Rock books / Rock legends and dramas

By hanging around in theaters, as a spectator or musician, and on the web, Axel Brémond said that the world of Rock was full of stories, each crazier than the last. And if anyone who has ever participated in a group knows that anecdotes multiply very quickly when you go on tour. He has decided to present only those of the best-known groups, not that those of the “small groups” are not of interest, but more because those which fill the almost 250 pages of his collection quite simply belong to the History of Rock.

The stories are not long (about one page), which allows them to be multiplied (around 150), they are “arranged” in roughly chronological order and give pride of place to international mega stars (from Robert Johnsonpioneer of blues rock who sold his soul to the devil and died at 27 in Pete Doherty which knocks out the Camemberts in Étretat) as, all the same, some French glories (of Boris Vian who offers Henri Salvador to make fun of this new genre that is rock with lyrics that are “hollow as a tube” to Shaka Ponk which opens for Guns N’ Rosesbut must follow drastic rules). For each note, the author offers us a title to listen to in case we don’t know how to possibly discover a little more about the hero of the anecdote. A nice idea for those who read to music. We devour the book quite quickly because it’s hard to make cuts, like “Hey, but the title of the following anecdote is cool, it’s not long, I’m just going to read that one…”. It’s quite addictive (who wouldn’t already be asking for another volume?) and apart from the fact that there is no index with all the groups mentioned and the associated pages, it’s perfect! Imagine, you’re a fan of Beatlesit would be cool to know that you find them on pages 50, 68, 78, 94, 133 and 244 (at least). Obviously, there are certain legends and dramas that you already know: Elvis Presley who records his first 45 rpm for less than 4 dollars, Hendrix who sets his guitar on fire or drowns Jeff Buckleybut the author adds details or references that enrich your knowledge, such as the fact that Franz Liszt had made a habit of working on his pianos at the end of concerts… There are all those of which you only had a few scraps or on which time has embroidered a few additions and which it is good to put down flat (like the sayings about the banana album of the Velvet Underground or the blood of Kiss which is mixed with the red ink from their comic book). And of course, there are all those whose existence I didn’t know while the groups are not unknown to me. I can’t resist the urge to throw out a few like this first contract of Sex Pistols signed in front of Buckingham with the A&M label which… broke the deal the day after a party organized in their premises… devastated by the future punk idols. In 1976, the New Musical Express headlined “Cannibalism at the concert of Clash” with the photo of a guy having his ear eaten, this guy is Shane McGowan, six years before he started the you can. And you knew that Nirvana got kicked out of his own release party?

I’m not going to reveal everything, but you will have understood that Rock legends and dramas is a wealth of tips to know to have a good time, to liven up the discussions during a change of set when the group was not great or to attract the spotlight if you know how to tell the story by imitating Stéphane Bern or Lorànt Deutsch.