Mellencamp - by Paul Rees (Paperback)

About the Book

"John Mellencamp is not your typical rock star. Not only has he absorbed into his own work the influence of Faulkner, Williams, Steinbeck and other such literary giants, but he himself could have stepped straight from the pages of any of their great American novels. A complex, colorful and larger than life character, Mellencamp, like Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash before him, walks to the beat of his own drum. Or, as he told author and veteran music journalist, Paul Rees: 'I just refuse to take shit off anyone.' Mellencamp will definitively chart the life of one of the most fascinating characters in all of American music. It will bring into full relief the complex, iconoclastic character of the man Billy Joel, when inducting Mellencamp into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, urged to 'Stay ornery, stay mean. We need you to be pissed off, ' Joel continued. 'People need to hear a voice like yours to echo the discontent in the heartland. Someone's got to tell 'em, "Don't take any shit," and John, you do that very well.' Along with Mellencamp's full blessing, Rees will include new interviews from his friends, family and colleagues, including Bob Seger, Stephen King, Willie Nelson, Larry McMurtry, Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and Chuck D, among others. Rees will also include interviews from artists he has had a pronounced influence on such as John Mayer, Keith Urban, and Jason Isbell. Telling Mellencamp's story is telling the story of the American heartland, along with such pivotal moments in social history as the dawning of the Civil Rights movement, the hippy era, the anti-Vietnam War protests, Watergate, and the terms of such divisive US Presidents as Richard Nixon, Reagan, George W. Bush and now Donald Trump. In terms of music, Mellencamp's account runs parallel to the advent of rock-and-roll, the Summer of Love, the singer-songwriter superstars and the nihilistic punks of the nineteen-seventies, the founding of MTV and the have-it-all eighties, the creation of Farm Aid, and the radical re-shaping of the music industry that has gone on through this century"--

Book Synopsis

This definitive biography of John Mellencamp is "a true coming-of-age story" (John Sykes, chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation) of an iconic American rock and roll original, featuring exclusive in-depth interviews and never-before-told details. Perfect for fans of Janis and Born to Run. John Mellencamp is not your typical rock star. With music inspired by the work of William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, and other giants of American literature, he has experienced a colorful career unlike any other. Now, this fascinating biography fully charts the life of one of this country's most important voices in American music. Mellencamp's story is also the story of the American heartland. His growth as an artist and evolution into legendary status directly reflected the major changes of the last fifty years. From the Summer of Love to the growing divisiveness of American politics and beyond, his music has served as the backdrop to this country for millions of fans. Featuring exclusive interviews with friends, family, and colleagues, and exploring everything from the founding of Farm Aid to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is a fresh, expansive, and "inspirational" (Nora Guthrie, president of The Woody Guthrie Foundation) look at a true original.