This is Uncool

This is Uncool
Author: Garry Mulholland
Publisher: Burns & Oates
Total Pages: 456
Release: 2002
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780304361861

Every one of these 500 songs, from “Anarchy in the UK” to “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” helped reshape popular music and culture. Illuminating essays pay tribute to their undeniable power. “Spaces pithy commentaries with sleeve and label art. With its in-your-face attitude and strong opinions, this is a good one.”—Booklist

I'll Take You There

I'll Take You There
Author: Bill Friskics-Warren
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 292
Release: 2006-09-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780826419217

The urge to connect with that which transcends our experience, be it a higher power, another person or some artistic ideal or aspect of nature, is one of the things that makes us human. People view the object of this quest, as well as what it means to achieve it, differently. Yet regardless of how it is understood, the urge to participate in or belong to something greater and more lasting than ourselves—a feeling born of an awareness of our mortality—is what defines us as spiritual beings. Though often dismissed as ephemeral or, worse, demonic, popular music has given voice to this quest for transcendence since its beginnings. Pop singers are rarely as outwardly spiritual as, say, their gospel counterparts; they're forever pointing beyond themselves, though, be it to some better future, some higher ideal, or to some vision of deliverance. Fontella Bass's "Rescue Me," the Four Tops's "Reach Out (I'll Be There)," Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers to Cross," Afrika Bambaataa's "Looking for the Perfect Beat," and U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" are but a handful of popular recordings from the past few decades that express a longing for something more. What, other than transcendence, is Jimi Hendrix talking about in "Purple Haze" when he shouts, "'scuse me, while I kiss the sky"? Or Van Morrison, in "Caravan," when he implores us to crank our radios and sail away with him into the mystic? Heard in the right light, secular and even carnal records have the power to speak to transcendental concerns, galvanizing their historical and cultural moments. Regardless of their spiritual leanings, all of the subjects discussed in this book (including Public Enemy, Madonna, Sleater-Kinney, Tricky, Johnny Cash, Nine Inch Nails, Moby, Marvin Gaye, Eminem, Polly Harvey, Bruce Springsteen and Sly & the Family Stone) make music that expresses a basic striving for transcendence. Artists' stories and personalities inform these discussions, but only in as much as they illuminate the struggles and concerns that run through their music. I'll Take You There is a beautifully written, wide-ranging and illuminating examination of some of the most potent popular music ever recorded.

The Taliban Shuffle

The Taliban Shuffle
Author: Kim Barker
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2011-03-22
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0385533322

A true-life Catch-22 set in the deeply dysfunctional countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan, by one of the region’s longest-serving correspondents. Kim Barker is not your typical, impassive foreign correspondent—she is candid, self-deprecating, laugh-out-loud funny. At first an awkward newbie in Afghanistan, she grows into a wisecracking, seasoned reporter with grave concerns about our ability to win hearts and minds in the region. In The Taliban Shuffle, Barker offers an insider’s account of the “forgotten war” in Afghanistan and Pakistan, chronicling the years after America’s initial routing of the Taliban, when we failed to finish the job. When Barker arrives in Kabul, foreign aid is at a record low, electricity is a pipe dream, and of the few remaining foreign troops, some aren’t allowed out after dark. Meanwhile, in the vacuum left by the U.S. and NATO, the Taliban is regrouping as the Afghan and Pakistani governments floun­der. Barker watches Afghan police recruits make a travesty of practice drills and observes the disorienting turnover of diplomatic staff. She is pursued romantically by the former prime minister of Pakistan and sees adrenaline-fueled col­leagues disappear into the clutches of the Taliban. And as her love for these hapless countries grows, her hopes for their stability and security fade. Swift, funny, and wholly original, The Taliban Shuffle unforgettably captures the absurdities and tragedies of life in a war zone.

Fight the Power

Fight the Power
Author: Chuck D
Publisher: Canongate Books
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2010-08-31
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1847676227

Chuck D, the creative force behind Public Enemy and one of the most outspoken rappers in the history of music, discusses his views on everything from rap and race to the problems with politics in society today.

What's My Name, Fool?

What's My Name, Fool?
Author: Dave Zirin
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
Total Pages: 398
Release: 2011-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1458786986

In Whats My Name, Fool? sports writer Dave Zirin shows how sports express the worst - and at times the most creative, exciting, and political - features of our society. Zirins sharp and insightful commentary on the personalities, politics, and history of American sports is unlike any sports writing being done today. Zirin explores how NBA brawls highlight tensions beyond the arena, how the bold stances taken by sports unions can chart a path for the entire labor movement, and the unexplored political stirrings of a new generation of athletes who are no longer content to just ''play one game at a time.'' Whats My Name, Fool? draws on original interviews with former heavyweight champ George Foreman, Olympic athlete John Carlos, NBA player and anti-death penalty activist Etan Thomas, antiwar womens college hoopster Toni Smith, Olympic Project for Human Rights leader Lee Evans and many others. It also unearths a history of athletes ranging from Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali to Billie Jean King, who charted a new course through their athletic ability and their outspoken views.

Public Enemy: Inside the Terrordome

Public Enemy: Inside the Terrordome
Author: Tim Grierson
Publisher: Omnibus Press
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2015-02-25
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1783233907

Public Enemy are an American hip hop group, formed in New York in 1982, known for their politically charged lyrics and criticism of the American media. This account focuses on the highs and lows of their career, provides an overview of their album releases, and examines what the future holds for them and hip hop as a whole.

Lyrics of a Rap Revolutionary

Lyrics of a Rap Revolutionary
Author: Chuck D
Publisher: KingDoMedia
Total Pages: 412
Release:
Genre: Music
ISBN:

The power is in the mic, and the power has been unleashed in clubs, arenas, stadiums, stages, and parks all over the planet. MC's are able to connect with its audience in a way that the music alone cannot. Hip Hop, via the MC, has undoubtedly become the voice of a new generation. Much attention has been paid to the staggering impact hip hop music and culture has had on the greater American and world cultures; its influence on fashion, television, advertising, and the attitudes of the world’s youth. However, not nearly as much attention has been paid to the social and political impact that the art form and its artists have had. Lyrics of a Rap Revolutionary is designed to transcend rap and venture into the realm of offering commentary and analysis into some of the deeper aspects of life itself. As one of rap’s preeminent political and social groups of all time, front man Chuck D offers direct explanations and interpretations of what his lyrics are about as a tool to help set minds free in this "hustle and flow and get rich or die tryin times." Chuck D — consistently ranked as one of the greatest rappers of all time — will provide insight in the creation of Hip-Hop iconic albums 1988’s “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” and 1990’s “Fear of a Black Planet”, both recognized among the greatest politically charged albums of all time featuring rap classics such as "Fight the Power," "Don’t Believe The Hype," "Can’t Truss It," and "Welcome to the Terrordome." As Chuck D explains, "We must remain mindful that there’s a road to freedom, and resist the embarrassingly popular trend that ignorance and a ghetto mentality, which is cast upon us, is our only food for thought or food for non-thought. As MC's we must become more responsible and revolutionary in our approach, because we have young people around the globe listening to our every word and watching our every step." Lyrics of a Rap Revolutionary: Times, Rhymes & Mind of Chuck D will clarify, in a way similar to when a person rereads a book ten years after originally reading it, and allow for a deeper understanding and further insight into the thoughts behind classic and controversial Public Enemy lyrics. Admirers proclaimed him the Bob Dylan or Bob Marley of rap. -- Los Angeles Times One of the most politically and socially conscious artists of any generation? -- Spike Lee Chuck D is the greatest voice in Hip Hop history as far as social commentary and rhymes for the upliftment of Black people. Chuck D is in a league of his own. -- Kool Moe Dee

From Jack Johnson to LeBron James

From Jack Johnson to LeBron James
Author: Chris Lamb
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 644
Release: 2016-01-01
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 080327680X

"A collection of essays about the intersection of sports, race, and the media in the 20th century and beyond"--

Things That Make White People Uncomfortable

Things That Make White People Uncomfortable
Author: Michael Bennett
Publisher: Haymarket Books
Total Pages: 152
Release: 2019-09-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1642590800

Michael Bennett is a Super Bowl Champion, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive end, a fearless activist, a feminist, a grassroots philanthropist, an organizer, and a change maker. He's also one of the most scathingly humorous athletes on the planet, and he wants to make you uncomfortable. Bennett adds his unmistakable voice to discussions of racism and police violence, Black athletes and their relationship to powerful institutions like the NCAA and the NFL, the role of protest in history, and the responsibilities of athletes as role models to speak out against injustice. Following in the footsteps of activist-athletes from Muhammad Ali to Colin Kaepernick, Bennett demonstrates his outspoken leadership both on and off the field.Written with award-winning sportswriter and author Dave Zirin, Things that Make White People Uncomfortable is a sports book for our turbulent times, a memoir, and a manifesto as hilarious and engaging as it is illuminating.