Last Night at the Viper Room

Last Night at the Viper Room
Author: Gavin Edwards
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2013-10-22
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0062273191

In Last Night at the Viper Room, acclaimed author and journalist Gavin Edwards vividly recounts the life and tragic death of acclaimed actor River Phoenix—a teen idol on the fast track to Hollywood royalty who died of a drug overdose in front of West Hollywood’s storied club, the Viper Room, at the age of 23. Last Night at the Viper Room explores the young star’s life, including his childhood in Venezuela growing up under the aegis of the cultish Children of God. Putting him at the center of a new generation of leading men emerging in the early 1990s— including Johnny Depp, Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage, and Leonardo DiCaprio—Gavin Edwards traces the Academy Award nominee’s meteoric rise, couches him in an examination of the 1990s, and illuminates his lasting legacy on Hollywood and popular culture itself.

Terror in the Desert

Terror in the Desert
Author: Brad Sykes
Publisher: McFarland
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2018-04-30
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1476672415

Set in the American Southwest, "desert terror" films combine elements from horror, film noir and road movies to tell stories of isolation and violence. For more than half a century, these diverse and troubling films have eluded critical classification and analysis. Highlighting pioneering filmmakers and bizarre production stories, the author traces the genre's origins and development, from cult exploitation (The Hills Have Eyes, The Hitcher) to crowd-pleasing franchises (Tremors, From Dusk Till Dawn) to quirky auteurist fare (Natural Born Killers, Lost Highway) to more recent releases (Bone Tomahawk, Nocturnal Animals). Rare stills, promotional materials and a filmography are included.

Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans

Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans
Author: Josie Brown
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Total Pages: 177
Release: 2015-11-03
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 1250102766

In a world filled with Starbucks, E!, designer water, and reality T.V., is it any wonder that pop culture icons are invading our dreams? With insightful humor (a sure sign that the only thing implanted in her cheek is her tongue), author Josie Brown explains dream symbolism in terms that any young, hip woman can readily comprehend. What does it mean to dream of Paris (France), Paris (Hilton), Prada, blogging, bridesmaids, and more? Josie can tell you. Part dream dictionary, part relationship guide, part fashion fantasy, Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans taps into its readers' subconscious, unraveling their slumber-induced musings on love, lust, cocktails, and of course, designer shoes.

Deconstructing Brad Pitt

Deconstructing Brad Pitt
Author: Christopher Schaberg
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2014-10-09
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1623561930

The reactions evoked by images of and stories about Brad Pitt are many and wide-ranging: while one person might swoon or exclaim, another rolls his eyes or groans. How a single figure provokes such strong, often opposing emotions is a puzzle, one elegantly explored and perhaps even solved by Deconstructing Brad Pitt. Co-editors Christopher Schaberg and Robert Bennett have shaped a book that is not simply a multifaceted analysis of Brad Pitt as an actor and as a celebrity, but which is also a personal inquiry into how we are drawn to, turned on, or otherwise piqued by Pitt's performances and personae. Written in accessible prose and culled from the expertise of scholars across different fields, Deconstructing Brad Pitt lingers on this iconic actor and elucidates his powerful influence on contemporary culture. The editors will be donating a portion of their royalties to Pitt's Make It Right foundation.

Faded

Faded
Author: Julie Johnson
Publisher: Julie Johnson
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2018-04-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1733663320

"A classic country song come to life.” - Inked Avenue Book Blog, 5 star review When Felicity Wilde arrives in Nashville, she’s not looking for fame — she just wants a safe place to hide from the ghosts of her past. And for a while, starting fresh seems possible. She lands a job at a local music hotspot, collects her tips, and keeps her head down. Until one night, he steps on stage. Ryder Woods is a rising star. Everyone knows he’s destined for bigger things — it’s only a matter of time before he lands a record deal and heads for Los Angeles without looking back. He has no interest in getting stuck in Nashville, like all the other washed-up musicians who’ve never quite made it. But once he spots the quiet girl working behind the bar — the one with haunted eyes, who sings the most heartbreaking lyrics he’s ever heard in his life — Ryder’s suddenly not in such a hurry to leave. As Felicity and Ryder begin to make music together, their connection only deepens… but with demons of Felicity’s past circling closer, and the demands of Ryder’s future finally coming to fruition, they’ll find themselves at an undeniable crossroads… They always say fame comes with a price... But what if that price is the love of your life? FADED is the first installment of an angsty, addictive new contemporary romance duet about two star-crossed musicians. From the dark streets of Nashville to the bright lights of Los Angeles, Ryder & Felicity's story is a whirlwind of bandmate drama, steamy romance, and original song lyrics. Part two of the duet is now available for purchase in ebook and paperback. Please note: due to sex, drugs, and rock & roll, this duet is recommended for readers ages 16 and up.

Just Dope

Just Dope
Author: Allison Margolin
Publisher: North Atlantic Books
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2022-08-30
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1623176875

For readers of Dopesick and In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, a celebrated cannabis attorney's personal look at the War on Drugs and what comes next for the drug legalization movement Getting high is something most of us do, and in many cases do safely--yet drugs remain a singular public enemy. In a ranging blend of memoir, pop culture, policy critique, and social analysis, LA-based criminal defense attorney Allison Margolin explores why--and what we can do about it. Informed by Margolin’s experiences as a drug user, advocate, and the daughter of California’s most renowned (and infamous) cannabis attorney, Just Dope offers a look at where our current drug policy fails. It exposes the true history of drug prohibition in the United States, sharing why it started, how it evolved, and where it stands now. And it looks unflinchingly at the false dichotomy between “good” drugs and “bad” drugs and Margolin’s experience with programs like D.A.R.E that misguidedly ask you to “Just Say No.” For readers of All Day is a Long Time and In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Just Dope is an experiential tour-de-force of personal essay and whip-smart policy critique—and a vital call to knowledge and action.

I'm the Man

I'm the Man
Author: Scott Ian
Publisher: Hachette+ORM
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2014-10-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0306823357

I'm the Man is the fast-paced, humorous, and revealing memoir from the man who co-founded Anthrax, the band that proved to the masses that brutality and fun didn't have to be mutually exclusive. Through various lineup shifts, label snafus, rock 'n' roll mayhem, and unforeseen circumstances galore, Scott Ian has approached life and music with a smile, viewing the band with deadly seriousness while recognizing the ridiculousness of the entertainment industry. Always performing with abundant energy that revealed his passion for his craft, Ian has never let the gravity of being a rock star go to his shaven, goateed head. Ian tells his life story with a clear-eyed honesty that spares no one, least of all himself, starting with his upbringing as a nerdy Jewish boy in Queens and evolving through his first musical epiphany when he saw KISS live on television and realized what he wanted to do with his life. He chronicles his adolescence growing up in a dysfunctional home where the records blasting on his stereo failed to drown out the sound of his parents shouting at one another. He sets down the details of his fateful escape into the turbulent world of heavy metal. And of course he lays bare the complete history of Anthrax -- from the band's formation to their present-day reinvigoration -- as they wrote and recorded thrash classics like Spreading the Disease, Among the Living, and the top-twenty-charting State of Euphoria. Along the way, Ian recounts harrowing, hysterical tales from his long tour of duty in the world of hard rock. He witnesses the rise of Metallica, for which he had a front row seat. He parties with the late Dimebag Darrell while touring with Pantera and gets wild with Black Label Society frontman and longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde. He escapes detection while interviewing Ozzy for "The Rock Show" while dressed as Gene Simmons and avoids arrest after getting detained on suspicion of drugs while riding the tube in England with the late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. In addition, I'm the Man addresses the trials and tribulations of Ian's life and loves. He admits his foibles and reveals the mistakes made along the way to becoming a fully-functioning adult. He celebrates finally finding peace and a true sense of family with his wife, singer/songwriter Pearl Aday, and examines how his world changed after the birth of their first son. I'm the Man is a blistering hard rock memoir, one that is astonishing in its candor and deftly told by the man who's kept the institution of Anthrax alive for more than thirty years.

I DON'T BELIEVE WE'VE MET

I DON'T BELIEVE WE'VE MET
Author: Barry F. Schnell
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 212
Release: 2011-08-11
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 146534912X

How does a person with essentially no friends in real life amass hundreds of viral friends on Twitter and Facebook? Basically, by telling it like it is and saying what needs to be said. And, as always, incorporate sex whenever possible. Here then, one disgruntled loner’s crusade to see how many others he can actually amass as “friends” through the two most popular social networking sites currently the rage in this, the era of interpersonal demise of the Homo sapien. He started at zero friends using an assumed moniker of “Eman Lluf” (what it lacked in creativity it made up for with Balkan mystique). Between the two me-centric cyber outposts, Eman Lluf garnered over 2,400 of these seemingly coveted social networking relationships simply by churning out random hyperbole on par with the journal musings of a mental patient. In the spirit of full disclosure, at some point “he” became a “she,” but no one really questioned the metamorphisis. In fact, in this day and age, it’s almost expected. Crude? Perhaps. Sophomoric? Almost a certainty. Welcome to literature in the 21st Century. And while 2,400 or so might not seem like a grand number to an adolescent who takes on more superficial social networking friends than she takes breaths in a month, or to the Ashton Kutchers of the world, it’s a pretty respectable number granted Eman Lluf doesn’t really exist at all.

Lillian and Circle

Lillian and Circle
Author: George Hohbach
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages: 282
Release: 2022-03-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3755769638

LILLIAN AND CIRCLE: CIRCULARITY IS FUTURE is a modern fairy tale/romantic comedy about two look-alikes - an alien princess and a wild pop star from planet Earth - who magically switch places to discover their true selves, real love and the important realization that the clever, climate-smart circular economy can create positive effects for the planet and people. It includes background information on: Albert Einstein and Emmy Noether: How two giants of science discovered Nature’s beautiful core principle of simple local symmetry (balance, harmony). The Circular Economy and other eco-intelligent, climate-smart concepts that can help re-establish balance (harmony) with Nature’s amazing circular creativity. PLUS: the sheet music to the novel’s title song "CIRCULARITY IS FUTURE" and other pop songs.