does a wonderful job sharing her story. I've always wondered what life with the Beatles was like and she gives great details. The rock n'roll lifestyle (life with Eric Clapton) may not be everyone's dream after-all. Her story was well told and left me wanting more. I enjoyed every moment I spent reading her book.



2. I had heard tidbits about how Eric Clapton "stole" George Harrison's beautiful wife, Patti Boyd before, and I was curious about how that happened and...then what? Happily ever after? No, no. Patti gives us the whole story, a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the world of rock and roll musicians. The relationship interplays, the emotions, the disappointment over songs that don't "make it." The stories behind the creation of some unforgettable songs, and the personalities and friendships of the people we see only as public figures. After I read this book, I read "Clapton" and got a perspective from that side of the story. Fascinating and, well, "lovely." Well worth the read.



3. I was drawn to WONDERFUL TONIGHT--written and read by Pattie
   Boyd--by its subtitle: GEORGE HARRISON, ERIC CLAPTON, AND
   ME . . . I thought to myself that I had heard of those guys; in fact, I
   had grown up listening to much of their music.
   
   Yet I had not followed their personal lives all that closely, nor had
   I known too much about Boyd other than the fact that she had been
   married to both Harrison and Clapton.
   
   It turns out that she was more than just their respective wives . . . she
   was also their muse, having inspired Harrison's classic "Something"
   and "Layla," Clapton's rock anthem.
   
   In addition, she lived a fascinating life . . . WONDERFUL TONIGHT
   explores it in vivid detail, including this recollection of her first real
   encounter with Clapton:
   
   * It was a sweet, turbulent life, but one that would take an
   unexpected turn, starting with a simple note that began
   "dearest l."
   
   I read it quickly and assumed that it was from some weirdo;
   I did get fan mail from time to time. . . . I thought no
   more about it until that evening when the phone rang. It was
   Eric [Clapton]. "Did you get my letter?" . . . And then
   the penny dropped. "Was that from you?" I said. . . . It
   was the most passionate letter anyone had ever written me.
   
   Unfortunately, Boyd had her share of heartaches . . . her
   childhood was interrupted by the divorce of her parents,
   both her famous husbands cheated on her, and she was also
   abused by Clapton . . . to her credit, she managed to turn
   her life around and since has become a well-respected
   photographer.
   
   The author broke a 40-year period of silence with this book . . I'm glad
   she did . . . do read or listen to it if you want to know more about
   the music scene of the 1960s and 70s.



4. Very good book here. Really good stories of clapton and harrison. The funnything i took away from this was that , even the greatest guys go thru depression and experience the sames things that we all face. Sometimes, in life, what you think you need is not often what is best for you. As patty proves at the end of the book.



5. I really enjoyed this book. I thought her stories were frank and real. And she knows what details are best left private!!!

5 comments about Scar Tissue.

1. Anthony Kiedis. Red Hot Chili Peppers. It was interesting to read Anthony's autobiography and understand the meaning beyond some of the lyrics he has written so far. I do need to separate book from "facts" however.
   
   The book: 465 pages in tiny print describing a life of excesses in every sense became at times a tedious read, mainly because Anthony's life is self-described and delivered by what I define a rather flat narrative. A repetition of events -and most often, a vicious circle, literally- that failed to engage me in full in a few parts. That does not mean that I did not "appreciate" the content. If anything, his is an often brutal testimony of what a serious drug addiction can do to a human being (I felt that this book was more about his drug addiction than about his life or the RHCP).
   
   The "facts": oh, I would have a thing or two to say about his upbringing, I am itching to do it. But. Anthony comes out to be so non-judgemental, so not-critical, so loving towards his family, which he clearly loves to bits to this day, that I am discouraged to say anything more about it. And I respect him for not pointing any accusing finger, about back then or later on. He is not blaming anyone, or at least, that's the way I have perceived the core of this book. In his words, it was mostly all about "the shortcut", which brought him to jump fences instead of walking on a proper path, figuratively and literally. The drugs, his love stories, his songs, the band, the friends he has lost to drugs, the rehabs, and drugs again... An indefinable sense of hopelessness, sometimes peppered with sober, more productive moments, where the love towards life shines in full. I think that it is at this point that he chose to write the book, after a few years of sobriety. And I hope the process of retracing his past has added to the self-healing and helped to stay clean and sober, appreciating life to the full.
   
   Would Anthony have become what he is without experiencing what he went through? I do not know. We are what we do, or so they say. But as much as this book conveys the dispiritedness, desolation and utter despair connected to drug addiction, it is uplifting to see that it is POSSIBLE to get out of it. Tough, difficult, hard, but possible. An inspiration for those ones who are still struggling.
   
   I read somewhere that Anthony recently had a baby (last year). Not an epilogue to his story, but another, wonderful, beginning.



2. Scar Tissue is an excellent tale. More than anything the story is about a man who has done some hard yards and is witnessing without shame or pride his life story. The book is humbling in many ways. Scar Tissue is as fun to read as it tragic. His account of his day to day dealings as a rockstar leave you feeling like Anothony Kedis could very well be just one of your friends. He is down to earth. He is real, and he is very articulate. There is quite a bit of esoteric language, but you can handle it. Read it. 5 Stars



3. After listening to Stadium Arcadium and being blown away by the lyrics (e.g. Wet Sand) and stunning music (again, Wet Sand), I was very drawn to reading Scar Tissue. While not a die hard RHCP fan before the book (or before Stadium Arcadium), I am now. I dug up the old stuff and gave it a re-listen. It's amazing to listen to the songs after having read about them; the process AK describes on writing lyrics and the contributions and musical influence from the rest of the band past and present.
   
   A main theme and thread throughout the book is AK describing his serious struggle with substance abuse. He writes in a very clear and vivid voice, it is moving and revealing. I have profound respect for his recovery and the process he went through. To me, the book itself is written with a sense of service and purpose beyond mere autobiography. A great read.



4. I was pretty shocked that between the alleged writer, ghost writer and a major publisher that somebody didn't catch a blatant mistake that really casts some doubt as to the effort and veracity of this manuscript. About midway thru the book Anthony starts to discuss his contract negotiations with Warner Brothers and company president "Mo Austin". I believe, unless he was kidnpped by aliens, that the head of Warner's at this time was actually a man named Mo Ostin, a relatively well known figure in the record business. This would be like writing a book about the real estate industry and referring to a "Danield Trummp" This makes me wonder if Anthony either didn't even read the manuscript or didn't know how to spell the name of a reasonably important business associate, namely the person responsible for paying him millions of dollars annually. And the ghost writer should be ashamed of himself. Obviously, the publishing company probably didn't care since this has a People Magazine quality to it that spent more time racking up naked photos of ex-girlfriends and endless gossip about intercourse and "babes".
   I expected a lot more from this book. On some level, I was entertained but ultimately this is a very disposable effort that is much like a fast food meal. Anthony's youth, his struggles with finding artistic success, his incredible self destructiveness and creative abilities are ultimately overwhelmed by the low rent, frat house behaviors that he knows are inappropriate but still seems all too willing to share. We never find out about what happened to his Dad in terms of how he left California, people like George Clinton who fade in and out without any follow up.
   
   As much as Anthony's drug use is discussed in detail, he frequently pussies out with justifications stemming from inadvertent dentist novacaine and wrongly prescribed pharmaceuticals. I would have been more sympathetic if he manned up and just admitted that on all of these relapses it wasn't a relationship or a wrong prescription, he just wanted to fall off the wagon.
   
   A word about the women. Living in LA, I get the sense that Anthony's outlook on women is totally defined by looks only. It was astonishing to me that a streetwise individual would have a woman he had broken up with come back to him and then after this leech starts trying to threaten him for palimony he falls madly back "in love". Only in LA. Another LA reference which I'm sure AK is already cringing over is his discussion of Kabballa which has already come and gone like alfalfa sprouts and oxygen bars as a passing and absurd fixation of LA's jaded. More revelatory moments (besides the aforementioned baffling inability to attend his "friend's" funeral) was when he went to give a Christmas present to Ione and the mother wouldn't even let him into the house. The mother must have been very pleased with the type of behavior her daughter, a veritable child was having to endure. It takes a lot of bad behavior to generate that kind of hostility.
   Also, the story where he is so loaded that he forgets that he made a deal to sell his house and a realtor does that and he isn't even informed. Hello, doesn't a seller have to sign reams of paper during that process. that one was a bit hard to swallow especially because a buddy's family was literally living there. this all happened in a week. Can you spell escrow period? That's gotta be at least 30 days.
   
   Anyway, I did find this book fascinating at least from the level of abuse and the hilarious kowtowing to celebrities that allowed anthony to literally walk the Earth as a veritable emotional, physical, ethical and professional zombie. Finally, this was written in 2004 with a supposed happy ending of sobriety but I don't think any reader would be at all surprised to find anthony hiding out in some future seedy motel, blazing away. I don't wish that on him or anyone else but it eems that if he can't even really explain this continual obsession to us readers he probably doesn't understand it himself. For a true biography of personal tragedy and the tortured artist those looking for a little more substance might like Richard Ellman's "Oscar Wilde", but, careful you will have to concentrate and you won't be able to read it with MTV on in the background.



5. I have never been more intrigued by a story in my life. Anthony Kiedis continually strived to have fun in his life and never took life too seriously. He made a life derived from the use of drugs and had magnificant experiences. This book is awesome and wonderfully expresses Anthony's deepest, darkest thoughts and feelings. Must READ!

5 comments about Slash.

1. Rock documentaries are my husbands lastest thing. He went from a man that does not like to read to reading these type of books daily. "Slash" is a good read. Packed full of juicy stories. A must read!



2. SLASH is awesome. I've read a few artists' autobiographies and this one definitely is in my top 3 of all time.



3. All I have to say is this was a great book. I am a huge fan of Guns N Roses and Slash. I recamend this book too fans of 80s rock and rool music!



4. If you are a real die hard Guns fan you may enjoy this. If you are looking for the life of a rockstar and all the details of the life this is not the book for you. It repeats a lot of the same stories with little excitement. For those looking for an interesting look into the "fun" of being a rockstar check out The Dirt by Motley Crue or Tommyland. The Heroin Diaries is a must read.



5. Truly gifted guitar player. The early life documentation is crystal clear and detailed. Seems that the really meaty parts of the story have been lost in the haze of drugs or his desire to not piss anyone off. What happened to the "let it fly" rock star attitude?

5 comments about Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N' Roses.

1. This book was a total disappointment.
   
   This was my third Stephen Davis book. Maybe he set the bar too high in the first two. The problem with this book is that it offers no more insight than the VH1 Behind the Music on Guns N Roses that aired a few years ago. As a matter of fact, he quotes that episode throughout the entire book. It doesnt seem like he talked to anyone close to the band. It seemed to me that his research was limited to the Behind the Music, Mtv interviews, and Rolling Stone articles. All of which I had already seen or read. This book told me nothing that I didnt already know.
   
   Davis mentions in his credits that most employees of GNR had to sign confidentiality agreements in order to keep their jobs and that 13 people interviewed for the book asked to remain anonymous. Maybe thats why this book lacks any punch. Nobody in the band wanted anything to do with it, and nobody that knows anything is talking. The inside information feeling that I got from his other books didnt show up this time around.
   
   If you insist on buying this, I would recommend that you at least go to the bookstore and read the credits. When you see that its all from interviews that you remember watching or reading, you may think twice about spending your hard earned cash on a rerun.



2. First of all, I'm not a die-hard Guns n Roses fan. For those who, like the gentleman below, already know a ton about the band, I suspect this volume will add little to their understanding of the Guns for the simple reason that the book seems written mostly from library research, footage and interviews that were already out there along with original interviews with ancillary characters. There is no indication that Davis talked to the band at any time or knew them.
   
   That said, since I knew little about Guns n Roses beyond fond teenage memories of Appetite for Destruction, Davis' book was a breezy, enjoyable read. He does a great job bringing those hundreds of interviews and insights together, and by the end I felt I knew Axl, Slash and the rest of the band as well as anyone not witnessing their wild lives first-hand ever could. The book is almost 80% about Appetite and the lives of the band until then. It devotes little time to Use Your Illusion and the lesser albums like Lies and Spaghetti Incident, and that's probably a good thing. I finished it in a few days.
   
   If you are a general reader just looking for a great book about the glam-metal-rock era, there's a much better book out there: The Dirt, the story of Motley Crue, by Neil Strauss. It's hard not to compare the two works, and what makes The Dirt so great-- it's told largely in the voices of the band members, looking back on their years of debauchery-- highlights the weaknesses of Watch You Bleed.
   
   By no means a must-read, but an enjoyable and easy trip into the insane lives of Guns n Roses. A whiskey bottle is thrown, on average, every ten pages.



3. I thought that this book was an interesting look at the makings of an amazing rock band. What I did not enjoy about the book is that all of the information in it came from past interviews. There seemed to be no interviews done with the members of the band or those who worked closely with them, or even people who knew them. I wished throughout the book that the author had been able to talk with someone and give some new insights. None the less it was a good book.



4. Only half way through the book and I am really surprised by the lower quality. I have read Davis' other books, Walk this Way and Hammer of the Gods, which I thought were great. So this book was highly anticipated.
   
   But now I am finding myself very disappointed. Besides the fact that most of the stories leave you hanging or wanting more details, the book reads like a pieces of stories were thrown together from the old Circus or Hit Parader mags with no semblance of order. Couple that with bad proof-reading. You have to know that Paul Stanley was not the bassist in KISS and that Slippery When Wet was not Bon Jovi's debut album if you are writing this book. Just 2 of the numerous errors that I noted and remember through the first half of the book.
   
   I would highly recommend Slash's book if you want the story with many more details over this book.



5. Within pretty much the first chapter I could tell this was going to be a frustrating read. It started off well up until the point where he states 'It was Jimi Hendrix setting his Les Paul on fire.' as other readers have mentioned its just a bunch of rehashed stories and interviews crammed into a book with poor research on things all rock fans should know e.g Hendrix and a Les Paul? Paul Stanley and a bass? no.. I'm disapointed and don't feel i gained much, if any new knowledge about the band or the members

5 comments about When I Grow up: A Memoir.

1. I've read many autobiographies, even though they are usually cleaned up quite a bit (as that is human nature, not to let people see your weakness, doubts or fears...........) I was pleasantly surprised at her candor, amazed actually! Although I has never heard her music before a quick search on youtube yielded an avalanche! How had she flown under the radar for so long?? A perplexing question that nagged at me as I read this book, she clearly was very talented, & wrote & performed her own songs to boot! I was surprised to see how shy she actually was in "real life" you have these ideas that somehow celebrities & musicians Love being the center of attention 24/7! This book blew that notion away! I won't reveal the specifics, but suffice to say this was a VERY revealing book, & if you have heard her music or followed her career at all, this is a MUST to read! If you had NOT heard of her before (as I had not)this was still a very VERY interesting glimpse into the REAL life of someone whom you would have thought lived a VERY different way! I would definitely recommend anyone who has a penchant to delve into the "musician/rock star" life/ vocation, take a deep breath & start turning these pages......



2. When I Grow Up is a pleasure to read, mostly because it offers the opportunity to spend some time in the mind of a thoughtful, passionate musician who has reached a crossroads in which she must decide whether and why to continue to make music, years past her big hit.
   
   The memoir proceeds in two alternating threads, one a city-by-city diary from a single tour, the other a personal and professional history, in short chapters that proceed in a nonlinear but orderly fashion (they are linked associatively to the diary chapters that come before and after them, and help the reader to understand the moments dramatized in the tour diary in the same way Hatfield understands them.) The cumulative effect is a quiet forward energy and a steady, constant pleasure. Juliana Hatfield is a fine writer.



3. I really like memoirs, particularly from women who are kind of on the outskirts of my day-to-day thoughts. Which is why I thought When I Grow Up, by Juliana Hatfield, could be entertaining. I mean, I did like one or two of her songs in the 1990s, but then she kind of vanished. Who was she? What happened?
   
   This book, which is written in journal form, goes back in time and jumps to a more contemporary diary of a tour. In it, we hear about her childhood and teen years with her unhappy parents. We learn about her music student days, when she was too shy to eat in the cafeteria or make friends. And we hear about life on the road as a musician playing the small-club circuit. As a music fan who's been to a lot of small-club shows, it was pretty interesting to hear about the pitiful conditions that bands face in these places, and about what the view is like from on the stage, instead of dancing on the floor in front of it.
   
   But Juliana is, well, a pretty sniveling and self-pitying woman, and unfortunately that is the biggest thing that comes out of the book. For every wry observance of the lack of toilets in the dressing rooms, or the gross food a vegetarian musician must eat on the road, there is an overwhelming number of nitpicking gripes. There was a stain on the chair at the St. Louis Starbucks. There were hairs on the bathroom in, where was it, New Mexico? Her American cheese in Boston was rubbery. Her crew member drank too much, another had bad taste in music.
   
   This book needed an editor with a heavy-hand, willing to excise huge chunks of the negatives out in order to save the more interesting parts. Because be the end, when Juliana was facing anorexia, depression and failures, I didn't really care.
   
   I was mostly glad I wasn't her friend, because I knew she certainly would have been turning on me like she did practically every other thing in her world.



4. When I Grow Up allows the reader to experience the tension, drama and struggle of an artist bringing her art to the public, to her peers, to her bandmates and finally to herself. This is not an "inside the band" or "inside the music industry" read. It's a private portal into what many of us perceive to be an ideal existence (walk on stage, perform, receive adulation, tour the world, etc.) There's a lot more to being honest with yourself as an artist, and you can read about it here.



5. I was an employee of a record label a few years after Juliana opted out of her contract. I know how much the industry sucks the life out of creativity for those who aren't in the top echelon of rock stardom.
   
   So, it wasn't surprising to read how hard her daily life on the road was, her cycle of write/record/reject or her feeling of being ill fitted to the rock 'n roll lifestyle. The main points were interesting. I enjoyed parts of her daily diary about invasion of privacy from a fan with a camcorder, the search for a quiet moment alone or a decent night in a hotel room. I even enjoyed the recap of how she came to where she is, what kind of a person she started out as and how hard she worked for her few minutes of fame.
   
   I can only imagine life on the other side of the industry, where your songs are your children and someone else is paying them no mind. People that are supposed to be working your material, maybe aren't trying as hard and you would like.
   
   The negatives in the book are small things, which could have been corrected in the final, considering it mine was a proof. But, there are just a lot of places where there are just too many uninteresting facts or stories that go on forever with no real point. Most places this occurs is in the tour diary. One can either use this to make a point at how tedious and boring road life is or consider that it just isn't interesting enough to share in a memoir.