Everyone has their own special Sesame Street memories. I remember singing along with the Huey Lewis and the News-inspired lesson on shapes, “It’s Hip to Be A Square,” and my family watching the episode when Maria had her baby when I had a new sister on the way.
Today, things look a little different. Elmo has his own crayon-drawn world, and Cookie Monster has incorporated moderation and diversity into his diet, but the fun spirit of learning and clever songs are still there.
Sesame Street: A Celebration of 40 Years of Life on the Street by Louise A. Gikow takes you back through the memorable stories, songs, and characters, and shows kids how far the show has come over the past four decades. You’ll also get a look behind-the-scenes with photographs from the Sesame Workshop showing everything from the construction of Bert to the puppeteers busy at work on (and under) the set. This book gives Sesame Street fans and collectors a fresh and unique look at Sesame Street’s captivating history, inside and out.
You’ve heard the music, waited for concert tickets to go on sale, and downloaded the albums. Celebrating 20 years of bringing some of the most seminal indie bands to the forefront of our consciousness, Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, by John Cook with Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance, chronicles the unlikely growth and staying power of Merge Records, the label that has introduced us to Superchunk, Spoon, the Arcade Fire, Magnetic Fields, and Neutral Milk Hotel to name a few.
This behind-the-scenes book is illustrated with over 300 images, record covers, letters, postcards from the road, scrawled-out setlists, hand-drawn posters and silkscreened record covers, which guide you through the ups-and-downs of making it big in the music industry, while still remaining true to the artists.
For videos and more information about the book, visit its companion site. Below is an excerpt. Enjoy.
Attention, music lovers–looking for something new to do this fall? Tom Moon, author of 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die, has created a wonderful guide to starting a listening group. If you want to get fancy, go ahead and call it a “salon.” (Pronounce that in the manner of the French.) All in all, a smart, budget-friendly way to enjoy great music and company.
Check out Tom’s pamphlet below, and if you’re looking for further diversion, go here to read his always-interesting blog.
I spent yesterday with music and culture critic Jessica Hopper while she was in New York promoting The Girls’ Guide to Rocking. A full day of radio and TV interviews ended at Barnes and Noble in Greenwich Village where more than 60 people of all ages showed up to support Jessica on one of the last stops of her multi-city tour.
Throughout the day, women kept thanking Jessica for writing the book they wished they’d had when they were growing up. But plenty of guys—a cameraman and even Craig Finn from The Hold Steady—said her book would’ve helped them too, when they were first getting into music.
As a publicist, I’m always imagining a book’s audience, but it’s easy to forget the way a single person can be affected by reading something, even if that person is a lot like me. Like lots of the women we met, when I was young and wanted to learn, someone said my hands were too small for the guitar. I didn’t want to play piano like that person thought I should, so I just got obsessed with bands and songs and records instead.
Hearing young girls ask Jessica how they might know if they had musical talent or which instrument they should learn to play, or how they could get people to listen to their new band, or what they should do when learning their instrument starts to get really hard, I was reminded of the ways books can make a difference especially to young readers.
Read an excerpt from The Girls’ Guide to Rocking.
All right, bonus edition might be overstating it. But we all love this book (I can’t wait to give it to my nieces), and so we were thrilled when author Jessica Hopper gifted several of us with custom-made, rocking-girl CDs. (Full disclosure: I did not work on the book and hence did not receive a CD–I’m just a nosy fan!)
Without further ado, here is the Unofficial, Totally Uncensored Girls’ Guide to Rocking Playlist.
Everyone with an instrument has had the inspiration at least once-let’s start a band! But things often fall apart when it becomes apparent that mere possession of an old guitar isn’t enough to push you to stardom. Luckily, today’s youth has Jessica Hopper’s The Girls’ Guide to Rocking-a guide to starting a band, writing songs, becoming a rock legend, and all of the roadblocks along the way.
The NPR Listener’s Encyclopedia of Classical Music is a complete history of classical music as well as a guide for listeners through some of the greatest masterpieces in musical history. Watc author Ted Libbey talk about how to best use and engage with the book.
Everyone has their own special Sesame Street memories. I remember singing along with the Huey Lewis and the News-inspired lesson on shapes, “It’s Hip to Be A Square,” and my family watching the episode when Maria had her baby when I had a new sister on the way.
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wonderful guide to starting a listening group. If you want to get fancy, go ahead and call it a “salon.” (Pronounce that in the manner of the French.) All in all, a smart, budget-friendly way to enjoy great music and company.
All right, bonus edition might be overstating it. But we all love this book (I can’t wait to give it to my nieces), and so we were thrilled when author Jessica Hopper gifted several of us with custom-made, rocking-girl CDs. (Full disclosure: I did not work on the book and hence did not receive a CD–I’m just a nosy fan!)
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