Bøger af Ian Carroll

From starting out in the Runaways to stadium shows with the Blackhearts, Joan Jett is the original Riot Grrrl! Where in the Runaways Lita Ford brought the 'Rock and Metal', Joan brought the 'Punk, both in her attitude, her playing and the songs that crossed all genre borders of music.This is the 14th Book in the 'Fans Have Their Say Series' and the first featuring a female artist and one of the most loved, most remembered and most appreciated female rock stars of all time.From playing shows supporting bands like Queen to playing on stage in the musical 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' Joan has done it all.Performing shows for the armed forces, helping charities and gaining entry into the 'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame' she has certainly reached LEGENDARY status and so this book is more than deserved.

There are only some albums that I can listen to 'track by track' for the whole album, without skipping tunes or just playing a few songs, these are: Pink Floyd 'The Wall', ' Magnum 'On A Storytellers Night', Metallica 'Master of Puppets' and Meat Loaf's first album 'Bat Out of Hell'.That very first album by Meat Loaf, under the watchful eye, careful hand and knowing skill set of Jim Steinman is one of the most iconic rock albums ever, no wonder that is had spent so long on the album charts in the UK and the USA and all over the world.I remember seeing and hearing the song 'Bat Out of Hell' for the first time, late at night on the 'Old Grey Whistle Test' on BBC2 in the UK. From the opening clip of the motorcyclist cruising around the church and the graveyard, to the over the top Wagnerian lead singer, bringing an opera feel to his overblown rock music, clutching at his red handkerchief like a safety blanket - I was hooked.As the video flitted between Meat Loaf with his band and the motorcyclist haring around on his 'chopper', I was in awe of this nine minutes plus of celluloid excitement and needed to know much more about this larger than life lead singer. After many albums, worldwide tours and lots of hits & success, we end up here.This Book covers Meat Loaf from the start to the last album release, which could be the last - fingers crossed it will not be

The Cinema "The Royal Cinema opened on July 15th 1938, replacing the Theatre Royal which had stood on the site since 1813. It was designed by William Riddell Glen for Associated British Cinemas (ABC). The ABC chain had been founded in 1928 as part of British International Pictures by John Maxwell, and by 1937 was the second largest cinema chain in the world. Unlike it's competitors, this growth was accompanied by profits and annual dividends with no financial crises. With 2,404 seats the Royal was unusually large for a provincial ABC, but the nearby Gaumont Palace at 2,300 seats and Regent at 3,250 seats also held large audiences, something which may reflect the sheer number of military personnel stationed in Plymouth in the 1930s. An Odeon planned for Union Street but never built would have had a capacity of 2,500. Played at the opening by Wilfred Southworth, the Compton organ, regarded as one of the best ever fitted to a cinema became well known at the hands of Dudley Savage. He began at the end of 1938 at just 18 years old and remained the resident organist until 1976. Weekly BBC radiobroadcasts and album releases brought Dudley Savage and the 'Plymouth Sound' to a wide audience. We have campaigned and had many meetings -over many months - to save the building, but it's future is now in your hands. Write to your local MP, contact the City Council, badger your next door neighbours to join in and support our/your efforts by buying this book and helping fight the cause*. From all of the comments that I have received over the past year for this book, you all feel the same as we do - that the building should live on, providing a community cinema / 1000 capacity music venue / art space etc. It would be extremely sad to see the building go, so many memories, so many concerts, so many films, so much popcorn!! We leave the ball in your court. Support us, help us and promote the campaign to help save 'our Last Picture House'.

KISS are the ultimate 'stack-heeled superheroes' made flesh. A cartoon of a band, but with the tunes and attitude to back their image up. If Marvel comics did a comic strip series on a mean and dirty rock 'n' roll band, KISS would be it - luckily enough the band came first and then Marvel DID produce a comic with them as the main stars. Their music has now spanned five decades and they don't appear to be ready to end it just yet. Their paint daubed faces, similar in design to the Japanese Kabuki players, have spawned a legion of tribute acts and the KISS Army, a fan club of dedicated fans, following their every move. With such a dedicated fan base, it's no surprise that KISS are a highly collectible commodity with so many products available. From the Mego figures of the '70s via lunch boxes, t-shirts, books, comics and even coffins plus condoms, to the ultimate, in the Bally Pinball machines, KISS are a band with a 'product' that fans clamour for - name another band that are as collectible and I'm sure they still won't be as popular as the KISS based business empire. But for all the collectibles that are available, through the cards, the figures and more, it all boils down to two things - the music and the live concerts. You will never find a better example of showmanship. Even people, who aren't massive fans of the bands music, will watch and enjoy their performances at a festival or a 'county fair'. They are the ultimate showmen, they ARE glitzy glamour and rock 'n' roll combined and as I prepare myself to see them again - in a short few weeks in the UK - I give you this book, to enable you to relive the memories and the music through the people that count and who have propelled them to the heights of their success, the worldwide legion of FANS!!!(This Book is originally part of the full Book, with additional elements.)

The Internet can be a dangerous place..... Meet Cherry, young, beautiful and a regular user of 'New Beginings'' internet dating website. She had been meeting various men for 'one off dates' but they weren't successful. Then she made contact with Simon. Simon was different. He was charming, funny and gave good text - she thought he could be the one, but she didn't know anything about his 'secret'. Finally, she met Paul and all her life was upturned. Life was about to get better and now she could be fighting for hers. A tale of love, sex, stalking, kidnapping, torture and death, everything you'd want from a novel. All written in an EXTREME GORE style by Ian Carroll the author of 'My Name Is Ishmael', 'Demon Pirates Vs Vikings' and 'Valentine's Day' plus various music festival books

One of the first artists that I actually 'got into' was Elton John. At the time he was just starting to have regular hits in the UK Top 40 singles chart and it was from here on that I started to follow his career.I was still at Primary School - College Road, Plymouth - and with a limited amount of pocket money at my disposal I decided that I would start collecting Elton John albums. I picked up a few budget label live albums and from that point I was hooked.But it wasn't until many years later at the Cornwall Coliseum (in St. Austell) that I managed to see him live for the first time on the 'Ice on Fire' tour, but luckily this wasn't the only time that I got to see him. I also saw him at another show in St. Austell at the Eden Sessions at the world renowned Eden Project .So, now many 45 years later we look forward to the final dates of his 'Farewell' tour and the release of what appears to be an amazing film in 'Rocketman' - so lets sit back and read through the memories and thoughts of all the people who count, the fans - about the living legend Sir Elton John.

In 2016 the music world lost more than its share of iconic figures - David Bowie, Glen Frey, Prince and then in the final months of the year we lost the 'Master'. Leonard Cohen passed away on the 7th November 2016 and this book covers the feelings that he instilled in his fans all over the world, From Canada to Costa Rica, from Belgium to Bhutan, from the UK to the USA and many more countries in between, this is a book written from the fans perspective, written by fans and compiled and authored by a fan - Ian Carroll. Featuring stories and memories and even a selection of poems written on his passing, this is a true memorial to the man himself, great memories of a music legend with a back catalogue steeped in beautiful music and lyrics.

For me, the Hammer films were some of the first ever horror films that I ever got to watch - coupled with the Universal 'monster movies' on BBC2, usually on Saturday late-night double bills. They were much more than just films, they were the beginning of a life long adoration of all things Hammer - the movies, the music, the clothing, the collectables - all were things of great joy for me, from being a child right up until now. We found a newsagent who was willing to sell the 'goriest' magazine on his shelves to myself and my friend - two children at the local Primary School. My parents were surprisingly ok about it, especially my mother who was a massive horror movie fan and so she saw it as the norm, which was lucky for me. So the magazines were folded out - after I read them from cover to cover - and the posters were displayed on my bedroom walls; I can recall having Christopher Lee as 'Dracula' and 'Vampire Circus' up on my walls at the time, in the mid '70s.So, with the start of the Horror Double Bills on BBC2, I got to lap up two films every week on a Saturday night, from the Universal Classic Monster Movies to timeless horror gems to my favourites of all, the Hammer Horror Films. I watched each double bill - with my parents - every time they were on, usually with a cup of hot chocolate made by my father; the season would go on for a few months and then sadly come to an end, returning again later in the year.Due to no video recorders way back then, we watched the films and that was it, until I had the idea of recording the full films soundtrack on my cassette player - which usually fitted perfectly on a C90 cassette - and then listening to them again and again, trying to remember the visuals that went with them. The one that I recollect listening to the most was the tape that I did of 'Vampire Circus', which is probably why it has remained my favourite Hammer film to this day - having recently purchased it on Blu-Ray from France.Years later, with the introduction of VHS Video Recorders, our family joined the 'space age' and I was able to record and watch the Hammer films whenever I wanted to, usually later in the evening when most of the programmes that my family wanted to watch had finished. Then with the beginning of the DVD age, I started to replace all of the films that I had purchased or recorded on VHS cassettes, with shiny new DVD's - I was over the moon. I then purchased a DVD recorder and recorded the films direct from the TV - the ones that I couldn't find to purchase on original DVD's. Finally we came to where we are now with the start of the Blu-Ray generation and I began to replace the DVD Hammer Films with the newer and much shinier Blu-Ray format. The Blu-Ray's all tended to come with many extras - documentaries, trailers, interviews, commentaries and stills galleries - it was now unbelievable, but greatly received!!!My fascination with Hammer continues, buying films, t-shirts, bags, books and autographs. I have also met several of the stars at film and collectors fairs including - Caroline Munro, Dave Prowse and the late Francis Matthews.So, we finally come to this book, which you are reading right now. It's been a true labour of love and I have really enjoyed getting acquainted with other like minded fans, who have all been very positive about the book and are looking forward to it's release - there have though been only a couple that have been negative about it and if you're reading this you know who you are, but if you are actually reading this, thanks to you too!This is only Book #1 in a new series of 'Movie Review Books', with other favourites of mine to follow over the coming years, hope you like them as much as I do and find them very educational if you are new to the joys of all things Hammer!!!Thanks and keep watching Hammer films!!!

From the first moment that I heard 'It's So Easy' and 'Mr. Brownstone' I was hooked. I had the 12" single which I bought as soon as I heard that it had been released, I'd read about them in the music press and loving Hanoi Rocks at the time, made me see them as another band that would fit nicely into the 'rock 'n' roll niche' that I was carving out for myself. I have always felt so annoyed with myself that I never went to see them at the Marquee club in Wardour Street. I was a regular at the Marquee club during the 1980's and through to the mid '90s. I went to so many gigs there - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, FM, Dumpy's Rusty Nuts, Quireboys, the Babysitters and the first UK show of Georgia Satellites - amongst many. Guns N' Roses played a three night residency at the Marquee on 19th, 22nd and 28th June 1987 and for some reason I didn't go and buy tickets to any of the dates! Living in Plymouth didn't help, but that didn't seem to make any difference at other times, spending many gigs in London, mostly at the Hammersmith Odeon - as it was then - watching Anthrax, Metallica, Bon Jovi, Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Cheap Trick, Living Colour, The Wonderstuff and Kajagoogoo, but why, oh why, didn't I get tickets for those legendary gigs at the Marquee club? Too late to contemplate now, but it would have been an amazing experience, especially saying that you had been there, just like the people who saw the Sex Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester eleven years before. Bizarrely one of the songs that they played on the 28th June was 'Whole Lotta Rosie' by AC/DC who Axl of course would go on the front -as the Brian Johnson replacement - for the second half of the 'Rock or Bust' tour in 2017, 30 years later! Not having seen them play at the Marquee didn't deter my efforts to see them and I would actually get my first chance to see the full original line-up at Monsters of Rock at Donington the following year on 20th August. When the band were booked they were lower down the bill - second band on after Helloween - but by the time August hit, they were 'mega-stars', 'Appetite for Destruction' was a worldwide 'mega-hit' and they were the new superstars on the block. The following time I saw them at Download Festival in 2006, they were a shadow of their former selves and even the guest spots from Sebastian Bach (ex- Skid Row Lead Singer) and a few songs featuring Izzy Stradlin didn't help that much, even bottling took place several times. But the following two times that saw them at Nottingham and Reading Festival, they had improved - especially at Nottingham, which was a very long and excellent show. Now we have come full circle. 60% of Guns N' Roses are back and performing together like they hadn't been apart. If only Izzy and Steven came back it would be perfect, but at least for now, we are getting shows like we and they have deserved to play for years and hopefully they will carry on for a long time to come. Next stop Download Festival headline slot in 2018. So, on with the greatest sleazy rock 'n' roll show from LA, California...

Growing up in the 1970's I was subjected, through choice to all sorts of rock and metal music - especially at school and beyond. I used to have a huge 'ghetto-blaster' back in the day and my 'mates' and me would hang around listening to all the best bands on cassettes, swapping and lending each other the greatest ones and playing them until the tapes stretched and split through use. Our popular choices at the time were: AC/DC - 'If You Want Blood, You've Got It'Saxon - 'Wheels of Steel'Gillan - 'Glory Road'Queen - 'Live Killers'Plus I got to listen to Whitesnake for the very first time on 'Ready an' Willing' and it all went on from there. I managed to see Whitesnake at the Cornwall Coliseum - one of my very first concerts (actually my second) and then another two times thereafter on subsequent tours. I then went on to catch them at Donington in '83 and New Year's Eve at Wembley Arena in '87. More recently I have seen them twice at Download Festival and once in Cardiff.At one of the Download Festival's I also had the pleasure to see David Coverdale do a 'solo' Press Conference, which was a dream come true as he is very articulate and just such a likeable guy (I also attended a KISS press conference once at Download Festival, which was an amazing experience too).From listening to them on cassette to purchasing their CD's and seeing them live, they have always been a very entertaining act in all of their incarnations - and there have been many over the years, with David staying the only constant throughout.So, over this Book, we will look at the albums, the concerts and peoples opinions on the Band and David Coverdale, the 13th Book in the 'Fans Have Their Say' series of Books.

It doesn't happen to me very often - perhaps once every ten years, maybe less - I will come across a 'new' film that will blow me away completely. In the last ten years I have to mention 'Drag Me to Hell' (which will feature in a future book) as a movie that stood out and also 'Donnie Darko' (another to be included) eight years before that. But, the one film that really hit me like a freight train when I first saw it in 1990, was this film. 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' is a raw and dirty, extremely realistic film, based loosely around the life (and murders) of loner Henry Lee Lucas and his sometimes accomplice Otis Toole. The film follows Henry - a drifter and a very disturbed individual - as he moves from one murderous situation to the next, with Otis becoming his partner in crime, already being his flat mate. Based around the true-life story of Henry Lee Lucas, who was still in prison on death row in Huntsville, Texas at the time of the films release. This film is a low budget masterpiece. A disturbing piece of celluloid that even some 'hard-core horror' fans struggled to watch, but still built a cult following large enough to demand a follow up in the film 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 2 - Mask of Sanity'. The acting in the film is so realistic that you almost feel like you are watching a 'found footage' documentary and not a low budget horror work of genius. After this film both Michael Rooker (Henry) and John McNaughton (Director) went on to bigger and better things, their careers - especially Rooker - sky rocketing to even greater success. So, in this book you will discover more about the film, the actors, the director, the soundtrack, the real murderers and the thoughts from all the people that count the most the fans - the fans of the great movie 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' and the first book in this new series, which will cover many different genres and styles.

From the 1970's in Australia to worldwide superstardom in the '80s and '90s, AC/DC have always been a rock band to be reckoned with. A marketing machine beyond compare with a musical back catalogue to back it up, they have had more album sales and hits than most rock bands - EVER! 'Black in Black' is the greatest selling rock album of all time and the only album to have sold more is Michael Jackson's 'Thriller', which is quite a feat for what was originally a little band from the land down under. From Bon Scott to Brian Johnson to Axl Rose, there has always been a constant - Angus Young, the diminutive school boy uniform clad rock god has lead the band through many changes - brothers have come and gone, drummers have come and gone and at times returned, but Angus is still there, cranking out the tunes on his Gibson SG. So come with us on a journey with the fans, the people that count and find out how how AC/DC have affected their lives. ALSO AVAILABLE - 'THE FANS HAVE THEIR SAY #1 KISS: WE WANTED THE BEST AND WE GOT THE BEST'

When I was growing up, Heavy Metal/rock music was my music of choice, it was my life. Back in those days in the late 70's and into the early 80's, we would spend our time listening to the best albums of the moment on a massive 'ghetto blaster, either sitting in the park or at any of the local railway stations, train spotting! Our albums of choice at the time were Saxon 'Wheels of Steel', Judas Priest 'British Steel' and Black Sabbath 'Heaven and Hell'. We went through many batteries back in those days, cranking the music up loud and annoying any passers by. My favourite of all our choices at the time was the Black Sabbath album and it is still one of my favourite albums to this day. How Ronnie James Dio could pack that 'massive' voice into such a small and tiny frame seemed impossible. Once I knew of his work with Black Sabbath I went to search out his back catalogue of work with Rainbow and was just amazed at the lyrics and the quality of his voice, he was and always will be the quintessential rock and metal frontman and with his passing there was a massive void left in the world of rock music. So come with me on an 'oral history' of Ronnie James Dio, the greatest frontman in Heavy Metal and rock

When bands change their lead singers sometimes the whole direction and focal point of the group changes. Fans will become attached to the band at the time and see the current lead singer as 'their singer', the same process happened with me. Growing up in the late '60s and into the '70s, I was always aware of Black Sabbath with Ozzy, but by the time I had become a huge fan of 'Heavy Metal', Ozzy had already departed and Dio was on the new vocalist on the scene. 'Heaven and Hell' was the first Sabbath album that I really 'got into' and so - for me - Dio was always my favourite era of the band; we used to play the album on tape on a huge ghetto blaster, wherever we went, from the park to the train station to the streets around our town. I went on to see Dio ('Mob Rules' tour), Ian Gillan ('Born Again' tour), Tony Martin ('Tyr' tour) and Ozzy (3 times at Download Festival - 'European Tour - '05, 'The Reunion' tour and 'The End' tour) all front the band, but my favourite version of Black Sabbath was and will always be, the version with RJD fronting them, spinning the microphone stand and 'throwing up the horns' and bringing an almost theatrical style to the frontman position. I always liked what Dio brought to the band, his lyrics, the faster pace of some of the songs and also his unique take on the 'Ozzy era' tracks; to be honest I would also have loved to have seen Ozzy take a stab at some of the 'Dio era' songs - especially tracks such as 'Neon Knights', 'The Mob Rules' and 'Die Young', but it sadly never happened. I saw Black Sabbath for the first time in '82 at the Cornwall Coliseum near St Austell - sadly now demolished - on the 'Mob Rules' tour. I bought the obligatory t-shirt - now long missing - and a programme, remember those? I was absolutely hooked on Sabbath, they were my latest favourite band and then Dio left! Talk about feeling 'gutted'!! I saw them later, as mentioned, with Gillan, Martin and finally with Ozzy - who I'd seen four times on his own as well - but that first time for me was the best and in my honest opinion the liveliest and most exciting that they ever sounded as a band. On a side note - I have also loved watching Ozzy solo as well, because then you get the best of the 'Ozzy era Sabbath' plus his own great songs, such as 'Mr Crowley', 'Shot in the Dark', 'Bark at the Moon' and 'Crazy Train' etc. And now to this book. This is the third book in the series and this time we have a British artist leading the charge. We've had American (KISS) and Australian (AC/DC), so now we are onto one of the bands that spearheaded the 'Heavy Metal' genre and still continue to be extremely popular to this day, from young kids growing up with parents who have loved them all their life. So take it away, the original and best 'Lords of Darkness'...

We fought hard and long and sometimes into the night, but the Reel Cinema refused to move and the venue was closed for the final time on 28th February 2019 - The Gala Bingo Hall, which is also attached to the venue closed in August 2018.The final performances in the evening of 'Alita Battle Angel' and 'Instant Family' were both very well attended and people stayed around afterwards to take photos and make the most of the final film showings at the Reel, for the time at least.Our group - The Royal Cinema Trust - have met once a month for the last two years, gradually growing, but always built around the core of Karl, Tim, Hilary, Caroline, Nicki, Jessica and myself. We have fought to save the Cinema building, so although the Cinema has closed, the building is still there and at the moment there seems to be no plans to demolish it.Ideally we want to see the building saved and used as a multi-use venue, with concert venue, theatrical stage, music practice rooms and a cinema - showing classic films, double bills and late night/all night film festivals.So we are still campaigning to save the building, nothing has changed, we are still looking at getting funding through various options that have already been looked into and we have already drawn up detailed plans that will be presented to Plymouth City Council, finger crossed we will win in the end...This Book, shows you behind the scenes at the venue and many places that you will have never seen, so have fun and hope you enjoy the Book.Make sure that you also come along and join the FB page for the group - 'Save the Royal (ABC/Reel) Cinema Building.

I've been lucky enough to see My Chemical Romance seven in total. I came across MCR for the first time when attending the Download Festival at Donington Park motor-racing track in the UK in June 2005. At the time I was starting to put together my book on the Monsters of Rock/Download Festivals and they were on the bill, in the tent on the Friday evening. From this earlier show, I have gone on to see them headline both Download Festival and the Reading Festival in the UK, supporting Muse at Wembley stadium and the first date on the UK's 'The Black Parade' tour at the Pavilions in my home town of Plymouth. At each show I have been amazed at the adoration, overcoming adversity during the 'bottling' at Reading Festival and then returning five years later as the all conquering heroes to having the Muse fans in their hand at Wembley. Like everyone else, I never expected them to reform. Having seen Frank (and interviewed him) in his various solo band guises and Gerard making 'The Umbrella Academy' a huge Netflix success, it was the least expected reformation of recent years and then it was dashed by the arrival of the Coronavirus Pandemic. They had already sold out three stadium shows at the MK Dons football stadium in Milton Keynes and I had tickets for the Eden Sessions at the 'ecologically friendly' outdoor venue in Cornwall at St Austell - this was to be a 'warm-up' and has a capacity of only 6,000 and so is quite intimate. But here we are again now, moving slowly through 2022, with a new normality in the distance on the horizon. The UK dates have all been rescheduled, with original tickets available for the newly arranged dates, so we all have something to look forward to once again. Which then brings me to this book. The 15th in the series, covering all the bands that I like and have seen many times. The fans lead the book forward, telling their stories, their experiences and their album preferences and I collate them, add my own stories and thoughts and bring together what I hope to be another successful and popular entry in the series. So, sit back, have a read, look at the photos and most of all - 'Killjoys, Make Some Noise...'

****WARNING - This book contains graphic violence of a demonic and murderous Viking nature, some nudity included - Not suitable for most Under 16's - WARNING**** A tale of how the life in a quiet and peaceful Viking village is destroyed with the arrival of a cutthroat gang of 'Demon Pirates', intent on causing mayhem and chaos via time travel. Follow the hero/heroine Madalynn, a young 'girl' who isn't all that she seems to be on her quest to return home and save her village from the demon attacks. Features dozens of murders, mayhem, chaos, bloodshed, stabbing, slicing, broadsword and bow & arrow battles, a Viking village bloodbath, rampaging Berserkers and much much more - would make an awesome film.

Growing up in Plymouth, Devon - in the UK - my friends and I listened to solely one type of music, ROCK!!!Raised on the staple musical diet of Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Whitesnake, KISS, Blue Oyster Cult, Judas Priest, Saxon, Deep Purple, Motorhead and more, we formed a little gang of friends with similar tastes. We were all very happy to go to our local record shop and buy cassette tapes of the latest releases or buy the vinyl and then tape it off and swap with our friends. We would sit in the local parks with our 'ghetto blasters' blaring out riff upon riff of the best albums that were available to us at the time - favourites included 'If You Want Blood You've Got It' by AC/DC, 'Rock and Roll Over' by KISS, 'Wheels of Steel' by Saxon 'British Steel' by Judas Priest, 'Ready an' Willing' by Whitesnake and 'Heaven and Hell' by Black Sabbath.AND THEN IN 1979 IT ALL BEGAN TO CHANGE...The British music scene was in a bit of turmoil. Prog Rock had died at the hands of Punk & New Wave music and Classic Rock had been shoved to back of the musical cupboard and the 'rock youth' of the day wanted something else, something new and the young bands that started springing up all over the UK at the time were about to provide it.The phrase 'NWOBHM' was coined by Geoff Barton at Sounds music paper in the UK, to cover this new and exciting musical genre and then it started from there.NWOBHM or the New Wave of British Heavy Metal encompassed a new energy for rock, all young bands - no old fogies!! The lyrics were exciting, all about fantasy, adventure and horror. The speed was faster, taking elements of punk and lots of 'chugging' riffs and flash drum solos. Bands started to get noticed all over the country and became a part of this movement - Diamond Head from Stourbidge, Saxon from Barnsley, Iron Maiden from Leyton and a small band of talented young boys from Sheffield - Def Leppard. Originally formed in Sheffield in '77 - aged between 14 and 18 - they were probably one of the youngest of the NWOBHM movement, but one of the bands - along with Iron Maiden - that has had the longevity of a successful career, despite several well documented internal band tragedies.By the time their first album 'On Through the Night' was released to some critical acclaim in 1980 (hitting the top 15 in the UK charts) they had begun to develop a style that combined the NWOBHM with American influences and this would be the shape of things to come. The band were accused of 'selling out' to the American market, but after several US tours supporting the likes of Pat Travers, AC/DC and Ted Nugent, the fan-base began to multiply on both sides of the pond.With the following album releases of 'High 'n' Dry' and 'Pyromania' the fan following just grew and grew, with 'Pyromania' selling 6 million copies in 1983 alone, but mega success was just around the corner with the follow up album 'Hysteria' selling over 12 million albums to date in the US alone - 12,000,000 equals 12 times Platinum.Suffering the near fatal limb removing accident of Rick Allen and the death of Steve Clark by alcohol poisoning mixed with prescription drugs, the band has carried on. A band of brothers, sticking together for each other and giving Rick time to learn to drum more with his feet and remaining arm - something that most bands wouldn't have done; most bands would have replaced him, but the camaraderie in this band is second to none and so they stayed together, supporting each other through difficult times.More hit albums and dozens of top 40 singles have followed and still they are successful, each album doing well and each tour selling out. With their 3rd Download Festival headline appearance now completed and under their belt and their Las Vegas vacancy coming up, things are still looking up for the boys and they will continue to be as successful, they are an unstoppable musical force.

Coulrophobia - 'By definition an irrational and illogical fear of Clowns.' Clowns come in all shapes and sizes, all colours and shades of clothing, but all there for entertainment or are they... Some people have an unfortunate fear of Clowns, some people have an indifferent attitude to them, Mark is one of those people. He's a normal everyday, ordinary guy, planning a birthday party at his house for the evening, a fancy dress party - the biggest event that his street will ever see.

Definitive book of the history of Rock at Donington Park, told through hundreds of interviews with the bands, includes over 400 artists In 2005 I started to write the book of the Donington & Download Festival (including Monsters Of Rock at Milton Keynes). I was coming to the end of completing the Official Book of the Reading Festival and saw Donington as the second release in my 'Festival Series' of books, covering my favourite festivals that I attend every year - Donington/Download Festival is the longest running rock festival in the UK, covering all genres from 'rock' to 'classic rock', 'Emo to Screamo', 'Punk' to 'Hardcore', 'Black Metal' to 'Death Metal' and every style in between, plus in the last 5 years the addition of 'drum & bass' and 'dance' - the festival that caters for all. I have travelled the length and breadth of England interviewing bands and artists for the book and have had some great times in amongst the hard work. I've also had many phone interviews from Metallica to Testament, Lordi to Staind, Alice Cooper to Queensrÿche and also what was possibly one of the legend Ronnie James Dio's last interviews, prior to cancelling his final UK tour. The book contains many 'classic rock' bands including such legends as Rainbow, Judas Priest, Saxon, Mötörhead, Gillan, Blue Oyster Cult, Deep Purple, Ted Nugent, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Accept, Ratt, Y&T, Magnum, Thunder, The Quireboys, The Almighty, Therapy?, KISS, Def Leppard, Anvil, Rose Tattoo, to many 'modern' or more recent bands such as Metallica, White Zombie, Bullet For My Valentine, The Darkness, A Day To Remember, Funeral For A Friend, In Flames, Lamb Of God, Bring Me The Horizon, Trivium, Reel Big Fish, Bowling For Soup, Stonesour, Dream Theater, Cancer Bats, Five Finger Death Punch, The Ghost Of A Thousand, Lacuna Coil, Lostprophets, Murderdolls, Less Than Jake, Ash, Unearth, Soil, Flogging Molly, Coheed And Cambria, Skindred, Alexisonfire, Hatebreed, 36 Crazyfists, Ginger, Evanescence, Gallows, Buckcherry, Dimmu Borgir, The Offspring, Pendulum, The Devil Wears Prada, Job For A Cowboy, Black Spiders, The Blackout, Steel Panther, Rise To Remain, Young Guns, Bleed From Within, Suicide Silence and literally hundreds and hundreds more....... I was given unprecented access to the festival and the artists at the events thanks to the very friendly and accomodating organisers, they were second to none during the process of writing this book and I can never praise or thank them enough

*****This book was originally released (and is still available) as part of the book 'Reading Festival: Music, Mud and Mayhem - The Official History', but many people have said that they were only interested in the 70's, 80's or 90's sections of the original book, so now each decade has been released as separate 'stand alone' expanded books, I'm here to keep my readers happy ***** Featuring interviews, set lists and much more more of many of the biggest stars of the decade

It doesn't happen to me very often - perhaps once every ten years, maybe less - I will come across a 'new' film that will blow me away completely. In the last ten years I have to mention 'Drag Me to Hell' (which will feature in a future book) as a movie that stood out and also 'Donnie Darko' (another to be included) eight years before that. But, the one film that really hit me like a freight train when I first saw it in 1990, was this film. 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' is a raw and dirty, extremely realistic film, based loosely around the life (and murders) of loner Henry Lee Lucas and his sometimes accomplice Otis Toole. The film follows Henry - a drifter and a very disturbed individual - as he moves from one murderous situation to the next, with Otis becoming his partner in crime, already being his flat mate. Based around the true-life story of Henry Lee Lucas, who was still in prison on death row in Huntsville, Texas at the time of the films release. This film is a low budget masterpiece. A disturbing piece of celluloid that even some 'hard-core horror' fans struggled to watch, but still built a cult following large enough to demand a follow up in the film 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 2 - Mask of Sanity'. The acting in the film is so realistic that you almost feel like you are watching a 'found footage' documentary and not a low budget horror work of genius. After this film both Michael Rooker (Henry) and John McNaughton (Director) went on to bigger and better things, their careers - especially Rooker - sky rocketing to even greater success. So, in this book you will discover more about the film, the actors, the director, the soundtrack, the real murderers and the thoughts from all the people that count the most the fans - the fans of the great movie 'Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer' and the first book in this new series, which will cover many different genres and styles.

Love is a wonderful feeling, it makes people happy, it mends broken hearts, it lifts peoples spirits up and makeS life worth living... Meet Sharon a young office worker who is planning on proposing to her boyfriend Rob on Valentine's Day - what better day to plan your life together and cement a relationship? But Sharon didn't plan on meeting the old gypsy woman in Soho (London) and the series of events that would then change her life forever...

In 2013 I made another once in a lifetime trip halfway across the world to Los Angeles.I flew each way with the excellent Air New Zealand and stayed in Beverly Hills's the Crowne Plaza - this was in March, but the weather of course was still fabulous, unlike the weather at the time in the UK. I planned to get a feel for the LA scene and so visited all of the 'Rock & Roll' landmarks. I visited the House of Blues, the Rainbow Bar and Grill, the Viper Room, the Roxy and Whisky A Go Go, the place that was a starting point for one of my favourite bands of all time Mötley Crüe - as mentioned on the Commemorative Plaque outside, in the same breath as the Doors, Frank Zappa and Guns N' Roses. To be in the same city, the same area that the Crüe had cut their teeth in their early days was amazing and there were memories of them everywhere, from the stage costumes and window display at the Hard Rock Cafe on Sunset Boulevard to the star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. I had been a fan of the Crüe from the very beginning - when my friend Theo bought their first album, still on Leathür Records - before being picked up by Elektra (Leathür was owned by Alan Coffman - their original manager). I had a white leather jacket that I had hand painted with a giant 'pentagram' and the Mötley Crüe logo along the bottom - they were my obsession at the time. I saw them for the first time at Monsters of Rock Festival at Donington Park, UK, in 1984 when they were the first band on - just before Accept - back in the day when Donington was one day, only had the one stage and usually around seven bands; unlike Download at Donington now, with over 120 bands across a three day weekend. They were the highlight of the day for me and I was amazed to see Nikki give his bass to a member of the crowd at the end of their set and even more surprised to see the guy walking back to his coach at the end of the night, with the same bass slung over his shoulder. I went on to see the Crüe at Hammersmith Odeon (as it was) on the 'Theatre of Pain' tour for two nights with Cheap Trick, which was amazing. Three more time's at Download Festival, once a Sonisphere Festival and the most amazing show of all with them supporting KISS in Tampa at the 1-800 Ask Gary Amphitheatre, which was an unbelievable night. So they have been a staple in my choice of bands for the last 35 years - is it really that long?! And now to this Book - the 12th in the Book series and once again a place where fans worldwide have come to share their amazing stories and thoughts.

Cinderella from Philadelphia were put in with the 'Hair Metal / Glam Metal' scene, but they were so much more. All talented musicians and a vocalist that had a voice that stood out from all the other 'wannabe' bands, Cinderella were always destined for bigger things. With a more 'bluesy' element becoming evident on the second album and beyond, they proved that they were so much more than just a 'scene band'.So come with us on a journey through the eyes of the people that count the fans, as we hear about their stories, their memories, of the albums, the shows and their meetings with the band.It's much more than just rock 'n' roll!!!

Welcome to my Book, which should help you sort out your future career in writing/publishing.Through this Book I will cover what you need to do to get your Book out and some of the pitfalls that you need to stay clear of and the mistakes that I have learnt along the way.The Book is short and covers 'bullet points' because I feel that people - myself included - don't like to get bogged down with too much unnecessary information that they don't need. So, good luck with your future Book writing, thanks for taking the time to get this Book and fingers crossed you'll be your own Boss and leading a different life in the not too distant future!

WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS GRAPHIC SEX AND VIOLENCE OF A DEMONIC MURDEROUS NATURE AND A KOOL DASH OF MUSIC Ishmael Boddicker is a 'demon hybrid', born of a demon father and human mother, he carries the angry and murdering, soul destroying traits of his father and the good looks and human appearance of his mother. In this book, the first of the series, we find Ishmael, killing and murdering his way through America, Berlin and London, with excerpts also in the Ukraine. We see how the tormented Ishmael copes with guilt, a feeling that he has never experienced before and falling in love or lust with the mysterious and elusive Melanie, another Mexican demon offspring. Add to this a 'demonic conversion' and the 'Odessa Witch Squad' and we have all the contents of an excellent first novel. The book contains many scenes of VERY graphic sex and gory bloodletting horror, not for the faint hearted - if you want blood, you've got it and in abundance, with dozens of deaths, murders and kills.

Back in the 1970's I was still at school. A child of the sixties, growing up in the crazy seventies, a floppy fringe and very naff 'ill fitting' clothing. For a few years previously the UK - where I live - was awash with the phenomenon that was 'Glam Rock'. British bands like Slade, The Sweet and Gary Glitter lead the 'Glam Revolution' in England and a similar movement was beginning to form, develop and rapidly evolve in the USA and it was taking off in a very big way; a flashy, brash and glitzy way.I was a massive fan of US comics and 'Hammer Horror' movies and there was an American band on the horizon, which was an amalgamation of it all. My parents regularly bought me 'Monster Mag', a horror poster magazine and Hammer House of Horror - both were supposed to be for slightly older children and aimed at late teens and adults - and comics such as the Hulk, Daredevil and the Silver Surfer. I lapped up the glossy magazines and the comics of the time and spent most of my pocket money on them; I was in a world of my own, indulging myself in the realms of 'comic-fantasy'.Then I came across KISS...I was walking past Virgin Records, our biggest and best record shop in March '79 and there in the window was an album that stood out from all the surrounding 'blandness' and it appealed to me and my 'horror/comics' fixations.The album was 'Destroyer'- which had already been out for three years - and there were no other thoughts in my mind, I HAD to have it. At the time I had never listened to KISS or even heard of them - I was only 13, nearly 14, years old and my life, as I previously mentioned, revolved around horror movies and comic book heroes, but the band on the cover of this album appeared to encompass both elements.Looking like 'superheroes' coming over a mountain, the painting on the cover of 'Destroyer' was what caught my eye most. With fists punching the smoke filled air, the four 'stack-heeled' behemoths looked like a force to be reckoned with and I would later discover what a musical 'tour de force' they were.The album was bought as soon as I could get the cash saved and from that day on there was no looking back. I took the record home, played it to death on my fathers record player - as I had none at the time - and that was it, I was hooked, KISS were my favourite band and even now, 38yrs later, they still are.I have all the albums, on CD, many t-shirts and I've seen them eight times and it will be at least once on this coming tour as well; I've also seen Ace Frehley live three times as well, which is always an amazing experience.I have met Gene Simmons, nearly met Ace Frehley at the 'interview that never happened', corresponded with Bruce Kulick, been to a press conference for KISS - with them in full make-up for the whole twenty minutes - and even been to see them in the USA on the 'Monster' tour with Motley Crue; I do consider myself to have been extremely lucky in these events and more of these details will be revealed in more depth in the latter pages of this book.So there we have it, KISS - Rock 'n' Roll LEGENDS - superheroes that changed, and continue to change, the face of rock 'n' roll!All we need now is another Original Line-up Reunion Tour...

KISS are the ultimate 'stack-heeled superheroes' made flesh. A cartoon of a band, but with the tunes and attitude to back their image up. If Marvel comics did a comic strip series on a mean and dirty rock 'n' roll band, KISS would be it - luckily enough the band came first and then Marvel DID produce a comic with them as the main stars. Their music has now spanned five decades and they don't appear to be ready to end it just yet. Their paint daubed faces, similar in design to the Japanese Kabuki players, have spawned a legion of tribute acts and the KISS Army, a fan club of dedicated fans, following their every move. With such a dedicated fan base, it's no surprise that KISS are a highly collectible commodity with so many products available. From the Mego figures of the '70s via lunch boxes, t-shirts, books, comics and even coffins plus condoms, to the ultimate, in the Bally Pinball machines, KISS are a band with a 'product' that fans clamour for - name another band that are as collectible and I'm sure they still won't be as popular as the KISS based business empire. But for all the collectibles that are available, through the cards, the figures and more, it all boils down to two things - the music and the live concerts. You will never find a better example of showmanship. Even people, who aren't massive fans of the bands music, will watch and enjoy their performances at a festival or a 'county fair'. They are the ultimate showmen, they ARE glitzy glamour and rock 'n' roll combined and as I prepare myself to see them again - in a short few weeks in the UK - I give you this book, to enable you to relive the memories and the music through the people that count and who have propelled them to the heights of their success, the worldwide legion of FANS!!!(This is the Version of the Original Book only covering the 1980's)

When I was growing up I initially came across Bon Jovi by pure accident. I had heard the name but managed to see them for the first time at the Cornwall Coliseum, which used to be in St. Austell in Cornwall, UK, when they supported KISS.I have seen them many times since, including several massive outdoor events in the UK.From their popular videos to the huge chart success, Bon Jovi are still a musical force to be reckoned with and over the pages of this Book you will see what they mean to fans from all over the world, as they talk about the gigs, the music and their love of Bon Jovi and in some cases the total adoration of their leader - Jon Bon Jovi.