Hard Core Logo

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about the behind the scene antics of rock bands on the road. It is very amusing and you can really picture all these things happening while the band is trying to get back together etc. The characters are really fresh and make you feel like you are a part of the crowd.

I read this book for a creative writing class, and it was WAY better than I thought it would be! It's a realistic approach to seeing how music works and what goes behind it. A very engaging, and often hilarious read.

I originally heard of this book because one of the characters(so far my favourite)is one of my favourtie bands namesake:Billy Tallent.(except the band's name is spelt minus one L).The book is mainly about the band Hard Core Logo that made it big as a seminal punk bad back in the late 70's. It starts off with the lead singer,Joe Dick, (yes that is his name) telling us how the band got started and ended. The band broke up mutually but exagerated it into a story of spite for eachother in oder to "fit the mold". The band, towards the end of their carreer, were also said to have sold out, and I don't mean selling all their tickets for a show. about 10 years later the four men that made up the band find their lives in a rut. Joe's a druggie, Billy's(guitarist) a drunk, John(bassist) was depressed and is lonely, and Pipefitter(drummer) is a poor garbage man. Their lives start to go back to the old days though after they get a call to do a benefit/reunion gig for some enviromental thing. Afterwards they decided to do a tour and their crazy hellish rock and roll days suddenly return...but is it for the best? Anywho back to the review: The characters are at times hateable and likeable but most importantly believable(in this kinda setting). The format in which the book is written is unique but it times confusing and side tracks, however the book and concept are clearly well-thought out and this makes for a really interesting read if your into this kinda stuff. All in all, very awesome.

I had seen the movie Hard Core Logo years ago when it first premiered here in Canada, but never picked up the book until a friend recommended it to me. He read it in one sitting and told me I wouldn't be able to put it down. Well, I took it to work with me and finished it before the shift ended! This is the most amazingly written book I have ever read.Hard Core Logo is the story of a punk band on one last tour trying to regain not only the glory of their past days atop the Punk Genre, but also to rekindle the flame they used to have for the business, and get paid as well.What makes this book so interesting is that it is written in verse, telling the story through poems, song lyrics, answering machine messages, letters and the diary of Ox, the bands neurotic bass player.The characters, the setting and the entire story is laid out just by the spoken and written words of the band members. You don't need any more explanation beyond what is given to you. It may sound strange, but no book has ever grabbed me the way this one did! You just have to read it to understand how different and how good it really is!