This book really captures the artistic beauty of guitars.

As a professional builder, collector, and lover of guitars, I have spent all of my adult life collecting virtually every book on the subject of guitars that has ever been published. I must say that at this point in my life I never expected to find another book on this subject that would excite me, but I was wrong. "Dangerous Curves, The Art of Guitar", by Darcy Kuronen, and Lenny Kaye is a sumptuous volume that is thoughtfully designed not only to educate, but to delight the eye. Richly illustrated with crisp, vivid photographs by Carl Tremblay, this book documents a very significant selection of many of the worlds historically important, rarest, finest, and unusual guitars ever made. The guitars' role as art object is usually ignored, but the point is beautifully illustrated here via the authors' insightful selection of such innovative, trendsetting instruments such as the Steinberger, Millenium guitar, and the Fly! I applaud the authors' for including many instruments by living makers, whose incredible works are often overlooked. The best part of this tome, may be the fact that it is a catalog for an incredible, and long overdue exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston. Even if you've seen them all, this book is a "must have" for your collection.Highly recommended.

A British history of punk, written as the history was being made. The authors went out of their way to try and be offensive and audacious, though their most pointed barbs are aimed at American rockers like the New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders who were better at being junkies than they were at toeing the line as "true punks". The Clash, the Damned, the Stranglers and pretty much everyone who wasn't the Sex Pistols get similar treatment. This is chatty and snide; just the book to curl up with at home on a rainy day, sipping tea while your old Iggy albums wreck another phonograph needle.

This is singularly the most important and stridently semtexed analysis of the Punk Rock genesis in the late 1970s. It is completely scurrilous, vicious, nasty, alienated, cataclysmic, sinister. It belts along at a blistering pace, executing an absolute demolition job on poseurs like The Clash, The Jam and Iggy Pop and a triumphalist proclamation of the Sex Pistols and X-Ray specs as the real royalty of their generation . Parsons and Burchill have nothing good to say about anybody, but have a special contempt for Americans. What more could you want? Buy this and put it on eBay for 100 dollars as a Rock and Roll eSwindle.

The book details how Waylon became used but not used up through a series of exploits--many shameful. Extensive womanizing back when he truly was lonesome, ornery, and mean left many good-hearted women heartbroken. Waylon didn't have to reveal so much dirty linen from his past, but at least now we can be certain he had always been crazy but it kept him from going insane. He could and probably should have shown more regrets for some erstwhile indiscretions, but most likely his legacy will not forfeit the love of the common people because country's fans are loyal to a fault.

Even if he thought he was too dumb for New York City and too ugly for L.A., he and many of his contemporary honky tonk heroes have considerably more talent than most of those warmed over rockers played on country radio today. The autobiography conclusively proves that we may have lost the wolf, but the wolf's music will survive.

This book is as colorful as Waylon's best songs, with an earthy reality that you can smell, taste and feel in your gut. He didn't have an easy life and the contrast between the good times and the hard times is evident. The straightforward yet discriptive writing makes it easy to feel you were there when it happened. But it's never easy to bring about change, which is what his life has been all about. Some may think he brags too much but the truth is he has plenty to be proud of. I bought the book because I wanted to see how he described his time with Buddy Holly and the evolution of outlaw country and found it to be interesting, illuminating and at times, surprising. Along the way, I gained a whole new level of respect for Jessi and was reminded again how important it is for a man to have a strong woman.

It seems that all autobiographies drag at one point or another but that's just a minor issue here. If I could, I'd give this 4 and 1/2 stars, only because I'm stingy with my 5 star recommendations. My guess is that, if you like the man's music, you'll enjoy reading his story.

If you read only one book in your life, you HAVE to read this one. I read it several years ago and just recently read it again. I've read a lot of biographies, and this one is the most sincere and most entertaining one yet. This book shows just how much today's country singers should thank their lucky stars that Waylon Jennings EVER came along. You can tell how very much he loved Jessi and his kids. READ IT!!!!