Genre:
Memoir
Description:
“Here
is a story that is glamorous, inspiring, and gritty — a marvelous
fusion of the ups, downs, and in-betweens of life and music and
passion in 1960s Hollywood, California, the place where dreams are
made and chased and, sometimes, die.
When
Steven 'Rusty' Johnson, Eddie Olmos, and Joey Zagarino met in high
school in 1962, the sky was the limit and rock ‘n’ roll stardom
was a record deal away. These three friends forged a life-long
friendship that would take them through triumph and tragedy, victory
and defeat, success and failure — all in the pursuit of reaching
the rock ‘n’ roll dream.
This
is not only the story of three dreamers, it is a true tale that shows
that success — and life — is about taking it from the top,
catching a good groove, and taking it one beat at a time.”
Author:
Steven
Jae Johnson is a musician, film maker, screenwriter, and actor, among
many other roles he's filled in his long, varied career in music, TV,
and film. This is his first book.
Appraisal:
One of
the quotes plugging this book calls it “this generation's American
Graffiti” and also
calls it “Happy Days
slammed into Resurrection
Boulevard.” That
comparison is helpful in many ways except for the obvious difference,
that unlike the movie and TV shows, this story is real.
It is
the story of a group of kids, growing from teen to young adults,
finding their way in the world. You'll find both humorous and
inspiring sections. The characters, although real in the book, are
also fun people you wouldn't mind hanging out with. It even has a
larger than life character like “The Fonz” in Eddie Olmos, better
known today as actor Eddie James Olmos.
If
you're into memoirs or biographies of rock bands and musicians, Walk,
Don't Run is a read you
should enjoy. I did. If you have a thing for the 60s, you'll find
something to like as well.
FYI:
A very
small amount of adult language and situations. (Much less than I'd
anticipate in a rock and roll memoir.
Format/Typo
Issues:
A
small number of typos. A few of them were errors in a song title or
the proper spelling of the names of other musicians.
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count:
50-55,000 words
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