UNCOMMON PEOPLE: The Rise and Fall of The Rock Stars

Adoring fans surrounding the limousine as a young David Bowie with his iconic haircut smoking a cigarette emerging into his newfound fame graces the cover of this gorgeous, celebratory read. The age of the rock star, like the age of the cowboy, has passed. What did we see in them? Swagger, recklessness, sexual charisma, self-belief, a certain way of carrying themselves, good hair, interesting shoes, talent? What did we want of them? To be larger than life but also like us. To live out their songs. To stay young forever. No wonder many didn't stay the course. Never a dull moment with 40 enjoyable romps across the years 1955 to 1994 with the rise of the drum machine. Here are bad boys, guitar heroes, rock bands, female rock stars and career suicide from the early days of Elvis Presley and Fats Domino to David Bowie, Morrisey to Madonna, Ozzy Osbourne to Björk, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Janis Joplin, Bruce Springsteen, Sid Vicious, The Edge, Bob Marley, Kurt Cobain, Keith Moon and on into infinity. It's about the fantasy figures that rock fame transformed them into and the personal price they paid for playing a starring role in our dreams. We wanted rock stars to be glamorous but also authentic, willing to beat off willing sexual partners but also live a fulfilled family life, staying up too late and never giving their full attention, but still operating at their full potential and talent. Rock stars were uncommon people who came from the masses and got to the top without the help of education, training, family ties or money and surprisingly many had careers that lasted far longer than they ever had any right to expect. Here their legends endure. 421pp, paperback with many photos.