Rock Writers Focus Books on Beatle Legends

Let’s face it — rock writers don’t have the same power and influence today as they did when Bruce Springsteen was just releasing Born to Run, or when U2 first visited Los Angeles. However, one thing we can all count on is the unprecedented stories that older writers have written about rock legends like John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Corn Flakes With John Lennon is a memoir by the influential Los Angeles Times music critic and reporter Robert Hillburn; the book takes a deep look at rock n’ roll but doesn’t just focus on Lennon (as the title may suggest), but other artists who helped build rock as an art form and shape it into what it socially stands for today.

Peter Ames Carlin, a pop culture writer for The Oregonian in Portland also wrote a music book, McCartney: A Life. Unlike Hillburn’s memoir, Carlin’s book did just focus on McCartney, which is great given that Hillburn’s book didn’t include an ounce of the singer.

“I hate to say this, but there is nothing to learn from McCartney,” Hillburn said.

The Associated Press describes Hillburn as “a throwback to music when music writers carried enormous influence, and had strong longevity to get to know musicians better than the few in the media today.” Hillburn was able to to develop a friendship with Lennon while the legend was alive hence the title of the book, Cornflakes with John Lennon — it’s no metaphor because Hillburn actually shared a meal with the guy.

Carlin on the other hand, wrote his McCartney book the way Gay Talese wrote Frank Sinatra Has a Cold. The writer didn’t get to spend time with McCartney, instead he received cooperation from many people around McCartney. The Beatle said he was grateful that someone wanted to write a book about his life but he wouldn’t take part in the process.

“I’m living it, not reading about it. There’s always something that I’ll see that isn’t true and I’ll either worry about it and say, ‘Oh, God, people are going to read this and think it’s true because it’s in a book,’ or I’m just not going to be a part of it.” McCartney said in an interview.

Regardless of what McCartney had to say about the book, Carlin is very defensive of the artist. He doesn’t like it when people refer to McCartney as simple and John as radical; to Carlin, Paul was just as radical and artistic as John.

“You take this guy for granted, but one day he’s not going to be around anymore … and then people will realize that this was quite a guy.” Carlin said.

Hillburn’s strategy on the other hand, offers good advice to new writers: early on Hillburn figured out that the best way to develop relationships with important artists was to write about them early in their careers, before the fame prohibited them from talking to journalists. That is why his book included artists such as Lennon, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Phil Spector, U2, Kurt Cobain, and NWA. Hillburn was able to bond with each of these artists before it was too late.

Both Carlin and Hillburn’s music books offer an authentic look at the songwriter’s lives. They were able to get the story just in time for us, who weren’t able to see the lives of the rock legends first-hand.

Source: The Associate Press

Will you read Hillburn or Carlin’s book?