A review by jess_mango
They Just Seem a Little Weird: How Kiss, Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, and Starz Remade Rock and Roll by Doug Brod

4.0

Former Spin magazine editor, Doug Brod has created a detailed inside look at a very particular pocket of 1970's American hard rock. He follows the trajectory of 4 bands: KISS, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, and the lesser known Starz. Brod covers how the groups were formed including bands that the band members were in before these groups. We see how they are connected through producers, collaborators and more. There are friendships and rivalries, and of course competition at various levels. There is mention of the expected rock star life style and how that impacted their careers...Gene Simmons grandstanding and the toxicity of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. While all of this 70's rock was a bit before my time (I was but a babe in arms), I remember the Cheap Trick, KISS, and Aerosmith of the 80's, 90's and beyond. The book discusses how the bands morphed and reinvented themselves after the dawn of MTV and later 80's glam/metal and the grunge rock of the 90s.

I am not a big fan of KISS but growing up in Boston already knew a bit about Aerosmith due to the local connection. I've even run into Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer at a frozen yogurt shop (sooooo Rock & Roll!). Despite not being a mega fan of these groups, I still enjoyed learning more about them and this corner of American music history. I recommend this to any fans of rock music!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy!