FREAKS OUT! Weirdos, Misfits and Deviants

Subtitled 'The Rise and Fall of Righteous Rock 'n' Roll', chapters include how Elvis's quiff knocked out Johnnie Ray, the psychedelic dawn of Hank B Marvin and the Shadows, how the Beatles ruined everything for everyone forever, Mad Bob from Margate, psychedelic Morris Men, the children with Xs carved into their heads, freaks don't wear shorts they wear leotards, and more. The book refers to all pop music created from the 1950s onwards, and it is very funny. This is a manifesto for ... the Freaks. Musician and author Luke Haines embarks on an odyssey through the ages, exploring how the 'freaks' infiltrated modern culture - and almost won the rock 'n' roll wars - only to lose to the rise of Cool Britannia and TV 'talent' shows that turned the strange and the outsiders into fodder for laughter. In this ultimate celebration of freakdom, Haines tells the story of pivotal freaks - including Johnnie Ray, Gene Vincent, Hank Marvin, Syd Barrett, the Incredible String Band and Big Youth - through the prism of rock 'n' roll and explains how freaks infiltrated wider culture through history in the form of the Cathars, the Ranters, Hells Angels and the Yippies. Part memoir, part manifesto, it's a righteous alternate history of rock 'n' roll. 303 pages.