Jim DeRogatis

The essential account of R. Kelly's actions and their consequences, a reckoning two decades in the making. In November 2000, after receiving an anonymous fax that alleged R. Kelly had a problem with "young girls," journalist Jim DeRogatis broke a shocking story wide open, publishing allegations that the R&B superstar had groomed girls, sexually abused them, and paid them off. DeRogatis thought his work would have an impact; instead Kelly's career flourished. No one seemed to care: not the music industry, not the culture at large, not the parents of numerous other young girls. But for more than 18 years, DeRogatis stayed on the story--he was the one sent the disturbing videotape that led to Kelly's child pornography trial, he was the one whose window was shot out, he was the one who women trusted with their stories. Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly is DeRogatis's masterpiece, a work of tenacious journalism and powerful writing. It is an outrageous, darkly riveting account of the life and actions of R. Kelly, and their horrible impact, by the only person to tell it.

The Case Against R. Kelly

Soulless

The Life and Times of Lester Bangs, America's Greatest Rock Critic

Let It Blurt

sound opinions on the great rock 'n' roll rivalry

The Beatles vs. the Rolling Stones

Describes the neopsychedelic band's rise to success, the colorful personalities of the band, their cult following, and their unique music, which blends orchestral pop, electronic dance music, psychedelic rock, and lyrical themes.

The True Story of Oklahoma's Fabulous Flaming Lips

Staring at Sound

A survey of psychedelic rock discusses its origins, evolution, and influential artists, ranging from the Beatles and Pink Floyd to the psychedelic guitar bands of the 1990s

Psychedelic Rock from the '60s to the '90s

Kaleidoscope Eyes

Traces the life of visionary rock critic Lester Bangs from his childhood in Southern California to his untimely death at the age of thirty-three, describing his place in the turbulent rock music culture of the 1970s.

Let it Blurt

Based on first-hand interviews and research, focusing on cult heroes such as Brian Eno and Julian Cope as well as rock legends like The Beach Boys and Pink Floyd, Kaleidoscope Eyes is an authoritative and provocative history of psychedelic rock.

Psychedelic Rock from the 1960s to the 1990s

Sheperd Paine did more than anyone to elevate modeling to the level of an art form - one that includes elements of painting, sculpting, research, and storytelling. Building and painting miniature figures, armor, aircraft, and ships with equal skill, and displaying a broad scope of knowledge and interests ranging from the Napoleonic era to WWII, Paine created incredibly detailed and masterfully rendered vignettes and dioramas. This is the first book to examine all of his remarkable work, cataloging it with more than seven hundred beautiful photos, and charting the life experiences that formed these creations in an interesting, conversational format.

The Life and Work of a Master Modeler and Military Historian

Sheperd Paine

Carmél Carrillo

A collection of 34 essays in which some of the best rock critics of Generation X and Y address allegedly great' albums that they despise. A spirited assault on the pantheon that has been foisted upon this new generation of music critics, a defiant slap in the face to the narrow and hegemonic view of rock history presented by the Baby Boom generation's critics. As a collection of the new generation of rock writers, it is the first of its kind, as well as the first and only anthology devoted solely to critiquing rock and roll's most sacred cows.'

A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics

Kill Your Idols

An engrossing and intimate portrait of the Oklahoma-based psychedelic pop band the Flaming Lips, cult heroes to millions of indie-rock fans. In July 2002, the Flaming Lips released an ambitious album called Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, which merged elements of orchestral pop, electronic dance music, and old-fashioned psychedelic rock with lyrical themes that were simultaneously poignant and philosophical and supremely silly. The album sold a million copies worldwide, introduced the Flaming Lips to a mass audience, and made them one of the best-known cult bands in rock history. Staring at Sound is the tale of the Flaming Lips’s fascinating career (which, in reality, began in 1983) and the many colorful personalities in their orbit, especially Wayne Coyne, their charismatic and visionary founder. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews with the band, it follows the Flaming Lips through the thriving indie-rock underground of the 1980s and the alternative-rock movement of the early ’90s, during which they found fans in such rock legends as Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Robert Plant, and Devo, and respected peers in such acts as the White Stripes, Radiohead, and Beck. It concludes with exclusive coverage of the creation of the group’s latest album, At War with the Mystics.

Staring at Sound: The True Story of Oklahoma's Fabulous Flaming Lips

Greg Kot

Two of the world’s preeminent music journalists tackle the liveliest debate in rock history: which band is the greatest ever—the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? More than two dozen topics of debate are addressed, with cases being made both for the lads from Liverpool and rock’s proto bad boys. From the Cavern and Crawdaddy clubs through head-to-head comparisons of specific albums (e.g., Exile or “the White Album”?), members’ roles within the bands, the Svengali-like managers, influential producers, musical influences, and more, this is the book that dares confront the topics over which fans have agonized for years. Illustrated throughout with photography and memorabilia.

Sound Opinions On the Great Rock 'N' Roll Rivalry

The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones

Hardly anyone bought The Velvet Underground's albums when they were released, but most everyone who did formed a band. This was the kind of influence the Velvets axerted, and it persists to this day in the sounds of groungs as diverse as Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Sex Pistols, R.E.M., My Bloody Valentine, and Sonic Youth - all of whom claim the Velvets as their most important influence. This book offers behind-the-scenes look at how 'The Velvet Underground' did it.

An Illustrated History of a Walk on the Wild Side

The Velvet Underground

(Book). Turn On Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock is a history and critical examination of rock's most inventive genre. Whether or not psychedelic drugs played a role (and as many musicians say they've used them as not), psychedelic rock has consistently charted brave new worlds that exist only in the space between the headphones. The history books tell us the music's high point was the Haight-Ashbury scene of 1967, but the genre didn't start in San Francisco, and its evolution didn't end with the Summer of Love. A line can be drawn from the hypnotic drones of the Velvet Underground to the disorienting swirl of My Bloody Valentine; from the artful experiments of the Beatles' Revolver to the flowing, otherworldly samples of rappers P.M. Dawn; from the dementia of the 13th Floor Elevators to the grungy lunacy of the Flaming Lips; and from the sounds and sights at Ken Kesey's '60s Acid Tests to those at present-day raves. Turn On Your Mind is an attempt to connect the dots from the very first groups who turned on, tuned in, and dropped out, to such new-millennial practitioners as Wilco, the Elephant 6 bands, Moby, the Super Furry Animals, and the so-called "stoner-rock" and "ork-pop" scenes.

Jim DeRogatis

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