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When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams
by
Bob Greene
Includes a bonus excerpt from Bob Greene’s forthcoming Late Edition: A Love Story
"There is something absolutely magical about Bob Greene's voice.”—Jeffrey Zaslow, coauthor, The Last Lecture
Running away to join the circus is a dream we’re told to put away once we’re no longer young. But for the last fifteen summers, Bob Greene has stepped into a universe that is
...morePaperback, 368 pages
Published
May 12th 2009
by St. Martin's Griffin
(first published May 13th 2008)
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"When We Get To Surf City" is Bob Greene's story of his multi-year odyssey as a member of Jan and Dean's touring band. Greene is a long-time columnist for the Chicago Tribune and Esquire, as well as the author of several previous books. The opportunity to play with Jan and Dean came about as a one-time event, but the surf rockers saw how much fun he was having, and invited him back. Soon Greene was flying across the country to join the band whenever he could, a gig that stretched on fo...more
Bob Greene is asked to play back-up for Jan and Dean by their keyboardist, Gary Griffin. The book chronicles 15 years of playing the Midweat at lesser venues. The book concludes with Jan Berry's death in 2004. Greene, Bexley native, grew up on Roosevelt Ave., talks about the fellowship, great fun and residual power of these fun-in-the-sun surf songs. He muses on what drives these guys to do it and he finds that they love singing the songs and having one more summer. And one more summer afte...more
I love anything by Bob Greene. This is a poignant look at the bands of yesteryear and how they have grown (and yet, stayed the same) since the heydays. A great summer book.
Jan & Dean performing in legends band travel throughout the US-Nostalgic for those in the Beach Boy generation.
I wanted to read this book for 2 reasons: The author grew up in Columbus, Ohio, where I live, and I have enjoyed several of his other books. I also wanted to read it because of my job in the media biz at an Alternative Rock radio station-- which gave me an "inside look" at the rock & roll lifestyle, not to mention the opportunity to meet many well-known entertainers, and all the rock band tee-shirts I could handle!! Greene's vivid pictures of being "on the road with the band"...more
This is a fun read about being on the road as part of Jan and Dean's backing band in the '90s and '00s. Bob Greene's usual themes are in here: friendship, the passage of time, nostalgia for a time when people were more decent to one another, kitschy Americana, the superiority of the Midwest, the power of summer, tasty cheeseburgers. The best parts of this one are about the encounters with other acts on the oldies/county fair/corporate event circuit.
I plan on sharing this book with my musician friends.
I loved this book. It was a perfect summer read. Bob Greene is an excellent writer. This book just made me wish I had been to some of these concerts. It's not just a book about the music but is about friendships too. I have read several of his books and have enjoyed them all, especially "And You know you should be glad" about a lifetime friendship of boys growing up in Ohio and "Once upon a town" the story of the miracle of the North Platte Canteen during WW two.
This is written by a man who toured with the group for 15 years. Bob Greene is also a columnist/author, and he uses his usual style of relaying vignettes in the course of this phase of Jan and Dean's career. This is especially effective in that the book is written both from the perspective of a band member as well as that of a fan. I attended many of the concerts of which he writes, and it was really refreshing getting the different perspective.
The author took such delight in his travels with Jan and Dean that it was infectious. I loved hearing about his travels.
Best book of the year, without doubt. Bob Greene is a great writer and here he chronicles his time while touring with Jan and Dean the 1960s super group. The book is more than just travel notes. He captures the friendships developed and the sense of memory that music can hold. Log out of this site, go to your bookstore and buy this. Buy more than one copy and display one. You won't be sorry.
I've included & read pretty much all the books (mostly non-fiction, but poss. one or 2 fiction), by this author. He was an award winning columnist for the Chicago Tribune, so enough said. His writing style is impecible!! The only bad thing, is when I come to the last page, with whatever book of his, that I am about to finish reading!
This is an enjoyable book especially if you enjoy 60's pop/rock. It's a little "one note". Once Mr. Greene has established his main themes they are repeated regularly throughout. Not great literature but a fun read.
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| IS it real? | 1 | 4 | Jul 23, 2009 05:58pm |
Robert Bernard Greene, Jr., who writes as Bob Greene, is a journalist.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
More about Bob Greene...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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