I know. I need to get as good about coveting Rock Fiction as I am about coveting Rock NONFiction.

(Have you subscribed to Rocks ‘n Reads, my review blog? You can keep up with my Rock Fiction exploits over there — once I’ve stopped coveting the books, picked them up, and read them, that is.)

Anyway, here’s one for us old-school rocker types. (Oh, holy shit, are we really old-school? When and how did THAT happen???)

Classic Rock Magazine, based in the UK, has just released a new book about the making of the seminal Appetite for Destruction album.

Here’s some skinny about it:

This is an authorised book by Marc Canter, which was originally published in America in 2008. It features over 600 never-seen-before pictures and rare memorabilia of GN’R in their early days, as the band formed and made the legendary Appetite For Destruction.

There are also interviews with Slash, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler, as well as the band’s old managers and roadies.

Read the whole thing here. As always, send and review or spare copies directly to me.

I don’t get myself sometimes. I recently read and reviewed Richard Hell’s Go Now, his 1996 novel(la) about a junkie road trip from Hell. It’s a good read, if you like junkie road trips. Me, I’m not big on them. I have a hard time connecting with junkie characters.

However, Richard Hell and his character Billy aren’t the same person. I know that. I would be disappointed if they were, to be honest: writing your life as fiction is a beginner’s move. It’s a necessary step on the path to being a great novelist/fiction writer. Which means that yes, shoved under a bed somewhere — probably my parents’ house because they hang on to that sort of sentimental stuff — is a book where the main character is an autobiographical version of me.

So… why am I not more eager to read Richard Hell’s memoir? I Dreamed I was a Very Clean Tramp.

Maybe because even the title make me think of Billy. Maybe because in the press release I found, there’s not a lot of information included.

Maybe, maybe, maybe. I’m not sure why I’m so resistant, to be honest. After all, this is what I do. Rock Fiction, Rock Memoir… if it’s about music, it’s what I’m about. Which means at some point, this will cross my threshhold and I’ll read it and… well, we’ll see where we go from there.

Mmm. Talk about a recipe for ambrosia here, baby! I don’t know how this one slipped past my ever-vigilant eye, but thanks to the awesome Jeremy Wagner for the head’s up on it.

Have I teased you enough? Is it time to come clean and tell you what’s going on?

Two long-time, hard-core, die-hard (and any other compound adjectives I can think of, in a positive vein) Metallica fans have put out what might be my ultimate book. It’s called Murder in the Front Row: Shots from the Bay Area Thrash Metal Epicenter. These fans? They’ve transcended being fans, actually. They are a part of that Bay Area Thrash Metal Epicenter, themselves.

They are none other than Harald Oimoen (yes, the legendary Harald O) and Brian Lew.

Here’s the blurb:

In the 1980s, the San Francisco Bay Area was heaven for hardcore headbangers. Shunning Hollywood hairspray and image in favor of a more dangerous street appeal, the Bay Area thrash metal scene was home to Exodus, Metallica, Testament, Possessed, Death Angel, Heathen, Vio-Lence, Attitude Adjustment, Forbidden, and Blind Illusion — and served as a second home to like-minded similar bands like Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Anthrax, Megadeth, and more. Beginning as teenagers taking snapshots of visiting heavy metal bands during the 1970s, Brian “Umlaut” Lew and Harald “O.” Oimoen documented the birth and growth of the local metal scene. Featuring hundreds of unseen live and candid color and black-and-white photographs, Murder in the Front Row captures the wild-eyed zeal and drive that made Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth into legends, with over 100 million combined records sold.

Dude. Can I say little inspires me more than pictures and visuals? This is manna from heaven. Ambrosia. It’s mainlined chocolate.

And it had better not let me down…

We’ll end this grand Rocktober month with one of my favorite bands: Apocalyptica.

During the luscious month of Rocktober, it seemed I was getting word of an upcoming book every few days. I told you guys about as many of them as I could. Here’s one more.

Apocalyptica, those hot Finnish cellists, brought a photographer friend on the road with them, intending to put out one of those behind-the-scenes books that make music junkies like me pine for a return to the days when working in the music business was practical — and happening.

I guess no one is smart enough to fund this project because, in true Kickstarter fashion, they are asking their fans to chip in and help the cause. Baby, if I weren’t busy trying to fund my OWN cause over here, I’d be involved in this, especially if it would get me my very own copy of the book. (and I ought to read more carefully because this is better than Kickstarter. It’s called Pledge Music and it’s got a charity component. AND you get a copy of the book.)

The band is also offering some nice-sounding goodies, most of which are already gone as I type this, way earlier in the month. Go look it over, yourself.

Ahh, this is one I truly covet, to the point where if I ever get my hands on it, I just might sleep with it under my pillow…

As I’m typing this, the book on my nightstand, for before bedtime reading, is Aerosmith’s famed autobiography, Walk This Way. I hadn’t realized it was published in 2003; I have no idea how long it’s been hanging around in my house, waiting for its turn to get read. And I’ve got to admit… the early stuff is slow going.

Now comes word that, hot on the heels of Steven Tyler’s Does The Noise in my Head Bother You (Yet ANOTHER long title!) comes his Aerosmith bandmate, Joey Kramer. Joey’s written his own biography: Hit Hard: A Story of Hitting Rock Bottom at the Top. (Another title that goes to 11…)

At first, I kinda groaned. Here we go again. How many train wreck rock star autobiographies can there be, already? And given the plethora of them, is it any wonder that so many entries in the rock fiction genre are so amazingly stereotyped?

Well, guess again. This is the story of Joey’s battle with depression — and more. Not a train wreck, at all.

Bring it.

I know! I’ve spent this WHOLE month coveting books. Rocktober, baby. I hope you’ve been following the reviews over at Rocks ‘n Reads, too. It’s not all been wishful thinking.

Here’s one that’s a little bit off the beaten path, but I will want it once it has a title and a cover and … well, a spine. And I don’t mean that metaphorically.

WAAAAY back on October 4, it was announced via GalleyCat that Duran Duran bassist, John Taylor, has signed a half-million dollar deal for his memoir.

I know. What I could do with a half-million dollars.

He won’t GET a half-million dollars. After taxes and agents’ fees and the way deals are structured, he’ll really only get a part of it. If you thought Hollywood accounting was convoluted…

Anyhoo, the book is described like this:

This book recounts the million tiny seductions that are required to make the journey from English suburbia to selling out Madison Square Garden—seductions that go by a hundred different names; family, friendship, romances, collaborations and strategic alliances. Here is my journey and where it took me; into fantastic success, more than a little decadence, darkness, and finally, I like to think, a little enlightenment.

That’s a quote from Mr. Taylor, himself. Sounds like it’ll be good, juicy, and inspiring to me, no? I’ve been lately wanting to learn more about pop music and how it differs from Rock and Roll. My one experience with a bubble gum tour wasn’t terribly enlightening. Except, of course, for the ways in which it was…

By and large, I’d consider it against my religion or good sense to consider reading a book with more than ten words in its title. Maybe it’s against both.

We live in a world where it’s okay to make exceptions, and I’m glad of that. I’d like to read this one. It’s about Deep Purple, after all. In fact, the fist part of the title is Deep Purple and Beyond. And yes, it IS about the band Deep Purple.

Want to know how I know? It’s easy. The author is none other than Deep Purple singer Glenn Hughes.

Want a bonus? My buddy Lars Ulrich — yeah, THAT Lars — wrote the foreward.

Need another bonus? The highly esteemed (by me) Joel McIver was Glenn’s co-author.

I’d read pretty much anything Joel McIver wrote. I say that ’cause I’ve already had the pleasure. More, Joel! More!

I’ll own up to it. I will. I own two cookbooks full of Rock Star Recipes. (maybe one day, we should sponsor a cookoff? Hmm.)

I still don’t have a copy of Mosh Potatoes, but I’d love one. (HINT)

And now comes word of a new one: For Those About to Cook. It’s brought to us by Bruce Moore, and at $35, it’s a bit pricey. Too pricey for me here (fix that! Buy my books!). Is it too pricey for you?

This isn’t your typical cookbook, I don’t think. It’s described thus: “a collection of recipes, anecdotes and pictures from musicians and music industry personnel” and twice in the book description are mentions of this being a collector’s item.

But… there’s no mention of who the musicians and music industry personnel are. No mention of the recipes included. Of course, the book insists this is perfect for collectors. Does that mean collectors don’t cook?

I know that if this one finds its way to me, I’ll devour it the same way I devour every other rock and roll memoir and rock novel. At least, I begin to devour them all the same way. If they lose me, they lose me and life goes on.

Will this one lose me? I have no idea. Only one way to find out!

Now, here’s the thing. The subject of the book is a singer whose music I pretty consistently turn off when it comes up on my radio dials. It’s not that I don’t like his stuff, it’s that … well, it’s old. I’m tired of it. And the new stuff I’ve heard… well, okay. I don’t like what I’ve heard of that.

That doesn’t mean someone whose career is as long-running as Rod Stewart has a life story that’s going to be as unwelcome in my world as some of his songs have become. For one, Rod’s old enough to have lived — and to have the wisdom (one would hope) to share some nuggets with us. For another, Rod’s lived through some pretty darn amazing times. He’s seen shifts in the music business that kids today only read about.

Yeah. I’ll read Rod Stewart’s forthcoming memoir. Absolutely.

I know! What IS it with these long book titles on autobiographies this month??? Sheesh, people. Rock and roll relies on a four-count to make music. What’s with the 11-word book titles?

(Yeah, yeah. These go to 11. Bite me.)

Today it’s the famed, great, amazing Tony Iommi who has written a book. Not just any book, of course, but his autobiography. Tony Iommi is a legend.

I shouldn’t need to say another word.

I usually don’t do a big Book Coveting post for fiction. Instead, I quietly add the books I covet to my wishlists at PaperbackSwap.com and BookMooch and wait for them to arrive.

I wanted to mention this one, though. I wanted to see what you guys think of it.

It’s called How the Mistakes Were Made. Tyler McMahon wrote it. And to me, it screams of Courtney Love.

Here’s the blurb, thanks to Powells.com:

Laura Loss came of age in the hardcore punk scene of the early 1980s. The jailbait bass player in her brother Anthony’s band, she grew up traveling the country, playing her heart out in a tight network of show venues to crowds soaked in blood and sweat. The band became notorious, the stars of a shadow music industry. But when Laura was 18, it all fell apart. Anthony’s own fans destroyed him, something which Laura never forgot.

Ten years later, Laura finds her true fame with the formation of The Mistakes, a gifted rock band that bursts out of ‘90s Seattle to god-like celebrity. When she discovered Nathan and Sean, the two flannel-clad misfits who, along with her, composed the band, she instantly understood that Sean’s synesthesia — a blending of the senses that allows him to “see” the music — infused his playing with an edge that would take them to the top. And it did. But it, along with his love for Laura, would also be their downfall.

At the moment of their greatest fame, the volatile bonds between the three explode in a mushroom cloud of betrayal, deceit, and untimely endings. The world blames Laura for destroying its rock heroes. Hated by the fans shes spent her life serving, she finally tells her side of the story, the “true” story, of the rise and fall of The Mistakes.

I know… it’s NOT a Roman a Clef, like my first impression led me to believe. But still. Don’t you see Courtney in here?

I sat down to write all about On Board Flight 666, the pictoral book created by Iron Maiden’s official photographer. I can’t find a link at Powell’s about it, but I found these two books, instead.

First is the book written by the dude who sang with Maiden before Bruce Dickinson. His name is Paul Di’Anno and it sounds like his autobiography is a dark exploration of addiction and all sorts of other ugly issues. The Beast: Singing with Iron Maiden is the name of the book. I’m glad I surfed my way to this one. That’s a definite covet.

The next one is another slam-dunk, at least as far as I’m concerned. Photographer Ross Halfin (yes, he who did the sorta recent Metallica book I am STILL coveting. The respect for this rock and roll writer seems to be missing here, folks!) did a similar book, only with Iron Maiden as his subject. Mrrrow again. Ross Halfin is a kick-ass photographer. I’d love to be him for a day. Of course, if I get that chance, I’ll rename his book. Iron Maiden isn’t a very exciting title.

Guess he saves his excitement for the camera. I can live with that, given how darn good he is.

Now, back to On Board Flight 666. Here’s the info from the press release I saw:

…official photographer John McMurtrie travelled with the band on board their Boeing 757 jet named Ed Force One from January 2008, capturing on camera not only the five continents visited on the Somewhere Back In Time World Tour but also the Round The World In 66 Days leg of The Final Frontier World Tour earlier this year. This extensive coverage will be made available later this year as a photographic book, entitled ‘ON BOARD FLIGHT 666’. Published by Orion Books it will feature hundreds of stunning photos with explanatory text, giving an exclusive, behind-the-scenes pictorial documentation of both tours.

Yep. That’s another one I need. In fact, that’s three. A three-fer this week!

You guys know it. Trevor’s eyes just lit up.

Did you EVER think there could be four books about ONE band?

Wait. I know there are a million of books about certain (ahem) bands. I’ve posted about a bunch of them. Coveted them.

In this case, we’re talking about four books written by ONE man. About ONE band.

The author is the very-prolific Martin Popoff.

The band? This is where it gets a bit odd. It’s Deep Purple!

Deep. Purple.

FOUR BOOKS following their career. Holy smoke!

I am curious as to what can be in there. I hope it’s not how often each visited the privvy…

Here’s the press release, which adds a whole new level of mystery to things:

According to a press release I came across from Popoff himself, “this is the second and closing chapter to the elaborate and experimental hit project that was The Deep Purple Royal Family: Chain Of Events Through ’79

Second? Then why did they say it’s the fourth book he’s written? Mr. Popoff, are you repeating yourself?

I suppose that’s better than details of their privvy visits…

Let’s kick off my first Rocktober post with a doozy.

Thirteen months ago, I posted about how badly I was drooling over the concept of Corey Taylor’s book, Seven Deadly Sins. That hasn’t stopped. If anything, my need has gotten worse, not because every review I’ve read has been amazing (far from it; the reviews have been pretty polarized) but because I’ve spent more time getting to know Stone Sour’s lyrics.

I want to be friends with Corey Taylor.

Now, let’s face it. That’s never gonna happen.

But I can have something that’s not even close to the next best thing, but easy enough to pretend. And I say this as someone who LOATHES audio books, too. I simply can’t concentrate on them. I’m a WRITER, after all. I have to keep my eyes entertained (and my ears full of music, not speech, even … Wait. I’m getting ahead of myself here.).

Did that clue you in? Know what I’m about to say?

Yep. Corey Taylor reads his own audio version of Seven Deadly Sins.

Duuuuuude. Has my drool flooded you out yet?

(Hey, check it! You can hear an excerpt here!)

Holy schmoley, are you ready for this onslaught that I’ve been too lazy to tell you about?

Lazy? Really?

Well, okay. Prioritizing my own fiction over someone else’s non-fiction. How’s THAT?

First off… Steven Adler. Remember him, the drummer who got himself pitched out of Guns ‘n Roses ’cause his drug use was too intense for even the members of Guns ‘n Roses? Well, his MOM has written a memoir now, all about being the mom to an addict. Okay, an addict who happened to know Axl before he went off the deep end. If there ever WAS such a time.

I can’t find a link to the book; it’s not scheduled for release until November (according to the press release that’s been sitting in an open tab for months, anyway), but Steven himself wrote a memoir that came out last year. Why didn’t I drool over this a year ago? What’s wrong with me?

Here’s another one in the “What’s wrong with me?” category. Get ready to laugh and snicker. This isn’t even something I’d consider a guilty pleasure, but damn if I don’t want to see it.

Europe is putting out “a special edition 140-page coffee-table book, with pictures following the band on their latest continental tour, as seen through the lens of legendary rock photographer Denis O’Regan!”

Okay, so I don’t need the deluxe version with the live CD. I’m just not that big of a fan of Europe. It’s the pictures I want here, folks. The details of a live show… those are what fuels my writing and my imagination (well, that and Metallica in large doses).

Hunh. No buy link for that, either. Am I finding esoteric stuff today, or WHAT? Maybe it’s that this won’t be released until August. Who knows?

Okay… moving on…

Here’s the headline that caught my eye: Former DEEP PURPLE / RAINBOW Tour Manager Colin Hart To Issue New Book In September” (here’s the link so it’s fully cited and not stolen or anything). The wording of the article is weird; it implies that the book was first released in a language other than English. Of course, you know I want the deluxe version with its “80 pages of photos and memorabilia from Colin’s collection including reproduction of tour itineraries, faxes, letters and more. ”

Yeah. SO up my alley… And you wonder where I get my research???

Of course, if I’d ever actually get my hands on these books — review copies are beautiful things — more research would be happening, more inspiration would be happening, and then more writing would be happening, too. See how that works?

If you’ve been here long enough to hear me gush about the Rabbi’s Cat books and my deep and enduring love for Joann Sfar, you know I’m open to the idea of graphic novels and comics.

Now comes word of this British offering. At least I THINK it’s British. I opened the tab on this eons ago. Possibly a few months.

It’s Phonogram: Rue Britannia and it was written by Kieron Gillen and Jamie Mckelvie. Here’s the blurb. Sounds like more a mindfuck than a piece of rock and roll literature, but hey. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by things before.

Britannia is ten years dead. Phonomancer David Kohl hadn’t spared his old patron a thought for almost as long… at which point his mind starts to unravel. Can he discover what’s happened to the Mod-Goddess of Britpop while there’s still something of himself left? Dark modern-fantasy in a world where music is magic, where a song can save your life or end it.

Mmm. Music is magic and where a song can save your life or end it… I am SO there.

But wait! There’s a second volume!

I know. If I spent as much time writing as I do coveting other peoples’ books, I’d have like twenty books out there on the shelves. And if I spent as much time reading, I would not complain about the different mountain peaks in here, comprised entirely of books waiting to be read.

But, alas, striving for balance means I’ve got to spread myself as thin as possible, for the biggest payoff I can possibly get.

Charming thought, no?

Join me in coveting these books. Maybe you’ll pick one or two up and then send it my way. You know, so the pile behind me (where I keep the rock books and the series I’m in the middle of) can continue to grow. I’ll tell you, it’s making my cleaning lady crazy. Me, too.

And, of course, if you review any of the books on my Rock Books page, I’d be glad to link to you (first two of you per book only, please!). If there’s more than two reviews and I’ve reviewed the book myself, I’ll add your links there. I like to spread the love.

The first book isn’t entirely a book. Maybe one day it will be. But for now it’s that thing called a comic book (I like to hold out for the compendiums, often called graphic novels), and Anthrax’s Scott Ian is the man behind it. (Any Anthrax lovers out there get the joke?)

This is from the post on Blabbermouth I found: “is writing a new miniseries for DC Comics starring Etrigan, The Demon, with his Lobo collaborator Sam Kieth on art duties.”

Niiiiiice.

Not the comic sort? Not everyone is. I get that. If you’ve ever gone to a show and taken pictures, the people behind Louder Than Hell: The Unflinching Oral History of Metal want you. Or, more specifically, they want your pictures. I’ll let you read about it yourself, but it seems to me this is going to be a cool book with a cool concept. I can’t wait to read it.

You’re surprised, I know. Believe it or not, there ARE books out there in the world I don’t want to read. Not many (which is why I have such a problem with the number of books here in the house), but some.

Then there’s this one, which I don’t think I’ve mentioned before, but I’m totally hot to get my hands on. Jon Glaser has put together … I don’t know what you’d call this. A compendium? It’s a collection of found documents (says the book description. I like compendium better. Sounds cooler) that give us a new insight into Rock and Roll. It’s called My Dead Dad was in ZZ Top: 100% Real, Never Before Seen Documents from the world of Rock and Roll.

I’ve read a couple of anthologies of collected stories set in the rock world by now. I think Shock Rock was the most effective, but now I’ve gotten word of one that should have crossed my radar sooner than now. It was published in 2005, after all!

It’s called The Best in Rock Fiction and was edited by June Skinner Sawyers. It seems to be available only in e-book format at the moment (really. This is what POD was invented for! Keep things in print! I’m not paying over $15 for an e-book!), and it’s not even full of original stories! It’s stories AND excerpts from such noted writers as Sherman Alexie, Madison Smartt Bell, T.C. Boyle, Don DeLillo, Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornby, Rick Moody, Tom Perrotta, Salman Rushdie, and Scott Spencer.

Really. Sort of anti-climactic. Very sad.

Next is an intriguing one. I’ve been slowly working my way through George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series, but now comes word of a 2007 release (Hey, I’m getting more current!) from him called Armaggedon Rag. It’s a mystery featuring a concert promoter and a journalist who must uncover what’s going on with this promoter. Sounds right up my alley.

So. There ya go. More books I’m coveting. Got any comments about rock books? Any I’ve missed or need to know about? You know how to reach me…

We’ll start with the question. I don’t remember how I even came across it now, but I’ve got a link open to a page at Amazon (and you guys know of my vast love for Amazon, even as I see good sales for the books on their Kindle).

It’s a book called Willie’s Bar & Grill: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Tour of America in the Age of Terror. It was written by Rob Hirst. It’s apparently about Midnight Oil on tour post-911. I’m finding even less about it at Powell’s. I found a copy at BookMooch, but the woman who owns it asks that I not mooch from her unless I also send books outside my country, as she’s in Australia. I agree that it’s fair; I *used* to send books outside the country, but was getting so many requests, I had to stop.

So… anyone know anything about this book??? Got a copy you’re willing to send my way?

Now. For the other book. It’s coming out May 3 and all you Gleeks will want it. Yup, it’s The Untold Story of Journey (the real title is, of course, Don’t Stop Believin’. How fitting.).

Neil Daniels is the author, and it sounds like this dude and I need to hook up. His website brags he’s been “chronicling the world of hard rock and heavy metal since 2007.”

Dude.

I WAS going to point you to his website, but it’s sadly out of date (and has way too much flash and not enough content). Maybe this is another question… I don’t know… Blabbermouth is talking about the book, but there’s no mention on the author’s own website…

Interestingly, I have mentioned Mr. Daniels before. Back in 2009, in fact.

Definitely things that make you go hmmm…..

If you know anything about either book, holler. You know I’m into it.

Oh, and if you’re wondering why I haven’t been coveting those two romances that people are talking about, there’s a reason for that. I’m waiting for them to turn up in my PO Box so I can read them and talk about them properly. *grin*

Oh, come now. I’ve blogged about being willing to read the history of MTV. Why are you blinking your eyes at the idea of me drooling over a book featuring Queen and Freddy Mercury?

Part of what I get jazzed about (ha) when it comes to music is its history. Like Freddy and Queen or hate him and the gang, you can’t deny the impact they had, collectively, on the face of rock and roll.

So. Here’s the book: Bohemian Rhapsodies: True And Authorized Tales By QUEEN Fans & Celebrities by Robyn Dunford

Whee! Authorized!

I’ve also gotten word, while I’m here coveting, of a two-book series that might be too technical for me, but what the heck. I’ll try pretty much anything. Classic Rock Revisited Presents Vol. 1: Rock Icons & Metal Gods and Classic Rock Revisited Presents Vol. 2: Fret Board Wizards.

Rock Icons and Metal Gods. Fret Board Wizards.

Maybe I let myself be scared off by the idea of Fret Board Wizards ’cause there’s NOTHING technical in the idea of Rock Icons and Metal Gods.

Think Mitchell made the list?

Me, either. Poor guy.

Know who I’m sure didn’t make that list, either? Neil Peart. He’s a drummer, and drummers rarely if ever get the attention they deserve. Even one like Neil Peart, who truly is an icon. He’s also amazing, about to release his fifth book. This one is called Far and Away: A Prize Every Time. You can preorder it at Powells.com, where I’m part of their affiliate program. If I ever make enough to buy you guys some books, expect them to be some of these books I’ve coveted!

Anyway, this latest is a travelogue of life on the road with Rush. And with his love of taking his motorcycles out… dude. I’ve read some of his blogs. Neil Peart can do more than beat the skins. WAY more.

That’s three to add to my ever-growing list. You know, I have a birthday coming up in April. Books make great gifts… (in my world, book royalties make better gifts, but I won’t argue with any of the books I’ve coveted on this here blog. Unless I’ve already gotten my paws on it.)

My friend Annetta Ribken has turned me on to a new one — the memoir from Crystal Zevon. Yeah, as in Warren Zevon. As in Werewolves of London.

You know.

Here. Go read her review at GoodReads. And then give her a hard time for not sending me the book so I can read it for myself. Because you guys know I need to!

(needless to say, a bunch of you guys are now laughing and wondering what sort of cave I’ve been living in, since this book will be FOUR years old this year. See how important you are? Keeping me in the loop, even if I’ve got to rely on chipper cliches like Better Late Than Never.)