A Go-Go, a Grammy host, a morbid metalhead and a big hairy deal: These are your music-related reading options this week. Let the page-turning begin:
All I Ever Wanted: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir
By Kathy Valentine
THE PRESS RELEASE: “At 21, Kathy Valentine was at the Whisky in Los Angeles when she met a guitarist from a fledgling band called The Go-Go’s — and the band needed a bassist. The Go-Go’s became the first multi-platinum-selling, all-female band to play instruments themselves, write their own songs, and have a number one album. Their debut, Beauty and the Beat, spent six weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 and featured the hit songs We Got the Beat and Our Lips Are Sealed. The record’s success brought the pressures of a relentless workload and schedule culminating in a wild, hazy, substance-fueled tour that took the band from the club circuit to arenas, where fans, promoters, and crew were more than ready to keep the party going.”
More Myself: A Journey
By Alicia Keys
THE PRESS RELEASE: “As one of the most celebrated musicians in the world, Alicia Keys has enraptured the globe with her heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary vocal range, and soul-stirring piano compositions. Yet away from the spotlight, Alicia has grappled with private heartache ― over the challenging and complex relationship with her father, the people-pleasing nature that characterized her early career, the loss of privacy surrounding her romantic relationships, and the oppressive expectations of female perfection. Since Alicia rose to fame, her public persona has belied a deep personal truth: she has spent years not fully recognizing or honoring her own worth. After withholding parts of herself for so long, she is at last exploring the questions that live at the heart of her story: Who am I, really? And once I discover that truth, how can I become brave enough to embrace it? More Myself is part autobiography, part narrative documentary. Alicia’s journey is revealed not only through her own candid recounting, but also through vivid recollections from those who have walked alongside her. The result is a 360° perspective on Alicia’s path, from her girlhood in Hell’s Kitchen and Harlem to the process of growth and self-discovery that we all must navigate. In More Myself, Alicia shares her quest for truth ― about herself, her past, and her shift from sacrificing her spirit to celebrating her worth. With the raw honesty that epitomizes Alicia’s artistry, More Myself is at once a riveting account and a clarion call to readers: to define themselves in a world that rarely encourages a true and unique identity.”
I Am Morbid: Ten Lessons Learned From Extreme Metal, Outlaw Country, And The Power Of Self-Determination
By David Vincent and Joel McIver
THE PRESS RELEASE: “I Am Morbid tells the astounding story of David Vincent, former bassist and singer with Morbid Angel, and now outlaw-country performer and leader of the I Am Morbid supergroup. Written with the bestselling author Joel McIver, it’s an autobiography that transcends the heavy metal category by its very nature. Much more than a mere memoir, I Am Morbid is an instruction manual for life at the sharp end — a gathering of wisdom distilled into ten acute lessons for anyone interested in furthering their fortunes in life.”
The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of Hair Metal
By Christopher P. Hilton
THE PRESS RELEASE: “The spectacular story of ’80s Hair Metal! What hidden mayhem truly lurked behind the curtain as outrageous bands such as Poison were having Nothing But a Good Time, only to find out later that Every Rose Has Its Thorn… An intoxicating chronicle detailing the sensational arc of one of the history’s most polarizing and successful musical genres — the ’80s-born hard rock and heavy metal circus affectionately known as Hair Metal. Spotlighting bands such as Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, and many others, prepare for an electrifying journey of enormous highs, unspeakable lows, and the improbable comeback of one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most extraordinary and influential eras. Rising from the gutters of Los Angeles in the early ‘80s, an explosive new style of music was unrelentingly thrust upon the world. Fusing the rebellious aggression of traditional heavy metal with upbeat hooks and melodies, Hair Metal would emerge over the coming decade as one of the most successful and dominant forces the music industry had ever seen. Defined by shredding guitars, flamboyant frontmen, fist-pumping anthems, and an extravagant fashion sense, bands like Def Leppard and Guns N’ Roses dominated the landscape, selling millions of albums and playing to sold-out arenas of frenzied fans across the globe. “Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” was taken to new extremes as excess in all forms ruled supreme in one gloriously outrageous celebration.”
