Peter Simon, my co-author on Playing in the Band: An Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead, has a new book: Reggae Scrapbook, a collaboration with Roger Steffens. Here’s a bit of the New York Times’ rave review from last Sunday:
….“Reggae Scrapbook,†a dazzling homage to the music and its birthplace. Simon’s magnificent photos are interspersed with his and Steffens’s text — historical morsels, interviews with reggae greats, frontline reminiscences about the music scene — and replicated goodies from the archives: concert handbills, autographed records, album covers, fliers promoting reggae shows in places as far-flung as Israel and Germany. Their work is evidence that fandom has all the trappings of religion: here are holy artifacts, testimonials, even lists of places to worship (i.e., global reggae festivals).
The book is, above all, fun. Turning page after oversize page, ogling colorful collages and wondering what treats were in store next….