Cool Town: How Athens, Georgia, Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture
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- Author：Grace Elizabeth Hale
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Summary
In the summer of 1978， the B-52's conquered the New York underground。 A year later， the band's self-titled debut album burst onto the Billboard charts， capturing the imagination of fans and music critics worldwide。 The fact that the group had formed in the sleepy southern college town of Athens， Georgia， only increased the fascination。 Soon， more Athens bands followed the B-52's into the vanguard of the new American music that would come to be known as alternative， including R。E。M。， who catapulted over the course of the 1980s to the top of the musical mainstream。 As acts like the B-52's， R。E。M。， and Pylon drew the eyes of New York tastemakers southward， they discovered in Athens an unexpected mecca of music， experimental art， DIY spirit， and progressive politics--a creative underground as vibrant as any to be found in the country's major cities。
In Athens in the eighties， if you were young and willing to live without much money， anything seemed possible。 Cool Town reveals the passion， vitality， and enduring significance of a bohemian scene that became a model for others to follow。 Grace Elizabeth Hale experienced the Athens scene as a student， small-business owner， and band member。 Blending personal recollection with a historian's eye， she reconstructs the networks of bands， artists， and friends that drew on the things at hand to make a new art of the possible， transforming American culture along the way。 In a story full of music and brimming with hope， Hale shows how an unlikely cast of characters in an unlikely place made a surprising and beautiful new world。
In Athens in the eighties， if you were young and willing to live without much money， anything seemed possible。 Cool Town reveals the passion， vitality， and enduring significance of a bohemian scene that became a model for others to follow。 Grace Elizabeth Hale experienced the Athens scene as a student， small-business owner， and band member。 Blending personal recollection with a historian's eye， she reconstructs the networks of bands， artists， and friends that drew on the things at hand to make a new art of the possible， transforming American culture along the way。 In a story full of music and brimming with hope， Hale shows how an unlikely cast of characters in an unlikely place made a surprising and beautiful new world。
Reviews
Dominique King
，
Interesting read that concentrates more on the evolution of "Southern" bands that were "alternative， rather than good ol' boy rock。It was more a look at the evolution of a culture， rather than a specific music scene。 Interesting to learn more about the town where folks like the B-52s and REM spent their formative years， but I'd warn readers it's not a particularly light read if you're just looking for a music book Interesting read that concentrates more on the evolution of "Southern" bands that were "alternative， rather than good ol' boy rock。It was more a look at the evolution of a culture， rather than a specific music scene。 Interesting to learn more about the town where folks like the B-52s and REM spent their formative years， but I'd warn readers it's not a particularly light read if you're just looking for a music book 。。。more
Amy
，
Excellent read especially if American alt rock is your jive。 As a new adult， living in Jacksonville， Athens music & queer culture bled into our local scene at places like Einstein’s A Go-Go and College Town。 Thank god！ Or growing up in the south as a young dyke would have been miserable。 But drag culture， Rocky Horror， art， and the B-52s saved me。 And this book is a witness to the extraordinary importance of what happened in Athens。 Not only does it touch on the rock scene but covers other aspec Excellent read especially if American alt rock is your jive。 As a new adult， living in Jacksonville， Athens music & queer culture bled into our local scene at places like Einstein’s A Go-Go and College Town。 Thank god！ Or growing up in the south as a young dyke would have been miserable。 But drag culture， Rocky Horror， art， and the B-52s saved me。 And this book is a witness to the extraordinary importance of what happened in Athens。 Not only does it touch on the rock scene but covers other aspects of the humanities （art programs， folk scene， drag culture， writers， etc）。 Hers is an well researched eye-witness account。 。。。more
Joost
，
Extremely well researched but also full of first hand accounts that go to much into nothing scene things nobody outside people in the scene cared out。 There is for sure a argument to be made about how white the Athens scene was but this book coverage of it really seems to miss the point that there just seemed little need for crossover between the none white scenes in Athens from the people in the scene themselves。 Still we get around 1，5 chapter of this which seem like a awkward inserted badly w Extremely well researched but also full of first hand accounts that go to much into nothing scene things nobody outside people in the scene cared out。 There is for sure a argument to be made about how white the Athens scene was but this book coverage of it really seems to miss the point that there just seemed little need for crossover between the none white scenes in Athens from the people in the scene themselves。 Still we get around 1，5 chapter of this which seem like a awkward inserted badly written college paper that really more seems apologetic about how white a scene was that was mostly based out of in a extremely white art college。 There is for sure a good article about this and the whiteness/dudeness of 80s indie rock for sure but it just comes off extremely clumsy and aimless here。 Also it just takes away from a really well researched book which isn't the best written but still well worth a read of you have a faint interest in the Athens scene。 。。。more
Andrew Dunn
，
Enough of an insiders view to make it real but also a healthy critical distance of what made the scene what it was and is。 A critique of how art school recalibrated middle class ambition at a state colleges to aspire to be more than middle mangers。 Hale also dispels notions that Southern Art is simply the output of savant eccentricity （which was usually how Michael Stipe in particular was written about）。 This book takes in the combination of ambition and amateurism in Athens; and how UGa catalyz Enough of an insiders view to make it real but also a healthy critical distance of what made the scene what it was and is。 A critique of how art school recalibrated middle class ambition at a state colleges to aspire to be more than middle mangers。 Hale also dispels notions that Southern Art is simply the output of savant eccentricity （which was usually how Michael Stipe in particular was written about）。 This book takes in the combination of ambition and amateurism in Athens; and how UGa catalyzed the art scene。 It is fair assessment of racial segregation in the Athens and ‘Alternative Rock’， and also unfortunately downward mobility for bands who weren’t as hardworking or thoughtful or lucky as REM。 Never nostalgic but accurate and informative and pleasurable， this book was a good read。 。。。more
James Baumann
，
You don’t have to be a music fan to enjoy this book。 It’s really a exploration of a place and how the people and the times can shape its culture。 The author has the eye of an academic and someone who was on the scene and puts both to good use。
Ken Hunt
，
If forced to pick a single band/musiscian/musical act as my one favorite， it would be REM。 As such I have always been aware of the Athens music scene during that period but have never made the pilgrimage。 I went to high school and college in the 80's in Texas and North Carolina， and grew up in California while family lived in England during college years。 As a result， I found myself drawn to college/indie/alternative rock （and politics for that matter）。 I have now lived in Seattle since 2002 and If forced to pick a single band/musiscian/musical act as my one favorite， it would be REM。 As such I have always been aware of the Athens music scene during that period but have never made the pilgrimage。 I went to high school and college in the 80's in Texas and North Carolina， and grew up in California while family lived in England during college years。 As a result， I found myself drawn to college/indie/alternative rock （and politics for that matter）。 I have now lived in Seattle since 2002 and dug into the history of the local music scene of the early 90s and beyond with an appreciation for what and how Athens was able to incubate so much creativity and music。I have also been a fan of the original Athens catalyst the B52s and have seen Pylon warm up for REM， while aware of others like Widespread Panic。 The Athens phenomenon was impressive during a time when musical or creative "movements" were really the domain of big cities。 While in the middle of a very conservative part of the country， Athens became a progressive college town bubble with a supportive creative arts school that encouraged exploration creatively and beyond。 Anything went， the thing was in the trying， which included sexuality and the trail blazing blurring of gender lines。 As a progressive going to a southern school， this seemed a natural progression to me。 Other progressive bubbles gratefully exist in the south in other college towns like Chapel Hill， NC and Austin， Texas to name a few。What struck me as a contract to the Seattle early 90s， was the importance in Athens of street cred and being true to the spirit fo "anything goes" creativity but a lack of tolerance for those becoming commercially successful。 REM was not the favorite outcome of Athens to the locals。 While Seattle had some of that， there seems to have been a much more collaborative spirit of mutual support and experimentation during the Seattle grunge heyday。For anyone interested in these groups， the progressive south， the genre of music， this is a worthwhile read。 Parts seemed a bit unnecessary and somewhat overly memoirish， when I would have liked to have gone deeper into the lives fo the key players。 。。。more
Jerry Smith
，
3ish I really wish Goodreads would do a 1-10 it would allow for nuance。I cheated and about halfway and read what some goodreaders thought about the book， particularly the criticisms。 I found them to be spot on。I am a music nerd and love learning about music scenes and the bands that make up the foundation but possibly didn't find success beyond their area。 For this， the book was good。The author is a Professor of American Studies and if you know anything about professors， their books are seldom g 3ish I really wish Goodreads would do a 1-10 it would allow for nuance。I cheated and about halfway and read what some goodreaders thought about the book， particularly the criticisms。 I found them to be spot on。I am a music nerd and love learning about music scenes and the bands that make up the foundation but possibly didn't find success beyond their area。 For this， the book was good。The author is a Professor of American Studies and if you know anything about professors， their books are seldom good。 Academic writing is all about pounding details and showing your peers what you've discovered。 It doesn't make for an enjoyable read per se。 Some have figured out how to take their foot off the gas when the audience is the general public。 Sadly， Dr。 Hale has not figured that out。The book is very deep in the weeds， which if you're a superfan of the Athens scene or from that area/era you'll dig。 For the rest of us it's just hacking through the minutiae to find nuggets of valuable info。As with another reader I think the author greatly overused 'bohemian' and I also feel that she beat up on REM or reflected those that beat up on REM a bit。 Overall I actually liked it， it's a topic I can get nerdy about and I did a grad degree in History so I speak professor。 I will say the book triggered some jealousy。 Both in missing out on a music/arts scene that sounded amazing and that I didn't pursue a life in the creative arts。So if you're like me and can nerd out you'll probably like it。I would hit the library or wait for a used book seller or paperback。 It isn't worth the hardcover price。 。。。more
Aaron Martinez
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 an important artifact of the athens drag - southern rock bohemia。 this book is filled with such vivid descriptions and graphic accounts that have a signature human quirk only able to be painted by individuals embedded within the scene。 i felt as if i truly could recreate the individuality of your ayers， stipes， briscoe hays in the mix。 as a college radio austinite， i felt the direct resonance of a once emotionally charged era and could reflect the similar locations， events， venues bands in the r an important artifact of the athens drag - southern rock bohemia。 this book is filled with such vivid descriptions and graphic accounts that have a signature human quirk only able to be painted by individuals embedded within the scene。 i felt as if i truly could recreate the individuality of your ayers， stipes， briscoe hays in the mix。 as a college radio austinite， i felt the direct resonance of a once emotionally charged era and could reflect the similar locations， events， venues bands in the remnants i see and have known around austin。 i want to cry thinking how just like austin， athens has probably been afflicted by the same capitalist sludge to ruin and drive those diy spots to their graves。 austin is now a consumerist parody of what it once was and i’m struck with a lightning bolt of horror to imagine athens just the same。one issue i had with grace hale’s account is that she is very strongly a white woman。 although she recognizes the privileges her and her peers had in being able to afford a diy lifestyle/the societal reasons （musical professionalism， finding like-for-like folks） many poc in athens didn’t jump into the alternative scene， i feel like grace hale was very outwardly an nonactor。 to me i feel like grace hale brings this issue forward and shrugs it off indifferently like a bug on her shoulder。 i would’ve liked more emotional vibrancy。 not that it’s her responsibility to take on the weight of white georgian racism on her shoulders， but just do your due diligence。 // my favorite part of this book is when the waiter calls the butthole surfers “asshole surfers” that was awesome。 。。。more
Martin Kilkenny
，
A great history of not just the bands that came from Athens GA， but also of life in rural America and a changing country。
N
，
An odd kind of book; interesting and evocative of times， music and attitudes I remember （like the first time I heard Planet Claire， 3 in the morning though a car radio and fell for the band right then and there） but about 2/3 of the way though it switches from being a critical history of an emerging art/social scene to a personal memoir。 Which is fine， she lived it， so she's more than entitled to do that， it just feels incongruous with the first part of the book。 It comes back to the analytic ap An odd kind of book; interesting and evocative of times， music and attitudes I remember （like the first time I heard Planet Claire， 3 in the morning though a car radio and fell for the band right then and there） but about 2/3 of the way though it switches from being a critical history of an emerging art/social scene to a personal memoir。 Which is fine， she lived it， so she's more than entitled to do that， it just feels incongruous with the first part of the book。 It comes back to the analytic approach at the end， and she does a great job of filtering the evolving scene through the people who lived it。 Recommended if you're a fan of the B-52's， Pylon， Love Tractor， REM， or just of a certain age， inclination and want to know where the indie music scene came from。 。。。more
Ryan
，
There were pluses and minuses to this book。 In the positive it was great that it talked about a variety of art and smaller bands not just those most know such as REM and B 52's。 In the negative I felt that at times the book got a little "athens is the most amazing place ever and no place could ever top it"。 All and all it was a good read more on the 3。5 side。 There were pluses and minuses to this book。 In the positive it was great that it talked about a variety of art and smaller bands not just those most know such as REM and B 52's。 In the negative I felt that at times the book got a little "athens is the most amazing place ever and no place could ever top it"。 All and all it was a good read more on the 3。5 side。 。。。more
Chris Angotti
，
I don’t want to hear the words bohemian or art ever again。
Dan Gibson
，
It's a little tough - there's a lot to like about this book as it does a good job of giving a sense of what Athens was like in the 80's and early 90's。 However， there are times where the author gets a little into memoir territory - I'm sure her cafe and restaurant was a cool spot， but I would take more about Widespread Panic （a band I don't particularly care about） than info about the person who illustrated the author's menus。 Also， I realize that a limited scope helps with these sorts of books， It's a little tough - there's a lot to like about this book as it does a good job of giving a sense of what Athens was like in the 80's and early 90's。 However， there are times where the author gets a little into memoir territory - I'm sure her cafe and restaurant was a cool spot， but I would take more about Widespread Panic （a band I don't particularly care about） than info about the person who illustrated the author's menus。 Also， I realize that a limited scope helps with these sorts of books， but a book on Athens that barely mentions the Elephant 6 acts from there feels almost irresponsible。 Enjoyable enough， just a little meandering and incomplete。 。。。more
Teri Drake-Floyd
，
My only qualm is that this read ended right as the 90s scene came into play。。。and I was really looking forward to reading about Elephant Six， gutterpunks and how they changed the Athens scene， and R。E。M。's meteoric rise into super fame。 The book is a little dry in places， but largely pretty interesting。 I'm not sure if non-Athenians will find it as interesting （unless you're just super into the scene）。 But it's a good read！ My only qualm is that this read ended right as the 90s scene came into play。。。and I was really looking forward to reading about Elephant Six， gutterpunks and how they changed the Athens scene， and R。E。M。's meteoric rise into super fame。 The book is a little dry in places， but largely pretty interesting。 I'm not sure if non-Athenians will find it as interesting （unless you're just super into the scene）。 But it's a good read！ 。。。more
Chris Hoff
，
Truth be told， as someone who was in Athens for a good portion of the timeline this book covers， I had expectations。 What I soon realized were miscalculated expectations。 As a DJ at WUOG-FM during this time it would incorrect to say I was "hooked in" to the scene。 I thought I was， but I wasn't。 Ms。 Hale's book brought that to clarity for me。 And I missed a lot， or should I say， I missed "it"。 I was at some of the events described in the book but without clue one what was happening。 I also wrote Truth be told， as someone who was in Athens for a good portion of the timeline this book covers， I had expectations。 What I soon realized were miscalculated expectations。 As a DJ at WUOG-FM during this time it would incorrect to say I was "hooked in" to the scene。 I thought I was， but I wasn't。 Ms。 Hale's book brought that to clarity for me。 And I missed a lot， or should I say， I missed "it"。 I was at some of the events described in the book but without clue one what was happening。 I also wrote music reviews for the Red & Black - but I only say all this to simply prove how clueless I really wasSo， as I read this book I didn't come at it from a "oh， I was there and 'blah blah'' arrogance。 I soon realized that I really missed out on many experiences and cultural interactions that I'm sure that， knowing what I know now， would have made my time in Athens more special。 And， make no mistake， I enjoyed my time in Athens and am thankful I was there during the time I was。Sure， R。E。M。， is a major portion of this book but， having grown up Austin， Ms。 Hale captured how， what and why Athens was able emerge as cool town。 Sorry Austin， I enjoyed my time there too， but you're no Athens。 The clubs and restaurant - pretty much went to all of them。 Legion Field， the i&i， Tyrones， The Mad Hatter， Allen's。。。Unfortunately， one of my fave bands from that time doesn't receive a mention （Arms Akimbo - but this isn't to criticize）。So， this is what the book did for me。 And I'm not saying you to have to be from Athens or have gone to UGA in the early 80's to truly appreciate this book - but it sure helped。 。。。more
Susan
，
I thought this would be a book about the B-52's， R。E。M。 and other bands that came out of Athens GA。 Sadly， it only devoted a small number of pages to those luminaries; the bulk of the book described in great detail the art/music "scene" in Athens。 The author seemed to include the name of seemingly every person living there in the 1980s who played in a band， opened a coffee shop， or created an art installation。 I skimmed most of it， focusing on the few chapters that actually covered bands that pe I thought this would be a book about the B-52's， R。E。M。 and other bands that came out of Athens GA。 Sadly， it only devoted a small number of pages to those luminaries; the bulk of the book described in great detail the art/music "scene" in Athens。 The author seemed to include the name of seemingly every person living there in the 1980s who played in a band， opened a coffee shop， or created an art installation。 I skimmed most of it， focusing on the few chapters that actually covered bands that people outside of Athens would know。 There are a few interesting ideas about the difficulties of being a hip， liberal college town in the middle of the Bible Belt， and the general lack of racial integration in the culture， but you have to slog through a lot of random names to get there。 Can't recommend except to die-hard Athens scenesters who want to relive the town's glory days。 。。。more
Michael
，
Didn’t care for this book。 I think I would have preferred to read a book about REM or the B-52s instead of a story of parties and scenes in a college town。
Mattschratz
，
This was a fun book about a cool scene。 It did force me to spend the whole time I spent reading it grappling with the fact that I don't like the band Pylon as much as I feel like I ought to， though。 This was a fun book about a cool scene。 It did force me to spend the whole time I spent reading it grappling with the fact that I don't like the band Pylon as much as I feel like I ought to， though。 。。。more
Jenny
，
3。75 I felt like the this book helped me to learn about the basic structure of the "Athens" scene and was introduced to some of the key players and bands， but I would have liked to seee more direct commentary from the musical and visual artists themselves。 3。75 I felt like the this book helped me to learn about the basic structure of the "Athens" scene and was introduced to some of the key players and bands， but I would have liked to seee more direct commentary from the musical and visual artists themselves。 。。。more
Maxwell
，
Fun well researched book about the discovery of Athens， GA。 as a neglected center for the arts。 During the late 70's through the 80's Athens produced some of the most cutting edge music on the planet。 The B-52's， Love Tractor， REM， and others brought global attention to the small college town。 The moon and the stars aligned at this moment in history to encourage young people to express themselves through their art with guidance from the Art School at the Univ。 of GA。 The "punk" ethic of not even Fun well researched book about the discovery of Athens， GA。 as a neglected center for the arts。 During the late 70's through the 80's Athens produced some of the most cutting edge music on the planet。 The B-52's， Love Tractor， REM， and others brought global attention to the small college town。 The moon and the stars aligned at this moment in history to encourage young people to express themselves through their art with guidance from the Art School at the Univ。 of GA。 The "punk" ethic of not even knowing how to play instruments carries forward here with the B-52's starting a band simply to have fun at parties。 Then REM hit the scene。 They were the first new Athens group of this era that could actually earn a living with paying gigs。 Their work ethic separated them from the other Athens bands and consequently， REM received more global exposure。 I enjoyed this book because I am from Atlanta and went to college during this time。 I know many of the band members and essentially grew up with them。 。。。more
Saracanread
，
Very informative and detailed。 I felt sometimes the author let me in and sometimes she was telling me “you had to be there。” Fascinating to learn that the b-52s and REM got their start in the same place。
Chris， a librarian
，
Informative and fun reminiscence of the 80’s Athens， Georgia music and art scene。 It was also nice for me to ask additional questions about the book as I was reading to my friend， former Time Toy lead singer， Bryan Cook。
Noelle Vocelka
，
Some really cool info， but could’ve been edited down a lot and still conveyed the coolness of the town！
Shana Singerman
，
I have spent my adult life as a fan of R。E。M。 and am fairly familiar with several of the other bands that have come out of Athens， GA and so was very interested to read this book。 Champaign-Urbana， where I went to college， was a smaller version of Athens， had a scene within the context of a large football and greek oriented campus， and had the Vertebrats and the Outnumbered during my time there so when R。E。M。 came along I was primed to appreciate them。Athens， however， also had an influential art I have spent my adult life as a fan of R。E。M。 and am fairly familiar with several of the other bands that have come out of Athens， GA and so was very interested to read this book。 Champaign-Urbana， where I went to college， was a smaller version of Athens， had a scene within the context of a large football and greek oriented campus， and had the Vertebrats and the Outnumbered during my time there so when R。E。M。 came along I was primed to appreciate them。Athens， however， also had an influential art department which not only gave rise to many of the bands that came out of the town， but continued to fuel the alternative community there。 Grace Hale gives us that history with well-drawn portraits of the major personalities involved but also of the institutions both official and unofficial that nurtured it。 If you know about Athens， if only because of theB-52s and R。E。M。， and always wondered how it became the center of so much music in the 80s and 90s， this is well worth your time。 。。。more
Blane
，
I guess if the reader was actually part of the Athens scene， this might be of interest （"Did she mention me？"， "Did she mention so & so？"， "Oh， I remember ！"）。 For those of us who were not there， but are just interested in learning more about The B-52s， Pylon （especially Pylon）， R。E。M。 & others， it was just too much granular detail。 I found myself skimming the last half of the book。 I guess if the reader was actually part of the Athens scene， this might be of interest （"Did she mention me？"， "Did she mention so & so？"， "Oh， I remember ！"）。 For those of us who were not there， but are just interested in learning more about The B-52s， Pylon （especially Pylon）， R。E。M。 & others， it was just too much granular detail。 I found myself skimming the last half of the book。 。。。more
Vanessa
，
Read for History Reading Group。 Appreciated historian as insider/academic although it was a little too insider at times。 Appreciated the queer， artsy scene of Athens。
Lynn
，
Today’s post is on Cool Town: How Athens， Georgia， Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture by Grace Elizabeth Hale。 It is 371 pages long and is published by University of North Carolina Press。 The cover is a picture of the B-52’s in concert。 The intended reader is someone who is interested in music history and how one small town grew new music。 There is mild foul language， discussion of sex and sexuality， and no violence in this book。 There Be Spoilers Ahead。From the dust jacket- Today’s post is on Cool Town: How Athens， Georgia， Launched Alternative Music and Changed American Culture by Grace Elizabeth Hale。 It is 371 pages long and is published by University of North Carolina Press。 The cover is a picture of the B-52’s in concert。 The intended reader is someone who is interested in music history and how one small town grew new music。 There is mild foul language， discussion of sex and sexuality， and no violence in this book。 There Be Spoilers Ahead。From the dust jacket- In the summer of 1978， the B-52's conquered the New York underground。 A year later， the band's self-titled debut album burst onto the Billboard charts， capturing the imagination of fans and music critics worldwide。 The fact that the group had formed in the sleepy southern college town of Athens， Georgia， only increased the fascination。 Soon， more Athens bands followed the B-52's into the vanguard of the new American music that would come to be known as "alternative，" including R。E。M。， who catapulted over the course of the 1980s to the top of the musical mainstream。 As acts like the B-52's， R。E。M。， and Pylon drew the eyes of New York tastemakers southward， they discovered in Athens an unexpected mecca of music， experimental art， DIY spirit， and progressive politics--a creative underground as vibrant as any to be found in the country's major cities。In Athens in the eighties， if you were young and willing to live without much money， anything seemed possible。 Cool Town reveals the passion， vitality， and enduring significance of a bohemian scene that became a model for others to follow。 Grace Elizabeth Hale experienced the Athens scene as a student， small-business owner， and band member。 Blending personal recollection with a historian's eye， she reconstructs the networks of bands， artists， and friends that drew on the things at hand to make a new art of the possible， transforming American culture along the way。 In a story full of music and brimming with hope， Hale shows how an unlikely cast of characters in an unlikely place made a surprising and beautiful new world。 Review- A well written history about music in Athens， GA and the bands who made it there。 Hale was a student at University of Georgia， she was involved in this scene， and knew all the major players in it too; so she is writing from a place of knowledge and personal experience。 Hale gives an excellent background for the culture of the area， the people who lived here， the kids who moved there， and everything in between。 At times it is a little too much with so many people。 Places， dates， and other information that it can be overwhelming but the overall narrative of counterculture and the musicians who made the music is very detailed。 She explores her topic by time starting with the start of the Scene and the creation of the B-52’s and why they started making music。 She ends the book with her time in Athens and how it changed the course of her life。 If you are interested in musical history then you should give this one a try。 I give this book a Three out of Five stars。 I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library。 。。。more
Dave Purcell
，
The first three chapters on The B-52s， Pylon， and REM are very good。 I scanned much of it after that， as I'm not interested in the minutiae of the other Athens bands， and certainly not Vic Chesnutt。 It's well-written and clearly well-researched。 The first three chapters on The B-52s， Pylon， and REM are very good。 I scanned much of it after that， as I'm not interested in the minutiae of the other Athens bands， and certainly not Vic Chesnutt。 It's well-written and clearly well-researched。 。。。more
Dan Ream
，
Interesting history of Athens， Georgia music culture since the late 1970s。 Would have been better if more major figures involved （such members of REM and the B-52's） would have been interviewed for the book to understand their perspectives， as their motives at various points are given considerable discussion here。 Interesting to be reminded that the Athens music scene of the late-1970s/ early 1980's was greatly influenced by gay culture and almost entirely missing participation by African-Americ Interesting history of Athens， Georgia music culture since the late 1970s。 Would have been better if more major figures involved （such members of REM and the B-52's） would have been interviewed for the book to understand their perspectives， as their motives at various points are given considerable discussion here。 Interesting to be reminded that the Athens music scene of the late-1970s/ early 1980's was greatly influenced by gay culture and almost entirely missing participation by African-American musicians and fans。 Much here about Vic Chesnutt， who I haven't listened to yet， and not much about the Elephant 6 collective， who I understand were influential in Athens in the 1990s。 The author's perspective as a musician and part-owner of a local restaurant is interesting too。 If interested in this corner of musical history， I definitely reading this book。 。。。more
Jeff
，