Night People

Things We Lost in the Night #1

by Larry J. Dunlap

IN THIS FAST-MOVING ADVENTURE AND ROMANCE-FILLED MEMOIR THAT READS LIKE A NOVEL, A young Midwestern singer and his vocalist friends experience the transformative power of love, loss, and music in a chaotic West Coast adventure in the1960s. If you liked memoirs from Bruce Springsteen, Robbie Robertson, Carly Simon, Keith Richards, and Patti Smith, you're sure to enjoy Night People.

"I didn't want to believe how much you've changed, but you're a different person here. You live at night here, your friends are night people and you're becoming one, too. You hardly see daylight on weekends. Here it is, nearly dusk, and you're leaving to play music all night again to entertain your new friends--your new girlfriend--all the new people in your new life."

In 1965, Larry's rock and roll vocal group is disintegrating along with his marriage to his high school sweetheart. Despite his resolution to turn his life around in Indianapolis, he finds himself reunited with his scattered-to-the-winds friends in distant San Francisco struggling to re-make themselves into a rock band in the dive clubs of the Bay Area.

Barely surviving the transformation, they struggle to avoid the dangers,temptations, and insecurities waiting to trip them up in their new life. As the band scrambles to overcome, or at least endure, every obstacle in its path, Larry faces a painful choice that will result in loss fort hose he loves no matter how he decides.

Their strong voices and new skills are a potent combination. Soon, Larry and his new band are plunged into a breathtaking journey through mob-run nightclubs, Las Vegas showrooms and backrooms, famous Hollywood night spots, top West Coast recording studios, celebrity managers--and passionate romance.Everything they've ever dreamed of is just around the next corner.

Night People's adventure is set against the backdrop of the West Coast in the mid-60s: a historic era of tectonic cultural, political, musical, and sexual upheaval--and the draft. Everything Larry thought he knew about life, love, and himself is challenged in the tumultuous nights where things and people are too easily found and lost.

466 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2015

About the author

Larry J. Dunlap is the author of the recently completed THINGS WE LOST IN THE NIGHT, A Memoir of Love and Music in the 60s with Stark Naked and the Car Thieves in two volumes: NIGHT PEOPLE: Book 1, followed by ENCHANTED: Book 2.

"Though I'd always wanted to be a creative writer from my youth, my writing career didn't begin until late in life as a pencil-for-hire, technical and training writer for Fortune 50 companies in the 1990s. In the 1970s, the years following my memoir project, I spent most of the decade working in Hollywood as a personal manager, publisher, and Sunset Boulevard recording studio owner/operator. While actually seeking a way out of the music business in the 1980s, I developed a love affair with early computer gaming that led me to co-found The Games Network, Inc., the first all-digital broadcasting cable network, followed by several years in video and film production and post-production.

My favorite project has been imagining a galactic empire as a backdrop for an online game system. In the mid-2000s, I designed what I considered to be an innovative gameplay and delivery system and gathered together a highly talented art and programming team to develop a breakthrough graphical multiplayer online strategy game called IMPERIAL WARS. Since I didn't have the resources initially to develop the game, it gave me a lot of time to work on a history of the empire and develop ideas and concepts for a trilogy based on a specific time in this history. For my latest project I have begun work on the first volume, working-name, IMPERIA, and roughing out the two following books. I've been a huge science-fiction fan since the golden age of sci-fi in the late 1950s and early 60s. It's hard not to be intimidated by the incredible authors in this genre between then and now but I'm excited by the challenge.

At various moments over the years, I have published short stories, been a rock music review columnist for a California lifestyle magazine, and authored and drawn a published music-based cartoon strip named Frets. I author fiction and creative non-fiction project from a wonderful little hideaway near the ocean in Southern California where I count my blessings and share my life with my wife Laurie and our pet Chilidog."

Find out more at http://larryjdunlap.com

Below I'd like to invite you to read the first seven chapters of the two books of Things We Lost in the Night, a fast-moving romance-filled ROMANCE-FILLED memoir of a young singer and his friends search for success in the 1960s music business of California and Las Vegas in an easy to read online format in the link below.


Here are the first seven chapters of NIGHT PEOPLE FREE at the link below:
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin...

and here are the first seven chapters of ENCHANTED FREE at this link:
https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asin...

Reviews

[June McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things we lost in the Night is a memoir that chronicles one restless young man's journey from the innocence of his Indiana school choir, to the raucous rock music scene in San Francisco and Las Vegas of the swinging 'sixties. Larry Dunlap joins his high school band mates on a whim in LA and quickly finds himself part of a budding rock band. The group sleeps on the floors of houses of sympathetic groupies and with barely enough money to buy sandwiches and sodas, they launch their act in seedy bars and clubs. Dunlap becomes the glue that holds them together as he guides his group into ever more sophisticated sounds and venues.
He wends his way through the maze of temperamental singers and instrumentalists, conflicting musical styles, greedy agents, managers and club owners, all the while trying to figure out his place in the world, and in 'the band.' His story is at times poignant, when he sadly tells about the breakup of his marriage, and frustrating, as he tells of the squabbles and back-biting of the group, and we cheer for him when finally wins his father's approval of his hard won progress.
As they reach dizzying heights of musical success, delivering high energy, pitch perfect performances to enthusiastic fans, Dunlap shares the problems and challenges of his new world. With brutal honesty, he depicts his life in the fast lane of the music world with women, booze and drugs, juxtaposed against his 'safe' life back in Indiana with his pretty wife, little blonde boys and scheming in-laws. He tells us his triumphs and foibles, as he navigates this exciting, but dangerous world, and the high cost of his decisions.
Dunlap's writing style is intimate and readable. His themes are universal for everyone – coming of age, love, loss and the price of success. He does a masterful job of telling his story against the backdrop of a turbulent time in American history - the Cuban missile crisis, the assassination of a president, Civil rights, drugs, sexual freedom, and landing a man on the moon.
This story will be fascinating for anyone interested in this time in America's history, the bumpy evolution of rock bands, the search for self, family struggles, or just for the enjoyment of a good read.

[David Haldane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larry Dunlap provides a smooth stroll -- or should I say a not-so-smooth tumble -- through an era highly significant in American history, not only to those who lived through it but, perhaps even more importantly, to those born in its aftermath. To those of us who were there, the landscape is familiar: uncertainty, personal turbulence, conflict and confusion -- all justified by the unshakable sense that what we were doing was new, revolutionary, unprecedented and absolutely irresistible. Dunlap traverses this landscape with honesty, courage and a good deal of verve, especially regarding the eternal conflict between the "old life" and the new. He is especially good in the love scenes with his former wife, representing the old, and groupie girlfriend representing the new. These scenes are passionate, confusing and, most importantly, tender -- as they often are in real life. My only complaint is a little difficulty in distinguishing between the many characters in the numerous and prolonged club scenes -- especially early in the book. I could have done with a fewer people, each more drawn out. This is resolved as the story unfolds, but it took me a little longer than I would have liked to get my bearings. On the other hand, this collage of characters is probably a pretty fair representation of the real club scene, which has never been my own. Bottom line: this is a good read for anyone who was there, wishes they were or is glad that they weren't. I'm looking forward to the next book...

[Cliffbeacham]

When I looked at the title I thought what the . . . ? Then I started reading. Each chapter had something a little different and none was what I expected. Since I lived in the same era I found that I identified with so much in the book. The outlook on life during those times. Frankly, I am sure that Larry wrote this book for me personally and it should intrigue anyone interested in a graphic and true account of life in those times.
Also it was written with such flair that it kept you in the story from beginning to end - my only complaint is that now I have to wait for book two - I was disappointed that it ended and am pretty impatient for the next volume in what should be a great true to life saga. Thanks for writing this book Larry.

[Rick Stepp-Bolling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things We Lost in the Night by Larry Dunlap is a must read for anyone who is interested in understanding the music industry in the 1960s. Larry Dunlap takes the reader on a personal journey when he writes about his life with Stark Naked and the Car Thieves, an influential band that played in Vegas, San Francisco, and Hollywood during the tumultuous sixties. The book follows Larry Dunlap during his early years in Indianapolis and then onto California when he joined his fellow band members struggling to make a living. The author does an excellent job of recreating the atmosphere of the music venues as well as the life and times of an era that changed the face of music. This is definitely a must read. I can’t wait for book two!

[Meg Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night People by Larry J. Dunlap is an incredibly entertaining biography that reads like fiction. Who wouldn't get lost in a real-life story that comes across more like a movie script (this should be a movie script)? The storyline is not so far-fetched that you can't fathom that any of this took place, though. In fact, it has the perfect balance of excitement because you know this all happened, yet it's not rehashed stories and scenarios that make you lose interest. This book is authentic....the real deal. Larry Dunlap has a way of turning written words into actual emotions, feelings and passions from that period in time. I do love music and history from this era, so it was even more hypnotizing to immerse into a book that talked of the hits and groups that were filling radio speakers at the time. But, aside from being drawn to those parts of the book, the extreme detail regarding relationship dynamics, the Vietnam war and all of the emotions that charged that era--it all made me unable to stop thinking about and wanting to read more about the book. It's not a traditional coming-of-age story, yet that theme is peppered throughout the book, and woven throughout various stages of many lives that Larry is part of, including his own, of course. What I found equally intriguing was the tale of Mr. Dunlap's rock-and-roll career, from the eyes of someone who had a small taste of mild success, but never climbing the charts as he'd hoped. I have read many biographies from musicians, particularly from this time period, and for some reason, hearing such a detailed account from someone whose "happy ending" I wasn't already aware of was absolutely fascinating. This is how the "other" bands lived during that era. This is how it impacted their families, their choices and their futures. One final piece of praise: I received an ARC (Advanced Readers Copy) of this book, which can mean the book is plagued with typos and, at times, still unorganized, as it's going through final edits yet. Night People was better written than some final copies of books I've read, and edited nearly flawlessly, which pleased the grammar nerd in me to no end.

I cannot wait to read the next part of this story, the second book, that Larry Dunlap has promised to release. Do yourself a favor and grab this read. You'll find yourself looking up band names, smiling, laughing, worried about outcomes and people, and wanting more. Larry J. Dunlap may have been a fantastic singer and performer, but he was meant to be an author. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Chris Tunnah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night People (Things We Lost in the Night...book #1) by Larry J. Dunlap is a true life adventure not to be missed.

I have gained such an appreciation for up and coming bands. The trials and the pitfalls are numerous as Larry recounts them. The rewards can be worth it though.

I appreciated the chance to read an advanced copy and found it very entertaining. I can't think of any negatives other than some of the band's group and individual experiences.
This was a gem. So nice to get a peek into the rock era as it was still budding in the early to mid 60's.

Between juggling and sacrificing relationships and friends, we all can take a look back at our own lives and relate to major choices we have made (and their consequences).

This is a page turner. I found myself afraid to find out some of the resolutions as they were revealed. I wanted more by the end. Can't wait for the next in the series.

Larry has an upbeat writing style that befriends us as the reader. I felt like the band deserved much better than they got. I can only hope things continued to blossom as they got more established.

Working their way from some Indianapolis native A cappella crooners to real rockers, and trying to avoid selling out. Elation and misery mingled with love and sex. Fame and fortune within their grasp if they can just catch the next big break.

I appreciate Larry inviting me to be part of his audience.

[Sylvia Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things We Lost in the Night (Book 1 of Night People), A Memoir of Love and Music in the 60s with STARK NAKED and the CAR THIEVES by Larry J Dunlap took me spiraling back to my youth in Indianapolis in the 1960s. Dunlap and I are connected through North Methodist, where he sang in the adult choir while I wore the children’s robes, and through North Central High School, where he sang for Don Martin and graduated 9 years before I did.

Memoir is a difficult genre, but Dunlap avoids the pitfalls of tedium and pitiful life excuses by giving us a compelling story, told in the engaging voice of a reflective narrator. His dialogue and scene structure give genuine depth and detail. We come to know the boys in the band and the girls that flit in and out of the flame around them.

Dunlap builds suspense with a plot rich in the twisting reality of life on the road for a 60s rock band. He invites the reader in, and before we realize it, we find that we care very much about these boys, their families, their lovers, their rivals, and their success.

This is a memoir that reads like a novel. The ultimate test of a writer’s achievement is the feeling within when the final page is turned. I closed the book with a sigh of contentment, knowing that there will be a Book 2 soon.

This story brings the 1950s and 1960s culture to life. I recommend it as a great destination for summer reading.

[Carleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fantastic invitation into the life of Larry Dunlap of the 60's rock band, Stark Naked and the Car Thieves! I thoroughly enjoyed reading Larry's memoir and experiencing his defeats and triumphs with him through his vivid writing. As most would say, the 60's were definitely an era that was in to drugs, sex, and rock n' roll, well, there is not denying that all of these attributes will be found within this book. The reader is definitely drawn in to this book and can empathize with Larry. He is just a small town guy attempting to live his dreams. I found it absolutely amazing the many obstacles that he would overcome in order to get where he wanted. Success definitely doesn't come easy and there are sacrifices that everyone must make. I was attached to the notion of Larry and Pat and could feel the crushing pain that must have been felt when things didn't turn out quite as the reader would hope. Kudos to Larry for his bravery through this time. I found the enlistment chapter quite interesting to say the least. If you are in to rock n' roll or have never heard of Stark Naked and the Car Thieves, I suggest you check out this book. There is most definitely some drugs, sex, and rock n' roll in this book, so use personal discretion. Thank you for inviting the world in to your life, Larry. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larry Dunlap has opened my eyes to the inner-workings of a musician. I have always been interested in the history, politics, social, and music scene of the 1960s. It is an era that I would time-travel to, if only I could. And I don’t mean for that to sound silly!

Stark Naked And The Car Thieves is band name not easily forgotten. I embarked on a journey of a lifetime with Larry and his fellow buddies. From Indiana to California, the music is what kept Larry going. It felt as if most things were possible, but not always guaranteed. After reading about a gig at “The Town Club” or rocking out in Las Vegas, I would picture myself there as well.

Larry and his band seemed to be like a deer in headlights at almost every corner. It was a breath of fresh air to read about their mischief and hilarious adventures. Which is probably why being a “significant other” wasn’t exactly the easiest road to take. I felt sad though about the Vietnam draft experience. And I was elated when Larry’s father was finally able to see his son perform on stage. Some might say that there was an innocence back then. Maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t. All I can write is that I wish I had been on Larry’s ride of a lifetime!

I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Betty Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Step back in time! What a good memoir of the early 60s and the struggle most young vocalists and bands had to go through to be even a little bit successful in their goals to perform. Seems like you had to be quite good to just make ends meet and try to keep going with little or no help from others. Managers, agents, and the like,.always want a cut on the action, plus naïve "kids", even with a good sound, trying to just get by, is near impossible. Stark Naked with Larry's help did a good job with little knowledge of how to make a living singing. As a transplant from Indiana in 1970 to California, I can tell you it wouldn't be easy. Granted things were much different in the 60s and early 70s, the simple Midwest living would not prepare anyone for San Francisco and LA and the struggle ahead. This was a totally fun book to read. Lots of conversation made it easy to read and the short chapters made the read fast and neat. I loved it as will others. I certainly recommend it. It would be a great gift for anyone raised in the 50s and 60s who loved the music and heritage of those years!
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night People is Larry Dunlap’s memoir chronicling his time and experiences of building a rock band during the 1960’s. Larry’s story begins as a 24 year old living in Indianapolis, where life as he knows it is falling apart. His small band had had some success locally, but is sputtering out as his bandmates and friends are leaving to try to make it out in California. Larry is also losing his relationship with his wife and two sons, and is back living with his parents. His friends call from California, wanting him to come out and sing with them. With life as he knew it in shambles, he takes the chance, though he really isn’t committed. He naively joins his friends, starting off a crazy story of navigating the highs and lows of building a band, being on the road, and chasing fame.

Dunlap writes incredibly well, and does a great job of building up the world and culture of the time. He balances out the larger view of the times with the personal experiences with his friends and women he becomes involved with, and his own path of owning his own behavior and understanding his path.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephen Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The passion and talent of Larry Dunlap was first displayed with his performance with the singing group STARK NAKED and the CAR THIEVES during the 60s. Now he has displayed that same energy and talent as the author of his memoir, “THINGS we LOST in the NIGHT.” Creativity is displayed through this thoughtful title as it represents the author’s transition from mundane existence to the complex heights of success in the music industry. As the reader will quickly learn, that choices and life style selection often occur with an unexpected tax. Larry shares with great detail the emotional and physic costs he endures with his journey to music greatness. Live the complex, challenging, yet rewarding experiences of the relationships among the rock group. How does the author learn whom to trust in the complex entertainment industry? The hard way. Will Larry grow and flourish or simply survive life with sex, drugs, and rock and roll? The inspiring revelations flow from the pages of this book. The reader will be greatly rewarded for there involvement.

[J.L. Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rock and Roll baby



NIGHT PEOPLE, the first book in an intimate literary memoir, follows the first three of six years in the life of a young singer and his Midwestern friends as they strive for success in a coming-of-age music- and romance-filled journey in 1960s-era California and Las Vegas by Author Larry J. Dunlap

So a friend of mine told me about this book: Night People. She said I would love it, yet I was skeptical because I'm not a nonfiction reader, however; my friend has really good tastes in books so I gave this one a try. I'm very happy I did. Night People is a wonderful book, I found myself forgetting that it was a biography. It reads like a fictional book, so it was a very easy read for me. I never lost interest. Author Dunlap is such a beautiful writer. I found myself lost in the book, as if I was watching a really good movie. If you can make me forget that I was reading a biography and take me to that imaginary place, than you did a brilliant job. Bravo! I'm looking forward to reading your next book.
5

[Avidreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The author, Larry J Dunlap, has done a remarkable job taking the reader on a personal journey of what it was really like to live back in the 1960's during the rise of Rock and Roll. While I've heard stories, or maybe just imagined what it was like back then, this has really taken me inside the life of those who lived it. This book begins in Indiana where a young man has just lost everything that seemed important to him. After a little discussion with each parent, Larry decides to follow his buddies out to California to see if he can make it in the music industry. What follows is a heartfelt memoir of what his life was like "living the dream". I had a difficult time putting this book down once I started reading it.

If you love classic rock and roll and want a peek into what it was really like for musicians back in the 60's, then you should read this book. I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Dennis Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! This is a real insight as to what these small bands, good or bad, had to go through to get dates and gigs to play. These guys were good and yet had to work and work, giving up freedom, time, and even a good meal sometimes, to show others what they had. As good friends, bonding through "job hunting" they managed to succeed at what they did. Usually to earn a living is up to just one person, yourself, and even though things weren't always perfect, as a group, they worked together to make a success of this band and what they believed in. I appreciated the fact that this was not a "made up" story or novel, but rather a non-fiction portrayal on life in the '60s. Anyone that had a small bank at that time, and I did, can certainly feel what these guys did. The step-back, refreshing my memory, of songs of that time was such fun. I would recommend this book to anyone even a little bit interested in this era. It is really to like!

[Steve McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, I have to say, "Night People" is not a topic that jumps to the top of my list of want to reads. I was thankfully surprised by how good a book this is! It's more than a look inside the 60s music biz, it's a detailed portrait of an era from the perspective of a fairly normal, average guy. It's not a History of Vast Epic Issues, it's an intimate look at who we were during an era of profound change in American society. "Night People" is well written with a terrific feel for the time. All of you X Gen, Millenials, etc, if you have any interest on what shaped the people who became your parents, want to learn the origins of today's popular music, this is a must read. For all of us Old Farts, it's a great remembrance of things past.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larry has led interesting life. I relate to much of the 60s era, but have never seen through the lens of a rock star life. I don't want to say too much because I don't like spoilers myself. He rubbed elbows with a lot of important people in the rock world. But, most important; Larry rocks.

[Marc Ballon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a rock and roll junkie. I have probably owned more than 2,000 CDs in my life and attended more than 200 concerts. An avid reader, I have also consumed scores of music biographies and memoirs, including tomes by Keith Richards, Grace Slick, Steven Tyler, John Densmore and Phil Lesh. All too often, though, my rock heroes disappoint with shallow and predictable tales short on emotion but high on sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Larry Dunlap’s memoir, “Night People: A Memoir of Love and Music in the 60s with Stark Naked and the Car Thieves” does not disappoint. In fact, it’s one the best books of its kind I’ve ever read.

Who the hell are Stark Naked and the Car Thieves? Good question. I had no idea until I picked up the book and read it at a friend’s urging.

Stark Naked and the Car Thieves was a doo wop/rock/R&B outfit that came out of Indiana to the bright lights and big cities out west before the dawning of the Summer of Love. Dunlap, one of the group’s lead singers, vividly and poignantly recounts his band’s journey from a Midwestern cover band with rock and roll fantasies to playing big-name clubs in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas and all the attendant adventures along the way.

Dunlap’s book takes its time, which proves to be a good thing. By the end of the book, I felt like I knew Larry, Les, Mac, Dave and the assorted other Stark Naked alumni who floated in and out of the group. Dunlap’s powerful writing captures the highs and lows of a band on the move and inching its way to stardom.

He takes us into sweaty, smoky bars in the East Bay, where members of the band pop handfuls of pills to make it through grueling all-night performances; He takes us into the studio as Stark Naked’s famed four-part harmony gets buried in the mix by a big-time Hollywood producer; He shows us the physical and mental toll of constant touring, recording and plotting, including failed marriages, frayed relationships and passionate but short-lived liaisons with young beauties that end with bittersweet good-byes.

Yes, the book has loads of sex, drugs and rock and roll, just as you’d expect from any book about a 60s band. But Dunlap employs rock’s holy trinity only in the service of a good story. He’s not out to shock but rather to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, albeit tastefully. That’s not to say Dunlap holds much back. In fact, his love scenes positively sparkle. I think there might be a career for him in romance novels should he ever decide to change literary genres.

By the end of the book, the first of his two-part memoir, Dunlap believes the band is poised to break on through to the other side. He and his band mates feel, no, they know, that the future is theirs. Only it wasn’t.

I can’t wait to find out why.

I highly recommend “Night People: A Memoir of Love and Music in the 60s with Stark Naked and the Car Thieves” to anyone looking for a good read and a great story. I’d put it right next to Keith Richards’ “Life” on the shelf of rock memoirs for the ages.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Night People is the first of two books that make up "Things We Lost in the Night, A Memoir of Love and Music in the 60s with Stark Naked and the Car Thieves," takes place in the 1960s music business in California and Nevada, and tells of a group of friends in a rock band who migrate to California, reunite to make music, and find themselves unexpectedly on the cutting edge of nightclubs and Vegas showrooms - venues entirely outside of their experience as musicians.

From Larry J. Dunlap's early, evolving group of musician friends and why they moved from Indianapolis to California to the opportunity offered by the lure of a nightclub gig, Night People provides a fine autobiography of golden prospects, how these are assessed, and what is involved in a "…clean sweep, [sic] necessary for me to change, to become what everyone here expected of me."

From the monotony of an assembly-line job that offers its own kind of peace (if not a degree of ennui) to the decision to undertake a risky journey to California, there to become embroiled in the music scene springing from counterculture roots like a phoenix from the ashes, Night People does a terrific job of charting the impetus for change, immersions in different kinds of musical atmospheres, evolving relationships between musicians, and a combination of circumstance and drive that keeps Larry J. Dunlap on a fast-paced journey of discovery.

Against the backdrop of 1960s (amidst the military draft, rising political savvy, and marriages lost and found), Dunlap's roller coaster ride through the worlds of music and love involves transformations, departures, and new beginnings.

Readers looking for a great beach read who are interested in sagas of Hollywood and limelight encounters, back rooms, bars and nightclubs, and the progress of a band of musicians who strive for success will find that Night People is a well-written memoir that deftly captures a sense of the 1960s and what it meant to be an aspiring musician during this time of seismic cultural change.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does a band get a name like Stark Naked and the Car Thieves?
Make a smart remark in the wrong place and show up for work to find your future changed.
An enthralling memoir of a classic era among American rock and roll history.
I did, at points, wonder if Larry's recollection of certain events was a bit revisionist, but no matter. I was caught up in his story and relationships and couldn't walk away before the end.
I will pick up the second volume.

Free love, cheap and plentiful drugs but tough times to break into a life altering business.
Although in their 20s, these guys from Indiana were not prepared for life in California and beyond.
It takes more than musical talent just to survive, to even get a chance to prove your worth.
We travel along through the group's struggles with family and relationships, in-fighting between band members, crooked management and empty promises.

If you were alive in the era, or if you have interest in the entertainment or music industries, you will enjoy reading about the tumultuous beginnings of Larry's music career. You will get a flash view of the seedy underbelly of the times. My parents would never have been as supportive.
I do read memoirs and this one is very well written. I was glad Larry also shared his love of reading and trying new things. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this adventure.

I did receive a copy to review without expectations or compensation.

[Paisleyorca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This insightful memoir gives us a glimpse of a young white adult male and his band trying to make it in the music business during the 1960’s. We are with them through the various highs and lows, cities and venues, and the very human aspects of their newly-budding career. The perspective and norms of that era are well-established in this book. Choices made, good or bad, shape the lead character throughout, and we have a front row seat on his life during that time. We discover how much this man was willing to let go of, and leave behind, so he could seriously focus on his dream for a shot at stardom. Things We Lost In The Night is well-written and a book I believe most people will enjoy. I definitely recommend it.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is a great slice of life book with wonderful insight into the creation of a band and the effort it took to turn it into a career. The story sometimes strays and there were many sections that I wished were shorter or edited out. The sections did not add to the story making the book much longer than it needed to be.
It was fun to read about the band, their practices, performances, love affairs, and family lives.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!! I just loved this one!! It made me wish I was old enough to be part of the 60's music scene. Larry Dunlap did a super job on this one and I can't wait to read Book 2. I won this great book on GoodReads and like I do with most my wins I will be paying it forward by giving my win either to a friend or library to enjoy.

[Bobby Norman · Rating 5 out of 5]

An artist of any form walks a tight rope over a bottomless abyss. It's a scary thing to wake up in the morning with no one to make you do it. When it seems you're the only one who believes. That you're not wasting precious time. No punch clock. No supervisor. Just what your heart demands of you. Larry Dunlap's Things We Lost In The Night bleeds for all of us.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and thought-provoking read about a young man and his fellow band members following their musical dreams.

[T.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set against the backdrop of West Coast, Night People, the first installment of the engrossing, intimate memoir, traces the first three of six years in the life of young members of a rock-and-roll vocal group as they struggle to succeed in the 1960s historic era of cultural, musical, and sexual upheaval. In a leisurely, insightful prose, Dunlap interweaves young protagonist’s threads of life with his band’s ups and downs as his marriage to his high-school sweetheart disintegrates.

Dunlap’s sympathetic writing and his intimate, deep dive into the 1960s musical scene offers a rounded and complete portrait of life of a struggling vocal band. With refreshing candor, Dunlap tells the poignant story of a group of young people for whom the success proved to be a mirage.

Readers looking for a great summer read will be rewarded.

[TheCosyDragon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

I received this book for review, but the cover put me off reading. Then when I attempted to read it, I couldn’t get through the dry text of the first chapter. It has been sitting on my shelf to be read for at least 2 years, so it is time for it to go.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

1960's Rock and Roll

Great nostalgic trip back to the 60's. Enjoyed reading about the ups and downs of Stark Naked and the Car Thieves. Every time a cover song was mentioned I had to sing it to myself.
It was interesting to be there with Larry as he looked back on his life and what he gave up to pursue his one true passion of being a rock and roll singer with his core group of long time friends.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it.
I received this book in exchange for a review.

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book. I was disappointed in it. It was too long and disoriented and I rushed through the end of it. Rock and roll band? Maybe. Cover band. Definitely. After awhile I just was not interested about the band. I wanted to hear what happened to the lead character's children and his family. What was he doing besides just going from gig to gig? Did not care about the drugs or all the women.

[Vicki Drane]

A must read

I highly recommend this book. It is so rich in musical history, life experiences, love, loss, and the up and down journey of pursuing your dreams. It is a novel that moved me deeply, and had me emotionally invested from the moment I began reading it. It is one of the best books I have every read.