[2008-05-01] "The Encyclopedia Of Dead Rock Stars: Updated Edition" paperback book by Jeremy Simmonds

Linda · **Posted:** Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:43 pm

Review
"An engrossing read." --Library Journal

"A definitive guide to how our fave rock stars kicked the bucket." --The Observer

"Hard to put down." --Under the Radar

"A huge, affectionate and strangely compelling chronicle . . . There’s no shortage of rip-roaring sagas, shot through with black humor, pathos, and peculiar insight." --The New Statesman

"A strange, entertaining chronology . . . comprehensively detailed and interspersed with lighter facts and interesting charts." --The Daily Express

"Simmonds . . . plays on our obsession with the bizarre and the tragic in equal measure. As humorous as it is enthralling." --Rock Sound

"Fascinating. . . . A must-have for the shelves of every music obsessive." --Lincoln Journal Star

"As death goes, the book is pretty darned amusing." --Winston-Salem Journal

Product Description
Did you know that Brian Jones was told by a medium to “avoid water”? Or that Buddy Holly only decided to fly so he’d have time to finish his laundry? The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars reveals the truth behind these and thousands of other fascinating stories, while answering such perennial questions as:

which band boasts the most dead members?
who had the bright idea of changing a light bulb while standing in the shower?
and did Cass Elliot really check out before finishing lunch?

The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars is the bible of pop music’s dead--the ultimate record of all those who arrived, rocked, and checked out over the last forty-odd years of fast cars, private jets, hard drugs, lethal weapons, and reckless living. Jeremy Simmonds here draws on a lifetime’s obsession to match the industry’s biggest departed stars--Buddy, Jeff, Sid, Jimi, Biggie, Janis, Elvis, Marc, Tupac--with more than a few lesser-known tales of rock tragedy. He also includes a smorgasbord of lighter-hearted sidebars, including strange facts, lucky escapes, and top-ten death discs.

An indispensable reference full of useful and useless information, with hundreds of photos of the good, the bad, and the silly, The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars is guaranteed to rock the world of trivia buffs and diehards alike.

About The Author
Jeremy Simmonds is the coauthor of Rough Guide to Rock and a freelance music writer. He wrote and produced seven series of the popular BBC television show, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, as well as the pop quiz show Mental!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1556527543/?tag=imwan-20

JGordonBD · 17 Aug 2007

I bet this is an interesting book. I remember reading the various Rock & Roll encyclopedias by Dayffd Rees & Luke Crampton back in the 1990's, and I noted how often I read the line "...was electocuted while playing guitar". There were a considerable (shocking?) :roll:

number of those incidents, and I'm sure they'll be recounted in this book as well.

Jim

[2008-05-01] "The Encyclopedia Of Dead Rock Stars: Updated Edition" paperback book by Jeremy Simmonds

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