Jimmy Guterman

I've read any number of books on the Killer and "Rockin' My Life Away" is a decent enough example of the subgenre of Jerry Lee Lewis books. Guterman is at pains to say that he is concentrating on Lewis's recording output, although the Killer's personal life and related problems are never far from the surface.

As a result of the decision to concentrate on Lewis's recording career means that "Rockin' My Life Away" is probably not for the acquaintances of the Killer but rather those that, like I, have made their way through the more sensationalist tomes on Lewis and now looking for the meat of what made him famous, rather than what made him infamous.… (meer)

Yeah, another book about Springsteen’s music. The tone is surprisingly chatty for a subject usually described in ponderous and weighty prose. There is a bit of ponderousness here, but it is offset by the large typeface and 230-page length of the paperback.

Unlike virtually every other Springsteen book, _Runaway American Dream_ chooses to ignore his personal life and focus on the music. The book reads like one long album review, in a good way; for a musician who is so well know for perfectionism both in the studio and on stage, there is surprisingly little in-depth discussion of the details of Springsteen's music. This book remedies the situation to some extent -- you'll find within its pages a discussion of Clarence Clemons's diminishing importance to the E Street sound and a brief proclaiming Max Weinberg to be the second greatest white rock and roll drummer of all time.

Although it isn't what you'd called a page-turner, I nevertheless went through this book in one sitting. The focus on the music itself combined with the breezy writing made _Runaway American Dream_ oddly propulsive.… (meer)