Authors/Film & TV

Published on July 24th, 2019 | by Darren Paltrowitz

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10 Books You Ought To Add To Your Summer 2019 Reading List

With Summer 2019 still in full effect, many of us want to use our downtime — whether indoors or outdoors — to keep up on some great reading. In turn, here are 10 recent literary titles which are recommended to readers of The Hype Magazine for their almost-guaranteed reading pleasure.

Shut Up, I’m Talking: Coming Out In Hollywood & Making It To The Middle by Jason Stuart

You have seen Jason Stuart before, whether you recognize him from his roles on TV shows, his decades of prominence as one of the first openly-gay stand-up comedians — he came out on Geraldo — or from his masterful character work in dozens of feature films. With over 150 credits to speak of, Stuart is admirably prolific. Given all of that experience over the past few decades, Jason Stuart is an ideal fit for a memoir. Shut Up, I’m Talking: Coming Out In Hollywood & Making It To The Middle is that memoir, and CCB Publishing released it in June.

Butthole Surfers: What Does Regret Mean? by Aaron Tanner

One of the most depraved acts from the American underground, The Butthole Surfers were formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas in 1981. Along with King Coffey, Teresa Nervosa, and Jeff Pinkus, the band’s disturbing albums and chaotic live shows have featured everything from psychedelia and noise rock to country and electronica. The fully authorized visual history book, Butthole Surfers: What Does Regret Mean? by author Aaron Tanner follows the Butthole Surfers from their early days in San Antonio to their reunion. The limited-run coffee table book tells the story of the Butthole Surfers through never-before-seen photos, artwork, and other memorabilia and from the viewpoint of their contemporaries.

Grace: The Jeff Buckley Story by Tiffanie DeBartolo

Grace: The Jeff Buckley Story is a graphic novel released by First Second/Macmillan in April. Written by Tiffanie DeBartolo, with artwork contributed by both Pascal Dizin and Lisa Reist, Grace tells the heartfelt journey of Buckley — his rise from intimate New York City venue Sin-é, to worldwide acclaim, to his settling in Memphis and subsequent accidental death — as beautifully illustrated in a warm tone. This biography uses archival material, as provided by Buckley’s mother Mary Guibert, to reveal the young songwriter’s process and his overall transition into becoming a musical legend.

Small Victories: The True Story Of Faith No More by Adrian Harte

Small Victories: The True Story Of Faith No More is the definitive biography of one of the most intriguing bands of the late 20th century. Written with the participation of the group’s key members, it tells how such a heterogeneous group formed, flourished and fractured, and how Faith No More helped redefine rock, metal and alternative music. It is altogether based upon meticulous research and hundreds of interviews with current and former band members and other key figures.

King’s X: The Oral History by Greg Prato

This authorized biography examines and explores all aspects of the history of King’s X, both personally and professionally. Comprised of extensive interviews conducted by author and longtime King’s X fan Greg Prato — whose Yacht Rock book has been extensively praised by yours truly, beyond his Eric Carr biography — King’s X: The Oral History allows the band’s three members to tell their full story for the first time. It also opens the floor to friends and collaborators, plus some of the many top rock names who are also fans of the band, including Pearl Jam’s Jeff Ament, The Police’s Andy Summers, Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil, Pantera’s Rex Brown, and Motley Crue’s Mick Mars.

Rock Doc by Neil Ratner, MD

In his new memoir Rock Doc — released back in January — Neil Ratner, MD describes his escapades in the rock & roll business and plenty more, chronicling his extraordinary journey from the music business to medicine, back to music and everywhere in-between. This book includes never-before-seen photos with Nelson Mandela and Michael Jackson, beyond tales related to Pink Floyd and Ratner’s production company, Circus Talents, Ltd.

Please Send Help: A Novel by Gaby Dunn & Allison Raskin

The New York Times best-selling debut I Hate Everyone But You was brought into the world in 2017 by YouTube sensations and best friends Gaby Dunn and Allison Raskin. There are over 700,000 subscribers to Just Between Us, Dunn and Raskin’s YouTube channel, so it is not surprisingly that Please Send Help followed so quickly in July 2019. Raskin and Dunn excel at giving voice to characters handling depression, anxiety, LGBTQ life, and (slowly) becoming adults.

Truthteller: An Investigative Reporter’s Journey Through The World Of Truth Prevention, Fake News & Conspiracy Theories by Stephen Davis

Drawing on author Stephen Davis’ three decades experience as an investigative journalist, Truthteller uses real-world stories to illustrate the tools that governments and corporations use to deceive the media and the public. Davis has worked as a foreign correspondent for the Sunday Times based in Los Angeles, and was part of the team that helped launch The Independent On Sunday in London.

More Life With Deth by Dave Ellefson and Thom Hazaert

In this follow-up to his 2013 memoir My Life With Deth, Megadeth bassist and co-founder David Ellefson picks up where he left off, charting his mid-2000s departure from Megadeth through his triumphant return in 2010, and offering an inside look at the continuing saga of one of the world’s biggest and most enduring heavy-metal bands. This memoir was co-written with Ellefson’s business partner Thom Hazaert — a celebrated music-industry figure, radio personality, and music journalist —
and includes discussion of Megadeth’s record-shattering Big Four shows alongside Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax.

Letters To Sarah by Corky Laing

During his career, Corky Laing has played, written and toured with the who’s who of rock. The Corky Laing All Star Show Band included Mick Taylor, Lester Chambers and Meat Loaf. Keith Moon was a close pal, and Levon Helm, a mentor and friend. Eric Clapton played on his solo album. Laing has written, among others, with Peter Frampton, Mick Jagger, Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson. Oh, and he was one-third of Mountain with Leslie West and Felix Pappalardi.

In Letters To Sarah Laing chronicles the ups and downs of his life. There are excerpts from dozens of letters that Corky wrote to his mother Sarah between the years 1963 and 1997; she had saved them all. The letters were a way for Corky, away on the road for years on end, to keep in touch with his roots and also, to make sense of his life. This continues in Letters To Sarah, as Corky relives the first 50 years of his life, up until his mother’s passing in 1998. Notably, the book opens with a Foreword by the incomparable Kinky Friedman, and it was written together with Corky’s manager Tuija Takala, PhD.


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About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."


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