Book picks similar to
Alice's Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie


memoir
music
america-1-american
on-cuisine

A Season with Mom: Love, Loss, and the Ultimate Baseball Adventure


Katie Russell Newland - 2021
    Along with black-and-white photographs, Katie shares letters written to her mom, who died of cancer before the two of them could go on this adventure of a lifetime together.A Season with Mom reminds readers that in life, as in baseball, sometimes you strike out, but sometimes you hit home runs. Even if the wait is longer than you’d hoped, dreams can come true.

Don't Fall Off the Mountain


Shirley MacLaine - 1970
    Over the years my search became broader and  broader. After two months on a picture my car  seemed to veer toward the airport of its own accord. I  still loved acting and enjoyed it. I was a  professional, but basically I was more interested in the  people I played than the movies I played them  in... " -- Shirley MacLaine.An  outspoken thinker, a keen observer, a truly  independent woman, Shirley MacLaine takes us on a  remarkable journey into her life and her inner self. From  her Virginia roots, to stardom, marriage,  motherhood and her enlightening travels to mysterious  corners of the world, her story is exciting and  poetic, moving and humorous-the varied and life-changing  experiences of a talented, intelligent and  extraordinary woman.

Off the Rails: Aboard the Crazy Train in the Blizzard of Ozz


Rudy Sarzo - 2005
    This exciting biography also clears a lot of misinformation and bogus theories circulating around the late, great, guitar virtuoso Randy Rhoads' life and death. Written by journeyman rock bassist Rudy Sarzo, this is a first hand account of Rudy s experience on the road with Ozzy and his Blizzard of Ozz band.

Rivington Was Ours: Lady Gaga, the Lower East Side, and the Prime of Our Lives


Brendan Jay Sullivan - 2013
    She was a go-go dancer who sewed her own outfits but had bigger ambitions—she wanted nothing less than to take over the music world.In this intimate portrait of the budding star who would soon catapult to fame and fortune, the author describes afternoons sitting with Gaga on the floor of her bare Lower East Side apartment, drinking wine from pint glasses and plotting out the pop stardom that awaited her.Filled with stories of love and heartbreak among Gaga and Sullivan and their circle of aspiring musicians and performers, and set against the vibrant backdrop of the downtown bars and parties of the mid-aughts, Rivington Was Ours is both a love letter to New York and a glimpse behind the veil of one of the biggest musical icons of her generation.

My Life in Dire Straits: The Inside Story of One of the Biggest Bands in Rock History


John Illsley - 2021
    Their album sold hundreds of millions of copies and their music--classics like "Sultans of Swing," "Romeo and Juliet," "Money for Nothing," and "Brothers in Arms"--is still played on every continent today. There was, quite simply, no bigger band on the planet throughout the eighties.In this powerful and entertaining memoir, founding member John Illsley gives the inside track on the most successful rock band of their time. From playing gigs in the spit-and-sawdust pubs of south London, to hanging out with Bob Dylan in LA, Illsley tells the story of the band with searching honesty, soulful reflection, and wry humor. Starting with his own unlikely beginnings in Middle England, he recounts the band's rise from humble origins to the best-known venues in the world, the working man's clubs to Madison Square Garden, sharing gigs with wild punk bands to rocking the Live Aid stage at Wembley. And woven throughout is an intimate portrait and tribute to his great friend Mark Knopfler, the band's lead singer, songwriter, and remarkable guitarist.Tracing an idea that created a phenomenal musical legacy, an extraordinary journey of joy and pain, companionship and surprises, this is John Illsley's life in Dire Straits.

They Made a Monkee Out of Me


Davy Jones - 1987
    Within two months, the show had moved into the Top 20 and the Monkees' first single and album had both soared to #1 on the charts. Pop culture, pop music and Davy Jones would never be the same. This lively, entertaining autobiography chronicles Davy's life and career - with funny, nostalgic and revealing memories of the glamorous people and high-rolling deals that lie behind the scenes of show business. The story includes the Monkees' hit reunion and revival in the mid-1980s and an original song written especially for this audio edition.

Two Decades Naked


Leigh Hopkinson - 2016
    None of them fit so well, however, as stripping. She figured it couldn't be that difficult - she was just going to dance on stage in front of a bunch of strangers. She'd show them a bit of skin, but the gig wasn't going to last that long. Or so she imagined. While stripping was harder than Leigh thought it would be, she hadn't counted on it being so exhilarating - or lucrative. So when she moved to Melbourne and needed to make a living, the lure of her old job was strong. The world of the strip club had become familiar, even reassuring, though some of the people she met during the course of her job didn't exactly give her faith in the future of humanity. Over the course of Leigh's career, she learnt a lot about other people and even more about herself, and the result is a story that delves into a world that not everyone visits but everyone finds fascinating.

My Life with Groucho: A Son's Eye View


Arthur Marx - 1954
    The author shares his memories of his father and provides an overview of Groucho's career, his family life, and the turmoil of his final years.

Inside Graceland: Elvis' Maid Remembers


Nancy Rooks - 2005
    Nancy worked for Elvis from 1967 until his untimely death in 1977. Read her stories of what those years were like, of what the routines were at Graceland, and what it meant to be close to Elvis and his family on a daily basis. Read the sad account of her rushing upstairs, after a frantic call from Ginger Alden, and finding him on the bathroom floor. This book presents that picture, one that every Elvis fan will want to see."

Got the Life: My Journey of Addiction, Faith, Recovery, and Korn


Fieldy - 2009
    Got the Life is simultaneously an insider’s look at rock n’ roll superstardom—the good, the bad, and everything in between—and a survivor’s story of a life brought back from the precipice by a new found belief in religious salvation.

Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi


Bob Woodward - 1984
    In his search for what went wrong in the comedian's life, the author uncovers the seedier side of the American star system. A film based on the book has been made.

Bittersweet Blessing: 16 & Pregnant


Ashley Salazar - 2011
    Little did she know how life-altering it would actually be. Later, she applied online to be considered for the cast of MTV’s hit show 16 & Pregnant . The show responded quickly and her story will be told as the season 2 finale in a special 90-minute episode aired in December 2010. Her memoir takes the viewer further back and further forward, and chronicles the tortured indecision she faces as she decides whether its best for her baby to give her up for adoption or take the dramatic step toward motherhood.

Elvis: Still Taking Care of Business: Memories and Insights About Elvis Presley from His Friend and Bodyguard


Sonny West - 2007
    This will become a treasured addition to the collections of Elvis fans everywhere.

Never Say No to a Rock Star: In the Studio with Dylan, Sinatra, Jagger, and More...


Glenn Berger - 2016
    In this memoir, full of revelatory and previously unknown anecdotal observations of these musical giants, Glenn recounts how he quickly learned the ropes to move up from schlepperhood to assistant to the tyrannical Ramone, and eventually, to become a recording engineer superstar himself. Not only is Never Say No to a Rock Star a fascinating, hilarious and poignant behind-the-scenes look of this musical Mecca, but Berger, now a prominent psychologist, looking back through the prism of his youthful experience and his years working as a counselor and therapist, provides a telling and honest examination of the nature of fame and success and the corollaries between creativity, madness and self-destruction.

The Ultimate Biography Of The Bee Gees: Tales Of The Brothers Gibb


Melinda Bilyeu - 2000
    The Bee Gee's journey from Fifties child act to musical institution is one of pop's most turbulent legends. Barry, Maurice and Robin Gibb somehow managed to survive changing musical fashions and bitter personal feuds to create musical partnership that has already lasted four times as long as The Beatles. Described by the authors as their objective tribute, this unflinching biography chronicles everything - the good, the bad... and the bushed-up. Youthful delinquency, disastrous marriages, bitter lawsuits, gay sex scandals, serious drug problems and the death of younger brother Andy have sometimes made the personal lives of the Brothers Gibb look as bleak as the low spots of a career that once reduced them to playing the Batley Variety Club. Yet every time the Bee Gees roller coaster seemed derailed for good, they recorded and went on to even greater triumphs. Today they are revered among pop music's all-time great performers, producers and songwriters. But the true story of their success and the high price they paid for it has never been fully revealed... until now. This new edition of The Ultimate Biography incorporates a complete listing of every song written or recorded by the Gibbs.