New article compares Chuck's book and mine

[Rockwriter]

Hey:

Here's a link to a new article from Rich at Kweevak.com, comparing and contrasting Chuck's book and mine:

http://soundpress.blogspot.com/2007/07/ ... r-two.html


I hope everyone is doing well.


Sterling

[cittadeeno23]

Nice article, Sterling! I think it hit the nail on the head.
I really enjoyed learning about Chuck and what he has had to deal with his WHOLE life. He is a hero to me and I am very happy for him and proud of him for being who he is. There is no reason to be ashamed of who you are, as long as you are a good person who cares about others.
I had a friend in elementary school who was "different" than everyone else. He was teased all the time. But he was a good kid and I stayed friends with him until he moved away.
I ran into him as an adult many years later, and he told me he was gay, but was finally living a happy life. I was really glad he was happy.
I kind of saw what he had to go through as a kid and Chuck's story kind of reminded me of him.

As for your book, it was more about Styx, where as Chuck's book was more about his life.
I got so much background info on Styx from your book and I am going to read it again and again!
You got to interview most of the "behind the scene" people that were involved in Styx' career, and I learned a lot more about the band than I ever thought possible. Styx has ALWAYS kept their fans in the dark, and you did a good job telling us what really happened.

By the way, it looks like the Van Halen "off again/on again situation might me "on again"!
Good luck if you decide to write that story!!

Jimmy

[Rockwriter]

Nice article, Sterling! I think it hit the nail on the head.
I really enjoyed learning about Chuck and what he has had to deal with his WHOLE life. He is a hero to me and I am very happy for him and proud of him for being who he is. There is no reason to be ashamed of who you are, as long as you are a good person who cares about others.
I had a friend in elementary school who was "different" than everyone else. He was teased all the time. But he was a good kid and I stayed friends with him until he moved away.
I ran into him as an adult many years later, and he told me he was gay, but was finally living a happy life. I was really glad he was happy.
I kind of saw what he had to go through as a kid and Chuck's story kind of reminded me of him.

As for your book, it was more about Styx, where as Chuck's book was more about his life.
I got so much background info on Styx from your book and I am going to read it again and again!
You got to interview most of the "behind the scene" people that were involved in Styx' career, and I learned a lot more about the band than I ever thought possible. Styx has ALWAYS kept their fans in the dark, and you did a good job telling us what really happened.

By the way, it looks like the Van Halen "off again/on again situation might me "on again"!
Good luck if you decide to write that story!!

Jimmy

Thanks. I'm glad you liked the book, and I'm glad this writer chose not to pit my book and Chuck's against each other, but rather was able to appreciate each in turn for what it is. I have said from the start that I don't see them as competing titles, I see them as companion titles. By reading both you will certainly get a much wider cross-section of the history of Styx and a very different take on some of the same information.

As for Van Halen, I don't know if you've seen this, but there's a bio coming out in August entitled 'Everybody Wants Some', so I will have to wait and see if that's any good before I decide what I'm going to do. If it sucks then there will still be a hole in the market, but if the writer did the job right - and from the promotional materials I have seen, it looks like he might have - then there's not much point in my doing a second one. I am still looking at some other options, including Boston, Journey, and possibly even American Idol, an in-depth oral history with interviews from as many of the contestants as I could get. I don't know where it's going to land yet.

Thanks again, I hope all is well.


Sterling

[DarwinNebraska]

As for Van Halen, I don't know if you've seen this, but there's a bio coming out in August entitled 'Everybody Wants Some', so I will have to wait and see if that's any good before I decide what I'm going to do. If it sucks then there will still be a hole in the market, but if the writer did the job right - and from the promotional materials I have seen, it looks like he might have - then there's not much point in my doing a second one. I am still looking at some other options, including Boston, Journey, and possibly even American Idol, an in-depth oral history with interviews from as many of the contestants as I could get. I don't know where it's going to land yet.

Thanks again, I hope all is well.

Sterling

How about Alice Cooper, Sterling? There have been books... but nothing post 70s that I'm aware of. Most of those were fabrications, anyhow. As a big fan, I'm not sure we've ever gotten all the details on the split of the original band and the true motivations for it, the problems Alice went through with his alcohol (and supposed drug use) problems in the late 70s and early 80s.

Just a thought...

[Abitaman]

JOURNEY, JOURNEY, JOURNEY!!!!!!

[Rockwriter]

As for Van Halen, I don't know if you've seen this, but there's a bio coming out in August entitled 'Everybody Wants Some', so I will have to wait and see if that's any good before I decide what I'm going to do. If it sucks then there will still be a hole in the market, but if the writer did the job right - and from the promotional materials I have seen, it looks like he might have - then there's not much point in my doing a second one. I am still looking at some other options, including Boston, Journey, and possibly even American Idol, an in-depth oral history with interviews from as many of the contestants as I could get. I don't know where it's going to land yet.

Thanks again, I hope all is well.

Sterling

How about Alice Cooper, Sterling? There have been books... but nothing post 70s that I'm aware of. Most of those were fabrications, anyhow. As a big fan, I'm not sure we've ever gotten all the details on the split of the original band and the true motivations for it, the problems Alice went through with his alcohol (and supposed drug use) problems in the late 70s and early 80s.

Just a thought...

Alice Cooper, huh? That would almost have to be something done with his cooperation, which would be ultra cool. But I don't know how much he would want to talk about all that now, he can be reluctant sometimes about the past. Hmmm . . . interesting idea, thogh, if it could be pulled off. In my very first band we used to play "Halo of Flies", so I've been into Alice for decades.


Sterling

[Rockwriter]

JOURNEY, JOURNEY, JOURNEY!!!!!!

I think Journey could be one of the great rock books of all time if done correctly, but I hesitate for several reasons. First, there is so much animosity between these guys and Steve that it makes Styx and Dennis look like friends by comparison. Second, when they kicked Steve out, part of the agreement they struck is that nobody can speak to an unauthorized biographer without Steve Perry's consent. So if I could not land Steve - and I don't know what reason he would have to do it - I could not land any band members, which would make it hard to be credible. So I hesitate . . . but from just the little I do know about Journey, there's a really great untold story there, much as there was with Styx. And it would sell even better than Styx without a doubt. So we'll see.

Thanks.


Sterling

PS What would be a good title for a Journey book?

[StyxCollector]

PS What would be a good title for a Journey book?

I know just as much about Journey as I do Styx and I can say you're right - Styx is peanuts compared to everything that's gone on in Journeyland, especially recently.

Book title? Hmm ... would have to think about that. I'm sure the Journey forum would have some great ideas

[DarwinNebraska]

PS What would be a good title for a Journey book?

Who's Crying Now?

[Zan]

PS What would be a good title for a Journey book?

Who's Crying Now?

I actually agree! LOL

[kansas666]

I just finished Chuck's book. I read a lot of rock and roll literature. And I found it to be probably the most compelling book in that genre I have ever read. Admittedly, I was a little unfomfortable reading some parts of it. But he put the whole STYX saga in perspective.

I have Sterling's book on order from Amazon and I am looking forward to it.