MUSIC BOOKS

(Grand Central Publishing; $25.99)

When Ozzy Osbourne was first approached to write an advice column for London’s Sunday Times Magazine several years ago, the rationale behind it was that the “Prince of Darkness” has not only lived through it all, but he’s since changed his ways. He’s the ultimate weird dad, but a family man nonetheless, and his attempts to stay clean and shape up have proven fruitful.

“People ask me all kinds of strange things, and if I can’t answer, I’ll say, ‘How can you write to me and it goes in this newspaper and millions of people will probably read your problem?’” he tells Billboard.com. “You say you’ve got a hemorrhoid or some shit? Go to the doctor! I don’t know the actual physical breakdown of the way it all works. I don’t say, ‘Well, go and buy five aspirins and a fucking jar of jam, and rub it on your ass.’”

“Doing the column makes me realize that there are just as many crazy people around as me,” Ozzy admits, before launching into a mumbled tirade over some of the more frustrating questions he’s received — from disapproving parents of a homosexual teen to sexual encounters of the senior citizen kind.

To read the complete review visit BILLBOARD.

(Illustrated. 564 pp. Little, Brown & Company. $29.99)

He’s been a global avatar of wish fulfillment for over four decades and managed to eke more waking hours out of a 24-hour day than perhaps any other creature alive (thanks, Merck cocaine and amphetamines!). As Keith puts it: “For many years I slept, on average, twice a week. This means that I have been conscious for at least three lifetimes.”

You better believe it. This cat put the joie in joie de vivre. As the legendary guitarist for the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards has done more, been more and seen more than you or I will ever dream of, and reading his autobiography, “Life,” should awaken (if you have a pulse and an I.Q. north of 100) a little bit of the rock star in you.

“If you want to get to the top, you’ve got to start at the bottom,” he says, “same with anything.” Born in 1943 to parents who met as factory workers, Keith was raised in Dartford, an industrial suburb of London. Through the marshes behind the many “lunatic asylums” that seemed to populate Dartford in disproportionate numbers, Keith learned what it felt like to be helpless and afraid, serving as a daily punching bag for bullies on his way home from school. By the time he fought back and won, he’d discovered a fury in himself for which he would later become infamous. The plight of the underdog was his passionate crusade, and anyone or anything that represented injustice in his eyes was fair game. Kate Moss recounts a hilarious anecdote from 1998 in which Keith, sidestepping the festivities of his daughter Angela’s wedding at his manor house, Redlands, finds he’s short some spring onions he laid on a chopping block while fixing himself a light nosh of bangers and mash. When the thieving guest totters into the kitchen with the greens playfully tucked behind his ears, Keith grabs two sabers from the mantelpiece and goes chasing after the poor guy in a homicidal rage. I won’t even touch on the incident involving shepherd’s pie.

To read the complete review visit THE NEW YORK TIMES

(HarperCollins/It Books; $25.99; August 3, 2010)

Dave Mustaine is the first to admit that he’s bottomed out a few times in his dark and twisted speed metal version of a Dickensian life.

Impoverished, transient childhood? Check.

Abusive, alcoholic parent? Check.

Mind-fucking religious weirdness (in his case the extremes of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Satanism)? Check.

Alcoholism, drug addiction, homelessness? Check, check, check.

Soul-crushing professional and artistic setbacks? Check.

Rehab? Check (seventeen times, give or take).

Near-death experience? Check that one, too.

James Hetfield, with whom many years ago Mustaine founded a band known as Metallica, once observed, with some incredulity, that Mustaine must have been born with a horseshoe up his ass. That’s how lucky he’s been, how fortunate he is to be pulling breath after so many close calls. And Hetfield is right. Mustaine has been lucky. He has been blessed. But here’s the thing about having a horseshoe lodged in your rectum: It also hurts like hell. And you never forget it’s there.

Mustaine has battled through it all to achieve dizzying heights. From the early, heady days of Metallica, being unceremoniously let go only to become a world-famous rock star—founder, front man, singer, songwriter, and guitarist (and de facto CEO) for Megadeth, one of the most popular bands in heavy metal—Mustaine’s is a story that will inspire, stun, and terrify.

About the Author

Dave Mustaine, widely regarded as the “founding father” of Thrash Metal, almost singlehandedly created the enduring multiplatinum style that launched both Megadeth and Metallica into the public’s consciousness. From 1985’s Killing Is My Business . . . and Business Is Good to the most recent Endgame, with more than twelve album releases with Megadeth, Mustaine has left a legacy of music that has been described as everything from “poignant” to “insightful” to “angry” to “ironic.” Megadeth earned eight Grammy nominations and six platinum certifications. Mustaine lives in San Diego County, California.

For more information visit AMAZON

(HarperCollins; $25.99; July 27, 2010)

The story of Steven Adler’s life as a member of Guns N Roses, one of rock and roll’s most volatile, decadent and out of control bands, is both terrifying and awe-inspiring. His new book, My Appetite For Destruction: Sex and Drugs and Guns N’ Roses, due for release July 27th, really hits home–but not for being a thrill-inducing rock and roll story. Actually it’s just the opposite. Adler’s candor and self-reflection make this book a different kind of rock star memoir entirely.

Steven Adler absolutely does not try to pretty up his story; there’s no attempt to make himself look heroic or, as so often happens in rock star biographies, victimized. Adler puts aside his own ego to tell a story that is bitingly poignant in its brutal honesty.

To read the complete view visit EXAMINER.COM

I AM OZZY

(Grand Central Publishing Hardcover; $26.99; January 25, 2010)

Take what you thought was “rock and roll excess,” double it, and you still would not be anywhere near the dizzying life of Ozzy Osbourne. Born into a life so poor that the entire family slept in one room, music was his salvation, and his band Black Sabbath went on to change the musical landscape forever. The inevitable sex and drugs came along with along with the rock and roll lifestyle, and Ozzy soon fell into an epic relationship with booze and chemicals.

The stories of Ozzy’s days on the road are now those of legend—biting the head off of a live bat, the tragic plane crash that took the life of his best friend and writing partner—but few know about the real heartbreak he suffered during those days of hard living. I AM OZZY is the heavy metal pioneer’s unbelievable story told, for the first time, in Ozzy’s hilarious, witty, and inimitable voice. In the end it was love that saved him: the love of his wife Sharon and kids Aimee, Kelly, and Jack.

About the Author

Ozzy Osbourne was born in Aston, Birmingham, in 1948. He has sold over a hundred million records both with Black Sabbath and as an award-winning solo artist. He has five children and lives with his wife, Sharon, in California and Buckinghamshire.

For more information visit AMAZON

THE STOOGES: The Authorized and Illustrated Story

by Robert Matheu, Jeffrey Morgan, Alice Cooper (Foreword)

(Abrams; October 2009; $35.00)

Legendary rocker Alice Cooper has written the foreword to “The Stooges: The Authorized and Illustrated Story” (Abrams Books, October 1), the first-ever authorized book about THE STOOGES, including iconic photographs, classic interviews, and vintage articles and ephemera dating from the band’s breakout performances in Detroit in the late 1960s through their most recent shows in 2008.

Formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967, THE STOOGES are icons of modern rock, influencing the fledgling sounds of punk, heavy metal, and hard core. From the beginning, lead singer and provocateur Iggy Pop (born James Osterberg) astounded audiences with his outrageous stage performances, accompanied by guitarist Ron Asheton, his drummer brother Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexander with their raw and bracing sound. The group disbanded in 1974, but reunited in 2003 to play before a vastly expanded fan base of over 10 million devotees worldwide.
With contributions from noted music journalists Dave DiMartino, Ben Blackwell, Ivan Suvanjieff, Brian J. Bowe, and Machine Rock, as well as acclaimed photographers Joel Brodsky, Ed Caraeff, Mick Rock, and Lisa Gottlieb, “The Stooges: The Authorized and Illustrated Story” gives readers the definitive account of how these icons of rock ‘n’ roll redefined music, performance, and expectations, time and time again.

To read the complete article visit BLABBERMOUT.NET