''Detroit Rock City: The Uncensored History of Rock 'n' Roll in America's Loudest City'' is a book by Steve Miller, a Michigan-based journalist. It chronicles Detroit bands from 1967 to the 2000s. The book's narrative is told through verbatim quotes. It was released on June 25, 2013, by

Da Capo Press Da Capo Press is an American publishing company with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. It is now an imprint of Hachette Books. History Founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers, it had additional of ...

About the book

The 336-page book, which reached #5 on Amazon.com in the

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

Bestsellers category, is an oral history of Detroit rock and roll. It offers quotes from the rock stars, club promoters, fans, producers and others involved in the scenes. It chronicles the careers of '60s and '70s icons like

Iggy & The Stooges The Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, also known as Iggy and the Stooges, was an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dav ...

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

and The

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

, but also tells of

The Romantics The Romantics are an American rock band formed in 1977 in Detroit. The band is often put under the banner of new wave and power pop. They were influenced by 1950s American rock and roll, Detroit's MC5, the Stooges, early Bob Seger, Motown R&B, ...

, Negative Approach,

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsler ...

and The White Stripes. On July 17, 2013, White's Third Man Records in Nashville hosted a book-signing and discussion with the book's author Steve Miller and a panel of Detroit music insiders. The book features new interviews with guitar legends

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...

, Dick Wagner (of The Frost) and James Williamson of The Stooges, among others. There is also exclusive interviews with Jack White, Suzi Quatro and

Andrew W.K. Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier (born May 9, 1979), known professionally as Andrew W.K., is an American conceptual performance artist, rock singer, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor. Raised in Michigan, Wilkes-Krier began his musi ...

It tells of the psychedelic Grande Ballroom days and the Eastown Theater - where national superstar bands shared the stage with local acts. Other venues included are

Michigan Palace The Michigan Building is an office building and the former Michigan Theater in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was constructed in 1925 and stands at 13 floors in height. The building contains a bar, restaurant, retail space, office space, a parking ...

, Bookies Club 870, City Club, Gold Dollar, and Magic Stick – all popular venues in the Detroit area.

Reviews

To date, the book has received a largely positive response from critics, including favorable reviews from glossy rock magazine like Uncut Magazine and Mojo Magazine, among others. ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' critic David Kirby had this to say in a July 5, 2013 review: "We get a picture of a dysfunctional Detroit scene that, like a negative image, shows what is needed to make great, lasting art by depicting its opposite. That makes the book worth reading, if in a perverse way. On July 24, 2013 ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' posted a review saying, "This book is not for the squeamish. But if you truly love rock 'n' roll, you'll enjoy the ride." ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' wrote this on July 23, 2013: "A punk rock overlap with "Please Kill Me" provides some of the book's most arresting passages with Motor City figureheads like Sinclair, The MC5's Wayne Kramer and head Stooge Iggy Pop, who poses front and center on the book's cover, providing insights, contexts and entertaining asides." The review goes on to say that "the story bogs down" at points, and notes that the book ignores black artists, including "the Motown legends". On June 21, 2013 ''

The Austin Chronicle ''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...

s Kevin Curtin commended the flow of the book: "With its scriptlike format, Detroit Rock City … makes you feel like you were in the scrum", but pointed out the book "didn't draw any over-arching conclusions". ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

'' reviewer Joel McIver, in the June 2013 issue, wrote this: "This book is for anyone who thinks that New York, Los Angeles and possibly Nashville are America's only musical capitals. After reading Detroit Rock City, you'll be convinced that Michigan's automotive metropolis has always outdone any other US hub ... Great job, Miller."

References

External links

''Detroit Rock City'' on Facebook

Miller's Official Site
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523165448/http://avalanche50.com/ , date=2013-05-23 American non-fiction books 2013 non-fiction books Music of Detroit Books about rock music Da Capo Press books