A Man Called Destruction : The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, From Box Tops to Big Star to Backdoor Man

The first biography of the artist who "essentially invented indie and alternative rock" ( Spin ) A brilliant and influential songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist, the charismatic Alex Chilton was more than a rock star—he was a true cult icon. Awardwinning music writer Holly George-Warren's A Man Called Destruction is the first biography of this enigmatic artist, who died in 2010. Covering Chilton's life from his early work with the charttopping Box Tops and the seminal power-pop band Big Star to his experiments with punk and roots music and his sprawling solo career, A Man Called Destruction is the story of a musical icon and a richly detailed chronicle of pop music's evolution, from the mid-1960s through today's indie rock. Alex Chilton's Story Is Rags To Riches In Reverse, Beginning With Teenage Rock Stardom And Heading Downward. Following Stints Leading 60s Sensation The Box Tops (the Letter) And Pioneering 70s Popsters Big Star, Chilton Became A Dishwasher. Yet He Rose Again In The 80s As A Solo Artist, Producer, And Trendsetter, Coinventing The Indie-rock Genre. By The 90s, Acolytes From R.e.m. To Jeff Buckley Embodied Chilton's Legacy, Ushering Him Back To The Spotlight Before His Untimely Death In 2010. In This Career-spanning And Revelatory Biography, Longtime Chilton Acquaintance Holly George-warren Has Interviewed More Than 100 Bandmates, Friends, And Family Members To Flesh Out A Man Who Presided Over--and Influenced--four Decades Of American Musical History, Rendered Here With New Perspective Through The Adventures Of A True Iconoclast.--from Publisher Description. The Chiltons Of Virginia And Mississippi -- Memphis -- Midtown -- Thirteen -- From Moondog To Deville -- America's Youngest Hitmaker -- On The Road -- Nonstop -- I Slept With Charlie Manson -- 1969 -- Free Again -- Big Star Ascends -- #1 Record -- You Get What You Deserve -- Radio City -- Sister Lovers -- 3rd -- The Walking Dead -- Shakin' The World -- Like Flies On Shit -- Bourgeois Blues -- Behind The Magnolia Curtain -- Lost My Job -- High Priest -- Let's Get Lost. Holly George-warren. Includes Bibliographical References ( Pages 343-355) And Index. A brilliant and influential songwriter, vocalist and guitarist, the charismatic Alex Chilton was more than a rock star; he was a true cult icon. Award winning music writer Holly George-Warren's book is the first biography of this enigmatic artist, who died in 2010. Covering Chilton's life from his early work with the chart-topping Box Tops and the seminal power-pop band Big Star to his experiments with punk and roots music and his sprawling solo career, this is the story of a musical icon and a richly detailed chronicle of pop mu A Man Called The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, From Box Tops to Big Star to Backdoor Man