Reinventing Comics: How Imagination and Technology Are Revolutionizing an Art Form (2000)
Written and Drawn by Scott McCloud
Where Understanding Comics has a timelessness that will never fade, Reinventing Comics clearly is dated given the fact that it came out in 2000. With his first book, the main objective was to teach you how and why comics works as a medium as well as the historical significance. But for Reinventing Comics, it's all about giving us the reader a theortical look at the future of comic books regarding everything from computers to the internet to distribution, etc...
This book is Scott's manifesto of what he would like to see happen in the future and how to go about getting there. One can't help but see 11 years later how close or how far he miss the mark on that. I won't spoil it and will leave it up to you to read for yourself.
Once again the artwork is done by Scott, which makes for a pretty fast and compelling read, even if you really don't want to hear about all the technical stuff about some of the minute things in the process of how a comic book travels from the artist to eventually the reader.
I like the book, but trying to top, let alone equal that of Understanding Comics, it does come off as a bit underwhelming because the expectations were higher than normal.
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud is a definite, must-read for everyone. I actually think it should be required reading for all people, especially kids in school as it's an incredibly valuable learning tool to teach the fundamentals of not just Comics, but art in general in a clear and enjoyable way. There is just absolutely no way you can get bored learning stuff in this way.
There's a lot of information to be found within the pages here. Far too many to touch upon. But I definitely encourage any and everyone out there to pick this book up. You will not regret it. I read this at least once a year and always find something new that for whatever reason I didn't pick up on. I'm always learning new stuff from this one.
Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David (2009)
I love to write and have been doing as much as I can to learn from as many sources as possible. So, I decided to give Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David a shot and see if there was anything new that I could pick up on. If anything, I like to see what other people's processes are, regarding how they approach writers block, getting ideas, format, etc...
So, how was this book? Meh. It was okay. The thing about most writing books is that they all come from the same place: Aristotle, who created the Beginning, Middle and End or the 3 Act structure. Everyone since then had tried to come up with their own variation. Some work, others don't. Overall, this book glosses over a lot of stuff. I really didn't find a whole lot of useful or new stuff that I didn't already know. The only interesting thing within' the book were the parts showing actual comic pages utilizing story and character structure. Other than that, there's not a lot going for it. You are better off finding books that go much deeper in theory and practical use then this one.
It's an okay book. I just can't recommend this one at all.
Outside of reading Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Sin City over and over, no other book has come close except Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. It's not lost on me that the author for each of these books is the one and only Frank Miller. They guy, when he is on his A-Game, simply knows how to tell a story that engages the reader from start to end and this book fits in nicely here.
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear is an origin story about Matt Murdock who becomes Daredevil. We get to see his transformation from akward teenager to the masked Superhero and everything in between. And helping tell the story is the amazing art of John Romita Jr. I first discovered him by way of The Punisher War Zone. His style has never changed from book to book and that's a good thing.
I recommend this to anyone that want a fantastic story with amazing art. By all means get this one. I have read this over and over and I never get tired of it. And should you get the Hardcover Edition, it comes with probably the coolest bonus stuff you will ever find. It comes with the full outline of the story as well as the screenplay format with penciled Notes for panels to be drawn. Also, there is a ton of Covers and Unused stories too.
There is a lot of derision when it comes to All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder for a couple of reasons. Most people either hate this or love it. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. The reason why most hate it is that Frank Miller, for whatever reason chose to make Batman nothing short of a Blood thirsty, psychopath, hellbent on inflicting as much pain as possible against his enemies. But the thing that rubbed most people the wrong way is that he seemed to be getting off on all the carnage he was dishing out.
This goes against everything that Batman/Bruce Wayne stands for. It's so completely out of character. Now, usually something like this where a character starts acting against the norm can be attributed to brainwashing, alien infection or any other influences brought on by one of many Batman Villains. But here, it's him and him alone acting of his own volition.
The other thing that tends to bring comic book fans to a boil is that the book just....ends. There is no resolution to the story. After 9 issues, it just stops. Even though it has been announced that the book itself will be morphing into another title called Dark Knight: Boy Wonder for 6 Issues to wrap up the story, it's still a shitty way to treat fans that were following the exploits of Batman.
As for the story itself, it's an origin tale about Dick Greyson, the original "Boy-Wonder" who becomes Robin. Although a lot is said about how Batman is completely off his rocker here and in the way he treats Greyson almost to the point of abuse, I can still find some things about it interesting enough to not completely throw this one away. I just look at it as one of those weird anomalies and chalk it up to a different take on the characters that you would never get elsewhere.
Having said all that, the only saving grace really for the book is of course Jim Lee's stunning artwork. The work he put out for this one is of the highest standard that meets and at times eclipses that of his work on Batman: Hush. Just astonishing to look at.
I can only recommend the book for Jim's art and not much else.
Hush had a lot of things going for it from Jeph Loeb doing the words to mega-superstar Jim Lee on pencils and his trusty sidekick inker extraordinaire Scott Williams and the amazing colors of Alex Sinclair. With all these elements in place,did Hush live up to the hype?
A resounding yes. The first thing you will obviously take notice of when opening the book is of course Jim's amazing art. The guy just continues to top himself with each and every book he does. And he does not disappoint one bit in this book at all. If you are coming into this book for the first time having never seen anything he has done before, you will definitely come away as a fan.
What about the story? Any good? Very good. It was actually much better than I thought it would be. You're in for a treat if your a fan of DC Comics as pretty much the entire gallery of characters make an appearance at some point here, from Catwoman to Superman to the Joker just to name a few. Hell, you get not one, not two, but three Robins here. You will just have to read the book to find out how it all ties in together.
I absolutely recommend this book for anyone that is a fan of amazing art or in need of a pretty solid story with lots of well-known characters. Also, be on the look out for a new Hardcover Edition of Hush with just Jim's pencils inside. That's right. No Inks and no colors. I can't wait to pick this one up next month (July, 2011).
Spawn / Batman is your basic and typical by-the-books crossover story whenever 2 competing Superheroes hook up. Their paths cross. They kick each other's asses. They join forces. They take down an Arms Dealer. They save the city. They go their separate ways. Then end.
This book could have been so much better and a whole lot more meaningful if it wasn't just a one-shot deal. How can you expect to really have any depth story-wise if all we get is one comic book? Most crossovers of this magnitude with Characters this big and popular warrant at least 4 issues worth of story and art. For whatever reason, this was not the case here.
The writing was a little too on-the-nose. My guess is that Frank really had to edit himself here since he had to accommodate to Todd's art and panel work. Don't take this the wrong way. Todd's art is pretty slick and nice to look at. But the way he draws panels does have a tendency to not leave a lot of room to expand on the dialogue and story.
If it matters to anyone, Spawn / Batman is a "companion" to that of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns as it takes place during the same time. Other than that there is no other tie-in, storywise or character-wise.
I only recommend this if you like McFarlane's art. That's it.
I can't even begin to list all the things that went wrong with this. If there was ever a case to be made against making sequels, Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again would be the poster child. It just boggles the mind that the same creative team of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns did this one.
Where DKR1 was tight and on the money, DKR2 is nothing short of a chaotic mess. There are so many other Superheroes populating DKR2 that it really doesn't feel anything at all like a Batman story. He comes off as a minor character prone to showing up occasionally.
The art that made DKR1 such a joy to look at is nowhere to be found within the pages of DKR2. I lost count of how many times Frank's interpretation of characters from panel to panel looked goofy or just downright atrocious. His style was constantly changing and really became a thorn in my side while reading. The story itself was pretty lame and a complete waste of time. I should have known this was going to suck the minute I saw that Robin (Carrie) was now Catgirl. Her wearing the classic "Boy-Wonder" costume went a long way to adding to the charm of DKR1.
So, if this book is so bad then how did it even get a 1 Star rating? The only thing that saves this from having 0 Stars is the twist at the end, where the "Joker" is revealed to be that of Dick Grayson, the original Robin. The fight that ensues between him and Batman was pretty cool. But even with this twist at the end, I still have a problem. Visually the story would have worked and played so much better if Carrie was still Robin herself when she is getting her ass kicked by Grayson. And overall, I really believe the story itself would have been much better to know that "Joker" and Grayson were one and the same from the beginning. It would have made for a far better read, especially during the rest of the story that was taking place which was a chore to get through.
I can not and will not recommend this one to anyone. There is a reason why this sequel was not included in The Complete Frank Miller Batman - Leather bound Hardcover Edition. It's that bad.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is everything that you've heard and more. It's such an amazing piece of literature and art combined to tell one kick ass story about Bruce Wayne who as Batman had been retired for years and out of the game only to come back one last time to face a Government that wants him tried and convicted for his brand of vigilante. Along the way he takes on gangs and mutants that have taken over Gotham City, not to be outdone here, Batman also has one last dance with the Joker and a final throw-down with Superman.
Along for the ride is Robin, portrayed by Carrie Kelly. Yes, a girl. I thought this was a brilliant move and highlighted that in a world of superheroes, that they too are celebrities with the public at large. And the biggest fan of Batman is of course Carrie who did what any would-be fan would do...bought her own costume, only to end up saving the big lugs life and becoming the new "Boy-Wonder".
The only thing that's unclear in the story is exactly what happened to Jason Todd, the 2nd Robin. It is mentioned that he is dead, but how or why is left a mystery.
The story and words for DKR is just about as perfect as you can get here. On top of Miller's writing, the art is just absolutely amazing. Drool worthy in my eyes. And we can't forget about Lynn Varley killer watercolor's to bring the images to life.
If I were asked to recommend just one book to a newcomer into the world of comics, THIS is the one that I would tell them to get. I can't count how many times I have read this book, which I have read more than any other. Just a great story and it never gets old no matter how many times I read it. Many publications say that Batman Year One is the greatest of them all with The Dark Knight Returns sitting at #2. I for one have that order reversed.
Rating: 10 Stars out of 10 (Yep, I fore go the standard 5 Stars and really recommend this one).
How profound is Batman Year One? Well, the story itself was the basis for a film adaptation that never got off the ground, but eventually had it's fingerprints on other films, namely Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. If you read Year One, and you already know the movies well enough, you will see elements throughout all of them taken directly from the book.
Frank Miller did an exceptional job here in revisiting Batman's origin while adding more to the story and completely changing the readers perception of Bruce Wayne. This isn't the typical, campy Batman that you grew up with. This is dark and gritty. And we can't forget about the amazing art of David Mazzucchelli, which is beyond exceptional and would be hard pressed to find anyone else that could top him. Sometimes simplicity is all you need to elevate your art to an even higher level.
If there is one negative that I would put on the book is that it's too short. The story itself ran only 4 issues. I guess in this day and age of mega-crossover story arcs spanning anywhere from 10 to 20 issues, a mere 4 issues can seem like a blip. But with the ground that's covered in just these few issues, Miller and company manage to redefine an iconic Superhero.
If you get the chance to pick up the Trade Paperback, always go with the Hardcover edition. And I have to mention that the Afterword at the end of the book is absolutely worth the price of admission. You get a lot of behind the scenes stuff with Page breakdowns, pre-lims, covers and pin up art. This stuff is golden in my eyes and opens your eyes into David's process and how he works his magic when he puts pencil to paper.
Colors by Steve Whitaker / Siobhan Dodds / David Lloyd
I come from a school of wanting my art to look a certain way. Growing up following the likes of Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri and others, I shouldn't like this. But a strange thing happened while reading V For Vendetta. I absolutely love David Lloyds art. The guy knows how to draw a picture that pulls you in. It's never going to get the accolades that today's artist get from fans, but that should absolutely have no bearing on picking this book up.
But lets be clear about one thing, you are picking this up for one reason and one reason only: Alan Moore. This book is one of his all time best and should be required reading for everyone. The story of Vendetta takes place in a dystopian future (well at the time it was written it was in the future) where Britain's society is under the rule of a totalitarian government. Enter the man known only as V, who is on a revenge mission against those that wronged him in his past, while also giving the people of England...hope, to rise up against the government.
V also has one of the coolest looking costumes accentuated with a Guy Fawkes mask. If you don't know what I'm talking about, just look at the book cover. Cool shit indeed.
I highly recommend getting this book. Just don't get the Trade Paperback as it's printed on cheap paper that doesn't do the art or the colors any justice. Go with the Hardcover Edition. There are a lot of reprints out there so make sure you're getting a copy of the highest quality before laying down you cash.
I'm a huge fan of Frank Miller as an artist and as a writer. But not everything he does is gold like most people will have you believe. 300 isn't perfect by any stretch and to me isn't one of my favorites from Miller. It's the story of how 300 Spartans withstood a Persian army of thousands upon thousands at the Battle of Thermopylae. I won't delve into the historical inaccuracy of the comic and will focus on the art and writing instead.
I love the artwork, both Millers drawings and Lynn Varley's colors are phenomenal. But for me, I think the book is average at best because the story is so much bigger than what we get in the pages of a comic. Five issues is far too little to tell a story of this magnitude and it's why, to me anyway, it feels condensed and rushed. As a reader, I feel cheated because I know there is so much more to the story.
I know I am probably in the minority here and will probably get toasted for not holding this book up to a lofty high standard that most other people have a tendency to do. Good for you people. Just not one of Miller's best in my eyes. I think that at the end of the day, I just don't care about any of the characters within the story. There is no emotional connection that the reader gets to connect with like say, Marv from Sin City. Because 300 whizzes by so fast, it leaves very little time to build up a genuine rapport with the lead character as well as the secondary ones too. Without that bond, there is no sense of urgency that one feels when we finally get to the big showdown at the end.
This is a pick 'em book. Pick it up at your own discretion. If I were you, I'd go to the Library first and check it out before laying down your hard earned cash.
Bon Jovi: When We Were Beautiful is hyped as a career retrospective coffee table book with never before seen photos. I was thinking this was going to be like that of Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. Boy, was I ever wrong on that. Where Queen's book is packed with a ton of never seen images of the band and in depth stories, testimonials and reviews to keep you busy for days on end, Bon Jovi's book is the complete opposite.
I have been a huge fan of these guys since day 1 and I can't tell you how disappointed I am in this book. For a book that hinges on a retrospective look at the band, I would say that probably 80% of the pics in the book are from the previous Tour. There is hardly anything from their glory days before Slippery When Wet. And even then, not a lot of content from Wet and Jersey either.
And the words on paper is not a retelling of their history so much as a "we do this for the fans..." pat on the back book. Some of the pictures are ok, but the majority are lacking. It's not going to make you go "whoooooa", or "cool". It is what it is. It's just something that will take you no longer than a couple of hours to get through and you certainly will never bother to look through it again. I know I won't.
The War For Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy (2010)
After reading The Late Shift, I was hopeful that The War for Late Night by Bill Carter would be just as crazy and nutty, especially with all the other late night hosts involved with the chaos surrounding the impact of what happened when NBC moved Jay to the 10pm slot. Surprisingly, The War for Late Night never reaches those ungodly heights as seen in The Late Shift. It's not until the last 1/4 of the book does it come close to getting there as we follow Jay Leno and NBC manuervering to take The Tonight Show away from Conan O'Brien.
But what about the first 3/4 of the book? It was a very good read, but there really were no earth shattering reveals here. What we get instead is literally a mini-bio of every single host that was directly affected by the 10pm shift. Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson all get their own spotlight here. We hear where they came from, how they worked their way up the talk show circuit, where they ended up and the results of how the shift affected them. And in each case it's pretty good. But as good and interesting as this was, it was nowhere near that of the all revealing The Late Shift, because most of the stuff during this second go-around was played out in the press and on TV for our benefit.
The best part for me while reading both books has been the ability to run to YouTube and pull up which ever clip is being dissected. And there are plenty here to keep you entertained. Everything from Jimmy Kimmel's infamous 10 at 10 segment to Conan'sPeople Of the Earth speech and of course the Superbowl commercial get there 15 minutes. The biggest shock for me was in hearing that David Letterman had actually reached out and invited Conan to be a part of it. His response: "No fucking way I'm doing that. This is not a joke to me - It's real".
I watched old clips and new clips and a whole hell of a lot in between. I've had my fill of monologues and skits to keep me busy for a long time. And one thing I can say with certainty is this: Jay Leno still sucks in my eyes. I know there are Pro-Jay supporters here and will go to the ends of the Earth rattling off why they think he is the best. That's fine. You have your opinions and they are valid. But to me, I don't like his style of comedy. I never have and I never will.
We all have our favorites that we would have liked to see carry on the name of The Tonight Show, but Jerry Seinfeld said it best, "There is no institution. The moment Johnny Carson called it a career, the institution went with him." QFT.
Regardless of who should or shouldn't have gotten the keys to The Tonight Show, one thing is for certain, the viewers were treated to some of the best late night moments in years. It was like watching WWF taking on the WCW on Monday nights with the constant volleying back and forth. Great stuff indeed.
I can definitely recommend The War For Late Night. This is a good, even keel read all the way through. It's just not "dish worthy" as it's predecessor. Personally I can see myself reading this one along with The Late Shift again.
The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno, and the Network Battle for the Night (1995)
Shocking, but this is the first time I've ever read this. This was another one of those books where the majority of the stuff within it's pages I had already heard about from different sources over the years: Online forums, Magazines, Entertainment News Shows, etc... So, for me there really was no desire to give this one a read. But then I heard that Bill Carter had a new book out called The War For Late Night, detailing the train wreck that was Jay Leno Vs. Conan O'Brien. Once I had a copy of that book in my hand I decided that I might as well start with The Late Shift and make it a marathon read for myself. And I'm glad I did just that.
Simply put, The Late Shift is hands down the nuttiest, wackiest soap opera ever printed on paper. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. The stuff that went down was so outlandish that it had to be made up. And yet, it's all real. The book itself reads like a roller coaster. There are so many peaks and valleys that you get dizzy after awhile. But you can't really ever put the book down at all, no matter how hard you try.
The peaks in the book get to insane heights, and the highest of them all is of course Helen Kushnick. For those that don't know about her, she was Jay Leno's manager and Producer of the show who ruled with an iron fist. Even though this book is about Jay Leno and David Letterman fighting over who gets the keys to Johnny Carson desk on The Tonight Show, I believe the real star of the book is Helen, without a doubt. And once she is ousted from the show (as well as the book), it does take a big hit that you end up missing her crazy antics. I did anyways.
The rest of the book continues with the roller coaster ride, but doesn't ever quite reach the same heights that you get with Helen at the forefront. This is why it gets a lesser rating from me. But that's not to say that the rest of the book sucks. There are still a handful of scenarios that will engage you all the way to the end: Jay hiding in a closet, David seeking council from Johnny and of course all the info pertaining to the pretenders to the throne: Arsenio Hall, Pat Sajak, Chevy Chase, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, etc...Yes, even Conan O'brien is here. Duh.
This is indeed a very fun, entertaining read that will have you flipping pages as fast as people were getting fired. I can easily recommend this to anyone that is a fan of Talk Shows or Soap Operas. I really hope that The War For Late Night doesn't disappoint here. But after The Late Shift, it's got a big task of at least equaling it. I still need to watch the movie version of The Late Shift. I have seen parts of it over the years, but never the entire movie all at once.
When I first heard that they were going to adapt this into comic book form, I was stoked. But then when I heard that Skottie Young had been tapped to do the art, my initial reaction was "what the hell are they thinking?" This wasn't a slam against Skottie's art. If anything I was a huge fan of his. It was the style that he was famous for that had me scratching my head.
Originally, Skottie became a fan favorite on titles such as The Human Torch, Venom and NewX-Men with his art being more stylize-cartoony along the lines of Humberto Ramos. For the titles that Skottie had worked on, this style worked extremely well. But for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, I just could not see this working out for myself or fans in general. To say I was skeptical was an understatement.
Later as the creative team set to work in making this book a reality, I saw a couple of Promo pieces they were using to hype the book. I was stunned when I saw it. This couldn't be the same penciler. It looks nothing like his style. It was the complete opposite of what he was known for. Yes, I was very happy and satisfied at what I saw and I knew right then and there that this book was going to be something special.
So, did the book live up to the hype. Absolutely. I've read this one a few times since it originally came out and each time it gets better and better for me. His art here compliments and invites the reader into this world of characters that you will immediately bond with and care about. And my hats off to Jean-Francois Beaulieu for doing a fantastic job on the colors that compliments the art very well, giving it a very lush feel to it. And kudo's to Eric Shanower for doing a great job telling the story that goes back to the original souce material. If you're expecting a rehash of the movie version of Oz, then this isn't for you.
If any of you out there are looking for something refreshing and with a lot of charm, this is the book for you. And I think the book is very age appropriate for kids that you may want to get them started on reading. Highly recommend this to everyone. The Trade paperback collects all 8 issues of the miniseries.
It Might Get Loud is either a love it or hate it proposition. I've heard the criticisms from a lot of other people about how "boring" it is or that nothing much comes from having 3 generations of guitar players in the form of Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White sitting around ruminating about the past and their influences. I am not one of those people that has a problem with this. I actually enjoy listening to people talk about what drove them as musicians to pick up the instrument and create music.
If you love the guitar and music in general, I think this is a great film. Sure, it would have been nice to see the 3 of them jamming for 90 minutes on as many songs as possible, but that's not what this film is about. This isn't a wank fest to show off their guitar chops. If you want that, then just stick to any one of their Live DVD's to fill in what you are missing here.
But I will say this, the moments when they all do jam together, it is the crown jewel for me as a fan. And I got a huge kick out of seeing The Edge and Jack's eyes literally popping out as soon as Jimmy started playing Whole Lotta Love. The look of sheer excitement that came across their face is equal to being a kid and opening the biggest wrapped present, knowing full well what's inside. Seeing The Edge jump up and moving closer to Jimmy to see exactly how he was playing the riff shows that even the biggest Rock stars on the planet are still just kids at heart wanting to learn as much as they can.
I think the best thing about this film is that as you are watching it, you really feel inspired to pick up an instrument, be it a guitar, bass or drums and just play something. Anything. If a movie can get you to create something out of thin air or to jam with other musicians or a group of fiends, then I think it's definitely a success as a movie.
One thing I found myself thinking about when watching this is why such and such wasn't also in the movie. The longer the film went out, my laundry list of guitar players that should have been included got longer and longer and ranged from: Joe Satriani, Brian May, Steve Vai, Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons and on and on. This led me to think that this would have been a cool documentary style series where each new episode would have guest guitar players sit in and share their stories. Well, so much for wishing, huh?
I highly recommend this to any and all fans of guitars and music.
To say that I was disappointed in this movie is a huge understatement. I'm a big fan of The Runaways and an even bigger fan of both Joan Jett and Lita Ford. I knew going into the movie that it was going to be centered around Joan and Cherie Currie so there was no surprises in the lack of background information regarding Lita.
This movie was just downright awful. The script was underwritten, leaving the cast with nothing to do other than sneer and stumble around fucked up. And this was a cast that I thought was going to bring their A-Game with Kristen Stewart as Joan and Dakota Fanning as Cherie. They both did a commendable job with the script they had to work with, but even they couldn't save this disaster. The film is devoid of any personality whatsoever and the biggest misstep is that the characters are nothing more than half-baked cardboard cutouts of Rock and Roll clichés. We the viewer have to want to feel something about the characters. The writing was so lifeless that I could have cared less what happened to them in the movie. And the editing of the movie was horrible.
The only good thing about this one is the soundtrack. If you're looking for a killer disc of some kick ass songs, this is the one to get. This is the only reason why it's even getting a very generous 2 star rating. Stay away from this movie and just buy the soundtrack is my only recommendation.
The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band (2001)
There are books and then there are BOOKS and then there is The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band. This is the Granddaddy of all Rock and Roll Biographies. It's the benchmark for which all future Rock Bio's will be judged. Everything that you have heard about The Dirt is all that and more. This is Book Report #20. That's how long I had to wait in line with the waiting list for this one at the Library. I've been on a major book reading binge and the first book that I put a hold on was for this one.
So, was the wait worth it? Hell fucking yeah it was. I really don't know why I never got around to reading this one before. It's been out since 2001. That's 10 fucking years. I always had an excuse or I was too busy and kept putting it off for whatever reason. So, I sit here now able to finally cross this off my to-read list.
As for The Dirt, it's all here. All the decadence, debauchery, chaos and fights you've heard about over the years are front and center here. When I originally heard about the book being written by Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and Mick Mars I had no idea how it would work. In my mind I originally thought that the 4 of them got together and hashed it out like a regular novel. Not even close. Each member writes their own chapter starting from the beginning and at the end of the chapter it usually ends in a "cliffhanger". Then the next member picks up that thread and takes it from there. Shampoo, lather, rinse, repeat. You get the idea.
I'm glad this is how they chose to put the book together because everyone gets their say and we get to hear their point of view. It all works seamlessly, which makes it even harder to put the book down. Even if you already know the stories (which I did), you still can't put it down.
I knew this book was good when I caught myself carrying the book from room to room, even if I wasn't in the process of reading. The lions share of the book is handled by Nikki. He is the anchor to which all the others expand on. Nikki's stories I think are the best as he does a great job of painting the picture for the reader. Tommy and Vince follow suit and Mick pops up now and then. Even though Mick has the least amount to say in the book, he really comes off pretty good here. He may be the quietest member of the band, but he has a lot to say when does open up. Some of the things he says will have you agreeing with him and leaving you with a little smirk on your face.
Mick, you fucking rock dude! There are additional authors that also contribute to the book when in need of some serious explanation from the likes of Doc McGhee, John Corabi etc....
Amid all the chaos and insanity of the book, there is a very heartbreaking story when Vince recounts his time regarding his Daughter Skylar and her battle with cancer. If you are not touched by what you are reading, you are dead inside. I've heard the story countless times before. But to actually read Vince's words takes on a whole 'nother level.
It's not all doom and gloom here though. There are so many stories here that will leave you spellbound at the absurdity of what went down on tours, recording studios, etc....
And there are some pretty funny moments that will definitely leave you laughing. For me I would say cockeyed "Geena Davis" is the best and funniest pertaining to a blind date that Nikki had the misfortune of getting stuck on. I will say nothing more. Go read the fucking book to find out more about it. Haha.
I definitely recommend this book to everyone. You don't have to be a fan of Motley Crue. Hell, you can hate all the members and you will still come away completely entertained from the first page to the very last page. Of the 20 books I have read so far the past couple of months, I Am Ozzy and The Dirt are the only ones I plan on buying and adding to my personal library collection.
On related topic, the proposed film for The Dirt is being held up in limbo as they search for another Director. I really hope to see the book done justice and that it makes it's way to a theater soon.
Rating: 10 Stars out of 10 (Yes, I usually give out 5 Stars as the highest possible rating. So, 10 should tell you how fucking nuts, crazy and awesome this book is) :)
