Hollywood Shack Job: Rock Music in Film and on Your Screen

by Harvey Kubernik

"I thought a book needed to be written about the music, especially the rock 'n' roll, we hear on the screen and collect as soundtrack albums; the interaction of the music and the cinematography clicking together like a Motown rhythm section; the story of how the music gets inside the films, and how rock 'n' roll in particular has been utilized in television the last six decades."--from Hollywood Shack Job For over thirty years Harvey Kubernik has been actively involved in the music scene in Los Angeles as a studio musician, record producer, and reporter. Here he shares insiders' accounts of the compromises and "deals" behind the fusion of creativity and commerce in the making of cultural commodities.
Kubernik begins in the 1950s when rock 'n' roll made its first appearance in movies with artists like Chuck Berry or Little Richard, moves through the 1960s with the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night , when people began to realize the commercial potential of soundtracks, to Easy Rider , which took individual singles, most already released, and created a new soundtrack. Over the course of thirty-one interviews he covers nearly six decades of music in movies and television, bringing the story up to 2006. "Harvey Kubernik is a cornucopia of American culture. . . . He's onto the most important development since bebop, that is, the absolute cultural primacy of rock 'n' roll. . . . His new book, Hollywood Shack Job is a totally original scan across this history, uncovering major and minor players, aficionados and accomplices of every stripe."--David E. James, professor, School of Cinema-Television, University of Southern California, and author of Power Misses

Genres: Music

415 pages, Paperback

First published October 16, 2006

About the author

Harvey Kubernik, a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, is a veteran music journalist whose work has been published nationally in Melody Maker, The Los Angeles Free Press, Crawdaddy, Musician, Goldmine, MIX, The Los Angeles Times, and MOJO, among other publications. As a West Hollywood and Laurel Canyon insider, he has unparalleled access to the sources, personalities, and even those who are still based in the beauty of the Canyon. Ray Manzarek was co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors and, along with other members of that seminal band, is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He continues as an active and touring rock n roll performer along with ex-Doors member Robby Krieger and has performed over the decades with Iggy Pop and poet Michael McClure. He has produced music with Echo and the Bunnymen and the band X."

Reviews

[Baxter Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book exploring rock music and documentary film - even if some of the filmmakers aren't your "cup of tea" there is plenty for everyone, provided you like rock and movies. You like rock and movies, don't you?

Missing of course is the actual film that the author references - sitting by youtube is almost necessary, it's impossible (for me) to be familiar with all the material discussed.

The interviews are relevant and interesting, the history portion re: rock in film is engaging, overall A Good Book (tm)

Not sure why someone rated it a 1...

Happy reading

[Tom Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but perhaps a little uneven. Some people are infinitely more interesting to read about than others, I suppose. Written more for the music nerd who pores over liner notes than a casual fan.

[Kevin Mckinnon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets pretty redundant by the end. Yeah, I get it, everybody loves the way Scorsese used "Be My Baby" in Mean Streets.