Below are three recommended titles for the book lover on your holiday gift list or yourself...
Title: Eternally Electric: The Message in My Music
Authors: Debbie Gibson (with Richard Buskin)
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Hardcover; 312 pages; $30
Back in 1988, Debbie Gibson scored her first Billboard Hot 100 chart topper with “Foolish Beat.” With that achievement came another one: the youngest female artist (at age 17) to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 hit — a record she still holds today.
Throughout her memoir, Eternally Electric, Gibson (with co-writer Richard Buskin) openly and often lightheartedly describes what it was like to achieve stardom at such a young ago, the health issues she endured (and still does), the major role late mother Diane had in her career as manager – or “momager” as the elder Gibson is lovingly referred to in the book, past and present tours with New Kids on the Block (plus ‘N Sync), local, regional and national theatrical roles and stints on Broadway, moving into film and television acting, withstanding career lows (but having a positive attitude and learning to pivot often) and more.
It’s a testament to Gibson’s good nature and reputation within the music and theater that she still remains friends with colleagues dating back decades. As a casual fan, who bought her 1987-88 albums Out of the Blue and Electric Youth on cassettes upon release, I particularly found the chapter sections devoted to her early tours, a longstanding fatherly relationship with first label boss Ahmet Ertegan, the co-founder of Atlantic Records and more recently, a professional friendship and collaborations with NKOTB’s Joey McIntyre (who wrote the book’s forward).
Info: amazon.com
Title: Desert Dreams – The Music, Style, and Allure of Coachella
Author: Katie Bain
Publisher: Epic Ink/Quarto
Hardcover; 256 pages; $24.99
Featuring over 150 photos, this gorgeous coffee table book on Coachella includes sections devoted to The Foundations (Goldenvoice, the ‘90s SoCal Music Scene). The Site (Art Installations), The Arrival, The Hype (top headline moments), The Performances (surprise guests, 21 most essential sets), The Fashion and Cultural Influence. Katie Bain, a senior music correspondent at Billboard Magazine, has attended, reported on, and interviewed artists at the event. She does a good job here at providing a history on the grandaddy of the modern annual American music festival.
As someone who has attended and written about all but two editions of Coachella, it was great to relive key moments from the past that I personally witnessed and see all the glossy color festival images through 2025. While there is a bit too much emphasis on the festival’s fashion aspect and the pop, rap, and R&B (enough Beyonce, already!) performers over rock, alternative and electronic ones that were the bread and butter of the early years, those are minor quibbles. Desert Dreams is a fine keepsake for anyone that has gone to the Indio festivities more than once.
Info: amazon.com
Title: The Cars: Let the Stories Be Told
Author: Bill Janovitz
Publisher: Da Capo Press
Hardcover; 400 pages; $32.50
Led by enigmatic frontman Ric Ocasek, Boston band The Cars enjoyed a successful decade-long run on the pop and rock radio charts starting with 1978’s “Just What I Needed,” followed by “My Best Friend’s Girl,” “Let’s Go,” “Shake it Up,” “You Might Think,” “Magic,” “Drive” and others. The first five albums were all certified platinum.
Throughout the first definitive Cars biography, author/musician Bill Janovitz - whose credits include books on Leon Russell and The Rolling Stones and is the long-running frontman for Boston alt-rocker Buffalo Tom - does an exceptional job getting to the heart of what made The Cars so beloved and influential. Janovitz touches upon all the key career moments (studio albums, Live Aid, reunion, Rock Hall induction, solo work), right up to Ocasek’s passing in 2019.
Janovitz definitely did his due diligence by interviewing the band’s three surviving members, key players in the New England music scene, producers, the musicians’ wives, artists Ocasek produced (Weezer, Suicide, Bad Brains) and others. There are several revelations; in fact, Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes, who wrote the book’s forward, said, “I’ve learned things about all The Cars that I never knew before, and I have come to appreciate the talents and perspectives of the other members of the band— Ric, Ben, Elliot, and David— a little better having read this book.” It contains color photos, annotated notes, and index sections as well. Highly recommended for all Cars fans.
Info: amazon.com
To read a 2024 interview I conducted with Debbie Gibson, go to my music blog: https://tinyurl.com/584uafur
George Paul
