A History of Heavy Metal
Product ID: 259169669
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''Absolutely hilarious'' - Neil Gaiman ''One of the funniest musical commentators that you will ever read . . . loud and thoroughly engrossing'' - Alan Moore ''A man on a righteous mission to persuade people to "lay down your souls to the gods rock and roll".'' - The Sunday Times ''As funny and preposterous as this mighty music deserve'' - John Higgs The history of heavy metal brings brings us extraordinary stories of larger-than-life characters living to excess, from the household names of Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Bruce Dickinson and Metallica (SIT DOWN, LARS!), to the brutal notoriety of the underground Norwegian black metal scene and the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. It is the story of a worldwide network of rabid fans escaping everyday mundanity through music, of cut-throat corporate arseholes ripping off those fans and the bands they worship to line their pockets. The expansive pantheon of heavy metal musicians includes junkies, Satanists and murderers, born-again Christians and teetotallers, stadium-touring billionaires and toilet-circuit journeymen. Award-winning comedian and life-long heavy metal obsessive Andrew O''Neill has performed his History of Heavy Metal comedy show to a huge range of audiences, from the teenage metalheads of Download festival to the broadsheet-reading theatre-goers of the Edinburgh Fringe. Now, in his first book, he takes us on his own very personal and hilarious journey through the history of the music, the subculture, and the characters who shaped this most misunderstood genre of music. Review: One of the best books I've ever ready about metal - funny, informative and easy to read - This was purchased on the back of seeing Andrew's live History of Heavy Metal show a few months back, and it's an essential read for anyone into metal. It's probably best aimed at those that are already fully familiar with the genre rather than newcomers, but it's an easy ready that you'll find yourself just reading that one more chapter before bed - I whizzed through it in a couple of days. In terms of coverage its fairly comprehensive - you will never please everyone with something like this and there's always going to be a few omissions and complaints over coverage that certain acts and subgenres get compared to others, but overall there's nothing major omitted in my eyes. I've been a metal fan for 30+ years and still learnt plenty of things I didn't know whilst reading this. However that's missing the point somewhat as the main thing is the book is very funny, as was the live show, and even for topics you've seen covered numerous times before it's done in a way that will keep you interested because Andrew is a very funny fella. I've struggled to find many decent books about metal in general over the years, and it's nice to finally have found one I loved (and loved enough to give to a few friends too) - if you are into metal then buy yourself this book, then once it arrives immediately burn it and buy another copy because it's that good he deserves the money twice. Review: Perfect - Arrived quickly in perfect condition.
| Best Sellers Rank | #89,879 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #15 in Heavy Metal Music #43 in Comedy #58 in Music History & Criticism |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 360 Reviews |
T**D
One of the best books I've ever ready about metal - funny, informative and easy to read
This was purchased on the back of seeing Andrew's live History of Heavy Metal show a few months back, and it's an essential read for anyone into metal. It's probably best aimed at those that are already fully familiar with the genre rather than newcomers, but it's an easy ready that you'll find yourself just reading that one more chapter before bed - I whizzed through it in a couple of days. In terms of coverage its fairly comprehensive - you will never please everyone with something like this and there's always going to be a few omissions and complaints over coverage that certain acts and subgenres get compared to others, but overall there's nothing major omitted in my eyes. I've been a metal fan for 30+ years and still learnt plenty of things I didn't know whilst reading this. However that's missing the point somewhat as the main thing is the book is very funny, as was the live show, and even for topics you've seen covered numerous times before it's done in a way that will keep you interested because Andrew is a very funny fella. I've struggled to find many decent books about metal in general over the years, and it's nice to finally have found one I loved (and loved enough to give to a few friends too) - if you are into metal then buy yourself this book, then once it arrives immediately burn it and buy another copy because it's that good he deserves the money twice.
G**Y
Perfect
Arrived quickly in perfect condition.
E**Z
Muy buen libro
El libro está bastante completo y es muy entretenido
M**R
One British Man's history book on heavy metal music
Funny and entertaining history book on Heavy Metal music. It's a must read to newbies and metalheads of a certain age.
C**A
It's funny 'cause it's true
Every headbanger already knows the history of heavy metal. Through Sam Dunn's movie docs, magazines, biographic books, everyone has, at least, an overview of the path. This previous knowledge allows the reader of this book to appreciate in full the irony and sarcasm contained in this humorous voyage. If you are an outsider and don't know a thing about heavy metal, it still is a good way to enrich your cultural closet, but, surely you won't get the punchline in some passages. A very funny and light reading. Not an anthropology/sociology study on the subject, but enough well researched to sustain credibility. Being totally biased by the author's preferences and opinions, adds to the comic environment of the narrative. I really liked it.
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