Rave Books

Excellent, informative history of the rave scene in England... everything is in here: how influential Ibiza was to the scene, MDMA and its history, smiley faces, baggy pants, all the main players and djs... it brought back a lot of happy memories of my raver days in NYC in the early 90s. A must read for those interested in this scene especially the beginning which shows that it all started in America: Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage, Frankie Knuckles's Warehouse parties, Dr. Shulgin and his MDMA studies... Britian took it to the next level in the 80s beginning with the Summer of Love and raves and was then past back to the US in the early 90s: Frankie Bones and the Storm raves, NASA, and the rest. This book tells you all about it!

This book is truely entertaining, it covers music, culture, politics, drugs, ect... It was hard to put this book down, I was sucked into it and learned a great deal about the scene in Eroupe. I recommend this book to people who are looking for answers to questions they didn't know they were asking...

As someone who "came of age" in the club culture of Austin, Texas in the mid-1980s (Halls, Stephanie's, 606), I have been quite surprised that the Dallas (Starck) and Austin dance subculture has not been fully explored in many books as "ground zero" for the ecstasy-fueled rave movement that developed in Europe during the late-80s and early 90s. Although MDMA had been around for a while, if it wasn't for a chance meeting between a certain Austin DJ and one of Britain's top new wave bands after an Austin concert, England's 1988 "summer of love" might not have happened (or at least it would have been delayed for a few years). That "three days of love" on Lake Travis had a tremendous influence on the social history of youth over the next twenty years! The book mainly focuses on Britain's experience with the rave and dance subculture. However, it is the first few chapters that I find so fascinating . . . the development of MDMA and its infusion into the mainstream population through unassuming college students who had no idea they were guinea pigs for the multitudes to follow. Well worth the read, especially for those of us who experienced the phenomenon first hand.

Garage, House, Acid House, Techno, Balearic, Drum & Bass, Jungle, whatever you call it: this is the book about the real history. Sometime in the past fifteen or twenty years rock died finally, amd weren't you glad? I was happy but I was on E and my vote doesn't count. I was taking alot of smart drugs too and I wrote a few novels on those so-called "pep pills." But I wasn't hanging out in Ibiza with Danny Rampling of Claire Manumission, or even Larry Levin at the Paradise Garage. I was still listening to Wire and Gary Numan. Like most people, at first I didn't care for most techno or house, but you know what? It's all I listen to now (I am still living in 1999). How did that happen? Before I used to listen to a lot of punk, ska and reggae, and then dropped out of the music scene for a while. I liked punk music especially since there were no rock stars, and anyone with long hair (or even looked remotely like Evan Dando) was immediately uncool and we used to beat them up. Boy, we were thugs back then, eh? But sometime in the late 1980s, someone slipped me a hit of E, and this disco record came on and it sounded like the best record I ever heard, and I was in love with everyone and I dove in the middle of the groping room. A few years later, I got serious and became the literary insider, and read Joyce, Proust, Beckett, Pynchon, Irvine Welsh, back to back, you know the story.... Well, what I'm saying is this book is a wonderful read, and adds a little narrative to the no-narrative techno policy. It also documents the most profound youth movement of the last ten or fifteen years. That's what I like about Techno: no rock stars!

Recommended to me by a friend. I have read all the books on our culture, and found this to be the most informative, historical, and unbiased description of the Rave culture. I was also quite suprised that the book dealt more with the actual culture of ravers, and didn't spend so much time on drug talk. Interesting discussion of the role the Alcohol industry played in the criminalization of ecstasy. Gives a lot of food for thought. A definite MUST HAVE.

Very similar to the Alice books by Phyllis Naylor. Gert doesn't get into quite as much "I Love Lucy" trouble as Alice.

Those of you prudes who dislike the Alice series because of the explicitness, won't like Butt Cheek. (I suppose the title would give you a clue to that.)

As in one of the Alice books, Gert's health ed teacher gives the class homework of using a mirror to get acquainted with their bodies. Gert slow-dances with a boy and realizes that he is really up about dancing with her. She dresses as a mermaid on the homecoming float in October and wishes her bikini top was thicker. All sweet, innocent stuff but not for religiously uptight parents.

I think I actually got into the world of a real teenager! Gert is clever with words, witty, smart, and has honest convictions and opinions. I even laughed out loud! And I'm not a teenager; I'm a grandmother who read this book in preparation for a teen granddaughter. I can't recommend this book enough.

It would have been nice to know I wasn't the only one struggling with issues as a teen. Gert tells it like only she can, and I had a lot of LOL moments and even a few ROFL. Great read. Highly recommend to any age.

Reviewed by Tabytha Joy (age 15) For Reader Views (11/07)

"One Butt Cheek at a Time" is a book referring to the phrase "Take it one step at a time." The philosophy is that not everyone has feet, and even those that do, some cannot use them. But everyone has a butt. Therefore, saying "Take it one butt cheek at a time" would apply to everyone.

"One Butt Cheek at a Time" is about a girl who goes through life learning new things. Gert hates her name, but learns to live with it. Her best friend, Adam, is gay. They have been friends for many years. Well, Adam ends up with a boyfriend, and soon starts to neglect his friendship with Gert. Gert soon has to find a way to win her best friend back. She tries talking to Adam, but he doesn't seem to understand. Gert ends up meeting new friends when she gets assigned to a group project with her worst enemy, Jenny.

Throughout the story, Gert learns new things about her body. As a class homework assignment, Gert has to look at her private parts, using a mirror. This is so that the female can recognize if something has changed. Well, Gert decides to name hers...

Overall, I would say that this book was very interesting--in a good way, of course. I say this because I've learned some new things by reading "Gert Garibaldi's Rants and Raves: One Butt Cheek at a Time." I really liked how the author chose to use phrases like "Holy-Mother-Of-Fake-Butter" instead of curse words. This book would be best for females fourteen and older.

Gert Garibaldi's Rants and Raves: One Butt Cheek at a Time should be on every parent of a teenager as well as every teenager's reading list. Amber Kizer takes us into the head of a teenager -- for real! Today's American teenagers have more in front of them than ever before in our country's young history. Kizer delightfully tours us through a few critical months in Gert Garibaldi's 15-soon-to-be-16 life, keeping a steady stream of humor without losing that corner of reality. If you're a parent and want to know why your kids act the way they do; or are a teen and need to feel like someone else has been where you are sitting: you need to read this book. Oh and if you're reading it on the bus, be prepared for folks to stare when you laugh out loud. Be advised it deals with mature subject matter. That said, every teenager is already dealing with mature subjects. Can't wait for the next installment!

This book examines objectively the use of MDMA ("Ecstasy," "mole") in the US and Europe. Saunders reviews many aspects of the drug and its culture (eg his personal experience, history, psychological dangers, social effects, safety, psychotherapy and much more). While the majority of readers probably use the drug or are thinking about using, non-users should read this work as well (it was recomended to me by a fellow parent who had bought it after learning that her 20 yearold son had begun using MDMA). Saunders did not recieve much publicity b/c of the taboo subject, although many reviewers and critics personally thanked him for a well written, informative book.

This book is excellent and I agree with all the other people that have reviewed it in a positive way. However, what surprised me is that Nicholas included very little about the bad effects of Ecstasy, such as first-time user panic attacks, negative effects that might occur (anxiety, claustrophobia, fear of others,midweek crash, etc.) I agree totally with him that E should have never been made illegal, but I feel that he was (rest in peace) so passionate about the good part of E that he forgot that E has a definite downside. Ignoring this downside can make some readers think that E is ALL positive. I recommend this book because still it's very informative and obviously well-researched, I just want potential readers (and E users) to keep in mind that Ecstasy is a strong substance that should be used with respect.

Earlier incarnations of this book, "E for Ecstasy," "Ecstasy and the Dance Culture," and "Ecstasy Reconsidered," have been chosen for listing in "Religion and Psychoactive Sacraments: An Entheogen Chrestomathy." http://www.csp.org/chrestomathy

Of all the books on MDMA I've read this is by far the best. Very well organized and goes through everything concerning MDMA from its legal status to the chemistry behind it. The text is very easy to understand even for those who do not know much about this subject. All his statements are backed by solid evidence derived from independent research and real life stories. Saunders gives the reader a chance to decide for himself, rather than telling the reader 'This is what I looked up so this is what I think, and therefore what you think as well'. I would recommend this book to everyone. The author has dedicated his life to this subject, as indicated by the quality of his work.

Saunders, a brilliant and inquisitive man, writes of his experiences, research, and overall knoweledge of MDMA. From the chemical make-up to the trafficing of the drug, Saunders tackles the entire realm of Ecstasy and its culture. A must read for anyone curious about the subject - #1 Thesis on Ecstasy

I was looking forward to reading the updates about former faves but I was more than surprised about the magazines history. Great read and a ton of fun. I sat down and before the first page was turned I was reading it out loud to my girlfriend. Rolled over laughing (or should I say Roller) at parts I just wish I had my sister's record player back so I could bother the neighbors with the sound of my Partridge albums. Great and fun read and perfect for story time with a friend. Strongly suggested it should be your homework to read it.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this book, so I was surprised and delighted to find that the book not only contained the story of Gloria Stavers and 16 magazine, but also featured reprints of actual pages from the magazine going back to 1950s. I was a reader of 16 magazine during the heyday of the Monkees, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and Bobby Sherman, so it was a real treat to see old articles about my favorites, but it also was fascinating to see how the magazine covered other teen idols over the years, from Ricky Nelson and Frankie Avalon to David Cassidy and John Travolta. Best of all, the authors include new interviews with many of the performers who had been prominently featured in the magazine, so the reader learns what the teen idol experience was like from the other side. And it's always nice to find out what your "fave raves" are up to today. My only complaint is that the book wasn't long enough. I wish that additional space had been available to print more old articles from 16 magazine, rather than just one or two about each featured performer. I understand that a second volume will focus on the late 1970s and the 1980s, but I hope that the authors will consider another volume of treasures from the '60s and '70s. All in all, this book is a wonderful trip down memory lane for all of us who grew up in the golden age of pop music.

If you're a woman (or a man) of a "certain age" you might just GET this book. But, if you don't... If you NEVER envied Gloria Stavers when you were a kid, and you NEVER actually wanted to really get to know not just Herman, but alllll the HERMITS, and not just wanted but NEEDED to know everything about Freddy AND alllllll the Dreamers...this book is definitely NOT FOR YOU. But if you did all those mysterious things, then get out your credit card NOW and get this book, 'cause, girlfriend -- it's CALLING YOUR NAME!

My only complaint about the book? the price!!! I can remember buying the REAL 16 Magazine for less than a dollar. I, just like millions of pre-teens of the 60s and 70s made sure we spent our hard earned babysitting money on 16 so we could feel close to our "faves."

It was fun reading about the various teen idols and teen idol wannabees from over the years, but I really wished that Randi and Danny had given us more info on the late Gloria Stavers in her book. It's really too bad she doesn't get the proper credit she should get for being rock and roll's FIRST woman journalist. Indeed, I would say that Ms. Stavers was probably one of the most hardworking but underrated persons in her profession, and apparently for years she was referred to derisively as "Mother Superior of the Inferior." How wrong the detractors were!

Gloria was amazing in the sense that she was a trailblazer when it came to celebrity journalism: she did not possess a journalism degree, but yet she had unprecedented access to the big stars of her day. She wielded a considerable amount of influence for a woman of that time. It's said that between she and Dick Clark, they could make or break an aspiring teen idol.

If you ask me, Gloria should be nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her contribution to rock and roll journalism. It was Gloria with her "40 intimate questions" who set the pace for the way news about celebrities is reported. She made the stars approachable to the average person. Gloria Stavers was far more important in the lives of the nations pre-teenagers than one realizes. Not only was she the one giving us the "scoop" on our favorite stars, she made us feel she really understood what we were going through in our everyday lives...and while she feed us fuel for fantasy, she also was opening doors to places most young girls wouldn't have even considered venturing into, and subtly telling us how to make our dreams to "be somebody" a reality. Granted the pages of 16 were free from controversy, but it didn't mean she wasn't a rebel of sorts. While others talked of feminism and being "new women"...she didn't mention that in her pages. No, apparently she was too busy "walking the walk."

As silly as it sounds now, 16 Magazine was my "salvation" Looking back, I feel the most important lesson 16 Magazine taught me that my feeling are important, my likes aren't silly, my goals are valid and that I shouldn't just settle for a mundane life. It helped me to become the strong and well rounded woman I am today. Far too often the messages adults gave us girls was "you can't" "you shouldn't" or "you'll never make it." Yet, Gloria in her pages, gave girls the message "you can"...whether that "can" met meeting Davey Jones, Rick Springfield(or whomever tripped your trigger) or just deciding to make another dream come true.

Superbly packaged. Grouped by decade, teen idols reflect on their experience and have their memories punctuated by reprints of the articles most emblematic of their experiences. So many memories....Credit was also finally given to Gloria Stavers, who sheparded so many of us through pre-teenhood. Totally respectful of the teenboppers who saved their babysitting money so they could buy the magazine or send in for the contests. I'm hoping this is one of a series!

It's been said that a gay man's best friend is his mother, and Robert Rave and his mother Jane certainly seem to believe that. Their book, Conversations and Cosmopolitans: How to Give Your Mother a Hangover, is a coming out guide written from both the parent's and the child's point of view.

The book begins with Robert's coming out letter to his parents, and then uses his experiences to help fledgling gay men address issues with their folks, including boyfriend introductions, parental visits and hometown gossip. The funniest part of the book is the "gay glossary." Want your mom to know what you mean when you talk about that gym bunny you just met, or what DL and DQ mean in your world? The Raves show both mom's definition and Robert's.

Conversations and Cosmopolitans is nowhere near as comprehensive as some of the coming-out guides on the market, but it may be just the book to hand to your mom as you share a pair of cosmos and begin "the conversation."

Neil Plakcy, author of Mahu Surfer: A Hawaiian Mystery (An Alyson Mystery)

This is an honest and thoughtful story that also happens to be pretty damn funny -- you can tell there is a lot of love between the authors -- and it would make a nice gift for your mom this Christmas!

I love this book! It is so amazing to see a mother and son who love each other so much and who are honest with each other about who they are. Besides being touching at times, this book is hilarious and I laughed out loud many times. I could relate to a lot of it and sometimes wished I had had some of those conversations with my own mom. Anyone who is gay should read this book and mothers should too, whether they have a gay son/daughter or not, because this is a book about unconditional love. And we can all use some.

I finished this book in one sitting. It is smart, witty and touching. A must read, not only for families navigating their way through the same issues as Jane and Robert did after Robert came out to his parents, but for any family struggling to understand and reconcile the person their child grows up to become, with the person they imagined for the baby they brought into this world. This book shows that with a stable and loving base, families (especially mothers) have an amazing capacity to understand, adapt and have fun along the way! Hopefully, this book will create a dialogue between children and their parents that not only strengthens relationships but abolishes stereotypes.

I've learned so much about what I want, and what I wish I had, with this book. Even though its a vision of a gay men.
And, also makes you feel like its possible to have a relantioship with your parents, that is at same time intimate and respectful, being a gay son/daughter.

But if your not gay, even so, these two have so much to tell you about life and growing.
and its funny!

loved it!

What a conversation piece!!! Politicians beware!!!! Everything you say will come back to haunt you!!! Great book for all of us who enjoy watching our politicians eat crow!!

what a collection by a true master of the pen...Shakespeare? Dickens? Frost? Morons!

This book (as well as the Bush one) is packed with rare and just plain hilarious quotes by the former USA President. Most of these I've never heard before and the author leaves quite funny and relevant comments to further the humour. Highly recommended.

The best, funniest and most enjoyable way to remember all about Clinton! His greatest speeches, his greatest mistakes, his greatest virtues, his greatest flaws! This is a very original quote book, visually attractive, easy to read, and compilated with very intelligent and creative sense of humor. You�ll enjoy it from beginning to end�and back!!!

This book had me laughing from the moment I opened it. It is not only an insightful look at the former President's words, it's chock full of silly comments that keeps the pages turning and turning.

This book is a must read for everyone raising a teen. I could not put it down, I read the whole book in one sitting. Vicky Frechette tells a wonderful tale, could we really get away with these things? I laughed thru the whole book. The memories of raising children in this age group came flooding back to me.

I LOVED this book, and I read it so many times I practically have it memorized. The author was OBVIOUSLY "traumatized" by years of teenagers (with four of them who WOULDNT be? ) and I found myself daydreaming about actually trying these! =) I cant imagine anyone not loving this hilarious book and I recommend it to ALL parents of teens! =)

Although you would probably never REALLY do the things she suggests, this book gives you lots of laughs and LOTS of ideas as to how to get back at your teenagers. I wish I'd had this book when my four boys were in high school -- it would have definitely helped me keep my sanity. It's a cute book.

The first thing I have to say about this brilliant book is: PUBLISHER! come out with an inexpensive paperback edition!! This book is of wide interest to travelers, students of cosmopolitan culture, and reads like a travelogue. The publisher has priced it as an academic textbook of interest only to libraries. That is insane.

This book is of strong interest to hippies, club kids, neo-hippies, followers of Burning Man, festival freaks, psychedelic people, world travelers, students of counterculture history, and electronic music lovers/producers/DJ's. It is rich with stories of modern India and Spain, Goa, Pune and Ibiza, and the role these places play in the modern global nomadic counterculture. It is a fascinating study of world countercultures, and how the hippies of the sixties became transformed into the ravers of the nineties and the freaks of the new millennium.

It is also an inspiring travelogue for present and aspiring expatriates, and other global nomads, who see the road as a home instead of a way of getting somewhere. I just also finished reading Tim Ferris' "4 Hour Workweek", and see strong connections between the two books. Both books are about people who use their imagination to transform their lives and challenge the conventional, sedentary existence that most people live.

For at least the next three decades the major changes happening in the world will be occurring on the transnational front. People who embrace lives of hypermobility will be best poised to experience and facilitate this. This applies to people who do not consider themselves counterculture types.

Though this book is about the "expressive counterculture", d'Andreas makes a strong case that global capitalism and the counterculture are caught in a constant dialectic struggle. The freaks, no matter how hard they try to avoid it, become the avant-garde of global capitalism and tourism. They have become the risk-taking scouts for big corporations. Anyone interested in mainstream global capitalism will benefit from this detailed work.

Publisher: make this book affordable!!

A friend gave this me this book to read because I am involved in neo-spirituality and alternative medicine and I must say that I found the book to be suprisingly easy to read. The author recalls events with vivid detail, well enough to transport the reader to the various sites of study; then uses this beautiful imagery to illustrate his theories on neo-spirituality and globalization. Although I do not fully understand some of these theories (I am not a social scientist), this is a beautiful read and certainly a necessity for anyone in this field of study.

wow, after i ordered this book, i started to have second thoughts, but i decided to risk it; if i didn't enjoy it, i knew some of the new additions to my history class could use it. but when i recieved it, i was impressed--paul choi and his team must have worked pretty hard to look for some of these quotations (the only problem with this book is its use of the word "quote" instead of "quotation"). but overall, i think this book is great and i'm planning to order more from the series.

If you love Mao, you'll love this book! Choi has seemed to capture the beauty and brilliance that is the Chairman. His personality and charisma is brought to life in living color in this charming little edition. Two thumbs up!!

This is a great graphic novel series with great artwork. I highly recommend it. It is also nice that readers can submit artwork to the fan art section for possible publication in future volumes. It really gives aspiring artists a chance to show off their talent.

I loved rave master from book 1! Book 18 is one of my favorites. Don't skip a page. If you don't want me to go into detail don't read on but I highly recommend it to rave master fans! you won't regret it. now what hapens. Celia goes home, but Haru,Elie,Let,Griff,Musica,Ruby and don't forget our great dog friend Plue all get a little down time and they get a rave stone! And there are new DC members but of course Haru and the others know nothing of this. Let's fortune comes true. And of course Rube goes off to find Treasure and they all get a few laughes and the jiggle butt gang is back. the old rave master is only going to live for 6 months and the awesome Sieg is back. Jegan and Let have a litte thing or two to settle! Elie calapses and the rave of destiny is close. Haru and Musica have to fight a 1,000, no 10,000 Dragons. Let is fighting jegan can he do it? the ending is too good to miss! can't wait for 19 to come out!!!!!!!!!!!!!! oh Haru turns 17 happy B-day Haru. Love it I highly reccomend it. you won't regret buying it.