Music vs The Man

by Peter Rowe

For centuries, a war has raged between singers, musicians, bands--and the authorities. The conflict comes to life in Music vs The Man.
What is it about musicians like John Lennon, Billie Holiday, Paul Robeson, Michael Jackson and Pussy Riot that has put them so frequently in the cross-hairs of the police, immigration officials, city councils, the FBI, and the Kremlin?
Music vs The Man explores the question in chapters featuring artists from Strauss and Shostakovich to Sinatra and the Stones. Music wields the type of revolutionary power that politicians and authorities only dream of. Music has the power to open hearts, change minds, and motivate people to stand up for what they believe in. That's why, through the centuries, authorities have been trying to censor it, by throwing musicians in prison, raiding their homes and sometimes even killing them.
In Music vs The Man acclaimed filmmaker and author Peter Rowe tells the wild stories of the efforts of a wide group of musical artists to make their voices heard, and the bold and forceful efforts of the authorities to shut them up.

504 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2020

Reviews

[Peter Rowe]

Here are some of the reviews the book has received on the online bookseller sites:

A super read about musicians we thought we knew! Music vs The Man is a superb book written for anyone who’s seen the raunchy side of music and musicians fighting against the law. It peels away the outer layers and gets deep into the troubles afflicting well-known musicians, from classical to current. Why are they harassed by the law so often? Why did world leaders obsess about Elvis and John Lennon? Peter Rowe writes from the point of view of a participant in most of the music of the 20th Century because he seems to have been in the midst of it. He writes about Jimi Hendrix performing at the Isle of Wight Festival – a concert that attracted 650,000 people – and casually mentions that “This writer was on the stage, just a few feet away from Hendrix, filming him for a documentary.” As seen from this book, Peter Rowe was everywhere and he writes from personal experience. It’s hard not to blast through this book because it’s so bizarre and outrageous in so many places. You get hooked. But it’s better to go slow and savor each chapter, preferably with the music of each performer streaming in the background. Music vs The Man gives insight into the music while the music give insight to the stories. Peter Rowe provides a whole different view of the musicians we thought we knew so well.

Great behind the scenes in the music world! Peter Rowe’s Music vs the Man is an extraordinary set of stories skillfully written, covering musicians from Beethoven and Bach to John Lennon, Paul Robeson, Billie Holiday, Chuck Berry, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley, and dozens more. Throughout the book Rowe gives us lots of meticulously researched insider stories on everything from groupies, politicians, jailhouses, racism, drugs, and rock n roll -- stories that kept me turning pages from beginning to end. I highly recommend this book for music fans, history buffs, and anyone who wants a fascinating look behind the scenes in the world of musicians and their battles with The Man.

I love this book! This is a great book. If you were there, you remember. This brings it all back. If you were there but too wrecked, this fills in the gaps. If you weren’t there, this puts you there. It triggers the memories. It informs. I love this book.