Beaujon’s wide-eyed interest helps make for a fun, well-balanced account of a fascinating subculture.
A look at some of the colorful figures who have transformed the Christian rock scene into a flourishing industry.
A non-Christian, but a devoted fan of music and a senior contributing writer for Spin, Beaujon, in his first book, takes an irreverent trip through a booming subculture. He begins by outlining the history of Christian rock, which consisted mostly of embarrassing, albeit somewhat successful, attempts to marry Christian doctrine with rock music. The spandex-clad ’80s group Stryper is an early example of the genre, largely due to their penchant for flinging Bibles into the throngs at their concerts, but as Beaujon begins his journey into the contemporary scene, he discovers that Stryper and their ilk are a distant memory for most. With big bucks being generated by Christian rock’s flagship labels and artists, the author reveals how the industry has sharpened its act in order to appeal to a younger demographic; indeed, the book takes its title from a popular t-shirt that references the crucifixion wounds of Jesus. Beaujon occasionally inserts into the narrative interviews with some of the main players, such as writer and long-time chronicler of the scene Doug Van Pelt and EMI Christian Music Group CEO Bill Hearn, each of which elicit some eyebrow-raising revelations. And his infectious enthusiasm for his subject and his investigation infuses his prose, although he is occasionally prone to lazy journalese, such as when he lapses into overwrought prose when discussing his own life as the son of a Episcopalian priest. Never condescending to his subjects, the author appears to hold a genuine curiosity as to what makes Christian rockers tick, and they in turn welcome his deliberately naïve inquiries, making for a refreshingly unbiased view of a subject that many jaded journalists would find easy to mock.
Beaujon’s wide-eyed interest helps make for a fun, well-balanced account of a fascinating subculture.Pub Date: June 30, 2006
ISBN: 0-306-81457-9
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Da Capo
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2006
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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