Boys Keep Swinging
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Narrated by:
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Jake Shears
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By:
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Jake Shears
About this listen
In this deeply affecting memoir, one of rock music’s most entrancing figures transforms the vividness of his musical world into an unforgettable literary account of overcoming odds and finding his true voice.
Long before hitting the stage as the lead singer of the iconic glam rock band Scissor Sisters, Jake Shears was Jason Sellards, a teenage boy living a fraught life, resulting in a confusing and confining time in high school as his classmates bullied him and few teachers showed sympathy.
It wasn’t until years later, while living and studying in New York City, that Jason would find his voice as an artist and, with a group of friends and musicians who were also thirsting for stardom and freedom, form the band Scissor Sisters. First performing in the smoky gay nightclubs of New York, then finding massive success in the United Kingdom, Scissor Sisters would become revered by the LGBTQ community, sell out venues worldwide, and win multiple accolades with hits like “Take Your Mama” and “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’”, as well as their cult-favorite cover of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb.”
Candid and courageous, Shears’s writing sings with the same powerful, spirited presence that he brings to his live performances. Following a misfit boy’s development into a dazzling rock star, Boys Keep Swinging is a raucously entertaining memoir that will be an inspiration to anyone with determination and a dream.
©2018 Jake Shears (P)2018 Simon & SchusterListeners also enjoyed...
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“Wow! So brutally honest and such a really addictive read.” (Elton John)
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Lauren Weedman is not okay. She's living what should be the good life in sunny Los Angeles. After a gig as a correspondent with The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, she scored parts in blockbuster movies, which led to memorable recurring roles on HBO's Hung and Looking. She had a loving husband and an adorable baby boy. In these comedic essays, she turns a piercingly observant, darkly funny lens on the ways her life is actually not okay.
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Good
- By Ajules29 on 04-02-16
By: Lauren Weedman
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Punk Rock Blitzkrieg
- My Life as a Ramone
- By: Rich Herschlag, Marky Ramone
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 13 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Having outlived his bandmates, Marky is the only person who can share the secrets and stories of the Ramones' improbable rise from obtuse beginnings to induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But it wasn't all good times and hit songs, and Marky doesn't shy away from discussing his own struggles.
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Dedicated Punk Fans Must Read
- By Leostriple on 03-26-15
By: Rich Herschlag, and others
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Daron’s Guitar Chronicles, Volume 1
- By: Cecilia Tan
- Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton
- Length: 4 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Daron Marks is a young guitar player with a dream: to make it big like the guys he grew up idolizing in New Jersey - or at least escape his dysfunctional family. He makes it as far as music school in Rhode Island and the rock clubs of Boston beckon him. But it's hard to succeed from the closet.
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The Start of A Relatable Journey...
- By Donald on 10-05-13
By: Cecilia Tan
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Chanel Bonfire
- By: Wendy Lawless
- Narrated by: Wendy Lawless
- Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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By the time Wendy Lawless turned 17, she'd known for quite some time that she didn't have a normal mother. But that didn't stop her from wanting one.... Georgann Rea didn't bake cookies or go to PTA meetings; she wore a mink coat and always had a lit Dunhill plugged into her cigarette holder. She went through men like Kleenex, and didn't like dogs or children. Georgann had the ice queen beauty of a Hitchcock heroine and the cold heart to match.
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Not an Engaging Listen
- By Sobriquet on 03-13-13
By: Wendy Lawless
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God-Shaped Hole
- A Novel
- By: Tiffanie DeBartolo
- Narrated by: Rachael Warren
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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When Beatrice Trixie Jordan replies to a personal ad, she meets Jacob Grace, a charming, effervescent 30-something free-spirit writer passionately seeking life. He possesses his own turns of phrase and ways of thinking and feeling that dissonantly harmonize with Trixie's off-center vision. As they rollercoaster through the joys and furies of their wrenching romance, they try to come to terms with the hurt brought about by both of their distant fathers who, in different ways, forsook them.
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To see a fortune teller or not to see one...
- By Renee on 08-08-18
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You're Better than Me
- A Memoir
- By: Bonnie McFarlane
- Narrated by: Bonnie McFarlane, Alexander Cendese
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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In the spirit of Mindy Kaling, Kelly Oxford, and Sarah Silverman, a compulsively listenable and outrageously funny memoir of growing up as a fish out of water, finding your voice, and embracing your inner crazy person from popular actress, writer, and comedian Bonnie McFarlane.
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Sandy!!! She wrote a book...it's crazy, a book!!!
- By Jonathan Placek on 03-02-16
By: Bonnie McFarlane
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The Death of Cool
- From Teenage Rebellion to the Hangover of Adulthood
- By: Gavin McInnes
- Narrated by: Gavin McInnes
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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This is his story, or, rather, stories - lots of them, and all gut-punchingly hilarious, from that first far reach into a girl's tight jeans to turning forty with a cataclysmic party. In between you’ll hear about acid trips, threesomes, Nazi skinheads, his band Anal Chinook (Inuit for “warm wind”), Martians in northern Canada, throwing pedophiles in jail, dinner with the Clash, what happens when you crash Bill Maher's show wasted, and the true story of Vice magazine.
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if you don't buy this book, the terrorists win
- By Kelsey Gholi on 04-03-17
By: Gavin McInnes
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Beat the Devil
- By: Mishka Shubaly
- Narrated by: Mishka Shubaly
- Length: 3 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In Beat the Devil, addict, alcoholic and best-selling Kindle Singles author Mishka Shubaly returns to battle his ultimate demon: his obsession with rock 'n' roll. Over three decades, his affliction has spawned immeasurable chaos and destruction (and, yes, maybe some debauched good times). While his rivals have graced the covers of Spin and Rolling Stone, Shubaly's projects have always flamed out in the 11th hour. At 36, sober and stable, Shubaly is poised to finally achieve the rock 'n' roll glory he has lusted after for years... or walk away from his lifelong dream forever.
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An honest man
- By Terry Bowman on 11-24-23
By: Mishka Shubaly
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Coreyography
- By: Corey Feldman
- Narrated by: Corey Feldman
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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In this brave and moving memoir, Corey Feldman is revealing the truth about what his life was like behind the scenes: His is a past that included physical, drug, and sexual abuse, a dysfunctional family from which he was emancipated at age fifteen, three high-profile arrests for drug possession, a nine-month stint in rehab, and a long, slow crawl back to the top of the box office.
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Didn't like the Two Coreys, but liked this.
- By ricketsj on 04-29-14
By: Corey Feldman
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I'm the One That I Want
- By: Margaret Cho
- Narrated by: Margaret Cho
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
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I'm the One That I Want, based on her show of the same name, is filled with dead-on insights about the experience of being a woman with attitude, of flowing with the highs and lows of life, and of creating one's own identity and acceptance. It is every bit as hilarious, shocking, and irreverent as she is.
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Hilarious and deeply engrossing
- By Ling on 04-10-03
By: Margaret Cho
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Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!
- My Adventures in The Alice Cooper Group
- By: Dennis Dunaway, Chris Hodenfield
- Narrated by: Dennis Dunaway
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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When Alice Cooper became the stuff of legend in the early '70s, their shows were monuments of fun and invention. Riding on a string of hits like "I'm 18" and "School's Out", they became America's highest-grossing act, producing four platinum albums and hitting number one on the US and UK charts with Billion Dollar Babies in 1973. Their utterly original performance style and look, known as shock rock, was swiftly copied by countless bands.
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Why an audio book?
- By PALOOKA on 12-19-18
By: Dennis Dunaway, and others
What listeners say about Boys Keep Swinging
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kelly
- 07-29-20
loved his fun loving attitude
Scissor Sisters is a group that I discovered a few years ago when their music was recommended after I purchased some Mika music. Despite the fact that I enjoyed the music I knew nothing about the group. I didn't know their names. Fast forward to February and March of 2020 when I watched The Masked Singer UK and fell in love with a flamboyant unicorn prancing on the stage. Revealed as Jake Shears I immediately went to Google to learn more and was happy to find this memoir.
Although this memoir is about the creation and rise of Scissor Sisters, it is also about Jake's search for purpose and happiness. He shares stories from his youth and childhood in Arizona. He was a different, unique and slightly odd child. He was an awkward teen struggling with his realization that he was gay. He was extra. He was all the things that made him perfect as that rainbow unicorn on stage all these years later. And this part of his life, while not unexpected, was completely entertaining. I think a lot of us were odd and awkward in childhood and even if we didn't struggle with identity or sexuality we were nonetheless uncomfortable in our own skins. This made me feel I could understand Jake as a child.
As Jake takes the reader into his adulthood we find that he had desires we all had. He wanted friends. He wanted love. And he wanted to share his passions with the world. So, although I have never danced on a bar in my underwear or performed in drag, I found once again that we were more similar than different.
I loved the chatty, gossipy, flamboyant and voyeuristic aspects of this book. But even more I loved the fact that I came away from the book feeling like I had a new friend. Shears is real. He is funny. He is flawed and doesn't hide that from the reader. He shares the things that made him proud of himself but also the things he regrets.
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- Alison McIlroy
- 07-06-21
Love SS & Love this book
Been a fan of Scissor Sisters for well over a decade. The insight this book gave on their evolution as well as the heart felt & raw events shared by Jake Shears has been incredible. Hearing Jake talk about his life was like listening to a good friend. Although not related; I know those stories and have experienced a few myself. Great book! Wish there was more…..
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- Myles Gullette
- 06-10-18
Boys Keep Swinging Swings with Soul!
Jake Shears reads his Memoir with a relaxed and tender cadence and brings you into his beginnings in life and with Scissor Sisters. what a journey and ending in 2006, I look forward to the continuation of his story in the sequel.
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2 people found this helpful
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- B. Frame
- 06-28-19
great story
This book has it all! Drugs sex rock and roll an inside look at the music industry. Lots of gay coming of age stories that I related so closely to
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- Tony C.
- 06-04-18
New Fan Of Jake Shears!
Loved it! Well written! Story captivating! You will not be disappointed. Thank you Jake!
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- Carrie Hatley
- 04-30-19
Favorite book in years! I am obsessed with Jake!!
What a surprise! I have gone full stalker mode for Jake Shears after this book. I love this book. He did an amazing job with the narration. The story of his friendship with Mary was so tender and a real clue into who he is , imperfect but beautifully so.
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- Chad Darnell
- 10-25-20
Loved it.
Loved this book! Jake is an incredible storyteller. Did want it to end. Highly recommend!!
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- Philip Wellbank
- 12-10-22
very addictive.
it was very nice to hear a familiar story. he's very talented and relatable at least to me. I would read more!!!
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- Keith
- 05-28-21
What A Show!
This was an intimate and candid glimpse into Jake’s life. I loved the honesty and was taken in by his incredible story-telling. This was so satisfying yet left me wanting more. I have recommended this to others.
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- Matthew Phelps
- 04-07-23
Engaging story behind the great music
I’ve loved the music of Scissor Sisters since I first heard it. This memoir puts it into context and is fabulously written by the man behind it.
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