Books published by Rare Bird Books

In Double Talkin¿ Jive legendary drummer Matt Sorum takes music lovers behind the scenes of a remarkable life in rock. Sorum, whose albums have sold tens of millions of copies around the world, provides an honest, engaging account of the highs and lows of superstardom. Sorum recounts his childhood years idolizing Ringo Starr and surviving an abusive stepfather. After leaving high school, Sorum sold pot to get by. Over time, his drug dealing escalated to smuggling large quantities of cocaine, a career that came to a halt following a dramatic shoot-out. Sorum fled his old life and settled in Hollywood, where he¿d enjoy a rapid ascension to rock ¿n¿ roll immortality. He caught his big break drumming for The Cult, and only a year later was invited to join Guns N¿ Roses, with whom he¿d record two of rock¿s most iconic albums: Use Your Illusion I and II.The Rock N¿ Roll Hall of Fame inductee & Grammy Award winning Sorum opens up with forthright honesty, sharing anecdotes from his time touring the globe, battling drug and alcohol addiction, as well as working with Axl Rose, one of the greatest frontmen in rock, Slash and the rest of the GN'R team. His career with The Cult, Guns N¿ Roses, Velvet Revolver, Motörhead, the Hollywood Vampires, and Kings of Chaos costars an ensemble of rock royalty, from Billy Idol to Steven Tyler, Billy F Gibbons, and Alice Cooper.Double Talkin¿ Jive goes beyond the clichés of sex, drugs, and rock ¿n¿ roll, telling the very human story of what it takes to make it in music, and the toll stardom exacts from those who achieve success. Sorum invites fans to revel in the debauchery of the good times, but also paints a stark portrait of life after the party. Music fans of any generation will find value in the pages of this evocative, thoughtful, and candid autobiography.

Whether they're self-taught bashers or technical wizards, drummers are the thrashing, crashing heart of our favorite punk bands. In Forbidden Beat, some of today's most respected writers and musicians explore the history of punk percussion with personal essays, interviews and lists featuring their favorite players and biggest influences. From 60s garage rock and proto-punk to 70s New York and London, 80s hardcore and D-beat to 90s pop punk and beyond, Forbidden Beat is an uptempo ode to six decades of punk rock drumming. Featuring Ira Elliot, Curt Weiss, John Robb, Hudley Flipside, Bon Von Wheelie, Joey Shithead, Matt Diehl, D.H. Peligro, Mike Watt, Lynn Perko-Truell, Pete Finestone, Laura Bethita Neptuna, Jan Radder, Jim Ruland, Eric Beetner, Jon Wurster, Lori Barbero, Joey Cape, Marko DeSantis, Mindy Abovitz, Steven McDonald, Kye Smith, Ian Winwood, Phanie Diaz, Benny Horowitz, Shari Page, Urian Hackney, and Rat Scabies.

In 2014, Radfar moved to West Los Angeles for one reason: to be closer to Toshi Sakamaki and his incredible Yakitori restaurant. This visual love letter to Sakamaki's cuisine includes more than 100 dishes and 125 stunning full-color photos.

This is a collection of contemporary writers talking about Joan Didion's influence on them, their writing, the world, and moreFeaturing authors like Ann Friedman, host of the popular podcast Call Your Girlfriend, Jori Finkel, a regular contributor to The New York Times, and Tracy McMillan, host of Family or Finance on OWNAll contributors will reach out to their family, friends, and networks to help promote the bookEvents in Los Angeles and New YorkAnn Friedman's Call Your Girlfriend podcast has hundreds of thousands of listenersSlouching Towards Los Angeles will be the January book for The Nervous Breakdown book club and Steffie Nelson will appear on The Other PPL Podcast with Brad Listi

In a world filled with trolls, we all need to live life more like a goblin. What does it mean to ¿live life like a goblin¿? It means to give no fucks, but also all the fucks in the world at the same time. It means to be constantly anxiety ridden while also eternally optimistic. A goblin¿s heart, specifically John Goblikon¿s, is filled with love, joy, angst, constant quandary, Chili¿s Southwestern Egg rolls, metal, and empathy. Through the goblin eyes of being an internet-celebrity¿insurance-salesman¿rock and roll-mascot for the Goblin Metal outfit NEKROGOBLIKON, we learn about life, death, business, food, music, travel, culture, dating, school, drinking, compassion, and much more!John walks readers through crucial life steps, from becoming internet famous, to getting dates with special someones, to even correct ordering techniques for the perfect meal at Chili¿s.Have a problem? John Goblikon assumes he knows how to help you solve it¿all in this new, for-sure-to-be-a-New-York-Times-bestseller-and-win-like-a-hundred-awards debut book: John Goblikon¿s Guide to Living Your Best Life.

Chip has hired Gretchen Crary from February Partners to do publicityOutreach to True Crime podcasts that will host authors, and supplying galleys to those that don't host authorsMajor review outreachLA radio outreachEvents (virtual) with Vroman's, Skylight, and Pages, Manhattan BeachTrue Crime book club outreach

This book is about California. Specifically, this third volume is about Joshua Tree¿the dry, sparsely populated landscape known for its strange topography and spiritual pull. Jacqueline Suskin spent winters on a ranch at the far edge of the desert for many years, caring for mustangs and goats, walking the long sand roads in solitude. This book explores the richness of her experience in a place many view as barren, exposing its unique offerings through personal narrative. In this collection, Suskin invites readers into the often unseen magic of the desert, a place where silence and open space bring gifts of potent healing and ancient insight to those who are willing to sit still and listen.

From the time he was old enough to remember, Jim Hock was told stories of his dad's glory days playing football in LA. A member of the 1950s LA Rams, John Hock, Jim's dad, was a member of Hollywood's Team, a football team that redefined what a sports team looked like, sounded like, and acted like, all while revolutionizing the sport of football.But Jim didn't know John the football star, he just knew the sweet, funny guy he called Dad. In a warm and aching memoir of childhood, good dad's, and what it is to realize that your parents had a life and successes before you came along.

The Fitzgeralds are buttressed by wealth and privilege, but they are also buffeted by crisis after crisis, many of their own creation. Even so, they live large, in love and in strife, wielding power, combating adversaries and each other. The Good Family Fitzgerald is a saga of money and ambition, crime and the Catholic Church, a sprawling, passionate story shaped against a background of social discord.Padraic Fitzgerald is the up-from-nothing, aging patriarch whose considerable business interests appear anything but legitimate, but he has bigger problems than law enforcement. A widower, Paddy becomes enmeshed with a young woman who will force him to re-examine his cardinal assumptions. Meanwhile, he has cultivated thorny relationships with his four children, all of whom struggle over the terms of connection with their father. Anthony-oldest son, principled criminal defense attorney, designated prince of the family-and his cherished Francesca are devastated by tragedy. In the aftermath, Frankie comes to play a vital role in Fitzgerald lore. Philip is a charismatic Catholic priest spectacularly torn between his lofty ideals and aspirations and his all-too-human flaws and longings. Matty has wandered aimlessly, but once he finds his purpose, he precipitates turmoil in all quarters. Colleen, the youngest, is a seeker who styles herself the outsider and the conscience of the clan. Her hands are full, as no Fitzgerald is left untested or unscathed, and by the end the whole family, as well as those venturing into their realm, will be stunned into illumination.