Product Description

From 1969 to 1981, Ben Fong-Torres was one of the first "star" writers on staff at Rolling Stone - the "scruffy rock journal" that metamorphosed into one of the most powerful voices of a generation. Now in this fascinating book, Fong-Torres revisits his most intriguing celebrity interviews and profiles, and - for the first time - tells the revealing stories behind the stories, the stars, his writing process, and life at Rolling Stone.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #594941 in Books
• Published on: 1999-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 350 pages

Amazon.com Review
Where rock scribes are concerned, you've got provocateurs of the Lester Bangs school, academics of the Greil Marcus variety, and the nuts-and-bolts sorts who, while perhaps less colorful wordsmiths, excel at capturing their subjects by putting them at ease. Early Rolling Stone contributor/editor Ben Fong-Torres may be the best known and most durable member of that third school. Not Fade Away gathers 34 Fong-Torres profiles and interviews ranging from Woodstock-era pieces centering on Sly Stone and Janis Joplin to '80s articles on Eddie Murphy and Tom Hanks. Despite the occasional foray into film writing, Not Fade Away centers around rock & roll. Solid journalist that he is, Fong-Torres can stretch from James Brown to Neil Diamond, from Bob Dylan to Iggy Pop--all without straining. Vignettes update and add color to Fong-Torres's out-of-the-archives articles. --Steven Stolder

From Library Journal
Fong-Torres, who is best known as a writer and editor for Rolling Stone and whose most recent books include The Rice Room: Growing Up Chinese-AmericanAFrom Number Two Son to Rock 'n' Roll and The Hits Just Keep On Coming: The History of Top 40 Radio, is one of the few rock journalists whose work deserves to be anthologized. This book collects 34 of his higher-profile pieces, drawn mostly from work he did for Rolling Stone in the 1970sAincluding profiles of and interviews with Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Paul McCartney, Tom Hanks, and Rodney Dangerfield. He contextualizes the chronologically arranged stories with bits of information about his personal background, the growth of Rolling Stone, and pop culture. At times he picks on "unhip" easy targets like Three Dog Night and Dick Clark, but mostly his rapport with his subjects and eye for detail provide intimate and complex portraits. Recommended for most popular music collections.ALloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Fong-Torres offers up refreshingly candid and bombast-free missives interwoven with original articles on rock and pop colossi of the 70s. What truly sparks this assortment of features and interviews to a brighter life than what Fong-Torres calls the typical compilation of articles is his true backstage pass -- the memoirosh narratives that explain the why and whither of each piece. You couldnt hope for a more upbeat, sane, and dryly revealing observer of popular musics halcyon era. Fong-Torres modesty allied with his sensitive portraiture permit a rare glimpse beyond the protective bubble of the artist, into the workings of what he calls the mysterious entertainment machine." -- Billboard Magazine, November 6, 1999

"Fong-Torres rapport with his subjects and eye for detail provide intimate and complex portraits. Recommended for most popular music collections." -- Library Journal, November 1, 1999

"In a journalistic world where, as the saying goes, ninety percent of success is showing up, Fong-Torres made his presence known with diligence and style." -- Rolling Stone, December 16-23, 1999

"Not Fade Away offers startling insights into its subjects' characters, not to mention sudden voyages to alternate universes. Memorable vignettes abound.... As the book's title suggests, both [Fong-Torres] and his subjects manage to keep finding the elusive payoff that makes it all worth doing, and convey it with fresh intensity to the reader." -- San Francisco Examiner Book Review, February 6, 2000

"much superior to the average account." -- San Francisco Examiner Magazine, November 7, 1999

"the writing is crisp and colorful all the way." -- Booklist, November 15, 1999

Customer Reviews

A little disappointing but maybe it was my fault
I bought this book after seeing Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous". That was an exceptional movie and I thought I would relive the era through Ben fong-Torres, who was featured in the movie.

The book is really a reprint of many of his stories in Rolling Stone which the reviews probably stated and I didn't focus on. I would have preferred his story of being close to the Rock and Roll scene. Reading some of the articles that were over 20 years old became somewhat boring and outdated. I did learn quite a bit in some of the stories and Fong-Torres does provide some narrative on each story although it is limited. Overall though, I'd take a pass on this one and look for another if you are looking for a good book about rock in the 70's and 80's.

Good
I thought this was a good, literate book. I only read the stuff I was interested in, but there was plenty of that (especially the George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger profiles). Frank Zappa once said that rock and roll journalism is "Writers who can't write, writing about musicians who can't play music, for readers who can't read." And he was/is correct for 99% of rock journalism. This book is the 1% of rock journalism for which that statement does not hold true. A solid book.

Title Says It All
If you weren't around in the 70s, or you want to "relive" this era, Ben Fong-Torres' book is a good place to start. It's a collection of many of his Rolling Stone feature articles, along with a brief update of the personalities involved. Having "come of age" in the 70s, it brought back memories of my own and it gave me insights into some of the most famous rock personalities of the 70s and early 1980s.

Fong-Torres has an excellent writing style and "captures" a little bit about what made a lot of these musicians "tick." His articles are enjoyable to read or re-read if you've seen them before. While part of the title (A BackStage Pass to 20 Years of Rock n Roll) may seem cliched, it fits here. Fong-Torres in his Rolling Stone articles managed to catch a glimpse of an era now long gone.