Scan barcode
katsmiao's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, unbelievable, funny, and a bunch of WTF moments.
I think my favorite is the request for Chef Boyardee pasta. Really? you can ask for anything in the world, and that's what you ask for?
How many towels does one person need? Read and find out what some of the Rock Icons think the answer is. Some of the stars seem kinda normal, and others are just out to lunch, at least based on their list of requests.
Worth the read if you want to shake your head, laugh and ask yourself over and over what planet they are from.
I think my favorite is the request for Chef Boyardee pasta. Really? you can ask for anything in the world, and that's what you ask for?
How many towels does one person need? Read and find out what some of the Rock Icons think the answer is. Some of the stars seem kinda normal, and others are just out to lunch, at least based on their list of requests.
Worth the read if you want to shake your head, laugh and ask yourself over and over what planet they are from.
booksuperpower's review
3.0
Excess All Areas:
A Lighthearted Look at the Demands and Idiosyncrasies of Rock Icons on Tour
By Susan Richmond is a 2014 Backbeat Books publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
We have all heard by now the infamous story of Van Halen's backstage demands which included the removal of a certain color of M&M's. Well, demands have come a long way since the 80's as you will see in this book.
A rider is the list of demands each band or musical artist insist each venue in which they perform have available to them. In the very old days, music artist were lucky if they had a few cold cuts, cookies and some punch. But, as rock stars gained more power and made staggering amounts of money their backstage demands were more befitting the arrival of a member of royalty or a political dignitary. Van Halen seemed to set the stage when it came to how far a band's request could go. Once the standard was set musical performers began to out do one another and the result is that now it is a common practice, accepted without hesitation. This book details some of the more outlandish request by popular rock groups and performers like Usher.
Demands, and I use that word instead of “request” because in some instances if these items are not in place an artist will refuse to perform, costing everyone a lot of money and makes thousands of ticket holders very upset, include items such a this:
4 bottles of vintage white wine, 4 bottles of Chablis, 4 bottles Dom Perignon champagne. A packet of crunchy nut cornflakes, six bowls, six spoons, cartons of cigarettes, cheese, raw vegetables, fruit trays, carrot juice, chewing gum, 4 liters of apple juice, 4 liters of cranberry juice, 20 liters of mineral water, 1 bottle of vodka, chocolate bars, beer, soda, Gatorade, endless supply of ice, tea, coffee, milk, pizza, deli trays, Jack Daniels , sexy DVD's, ( one even required weed- at least an ounce!) newspapers, condoms, televisions, any left over food be donated to the homeless, buyouts for any items which could not be provided, towels, refrigerators, jelly beans, movies, ( with specific titles listed), a local strippergram, false facial hair, guns with ammo, padded doors, a Buddhist shrine, incense, personal masseuses, a pool table, and a vast variety of condiments. So, which artist demanded what? The author breaks the list down specifically and in great detail for each artist listed.
This was amazing and mind boggling at times. I read some this out loud to my family and we couldn't help but laugh and the some of the things these people actually asked for, and at other times we could only shake our heads at the absurdity of it all.
The downside to this type of book is that there is no other dialogue or explanations or tidbits of information to go along with the list, so after reading about half of the book it started to get really repetitive. So, without something to go along with the list of demands, it got kind of boring after a while.
So, to sum it up I have to say the book is entertaining to a point. It was fun to see who could out do the others, who was really naughty and who was super ridiculous and who was just basically doing what was expected of them. I'm sure life on the road gets old after a time and these artist do entertain members of the press and have a crew of people to feed and keep entertained. I can understand a band needing to have plenty of water, juice, and Gatorade, and that each person has his or her own taste and in food and drink. However, I can't believe these people drink this much and smoke all those cigarettes and eat all that food!! Geez! I simply can't fathom some poor soul having to hunt some of this stuff down for these people. Unbelievable.
3 stars
A Lighthearted Look at the Demands and Idiosyncrasies of Rock Icons on Tour
By Susan Richmond is a 2014 Backbeat Books publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
We have all heard by now the infamous story of Van Halen's backstage demands which included the removal of a certain color of M&M's. Well, demands have come a long way since the 80's as you will see in this book.
A rider is the list of demands each band or musical artist insist each venue in which they perform have available to them. In the very old days, music artist were lucky if they had a few cold cuts, cookies and some punch. But, as rock stars gained more power and made staggering amounts of money their backstage demands were more befitting the arrival of a member of royalty or a political dignitary. Van Halen seemed to set the stage when it came to how far a band's request could go. Once the standard was set musical performers began to out do one another and the result is that now it is a common practice, accepted without hesitation. This book details some of the more outlandish request by popular rock groups and performers like Usher.
Demands, and I use that word instead of “request” because in some instances if these items are not in place an artist will refuse to perform, costing everyone a lot of money and makes thousands of ticket holders very upset, include items such a this:
4 bottles of vintage white wine, 4 bottles of Chablis, 4 bottles Dom Perignon champagne. A packet of crunchy nut cornflakes, six bowls, six spoons, cartons of cigarettes, cheese, raw vegetables, fruit trays, carrot juice, chewing gum, 4 liters of apple juice, 4 liters of cranberry juice, 20 liters of mineral water, 1 bottle of vodka, chocolate bars, beer, soda, Gatorade, endless supply of ice, tea, coffee, milk, pizza, deli trays, Jack Daniels , sexy DVD's, ( one even required weed- at least an ounce!) newspapers, condoms, televisions, any left over food be donated to the homeless, buyouts for any items which could not be provided, towels, refrigerators, jelly beans, movies, ( with specific titles listed), a local strippergram, false facial hair, guns with ammo, padded doors, a Buddhist shrine, incense, personal masseuses, a pool table, and a vast variety of condiments. So, which artist demanded what? The author breaks the list down specifically and in great detail for each artist listed.
This was amazing and mind boggling at times. I read some this out loud to my family and we couldn't help but laugh and the some of the things these people actually asked for, and at other times we could only shake our heads at the absurdity of it all.
The downside to this type of book is that there is no other dialogue or explanations or tidbits of information to go along with the list, so after reading about half of the book it started to get really repetitive. So, without something to go along with the list of demands, it got kind of boring after a while.
So, to sum it up I have to say the book is entertaining to a point. It was fun to see who could out do the others, who was really naughty and who was super ridiculous and who was just basically doing what was expected of them. I'm sure life on the road gets old after a time and these artist do entertain members of the press and have a crew of people to feed and keep entertained. I can understand a band needing to have plenty of water, juice, and Gatorade, and that each person has his or her own taste and in food and drink. However, I can't believe these people drink this much and smoke all those cigarettes and eat all that food!! Geez! I simply can't fathom some poor soul having to hunt some of this stuff down for these people. Unbelievable.
3 stars
librarianryan's review
5.0
Loved this book. I find it interesting and entertaining to see what celebrities ask for in their contracts. Me I ask to be paid on time, but these people get so very specific including how many bottles, and what brand of water, how many towels, specific chocolate. I find it all ridiculous, but I love to read about it. And I also love the art in the book. It makes for a great coffee table book. The only thing I wish was done different would be the lists. in the book they are in paragraph form (probably to save space), but I think it would have been easier to read if it was in list form.
More...