Cult Rockers: Over Two Hundred of the Most Controversial, Distinctive, Offbeat, Intriguing...

by Wayne Jancik

Hailed--and obsessively followed--by groups of passionate fans, ignored or derided by mainstream audiences, here are the musicians who, through their bizarre idiosyncrasies or their unique musical styles, have carved their own special niches in the rock pantheon. More than 200 profiles spotlight the Grateful Dead, Dead Kennedys, Phish, John Hiatt, Sonic Youth, Big Star, Blue Oyster Cult, and more. 75 photos.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068481112X
• ISBN13: 9780684811123
• Release Date: November 1995
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

entertaining & enlightening- I enjoyed it

Authors Wayne Jancik(The Billboard Book Of One-Hit Wonders) & Tad Lathrop have compiled a fun book of rock's lords, losers & lunatics. While no one would ever agree on the list of artists to be included in a book like this, these guys have done a commendable job. Some of my personal favorites include Johnny Thunders, Husker Du, The Replacements,The Clash, Eddie Cochran, Elvis Costello, Gram Parsons, The New York Dolls, The Pogues, X, Roky Erickson, VU, Tom Waits & well, you get the idea. Each band gets about one to four pages. There are plenty of black & white photos included. There is also a list of what the authors consider to be the bands key recordings. I think you'll enjoy seeing some old favorites in here, and you might discover some new oddities worth checking out. The segment on Blowfly is hilarious. This isn't just punk/alternative bands...it goes back to Robert Johnson. It's always nice to see Flipper(the band, not the dolphin) appearing in a real book. This one is not some cheap, rush-job production. It certainly won't embarrass your shelves. Cult Rockers is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the end-all/be-all book on this subject, but it is a fine one!