The guys behind Slushpile.net have a few literary offerings sure to please your discriminating tastes. Give these books a shot next time you’re looking to add to your library.
Power Chord: One Man’s Ear-Splitting Quest to Find His Guitar Heroes
by Thomas Scott McKenzie
When Scott McKenzie was a young man, he thought he saw God.
The deity was all in black with knee-high silver boots, a patent-leather breastplate, and full face makeup, clutching a beautiful custom Les Paul guitar. Ace Frehley, lead guitarist for the rock group KISS, wasn’t God – but hearing his piercing, shrieking, screaming, outrageous guitar solos was a transcendent spiritual experience for a boy from rural Kentucky, making him feel uplifted, a witness to a higher power.
Two decades later, a grown up Scott McKenzie vowed to meet Ace Frehley in the flesh-as well as the other gods and demi-gods who held divine power over a generation of worshipful metal fans: legendary guitar champions like Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest and Phil Collen of Def Leppard, hallowed names like Steve Vai, Warren DeMartini, and John 5.
Power Chord is a chronicle of Scott McKenzie’s epic quest to stand in the presence of metal greatness-to meet his omnipotent guitar gods face to face, and get them to divulge their otherworldly secrets.
The Man Behind the Nose: Assassins, Astronauts, Cannibals, and Other Stupendous Tales
By Larry Harmon with Thomas Scott McKenzie
Did you hear the one about when Bozo the Clown ran for President and two assassination attempts were made on his life?
How about the time Bozo flew into the perilous jungles of New Guinea to see if he could not just survive but actually bond with dangerous cannibal tribes?
Well then, you must know about the time his size 83 AAA shoes saved him from being swallowed whole by a giant, murderous python in Thailand, right?
Then I guess you might not know as much as you think about the world?s most famous clown. Sure, you know the giant shoes, the red bulbous nose, the big ruby smile, and the twin shocks of red yak-hair bursting from the sides of his head. And obviously you know the many clowns inspired by him, from Ronald McDonald to Krusty the Clown.
So perhaps it?s time you learned about Bozo, and the man behind the nose. Larry Harmon obtained the rights to Bozo the Capitol Clown and transformed the character into Bozo the World?s Most Famous Clown! He turned Bozo into a cultural icon, creating one of the biggest children?s television franchises in the world. But that was only the beginning.
In this unputdownable book, which Harmon completed just before his death at age eighty-three, are far more incredible stories of astronauts, cannibals, celebrities, assassins, and deep-sea divers-all encountered in full Bozo regalia, and with photos to prove it.
Not only is Harmon?s life by turns incredible and hilarious, it?s also an inspirational testament to the power of one man’s positive attitude, dedication, and work ethic—and how he changed the world.