The sharp; lyrical; and no-holds-barred autobiography of the iconoclastic writer and musician Richard Hell; charting the childhood; coming of age; and misadventures of an artist in an indelible era of rock and roll...From an early age; Richard Hell dreamed of running away. His father died when he was seven; and at seventeen he left his mother and sister behind and headed for New York City; place of limitless possibilities. He arrived penniless with the idea of becoming a poet; ten years later he was a pivotal voice of the age of punk; starting such seminal bands as Television; the Heartbreakers; and Richard Hell and the Voidoidsmdash;whose song "Blank Generation" remains the defining anthem of the era. Hell was significantly responsible for creating CBGB as punk ground zero; his Voidoids toured notoriously with the Clash; and Malcolm McLaren would credit Hell as inspiration for the Sex Pistols. There were kinetic nights in New Yorks club demi-monde; descent into drug addiction; and an ever-present yearning for redemption through poetry; music; and art."We lived in the suburbs in America in the fifties;" Hell writes. "My roots are shallow. Im a little jealous of people with strong ethnic and cultural roots. Lucky Martin Scorsese or Art Spiegelman or Dave Chappelle. I came from Hopalong Cassidy and Bugs Bunny and first grade at ordinary Maxwell Elementary." How this legendary downtown artist went from a prosaic childhood in the idyllic Kentucky foothills to igniting a movement that would take over New Yorks and Londons restless youth culturesmdash;and spawn the careers of not only Hell himself; but a cohort of friends such as Tom Verlaine; Patti Smith; the Ramones; and Debbie Harrymdash;is just part of the fascinating story Hell tells. With stunning powers of observation; he delves into the details of both the world that shaped him and the world he shaped.An acutely rendered; unforgettable coming-of-age story; I Dreamed I Was a Very Clean Tramp evokes with feeling; clarity; and piercing intelligence that classic journey: the life of one who comes from the hinterlands into the city in search of art and passion.
#755655 in eBooks 2012-06-26 2012-06-26File Name: B0086MKQD0
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Nice book. not much sketching in itBy Michelle MathiotYes. it is a little heavy on the textile side with all the sewing ideas. Still it is inspiring and its giving me good ideas for using it in my 6th grade classroom. I had them divide up their sketchbooks into sections: notes. sketches. project planning. and materials experiments. We get out our sketchbooks every day and add things to it. The sketchbook is becoming a sort of journal for the many different projects that are taking place in the classroom. Id say this book is good to have around for people who can think of ways to use the ideas presented as a jumping off point for their own ideas.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Im Inspired and Out of My Creative RutBy One ReviewerIve been in a creative "rut" lately and needed some inspiration. new ideas. techniques. and basically get those creative juices flowing again. The Sketchbook Challenge has met all of those needs and I have more ideas now than I have time to do them all!Dont let the name fool you. this book is way more than (about) sketching. Rather. while it does have some sketching included it is more (and primarily) focused on mixed media techniques and exploring different media to incorporate into ones sketchbook (similar to an art journal).I dont believe one would necessarily have to use an art journal to get some great inspiration and ideas from this book. I have found several things I would like to try to incorporate into some of my paintings. as well as breath new life into some tired ho-hum artwork Ive done.With the "Look Inside" the book feature. you should quickly be able to determine if this is what you are looking for or not. For me. this was exactly what I was seeking and Im very pleased with it. Additionally. for a book that has only 144 pages. there is a lot of "meat" to it. its packed with great information and lots of photos/pictures to give a visual on the methodology/tutorials being discussed.As an aside: Its a small thing (but a great touch) that this (7.4" x 0.4" x 9.0") book has a pretty sturdy cover and back for a paperback. and the top and bottom right corners are nicely rounded off.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Love love love itBy matt r.Love love love it! This is the book I go to when Im going through a creative drought. It is well presented and the techniques are really unique and inspiring.I also love the feel of the binding and the pictures are great. Have given these books as gifts and they have been a real hit.
