Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin by C.M. Kushins
Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin by C.M. Kushins
When a young boy named John from a little town in Worcestershire, England, started learning how to play the drums at just five years old, no one could've predicted his childhood hobby would one day launch him to superstardom. However, just fifteen years later in 1968, John was recruited to join the band that would eventually become Led Zeppelin -- and before the year was out, the four bandmates would become the richest, most well-known rock band in the world.
Beast: John Bonham and the Rise of Led Zeppelin is the first full-length narrative biography of the iconic rock drummer known as John Bonham. Bonham's innovative beast-like style, encyclopedic knowledge, and distinctive and decibel-smashing sound earned him an infamous reputation with fans and industry insiders alike. But as Led Zeppelin's popularity exploded, Bonham struggled to juggle his passion for music with the high-pressure demands of life on the road. Before long, the band was selling out full arenas and reaching new heights of commercial and critical success. Every year, Led Zeppelin pushed the envelope -- the added extravagant lasers, light shows, and mirror balls to their performances; donned flamboyant and often glittering outfits; traveled in a private jet airliner and rented out entire sections of hotels; and soon became the subject of notorious accounts of beastly debauchery and destruction while on tour. Plagued by profound homesickness and acute anxiety, Bonham and his bandmates coped by self-medicating with whatever they could get their hands on. After years of extravagance, excess, and pushing themselves to the limit, the bandmembers started spiraling further and further into their own downfall, until the afternoon of September 25, 1980, when Bonham was found dead by his bandmates. He was only thirty-two.
Featuring a foreword by longtime fan and celebrated musician Dave Grohl, as well as candid interviews from Bonham, his bandmates, and his loved ones, Beast is both a comprehensive account of and touching tribute to one of the greatest rock and roll drummers of all time.
Hachette Books, Hardcover, 1st Edition, 2021
THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.