Rich Weidman – författare

Infused with a raw and energetic sound that stripped rock 'n' roll to the bone, punk rock transformed rock's landscape in the 1970s, deconstructing bloated arena rock and leaving a lasting influence on the music and cultural scene in the United States and overseas. Punk was all about extending a middle finger to the status quo while pushing boundaries in uncharted directions. According to punk poet laureate Patti Smith, "To me, punk rock is the freedom to create, freedom to be successful, freedom to be not successful, freedom to be who you are. It's freedom." Punk: The Definitive Guide to the Blank Generation and Beyond focuses on the origins of punk, ranging from disparate influences such as Dadaism, the Beat Generation, the garage bands of the 1960s, the Paris-based Situationist International movement, Jamaican ska bands, Stanley Kubrick's dystopian masterpiece A Clockwork Orange, and the glam rock of the early 1970s. Rich Weidman highlights the best and worst punk bands, the greatest punk songs and albums, the most notorious concerts, and the rise of American hardcore punk. Legendary venues such as CBGB and classic punk films and documentaries like The Decline of Western Civilization propelled the rise of pop punk bands into the mainstream and every other aspect of punk subculture, including its lasting impact on rock 'n' roll and society as a whole.

Thirty years ago, five L.A. punks unleashed their debut album upon the atrophied and decadent rock charts of Reagan's America. Within weeks, Appetite for Destruction ascended to number one on the U.S. charts; to date, Appetite has sold more than thirty million copies, making it the bestselling U.S. debut album of all time. To say that Guns N' Roses redefined rock 'n' roll is akin to asserting that Jimi Hendrix revolutionized surf music – a statement that, while technically true, does more to conceal the truth than elucidate it. GN'R turned back the tide of MTV-spawned New Wave/synth pop by infusing the blistering hard rock of Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith with a punk sensibility that hearkened back to the onstage anarchy of the Stooges, New York Dolls, and Sex Pistols. In Guns N' Roses FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Bad Boys of Sunset Strip, Rich Weidman charts the amazing journey of this seminal record and the band behind it. From the gutters of West Hollywood to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, from Appetite to The Spaghetti Incident?, these 400 pages of hedonistic nihilism, salacious debauchery, and raw, unadulterated rock are guaranteed to turn your head, blow out your eardrums, obliterate your comfort zone, and leave you begging for more.Written in Backbeat's popular FAQ format, Guns N' Roses FAQ breaks the band's story into a series of chapters equally suitable for a straight-through read or piecemeal consumption. Weidman's treasure trove of facts, trivia, stories, and photographs touch on every topic imaginable. Subjects explored include the band's earliest influences and venues, most notorious concerts and opening acts, highlights from their seemingly endless Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion tours, bizarre TV appearances (like the time they destroyed the set of MTV's Headbangers Ball!), public and private feuds, music videos, best and worst covers (Pat Boone, anyone?), and much more. From the golden years of the late eighties and early nineties to the outrageous antics and self-destructive tendencies that to irreconcilable inner turmoil, from the band's West Hollywood club days to the reunion of three of the five classic band members during the 2016 Not in This Lifetime Tour, Guns N' Roses FAQ paints a portrait replete with sheer talent, raw power, dangerous rivalries, rock excess, and sudden reconciliation that's simply unrivaled by anything else on the market.

It has been 40 years since the untimely death of L.A.'s mystic and rock's Dionysus, Jim Morrison, yet the Doors have consistently inspired new generations of fans worldwide ever since. Highlighting one of the most influential, original, and outrageous American bands of the 1960s, The Doors FAQ is a dynamic, unorthodox exploration of this remarkable band and its enigmatic lead singer.Drawing upon unique sources, Rich Weidman digs deep and serves up fresh perspective on the music, from the garage to the hits to the outtakes; and on the band's members, from their roots, influences, and key industry partners to their rare talents, personal foibles, love affairs, and arrests. This volume also details every studio album and live recording, all the highs and lows of the Doors in concert (including the notorious 1969 Miami concert), Morrison's 40-day trial, and the death of the “Lizard King” in Paris in 1971, as well as post-Morrison milestones. Unlike the straightforward narratives of other Doors biographies, this inventive, ceremonious biographical collage leaves no stone unturned, covering the band both with Morrison and post-Morrison, including the 2010 When You're Strange documentary and the recent pardon of Morrison by the State of Florida for the Miami concert. Countless rare images from album art to ticket stubs to posters accompany the text, in this dazzling edition of solid rock scholarship.