John Kruth – författare

At last, the authorized biography of Townes Van Zandt (1944-1997), who wrote such unforgettable songs as Pancho & Lefty" and If I Needed You." Born to a wealthy oil family in Ft. Worth, Texas, hounded by alcoholism and depression, Van Zandt pursued a nomadic existence following his muse, whatever the cost to himself, friends, and relatives. Based on exclusive interviews with those close to Van Zandt, including his best friend Guy Clark and colleagues like Steve Earle and John Prine, To Live's to Fly captures all the humour, hijinks, poetry, and heartbreak of this revered, genuinely outlaw country artist.

Hold On World revisits Lennon and Ono's love affair and startling collaborations. John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band was arguably the most emotionally honest album ever made. It wasn't merely another record but more like a sonic exorcism, a spiritual, public bloodletting. Lennon's album drove a stake through the heart of the Beatles' myth while confronting everything else in John's life, from Dylan to God to his glorified status as a "Working Class Hero."Determined to rid himself of past traumas—abandonment by his father and the death of his mother, Julia—Lennon wrote the most powerful song cycle of his career, confronting fear, disappointment, and illusion, all the while espousing his love for Yoko Ono. Released simultaneously, Ono's album Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band is emotionally raw and challenging. It inspired bands like the B-52s and Yo La Tengo to employ pure sound, whether shrieking vocals or guitar feedback, to express their deepest feelings.

After Syd Barrett departed Pink Floyd, the band that he had co-founded and fronted became a rudderless ship, releasing a series of nebulous (though highly inventive) jam albums and taking on touring expenses that nearly bankrupted them. Their eighth album was a make-it-or-break-it proposition, and its timing could not have been better. Released in March of 1973, The Dark Side of the Moon quickly topped the US Billboard charts and took up residence there for over 700 weeks, selling over forty-five million copies to date. In Lunacy, award-winning music biographer John Kruth ("A fantastic writer"—Jim Jarmusch) delves into the making of this iconic record and considers why it continues to speak to generation after generation of music lovers around the world. Placing the album in its full cultural and musical context, Kruth provides an illuminating look at the ingredients of its great "sonic stew"—a mixture of musical styles from avant-garde electronic to jazz to classical, all of them contributing to its timeless originality. Lunacy features in-depth interviews with musicians, artists, DJs, and many others who have deeply personal relationships with the record, including a passionate astrophysicist, a leading brain surgeon's nurse (who has performed surgery while "Brain Damage" plays), and a woman who gave birth while screaming along to the Floyd's "Great Gig in the Sky."Packed with behind-the-scenes details and unexpected insights, Lunacy is not just another rock history rehash, but a celebration of a unique time and the music that made it great.