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The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll

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The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll
AuthorEric Segalstad
IllustratorJosh Hunter
LanguageEnglish
SubjectRock music
GenreBiography
PublisherSamadhi Creations
Publication date
October 27, 2008
Publication place United States
Pages312
ISBNISBN 978-0-61518964-2 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character

The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll is a non-fiction narrative that tells the history of rock & roll seen through the lives and legacies of 34 musicians[1] who each died at the age of 27 (also known as The 27 Club).[2] The 27s was created by Eric Segalstad (author) and Josh Hunter (illustrator). It was independently published, and distributed by Random House.[3] The 27s won silver in the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Award for Popular Culture[4].

Equal parts music history book and visual journey, The 27s weaves the lives of Robert Johnson, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and more than two-dozen other musicians into a tight narrative. Along the way, Hunter’s art complements and spins off, adding layers to the story with symbolism, artifacts, and color palettes that reflect the era. Josh Hunter told Huffington Post that, "The artwork tells its own story as well. There are these other layers, these hidden symbols and cryptic messages that, if you're alert to them, you're going to find we're packing-in as well." [5] In addition, The 27s feature twenty-two original portraits. The book's creators gave an example on how the art adds more to the story in an interview with WNEW: "We wanted visual stimulation. The art correspond with the words here, supporting the story, visualizing it in an artistic interpretation. Then there are times when the art tell a different story or add to the words. Around Brian Jones' death in The 27s there's a photo of a freshly dug grave adorned with flowers. The overlay of white butterflies is an example of the latter. It tells a story about Brian's death that's not described using words."[6]

The book's storyline snakes through the history of rock in a largely linear fashion (although The 27s can also be read at random),[7] albeit with intriguing detours into the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche as it applies to music, numerology, astrology, and the findings that more rock stars have died at 27 than at any other age.[8]

Layout

Unlike most non-fiction book, The 27s is a visual feast. Although one reviewer called it "gaudy"[9], most reviewers rave about the art and design. The Atlanta Journal of Constitution called it “lavishly illustrated,” .”[10] while Sugarbuzz magazine wrote, “Laid out with bright, bold Anime-like graphics, portraits, illustrations, time-lines, factoids and sidebars, The 27s is a sleek and sophisticated graphic novel.”[11] The book's inventive use of time lines, maps, and sidebars[12] provide the reader with a sense of time and place, as well as providing specific information on people such as Bobby Bland, Popsie, Alan Freed, Albert Hoffman, Roger Mayer, Moby, Stan Polley.

Fun facts

In what one reviewer deems "an innovative book,"[13] The 27s include a number of features for the reader to explore and uncover such as a mini-flip book, 3d or anaglyph images, a comic section narrated by Keith Richards, an illustrated spin on Kurt Vonnegut's invented religion of bokononism, as well as an understated use of the symbolism of ancient Greece, which may hint of underlying meanings.

The 27s

Alexandre Levy, Louis Chauvin, Robert Johnson, Nat Jaffe, Jesse Belvin, Rudy Lewis of The Drifters, Malcolm Hale of Spanky and Our Gang, Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, Alan Wilson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Arlester "Dyke" Christian of Dyke and the Blazers, Jim Morrison of The Doors, Ron McKernan of the Grateful Dead, Roger Lee Durham of Bloodstone, Wallace Yohn of Chase, David Michael Alexander of The Stooges, Pete Ham of Badfinger, Gary Thain of Keef Hartley Band and Uriah Heep, Helmut Köllen of Triumvirat, Chris Bell of Big Star, D. Boon of the Minutemen, Pete de Freitas of Echo & the Bunnymen, Mia Zapata of The Gits, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, Kristen Pfaff of Janitor Joe and Hole, Richey James Edwards of Manic Street Preachers, Fat Pat, Freaky Tah of Lost Boyz, Sean McCabe of Ink & Dagger, Maria Serrano Serrano of Passion Fruit, Jeremy Michael Ward of De Facto and The Mars Volta, and Bryan Ottoson of American Head Charge.Dime BAG Darrell

Reviews and interviews

References

  1. ^ "The complete 27s roster".
  2. ^ "The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll". Samadhi Creations.
  3. ^ "Random House".
  4. ^ [”http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1298 ""IPPY awards"]. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  5. ^ "Huffington Post article".
  6. ^ "WNEW interview".
  7. ^ "AJC interview".
  8. ^ "Seven Days interview".
  9. ^ "Campus Circle review".
  10. ^ ""AJC"".
  11. ^ "Sugarbuzz review and interview".
  12. ^ "Huffington Post article".
  13. ^ "Music Tomes interview with Eric Segalstad".
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