Anthony DeCurtis is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, where he worked on staff for nine years as a writer and editor. He worked for a year (1995) as an on-air correspondent and editorial director at VH1, was the popular music critic for “Weekend All Things Considered” on National Public Radio from 1991 to 1995, and has written for a wide range of periodicals, including the New York Times, USA Today, and Vibe. He coedited The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll and The Rolling Stone Album Guide and edited Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture, also published by Duke University Press. DeCurtis received the 1988 Grammy Award in the “Best Album Notes” category and has three times received ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for excellence in writing about music. He is also a member of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“Rocking My Life Away is a fan’s notes and far more: DeCurtis’s erudite prose combines passionate thinking about popular culture and an informed feel for what moves us at the most personal level. It is a highly satisfying collection.”-Barbara O’Dair, Editor of Us Magazine and the Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock “Anthony DeCurtis writes about rock music with no agenda but alerting his readers to what’s good and trying to get at the truth about it. He’s an intellectual with the common touch and a fan with a rare gift for articulating the emotional reactions many of us experience but few can put into words. Having the best of DeCurtis in one volume is a great and overdue pleasure.”-Bill Flanagan, Editorial Director, VH1

• Preface Acknowledgments The Classics It’s a Thursday Night in Athens, Georgia Lives and Deaths Recordings In the Crosshairs Culture Watch, Culture Wars Index

Anthony DeCurtis is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, where he worked on staff for nine years as a writer and editor. He worked for a year (1995) as an on-air correspondent and editorial director at VH1, was the popular music critic for “Weekend All Things Considered” on National Public Radio from 1991 to 1995, and has written for a wide range of periodicals, including the New York Times, USA Today, and Vibe. He coedited The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll and The Rolling Stone Album Guide and edited Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture, also published by Duke University Press. DeCurtis received the 1988 Grammy Award in the “Best Album Notes” category and has three times received ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for excellence in writing about music. He is also a member of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“Rocking My Life Away is a fan’s notes and far more: DeCurtis’s erudite prose combines passionate thinking about popular culture and an informed feel for what moves us at the most personal level. It is a highly satisfying collection.”-Barbara O’Dair, Editor of Us Magazine and the Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock “Anthony DeCurtis writes about rock music with no agenda but alerting his readers to what’s good and trying to get at the truth about it. He’s an intellectual with the common touch and a fan with a rare gift for articulating the emotional reactions many of us experience but few can put into words. Having the best of DeCurtis in one volume is a great and overdue pleasure.”-Bill Flanagan, Editorial Director, VH1

• Preface Acknowledgments The Classics It’s a Thursday Night in Athens, Georgia Lives and Deaths Recordings In the Crosshairs Culture Watch, Culture Wars Index

Anthony DeCurtis is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, where he worked on staff for nine years as a writer and editor. He worked for a year (1995) as an on-air correspondent and editorial director at VH1, was the popular music critic for “Weekend All Things Considered” on National Public Radio from 1991 to 1995, and has written for a wide range of periodicals, including the New York Times, USA Today, and Vibe. He coedited The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll and The Rolling Stone Album Guide and edited Present Tense: Rock & Roll and Culture, also published by Duke University Press. DeCurtis received the 1988 Grammy Award in the “Best Album Notes” category and has three times received ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards for excellence in writing about music. He is also a member of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“Rocking My Life Away is a fan’s notes and far more: DeCurtis’s erudite prose combines passionate thinking about popular culture and an informed feel for what moves us at the most personal level. It is a highly satisfying collection.”-Barbara O’Dair, Editor of Us Magazine and the Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock “Anthony DeCurtis writes about rock music with no agenda but alerting his readers to what’s good and trying to get at the truth about it. He’s an intellectual with the common touch and a fan with a rare gift for articulating the emotional reactions many of us experience but few can put into words. Having the best of DeCurtis in one volume is a great and overdue pleasure.”-Bill Flanagan, Editorial Director, VH1

• Preface Acknowledgments The Classics It’s a Thursday Night in Athens, Georgia Lives and Deaths Recordings In the Crosshairs Culture Watch, Culture Wars Index