Paul Lester – författare

Without London band Wire, punk rock might never have developed beyond primitive three-chord thrash and cliched songs about tower blocks and dole queues. Arguably the first art-punks, the four musicians - Colin Newman on vocals and guitar, Graham Lewis on bass and vocals, Bruce Gilbert on guitar and Robert Gotobed (nee Grey) on drums - evolved fast from their groundbreaking 1977 debut album "Pink Flag", with its 21 short, sharp, minimalist bursts of noise and melody. They were catalysts in the shift from punk to post-punk, paving the way for the likes of Magazine, Gang of Four, Public Image Limited and Joy Division. Paul Lester's book will tell the story of this crucial transitional band, from their early days dodging hostile crowds at punk venues like the Roxy, through their attempts to inject some arthouse experimentation and Situationist subversion into an increasingly conservative punk scene, up to their split in 1981 and beyond their mid-80s return and their various solo projects.It will take you behind the scenes and feature interviews with the original members, following them up to the present, poised as they are to come back with a brand new album and filled with a renewed sense of vigour as one of the most important bands in the last thirty years.

Between 1977 and 1984 Gang Of Four pioneered the concept of the indie Guitar band that could make you think as well as dance. This is the fascinating story of how the Leeds-based outfit emerged at the height of punk and helped take it in a whole new direction, adding elements of funk, disco, dub reggae and experimental rock.Through interviews with all the original band members, managers, A&R men and musicians who joined GO4 later, author Paul Lester demonstrates how the groundbreaking band paved the way for some of the world''s biggest acts, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Franz Ferdinand.

The first major book on the post-punk legends! Wire were the seventies band who perhaps did more than any other to usher in the post-punk age. Author Paul Lester has interviewed the four original members of Wire - Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Robert Gotobed and Bruce Gilbert - as well as many of their producers and collaborators. Charts the band''s history from their days at Watford Art College through their abrasive encounters with punk audiences hostile to their groundbreaking material on albums like Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154. and their 2008 release Object 47. Those albums were to exert an enormous influence on subsequent generations of alternative rock musicians. To bands as diverse as Black Flag, Blur, R.E.M. and My Bloody Valentine, Wire''s expansion of the sonic possibilities of rock proved highly significant. Lester has also followed the band''s story as it expanded into a melee of break-ups, reformations, parallel projects and solo forays, culminating in their current status as a sort of British Velvet Underground: cultish and modest-selling but uncompromising and immeasurably influential.

Thousands of men, women and children swept to sudden death. Millions of dollars worth of property destroyed. Scenes of suffering and desolation that beggar description. Heroic efforts to save human life. The world shocked by the appalling news. Such is the thrilling story of the Galveston flood, and in this volume it is told with wonderful power and effect. This volume is a complete and authentic account of the great calamity told by the survivors.

An updated edition of this bestselling biography that features details of her second album Born This Way and her subsequent tour as well as the release of her long-awaited third album in spring 2013, ARTPOP. Includes her numerous controversies such as that meat dress, her many collaborations with everyone with Elton John to Cher and Tony Bennett, and her movie acting debut in Machete Kills in early 2013. This is the story of her high-speed rise in the fame game, told with a mix of admiration and sharp journalistic insight. Packed with full-colour photographs complete this portrait of one of the biggest names in modern music.

First substantial overview of the life and career of Pharrell Williams, the foremost producer of the modern era, and performer in his own right. It follows him from his days growing up in Virginia, his meeting with musical partner Chad Hugo and formation of The Neptunes, through his collaborations with the great and the good of pop, rap and R&B, including Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Nelly and Kelis. It assesses his ground-breaking work with the radical rap-rock-pop band N*E*R*D, and his emergence as a solo superstar via Daft Punk's Get Lucky, Robin Thicke's controversial Blurred Lines and global mega-hit Happy. It delves behind the immaculate facade to find out what makes Williams one of the most driven and inventive musicians of the last 20 years

An Identity Approach to Applied Organizational Behavior and Leader Development serves as a bridge between education and training for the emerging leader. While grounded in sound leadership and organizational behavior theory and current research, what sets this leadership textbook apart from others is that the authors personalize the leadership development process in an accessible, applied, and experiential way. The materials are coordinated to allow students to enhance their competencies across the range of leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities. While other leadership texts focus on educating students about leadership, this text provides students with a pathway towards developing a leader identity.An Identity Approach to Applied Organizational Behavior and Leader Development is designed for upper-division undergraduates or MBA students interested in the application of organizational behavior and leadership concepts to their lives. The developmental approach highlights the student's personal identity across their life domains.Readers of this publication will be able to use their personal leadership skills to manage and motivate human behavior. This text coaches students through self-reflection to enhance self-awareness and solidify a leader identity approach to organizational challenges.

Diese Biografie enthüllt die beiden Pole einer komplexen Persönlichkeit. Pink wird von der Öffentlichkeit als entschlossene und lebenslustige Künstlerin wahrgenommen, die sich in einem immer schneller drehenden Musikgeschäft behaupten kann. Doch in ihrem Leben gibt es auch viele dunkle Seiten, die sie in einen optimistischen, packenden und modernen Pop- Sound umwandelt, der auf einem soliden Rock-Fundament steht. Paul Lester sprach mit vielen Beteiligten und widmet sich neben der Darstellung von Pinks musikalischer Laufbahn vor allem auch den vielfältigen Aktivitäten ihres öffentlichen Lebens: Die engagierte Arbeit für die Tierschutzorganisation PETA (und der Streit mit Beyoncé), ihr politisches Engagement und die schwierige Ehe mit dem Motocross-Fahrer Corey Hart, die immer wieder für Schlagzeilen sorgt, sind nur einige Themen dieser Biografie.