Hollywood Dream, The Thunderclap Newman Story: Pete Townshend, a Band of Outsiders, and the Birth of British...

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Mark Wilkerson Pete Townshend

Hollywood Dream, The Thunderclap Newman Story

Pete Townshend, a Band of Outsiders, and the Birth of British Indie Music

Mark Wilkerson, Pete Townshend

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English

Third Man Books
14 November 2024

Individual composers & musicians, bands & groups; Biography: arts & entertainment; British & Irish history

""We were the best worst band. We died but we died in style.""

Speedy Keen

Thunderclap Newman stunned the music world in the summer of 1969 with the success of their wonderfully odd debut single 'Something In The Air', which ousted none other than the Beatles from the top of the charts. They followed up with an LP described by Nik Cohn as ""one of the finest, most truly bizarre albums of the era"" before disintegrating just a few months after its release. This is the story of one of the most unlikely combos in popular music history, and of the four disparate characters who formed its core: Pete Townshend, principal songwriter and guitarist for The Who; his best friend and driver, the singer/songwriter/drummer John 'Speedy' Keen; a fifteen-year-old wunderkind guitarist named Jimmy McCulloch; and finally, an enigmatic telephone engineer who also happened to be a brilliant improvisational jazz pianist: Andy 'Thunderclap' Newman. Rife with both triumph and tragedy, the story intersects with seismic cultural events such as the Apollo 11 moon landing and the massive Woodstock Music and Arts festival, and with legendary artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Thunders, Motorhead, Paul McCartney and The Who. Drawing from exhaustive research and more than fifty interviews with those who were there, Hollywood Dream: The Thunderclap Newman Story provides a detailed, exacting look at the fascinating story of a band who everyone has forgotten but everyone knows.

""I will turn to Wilkerson's book again and again to be reminded of my three dear friends who comprised the band Thunderclap Newman. It's carefully and devotedly researched with lots of input from all kinds of other friends of mine who shared their journey."" - Pete Townshend

""Hollywood Dream reveals much of the mystery behind the trio's brief but fascinating journey, with an impressive blend of exhaustive first-hand research and deftly entertaining writing and storytelling."" - Richie Unterberger, author of Won't Get Fooled Again: The Who from Lifehouse to Quadrophenia

By: Mark Wilkerson
Foreword by: Pete Townshend
Imprint: Third Man Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 203mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9798989908912
Pages: 236
Publication Date: 14 November 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Pete Townshend is the guitarist and principal songwriter for The Who. Mark Wilkerson was born in Birmingham, England, in the same year that Thunderclap Newman entered the world. He has written acclaimed biographies of Pete Townshend (2008) and Tomas Young (2016), and coauthored the official Pearl Jam retrospective and New York Times bestseller Pearl Jam 20 (2011). He lives with his wife, Melissa, in Louisville, Kentucky.

Reviews for Hollywood Dream, The Thunderclap Newman Story: Pete Townshend, a Band of Outsiders, and the Birth of British Indie Music

""Definitive."" -- Rolling Stone""... pulls you in like the best novel."" -- Under the Radar""Wilkerson admirably tells the tale over more than 400 pages, justly illuminating once again this oft-forgotten group."" -- MOJO""It's fascinating on Townshend's works outside The Who and the intriguing characters within those circles,"" -- Classic Rock Magazine