Stories Done: Writings on the s and Its Discontents
ISBN: , SKU: , AUTHOR: Gilmore, Mikal, PUBLISHER: Free Press, ong>onong>g>Theong>onong>g> s and s represent a rare moment in our cultural history -- music was exploring unprecedented territories, literature was undergoing a radical reinventiong>onong>, politics polarized ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> nationg>onong>, and youth culture was at ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> zenith of its influence. ong>onong>g>Theong>onong>g>re has never been, nor is ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g>re likely to be, anoong>onong>g>theong>onong>g>r generationg>onong> that matches ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> cong>onong>tributiong>onong>s of ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> artists of that time period. In this poignant book, journalist Mikal Gilmore weaves a narrative of ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> '60s and '70s as he examines ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> lives of ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> era's most important cultural icong>onong>s. Keeping ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> power of rock & roll at ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> forefrong>onong>t, Gilmore gaong>onong>g>theong>onong>g>rs togeong>onong>g>theong>onong>g>r stories about major artists from every field -- George Harrisong>onong>, Ken Kesey, Johnny Cash, Allen Ginsberg, to name just a few. Gilmore reveals ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> truth about this idealized period in history, never shying away from ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> ugly influences that brought many of rock's most exciting figures to ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g>ir knees. He examines how Jim Morrisong>onong>'s alcoholism led to ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> star's death at ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> age of twenty-seven, how Jerry Garcia's drug problems brought him to ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> brink of death so many times that his bandmates did not believe ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> news of his actual demise, how Pink Floyd struggled with ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> guilt of kicking out founding member Syd Barrett because of his debilitating mental illness. As Gilmore examines ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> dark side of ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g>se complicated figures, he paints a picture of ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> environg>onong>ment that bred ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g>m, taking ong>onong>g>readerong>onong>g>s from ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> rough streets of Liverpool (and its more comfortable suburbs) to ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> hippie haven of Haight-Ashbury that hosted ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> infamous Summer of Love. But what resulted from ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g>se lives and those times, Gilmore argues, was worth ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> risk -- in fact, it may be inseparable from those hard costs. ong>onong>g>Theong>onong>g> lives of ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g>se dynamic and diverse figures are intertwined with Gilmore's explorationg>onong> of ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> social, political, and emotiong>onong>al characteristics that defined ong>onong>g>theong>onong>g> era. His insights and examinationg>onong>s combine to create a eulogy for a formative period of American history.