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Last Updated: Nov 5th, 2008 - 21:00:43 |
Rock purists argue whether it is better to burn out or fade away. "The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars," by Jeremy Simmonds, provides insight on the life and death of rock stars.
Simmonds has previously co-authored three editions of "The Rough Guide to Rock." He has also done TV series and quiz shows about rock 'n' roll. Thanks to Simmonds' research and expertise, along with the biographies, books, and websites others have done, "The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars" offers brief and concise summaries.
"Once you're dead, you're made for life – you have to die before they think you're worth anything." The words of Jimi Hendrix sit on an otherwise blank page like an epitaph on a tombstone. The big three, Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison, all get their regular curtain call, and 1,000 others join them.
Who made the grade and why?
"If the artist had a short but unusual life, they're in," Simmonds says, and if an artist had "an extraordinary demise, they are definitely in."
From 1965 to 2006, chronologically by year, month and day of the rock star's demise, Simmonds' book gives us famous last words, close and closer calls, and "dead interesting" rare facts.
The coolest feature of the encyclopedia is the cause of death legend, a key of 24 symbols with each type of death given a day in court. There are razor blades for suicide, a question mark for the unsolved, syringes for drug overdose, whiskey bottles for alcohol-related, and so on.
Each entry has one icon; some have two or three. Some perished in plane crashes while shooting heroin, and some died accidentally, if you can call changing a light bulb while taking a bath an accident. By the way, there is no icon for stupidity.
Only one entry has the dubious luxury of six icons. Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones was found dead in his swimming pool, he was a known drug user and hard drinker, his death has not been ruled accidental and murder is suspected, and the official cause was "misadventure," totaling six.
Some of the more obscure dead rock stars in the encyclopedia are given a 200-300 word obituary such as Zal Yanovsky from The Lovin' Spoonful and Lowell George of Little Feat. But the heavy hitters get entire pages.
The longer explanations are for those who have an infamous death along with their famous life, such as John Lennon and Kurt Cobain, of The Beatles and Nirvana fame, respectively.
Four of The Grateful Dead's keyboardists qualify for inclusion. Reba McEntire's band gets the recognition of plane crash with the most victims, Reba not included. And if you're one to think you know it all in regard to Karen Carpenter, think again.
"The Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars" is a historical looking glass, a biographical and cultural timepiece. It provides an intriguing glimpse into the lives, but more so, the sometimes bizarre and often tragic deaths in rock 'n' roll. More often than not, a rock star,s death brings their greatest amount of fame. Simmonds lets us know, "In this school of rock, you have to be absent to attend."
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