They Just Seem a Little Weird
How KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz Remade Rock and Roll
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Narrated by:
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Eric Stuart
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By:
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Doug Brod
About this listen
A veteran music journalist explores how four legendary rock bands—KISS, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz—laid the foundation for two diametrically opposed subgenres: hair metal in the '80s and grunge in the '90s.
It was the age when heavy-footed, humorless dinosaurs roamed the hard-rock landscape. But that all changed when into these dazed and confused mid-'70s strutted four flamboyant bands that reveled in revved-up anthems and flaunted a novel theatricality. In They Just Seem a Little Weird, veteran entertainment journalist Doug Brod offers an eye- and ear-opening look at a crucial moment in music history, when rock became fun again and a gig became a show. This is the story of friends and frenemies who rose, fell, and soared once more, often sharing stages, studios, producers, engineers, managers, agents, roadies, and fans—and who are still collaborating more than forty years on.
In the tradition of David Browne's Fire and Rain and Sheila Weller's Girls Like Us, They Just Seem a Little Weird seamlessly interweaves the narratives of KISS, Cheap Trick, and Aerosmith with that of Starz, a criminally neglected band whose fate may have been sealed by a shocking act of violence. This is also the story of how these distinctly American groups—three of them now enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—laid the foundation for two seemingly opposed rock genres: the hair metal of Poison, Skid Row, and Mötley Crüe and the grunge of Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and the Melvins. Deeply researched, and featuring more than 130 new interviews, this book is nothing less than a secret history of classic rock.
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Critic reviews
"Once upon a time, in the faraway galaxy known as the '70s, there were four tightly knit gangs of misfits and screwups—three mega-platinum Hall of Fame bands and one near miss. Doug Brod thoroughly and seamlessly chronicles their interlocking stories, and how their ups and downs, friendships and rivalries, lucky breaks and twists of fate rewrote the rules of rock and roll for America's denim-clad masses."—Alan Light, SiriusXM radio host and author of The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley and the Unlikely Ascent of "Hallelujah"
"They Just Seem a Little Weird is a wildly entertaining study of four Me Decade bands, showing how their influence would come to shape successive generations and genres of music. Doug Brod delivers the perfect balance of reportage, reminiscence, and rock-and-roll excess. Deeply researched, evocatively written, and utterly enjoyable—this is a surprisingly essential work of pop culture history."—Bob Mehr, author of Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements
"Doug Brod gives the '70s hard rock world of Kiss, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz the scholarly research, historical narrative and—above all else—the respect it deserves. You'll be constantly entertained and enlightened by his backstage stories and newly unearthed—and eye-opening—connections between all those bands. The book rock and rolls and parties all night, on every page."—David Browne, author, Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, JamesTaylor, CSNY and the Lost Story of 1970
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Everybody Wants Some
- The Van Halen Saga
- By: Ian Christe
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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How did a pair of little Dutch boys trained in classical music grow up to become the nucleus of the most popular heavy metal band of all time? What's the secret behind Eddie Van Halen's incredible fast and furious guitar solos? What makes David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar so wacky? And, are all those stories about groupies, booze bashes, and contract riders true? The naked truth is laid bare in Everybody Wants Some - the real-life story of a rock 'n' roll fantasy come true.
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Good details of albums and post-1984 career
- By IndyMATT on 12-30-18
By: Ian Christe
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The Never-Ending Present
- The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip
- By: Michael Barclay
- Narrated by: George Stroumboulopoulos
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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From our talent-rich neighbor to the north comes this biography of one of the most successful Canadian rock bands, The Tragically Hip, which announced a year-long tour after sharing the news of lead singer Gord Downie’s inoperable cancer. Now available to US listeners, The Never-Ending Present details what led up to the memorable night when music fans all over the world watched Downie’s heroic final performance.
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Hometown Heroes
- By Tommy Garou on 12-13-18
By: Michael Barclay
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Goodnight, L.A.
- Untold Tales from Inside Classic Rock’s Legendary Recording Studios
- By: Kent Hartman
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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From behind the walls of a handful of well-hidden, unlikely recording studios in the Los Angeles area, legends-in-waiting created masterpiece albums. It was a time of astonishing creativity and unprecedented fame and fortune. It was also a time of unfettered excess that threatened to unravel everything along the way. With access that only a longtime music business insider can provide, Kent Hartman packs Goodnight, L.A. with never-before-told stories about the most prolific time and iconic place in rock 'n' roll history.
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great stories and insight into a miraculous time
- By RWM on 05-27-22
By: Kent Hartman
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Unchained
- The Eddie Van Halen Story
- By: Paul Brannigan
- Narrated by: Mike Lenz
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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From the moment their hugely influential 1978 debut landed, Van Halen set a high bar for the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, creating an entirely new style of post-'60s hard rock and becoming the quintessential rock band of the 1980s. But the high-flying success was fraught with difficulty, as Eddie struggled with alcohol and drug addiction while simultaneously battling David Lee Roth over the musical direction of the band, eventually taking the band in an entirely new direction with Sammy Hagar and scaling new heights, before that iteration of Van Halen disintegrated.
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Please don't read other audible books
- By Mike on 02-01-22
By: Paul Brannigan
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All These Things That I've Done
- My Insane, Improbable Rock Life
- By: Matt Pinfield, Mitchell Cohen
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Matt Pinfield is the ultimate music fan. He's the guy who knows every song, artist, and musical riff ever recorded, down to the most obscure band's B-side single on its vinyl-only EP import. As a child, music helped Pinfield make sense of the world. Later he would approach his music idols after concerts and explain why he loved their music. As an adult, rock music inspired his career, fueled relationships, and, at times, became a life raft.
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great listen
- By nilda v. on 08-28-20
By: Matt Pinfield, and others
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Down the Highway
- The Life of Bob Dylan
- By: Howard Sounes
- Narrated by: Peter Markinker
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Down the Highway is an essential biography for Bob Dylan fans and all music enthusiasts, delivering the full, fascinating story of the life and work of this great artist. Author Howard Sounes interviewed more than 250 key people in Dylan’s circle, and gained access to previously unseen documents, to create a fresh and compelling book that takes the reader on a journey from Dylan’s childhood in a Minnesota mining town, through his rise to fame in the 1960s, to his current status as the senior figure in popular music.
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I'm a little late to the party
- By BrassHat on 06-05-17
By: Howard Sounes
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Fornication
- The Red Hot Chili Peppers Story
- By: Jeff Apter
- Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney
- Length: 15 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Despite an epic reputation for exhibitionism, drug taking, and drunkenness, through it all the Chili Peppers have continued to produce records that shock, challenge, and intrigue their fans. Jeff Apter tells the complete Red Hot Chili Peppers story, from their first meeting at a Los Angeles high school to the creation of such career-defining albums as BloodSugarSexMagik, Californication and By The Way.
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Cabron
- By Amazon Customer on 10-02-19
By: Jeff Apter
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Rainbow in the Dark
- The Autobiography
- By: Ronnie James Dio, Mick Wall - contributor, Wendy Dio - contributor
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him - Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends.
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Horns up!
- By Big Daddy on 02-10-22
By: Ronnie James Dio, and others
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Let’s Go Crazy
- Prince and the Making of Purple Rain
- By: Alan Light
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Purple Rain is a song, an album, and a film - each one a commercial success and cultural milestone. How did this semiautobiographical musical masterpiece that blurred R&B, pop, dance, and rock sounds come to alter the recording landscape and become an enduring touchstone for successive generations of fans?
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A Must-Read For Any PRINCE Fan
- By Bryan K. Chavez on 05-06-16
By: Alan Light
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The Wrecking Crew
- The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret
- By: Kent Hartman
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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If you were a fan of popular music in the 1960s and early '70s, you were a fan of the Wrecking Crew - whether you knew it or not. On hit record after hit record by everyone from the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and the Monkees to the Grass Roots, the 5th Dimension, Sonny & Cher, and Simon & Garfunkel, this collection of West Coast studio musicians from diverse backgrounds established themselves as the driving sound of pop music - sometimes over the objection of actual band members....
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Left Guessing
- By Patrick King on 04-29-14
By: Kent Hartman
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Relentless
- The Memoir
- By: Yngwie J. Malmsteen
- Narrated by: Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Yngwie Malmsteen's revolutionary guitar style - combining elements of classical music with the speed and volume of heavy metal - made him a staple of the 80s rock scene. Decades later, he's still a legend among guitarists, having sold 11 million albums and influenced generations of rockers since. In Relentless, Malmsteen shares his personal story, from the moment he burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere in the early 80s to become a household name in the annals of heavy metal.
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Bloviations
- By David A. Kaplowitz on 12-29-19
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The Gospel According to Luke
- By: Steve Lukather
- Narrated by: Steve Lukather
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In this incisive memoir, Steve Lukather tells the complete Toto story. He also lifts the lid on what went on behind the closed studio doors, shedding light on the unique creative processes of some of the most legendary names in music: from Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, and Elton John to Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Aretha Franklin. Lukather’s extraordinary tale also encompasses the dark side of stardom and the American Dream. Frank, engaging, and often hilarious, The Gospel According to Luke is no ordinary rock memoir.
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Wow Best Rock Biography Ever
- By Hercules on 09-29-18
By: Steve Lukather
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Here Comes the Night
- The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues
- By: Joel Selvin
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Here Comes the Night: Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Rhythm and Blues is both a definitive account of the New York rhythm and blues world of the early '60s, and the harrowing, ultimately tragic story of songwriter and record producer Bert Berns, whose meteoric career was fueled by his pending doom. His heart damaged by rheumatic fever as a youth, doctors told Berns he would not live to see 21. Although his name is little remembered today, Berns worked alongside all the greats of the era.
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Great book.
- By The Blimmer on 10-14-23
By: Joel Selvin
What listeners say about They Just Seem a Little Weird
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- S K O T T D.
- 10-11-22
Fun listen
this was a cool listen, lots of perspective and history for all of the bands and their timeline.
it was a little too long in some places, but def worth a credit if you like any/all of these bands
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- Dr. Judith Frith
- 05-05-24
Quick-moving and enjoyable
Enjoyed this book, which was well-written and included a lot of good anecdotes about the bands. Even though it was published in late 2020, it cuts off in around 2010, so you won't learn much about Cheap Trick's acrimonious breakup with Bun E. Carlos, or about their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction in 2016. The same is true of Kiss and Aerosmith...not much about what they've been doing since 2010, such as their final tours and the accusations that Paul Stanley has been lip synching onstage. Nevertheless, it's a good guide to the bands' early moments and glory days. The contrast with Starz, the "band who never made it", is entertaining, although having found some Starz videos on YouTube it's no surprise to me that they were not successful. Anyway, a good audiobook that's never dull. Recommended.
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- Michelle
- 03-15-21
Cheap Trick Fan
Sure enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone that is a fan of any of these performers. I feel that Cheap Trick is one of the most under appreciated rock bands. And this book brings much deserved attention to their overall contributions and how they have influenced so many.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Sarah J. Haynes
- 09-29-22
Surprising Editing Errors In Narration
Nobody is likely to claim this is a great book--but it does help fill in informational gaps for avid fans. I've never heard editing mistakes like this on ANY audible title. It's almost like nobody paid attention after Chapter 20. Repeated phrases and false starts left in the final product. I counted at least six obvious errors, and one clipped word uncorrected. Stuart has a good voice for this content, though.
And the elephant in the room: Starz?!
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- moving stranger
- 04-24-24
Surrender!
fascinating detailed story of how these bands collectively changed rock. At first I was dubious, although I've been a fan of three of these bands(I didn't know Starz) The author made me a believer. What a story! The only criticism is the recording isn't smooth and some sentences get repeated. lol.
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- Mark Givetz
- 09-23-24
The history of 4 great bands!
Loved how the history of Kiss, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, and Starz are all intertwined. There are plenty of books on KISS and Aerosmith, but not very many on Cheap Trick and specifically the criminally underrated Starz. Listening to this book was very entertaining.
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- tcbscott
- 04-25-22
Enjoyable listen
Had me pulling up songs and artists I hadn't heard of to get glimpses of all the other bands connected to my favorites that are talked about in here, Kiss and Cheap Trick.
This book has the most re-takes mid sentence that I have heard in a title on Audible, for example "When we got there.... got there we went on stage". Editor should have cleaned up these in the editing process.
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- Douglas J. Sloan
- 09-21-22
Great book. Performance has issues.
This is really a fun book. Having grown up with all these bands I thought I knew most of their history. But there is a lot in here to like and that surprised me. In terms of the reading, I’m not sure who this falls on but there were so many errors in the pronunciation of names of bands that the minute you hear one it takes you out of the listen and back TRL he reality that this is just an actor reading a book who probably has little real knowledge of the subject matter. The mangling of Mo Ostin’s name comes to mind. Maybe the read would be a better way to go on this one. Hopefully they can go in and edit the bad bits on the AB.
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- Jeff Williams
- 03-02-23
Cheap Trick rules ALL kids!!
Butch Walker in this book too!! The man is a genius kids!! Never heard Starz. How could they not include The Mighty Van Halen?!
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- julie linck
- 12-29-20
Well researched
I’ve always felt that the music industry is well entangled within itself. But I guess I didn’t have any idea how tightly these folks get to know each other and work with one another. I feel the book was well researched and brought me into the webs of the insiders. Unlike some audio books, this one is very well read and enjoyable to the listener.
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1 person found this helpful