Barry Miles : A Zappa Biography

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   From Publishers Weekly
Pop culture biographer Miles (Paul McCartney; Ginsberg; etc.) paints an engrossing portrait of the troubled musical genius who died of prostate cancer in 1993 at age 52. Zappa endured a peripatetic youth and an early brush with the law that fueled his trademark anti-authoritarian strain; his musical brilliance eventually transformed him from class clown into one of rock's major icons, with such landmark records as We're Only in It for the Money and Joe's Garage. Miles skillfully weaves together the major beats and minor notes of Zappa's remarkable life, no small feat given the musician's many contradictions: he was a hard-rocking star, but also a meticulous, studious composer influenced by Varèse and Stravinsky; he despised drug use and the trappings of stardom, but he loved groupies (he partook of their favors freely, eventually marrying one and fathering...children). A virtuoso, a perfectionist and a shrewd businessman, Zappa alienated, sued or otherwise offended nearly everyone in his life at some point; he especially loved tormenting his audience. Miles hits the ups and downs of Zappa's life like a skilled composer in his own right, and he captures the contentious eras (from the late 1950s on) in which Zappa's genius emerged. The result is a penetrating look both at Zappa and at the social and political milieu in which popular rock music stepped to the fore. 
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved 
An update of the 1993 edition, with the correction of some errors of the first edition.

Edited by Alucard

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Alucard Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator Joined: September 10 2004 Location: France Status: Offline Points: 3888	Topic: Barry Miles : A Zappa Biography Posted: January 14 2006 at 08:56
	*From Publishers Weekly* Pop culture biographer Miles (Paul McCartney; Ginsberg; etc.) paints an engrossing portrait of the troubled musical genius who died of prostate cancer in 1993 at age 52. Zappa endured a peripatetic youth and an early brush with the law that fueled his trademark anti-authoritarian strain; his musical brilliance eventually transformed him from class clown into one of rock's major icons, with such landmark records as We're Only in It for the Money and Joe's Garage. Miles skillfully weaves together the major beats and minor notes of Zappa's remarkable life, no small feat given the musician's many contradictions: he was a hard-rocking star, but also a meticulous, studious composer influenced by Varèse and Stravinsky; he despised drug use and the trappings of stardom, but he loved groupies (he partook of their favors freely, eventually marrying one and fathering...children). A virtuoso, a perfectionist and a shrewd businessman, Zappa alienated, sued or otherwise offended nearly everyone in his life at some point; he especially loved tormenting his audience. Miles hits the ups and downs of Zappa's life like a skilled composer in his own right, and he captures the contentious eras (from the late 1950s on) in which Zappa's genius emerged. The result is a penetrating look both at Zappa and at the social and political milieu in which popular rock music stepped to the fore. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved An update of the 1993 edition, with the correction of some errors of the first edition. Edited by Alucard
	Tadpoles keep screaming in my ear "Hey there! Rotter's Club! Explain the meaning of this song and share it"

thefalafelking Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Reviewer page Forum Senior Member Joined: October 28 2005 Location: Belgium Status: Offline Points: 130	Posted: January 14 2006 at 09:28
	I've read it and I wasn't too impressed by this book. I expected details about his songs and his recordings but of important albums like Hot Rats and Overnite Sensation only some welknown fact are mentioned, while we get no info on the genius of Peaches en Regalia for instance. On the other hand, the author spends pages and pages on his youth and influences while I still think hat the discography must come on the first place! Also, I was interested in Zappa's last days, but they are only described very basicly. The authotr doesn't give a positive impression of Zappa as a person, which could be true, but the author should give the facts, I'm not interested in his opinion. I felt that always when I thought I was going to get some interesting information, another chapter began. Besides all this, The Dutch translation was crap. But after all, besides all these bad points, I read it all, so forgive me if this a negative review, the're are surely some good points, but it's just nothing special. flfkng