To Hell and Back


Book Description

There have been many books written about Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, but only by people who weren’t there. Walter Lure was—from the band's chaotic beginnings on New York's Lower East Side, through a now-legendary UK tour with the Sex Pistols and the Clash, and on to a yearlong stay in London—eyewitness and midwife to the birth of UK punk. Now, he tells his story in To Hell and Back, a thrilling ride through the clubs and dives of two continents, in the company of one of the most notorious junkies in rock 'n' roll history. Drawing from his own contemporary journals, Lure paints a vivid portrait of life in both cities, during perhaps the most crucial musical uprising of the past forty years…the music, the characters, the clothes, the fights, the drugs, the orgies, the lot. Lure lays bare his own battle with drugs, and reflects upon his life after the band's split—rising to become a Wall Street fixture yet still finding time to make music.




Johnny Thunders


Book Description

A biography of the legendary guitarist which covers his story from his early days in the New York Dolls through to the Heartbreakers and his controversial solo career which culminated in his premature death from a drug overdose at age 38. Includes many interviews with famous contemporaries and a full discography.




The Prettiest Star


Book Description

14 and forlorn, Nina Antonia escaped the torment of her teens with dreams of Marc Bolan and the New York Dolls. They ruled supreme in her glam rock universe - until the night she saw Brett Smiley on The Russell Harty TV Show. Appearing to reside in very different worlds, Nina and Brett shared the same wish - transformation through music. The youngest child ever to play 'Oliver' on Broadway, Brett seemed poised for stardom and as the 70s went into orbit he found himself the protege of the Stones' Svengali, Andrew Loog Oldham...




Looking for Johnny


Book Description

Drawn from interviews conducted by director Danny Garcia for his acclaimed documentary LOOKING FOR JOHNNY, this oral biography of the legendary Johnny Thunders includes first-hand recollections from those who knew Johnny best, from his fellow New York Dolls, Heartbreakers, and Oddballs to his friends, fellow musicians, and loved ones. Johnny Thunders lives again through the reminiscences of Sylvain Sylvain, Walter Lure, Leee Black Childers, Billy Rath, Marty Thau, Lenny Kaye, Peter Perrett, Bob Gruen, Richard Lloyd, and many others. "The stories and anecdotes contained in this book are a strike against mortality, and a lasting testament to the inimitable spirit of Mr. Johnny Thunders, and stand as a worthy companion to the documentary." -Nina Antonia (author of JOHNNY THUNDERS...IN COLD BLOOD and TOO MUCH TOO SOON: THE NEW YORK DOLLS)




Stranded in the Jungle


Book Description

Here is the story of an often overlooked, one-of-a-kind rock 'n' roll musician and the historic times he lived in. In spite of numerous opportunities for success, he became a tragedy. Jerry Nolan came out of New York in the 1970s as part of two of the most influential and infamous bands of the time, the proto-punk New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers. Jerry had what it took to be a star, but his battles with heroin continually stymied his career and ultimately ended his life. Despite this, he is remembered as a cross between a Martin Scorsese film character and jazz legend Gene Krupa: a stylish, urban, wisecracking, trendsetting raconteur, who was also a powerhouse drummer. Stranded in the Jungle: Jerry Nolan's Wild Ride – A Tale of Drugs, Fashion, the New York Dolls, and Punk Rock tells Jerry's story through extensive research and interviews with those closest to him: bandmates, friends, lovers, and family members, including new interviews with members of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bands the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, Talking Heads, and Blondie. It gives firsthand accounts of not only Jerry's life and struggles but the earliest history of punk rock in both New York and London, highlighting his notorious and incendiary musical partner, Johnny Thunders.




SPIN


Book Description

From the concert stage to the dressing room, from the recording studio to the digital realm, SPIN surveys the modern musical landscape and the culture around it with authoritative reporting, provocative interviews, and a discerning critical ear. With dynamic photography, bold graphic design, and informed irreverence, the pages of SPIN pulsate with the energy of today's most innovative sounds. Whether covering what's new or what's next, SPIN is your monthly VIP pass to all that rocks.




I, Doll


Book Description

When the New York Dolls' bassist died suddenly at age 55 in 2004, he left behind not only their timeless music--and many thousands of fans and friends--but a memoir of the Dolls' early years. This distinctive and extroverted voice of an undisciplined showman is presented with an introduction and epilogue by his widow, Barbara. This up close and personal perspective of the band's early days and late nights--including an instance where he locks himself out of the studio in full drag while tripping on LSD--chronicles the glorious, glamorous era of high times, high drama, and low comedy that captures the music, the style, and the life of the all-too-brief existence of the New York Dolls.




Lobotomy


Book Description

Lobotomy is a lurid and unlikely temperance tract from the underbelly of rock 'n' roll. Taking readers on a wild rollercoaster ride from his crazy childhood in Berlin and Munich to his lonely methadone-soaked stay at a cheap hotel in Earl's Court and newfound peace on the straight and narrow, Dee Dee Ramone catapults readers into the raw world of sex, addiction, and two-minute songs. It isn't pretty. With the velocity of a Ramones song, Lobotomy rockets from nights at CBGB's to the breakup of the Ramones' happy family with an unrelenting backbeat of hate and squalor: his girlfriend ODs; drug buddy Johnny Thunders steals his ode to heroin, "Chinese Rock"; Sid Vicious shoots up using toilet water; and a pistol-wielding Phil Spector holds the band hostage in Beverly Hills. Hey! Ho! Let's go!




Sputnik’s Children


Book Description

A literary, genre-bending novel full of heart Cult comic book creator Debbie Reynolds Biondi has been riding the success of her Cold War era–inspired superhero series, Sputnik Chick: Girl with No Past, for more than 25 years. But with the comic book losing fans and Debbie struggling to come up with new plotlines for her badass, mutant-killing heroine, she decides to finally tell Sputnik Chick’s origin story. Debbie’s never had to make anything up before and she isn’t starting now. Sputnik Chick is based on Debbie’s own life in an alternate timeline called Atomic Mean Time. As a teenager growing up in Shipman’s Corners — a Rust Belt town voted by Popular Science magazine as “most likely to be nuked” — she was recruited by a self-proclaimed time traveller to collapse Atomic Mean Time before an all-out nuclear war grotesquely altered humanity. In trying to save the world, Debbie risked obliterating everyone she’d ever loved — as well as her own past — in the process. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} Or so she believes . . . Present-day Debbie is addicted to lorazepam and dirty, wet martinis, making her an unreliable narrator, at best. A time-bending novel that delves into the origin story of the Girl with No Past, Sputnik’s Children explores what it was like to come of age in the Atomic Age.




Punk Avenue


Book Description

Marcade, lead singer of the punk-blues band The Senders, left Paris to discover America. He wound up at the heart of New York City's early punk rock scene, from 1972 to 1982. This is his intimate, often hilarious of the start of the punk rock era.