World Famous Comics: Hotel California: The True-Life Adventures of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Mitchell, Taylor, Browne, Ronstadt, Geffen, the Eagles, and Their Many Friends
Hotel California: The True-Life Adventures of Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young, Mitchell, Taylor, Browne, Ronstadt, Geffen, the Eagles, and Their Many Friends
By: Barney Hoskyns Publisher: Wiley Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Wiley Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 336 Publication Date: May 07, 2007
Product Description: "Comprehensive and lively, Hotel California offers a front-row seat on the wild ride—fueled by drugs, sex, and lots of cash—that took Southern California singer-songwriters from hot tubs and local bars to sold-out stadiums,private jets, and the bestselling album of all time." —Alan Light, author of The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys
"Through hundreds of interviews conducted over the last dozen years, Hoskyns methodically chips away at the era's artifice and ego-driven mythologizing, revealing a creative landscape that was less stardust and golden than it was green with greed and white with cocaine residue." —Erik Himmelsbach, Los Angeles Times Book Review
This book is a remarkable look at one of the most dramatic, creative, and revolutionary settings in American popular culture: the Los Angeles popular music scene from the late 1960s to the late 1970s. Drawing on extraordinarily candid firsthand interviews Barney Hoskyns has conducted over more than three decades, Hotel California takes you on an intimate tour—from the Sunset Strip to Laurel Canyon—of the creative and personal lives of the legendary songwriters, superstars, and producers who made the music that everyone listened to. You'll read things you've never read before about such fascinating, complex people as Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey, Mama Cass Elliot, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, David Geffen, and many others. Packed with riveting anecdotes and sharp musical insights, Hotel California captures the amazing results of brilliant creative collaboration and the dark side of fame, wealth, and unbridled ambition. It is a story of rise and fall like none other, and you won't be able to put it down.
Great Read I've always had an interest in the music & the artists and loved the behind the scenes info detailed in the book. A great read!
Good read if you love this music
The writing style is fairly leaden. It is very much the he-said-and-then-she-said-and-then-this-happened style.
BUT I really enjoyed reading this book for several reasons. The main one being I grew up with all of this music, loved it, and was keen to learn more about the songs and singer/songwriters involved. The book is a treasure chest of nuggets and bits of information that reveal the stories behind the songs, and some behind the scenes sparring going on at the time they were released. Some big egos were involved! (Looking at you Stephen, Neil and the "Lyin' Guys", to name just a few) That was fascinating. Oh, and it certainly opened my eyes as to what a decadent era it was alright. Much cross-pollination went on between all these singer/songwriters - in the romantic sense! A few of them (Looking at you JD and Joni) seemed to have gone out with EVERYONE at one point or another.
Some reviews mention Graham Nash came off as a weak link in this era. I strongly disagree. I had even more regard for Nash than I did before reading it. He emerged as the Voice of Reason and one of the creative individuals who worked with everyone, rarely falling out with anyone. He must have very good diplomatic skills. The other individual that stands out in this regard is Chris Hillman. He's talented, but was able to work with some of the huge egos that must have made for very choppy waters in the recording sessions and touring - and just about any part of the recording process.
Sad stories behind artists such as Gene Clarke and Judee Sills, mentioning just a few, who seemed unable to survive life in general. Others such as Richie Furay, appeared to have been steamrollered in the "star maker machinery behind the popular song".
Hotel California, great book This is a really interesting book. It covers the early years of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Eagles, etc. I got 2 copies, one for myself and another for my friend who is interested in rock in the early days. You can easily see the inspiration of many of the groups hit songs, as well as early days when most were getting started and how introductions were made. When you hear various artists met just jamming in other people's homes, it's true.
Detail-intensive If you want lots of details including names, dates and places, this is the book for you. Most people will pick up a lot of facts they didn't know before reading this book. However, I found it to be almost difficult to get through, simply because it is a collection of facts, events, etc. rather than a story. Hoskyns presents so much information that it's almost hard to read. Great source of info, though, for anyone who is interested in the development of this genre at that time. And it brings to the surface how important David Geffen's role was.
hotel california poorly written and altogether trashy. if all your interested in is knowing who Joni Mitchell slept with, there are cheaper and faster ways of finding this out. author has the annoying habit of stringing along multiple adjectives to describe the qualities of his subject--it's like he has a checklist of modifiers and intensifiers and has to make his way thru the entire list. save your money!!
by the way, laurel canyon (the book) covers much the same cultutral territory and historical period in a much more satisfying way.
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