Amp'd: A Fathers Backstage Pass - Softcover

Gary Fincke

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0870137298 ISBN 13: 9780870137297

Publisher: Michigan State University Press, 2004

Synopsis

Set against a backdrop of aggressive rock, frenzied fans, moshing, stage diving, crowd surfing, security brutality, and occasional outright violence, Amp’d: A Father’s Backstage Pass follows four years in the life of Gary Fincke’s son, Aaron, a rock-and-roll guitarist. From bands such as Breaking Benjamin (signing with Hollywood Records and releasing CDs in 2002 and 2004), Strangers With Candy(winning MTV’s Ultimate Cover Band Prize in 2000), to Lifer (signing with Universal/Republic Records and releasing a national CD in 2001), Fincke gives a unique perspective to the bizarre and fantastical world of commercial rock and roll.
     Aaron’s rock life is chronicled first-hand by his father, who attends more than fifty shows, spends time with the bands before and after shows, follows them to national tour sites, and talks intimately with his son as well as the members of the bands and some of their fans and managers. Amp’d emphasizes the character and life of the band members through the eyes of a widely published writer, college professor, and father who immerses himself in the high-adrenaline world of contemporary rock and roll. This is not only a page-turning first-hand account of a lifestyle about which many fantasize, but also a literary narrative that examines the larger issues of celebrity, success, and family.

About this title

About the Author:

Gary Fincke is Emeritus Charles Degenstein Professor of Creative Writing and Director of the Writers Institute at Susquehanna University. A two-time winner of a Pushcart Prize, he has also won seven book prizes, including the Flannery O’Connor Prize for Short Fiction, The Journal Charles B. Wheeler Poetry Prize, and the 2017 Robert C. Jones Prize for Short Prose.Gary Fincke is the Charles B. Degenstein Professor of English and Creative Writing at Susquehanna University, where he directs the Writers Institute.

Review:

"Amp'd is a wild ride, father's blow-by-blow account of his son's sudden rise from gritty local clubs to the shark-and-groupie-infested waters of national stardom. Studded with revealing anecdotes and inside knowledge of the music business, Gary Fincke's highly readable memoir is a unique contribution to the literature of rock and roll."

About this edition

• Publisher: Michigan State University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0870137298
• ISBN 13: 9780870137297
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 189