7.6 /10 1 Votes
Illustrator Josh Hunter Publisher Samadhi Creations Pages 312 Originally published 27 October 2008 Page count 312 Subject Rock music | 3.8/5 Goodreads Language English Publication date October 27, 2008 ISBN 978-0-615-18964-2 Genre Biography | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Similar 27: A History of the 27 Cl, Amy 27: Amy Winehou, Heavier Than Heaven | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll is a non-fiction narrative that tells the history of rock & roll seen through the lives and legacies of 34 musicians who each died at the age of 27 (also known as the 27 Club). The 27s was created by Eric Segalstad (author) and Josh Hunter (illustrator). It was independently published, and distributed by Random House. The 27s won silver in the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Award for Popular Culture.
Contents
The book was intended as equal parts music history book and visual journey, and weaves the lives of Robert Johnson, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and more than two-dozen other musicians into a narrative. Josh Hunter told The Huffington Post that, "The artwork tells its own story as well. There are these other layers, these hidden symbols and cryptic messages that, if you're alert to them, you're going to find we're packing-in as well." In addition, The 27s feature twenty-two original portraits. The book's creators gave an example on how the art added more to the story in an interview with WNEW: "We wanted visual stimulation. The art correspond with the words here, supporting the story, visualizing it in an artistic interpretation. Then there are times when the art tell a different story or add to the words. Around Brian Jones' death in The 27s there's a photo of a freshly dug grave adorned with flowers. The overlay of white butterflies is an example of the latter. It tells a story about Brian's death that's not described using words."
The book's storyline snakes through the history of rock in a largely linear fashion (although The 27s can also be read at random), albeit with detours into the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche as it applies to music, numerology, astrology, and the findings that more rock stars have died at 27 than at any other age.