{"product_id":"rock-critic-law-101-unbreakable-rules-for-writing-badly-about-music-isbn-9780062656506","title":"Rock Critic Law: 101 Unbreakable Rules for Writing Badly About Music","description":"\u003cp\u003eStraight out of his beloved Twitter feed @RockCriticLaw, acclaimed rock journalist and author of the classic books \u003cem\u003eCome As You Are: The Story of Nirvana\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eOur Band Could Be Your Life,\u003c\/em\u003e Michael Azerrad turns his trenchant eye to the art of rock writing itself, hilariously skewering 101 of the genre’s seemingly endless litany of hackneyed phrases and tropes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the finest music writers today, Michael Azerrad has catalogued the shortcuts, lazy metaphors and uninspired prose that so many of his beloved colleagues all too regularly rely on to fill column inches. In 2014, he began his wickedly droll Twitter feed @RockCriticLaw to expose and make fun of this word-hash. Now, he consolidates these \"Laws\" into one witty, comprehensive and fully illustrated volume.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRock Critic Law\u003c\/em\u003e includes timeless gems such as:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf a band pioneered something, you must say they are \"seminal.\" That is the Seminal Law of Rock Criticism.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf a recording features densely layered guitars, then you MUST use the phrase \"sonic cathedrals.\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEven when it’s easy to find out with research, by all means ask a band how they got their name.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePlease feel free to deny an artist’s individuality and say they are \"the new [x].\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIf two guitars play a melodic line in harmony, you MUST say they are \"twin lead guitars.\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll 101 Rock Critic Laws are accompanied by original illustrations from Ed Fotheringham, beloved Seattle scenester and highly regarded artist who has created album covers for everyone from, well, seminal grunge band Mudhoney to iconic jazz label Verve Records, as well as illustrations for \u003cem\u003eThe\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eAtlantic, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker\u003c\/em\u003e and more, making this book a must-have for music lovers everywhere. A unique appreciation of music writing from one of its own, \u003cem\u003eRock Critic Law\u003c\/em\u003e irreverently captures all the passion and furor of fandom.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eWRITING ABOUT MUSIC IS HARD—AND THIS BOOK PROVES IT 101 TIMES OVER\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt’s happened to all of us who read about rock music: you come across a piece about a hot music scene and the writer thinks they’re being clever by exclaiming, “There must be something in the water!” Or maybe a couple of musicians have started a new project that’s “risen from the ashes” of their previous band. There’s a \u003cem\u003emillion\u003c\/em\u003e of those dumb things that rock critics say. Well, OK, maybe just a hundred and one. And they’re all duly immortalized in legendary rock journalist Michael Azerrad’s \u003cem\u003eRock Critic Law: 101 Unbreakable Rules for Writing Badly About Music.\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFed up, in a bemused sort of way, with all these well-worn tropes of the trade, Azerrad began tweeting them with the hashtag #RockCriticLaw, and the author’s righteous tirade struck a chord with both readers and writers of rock criticism, who greeted each new dispatch with gales of derisive laughter or self-flagellating mea culpas. Written as a set of inviolable rules to be followed only by the very worst writers, \u003cem\u003eRock Critic Law\u003c\/em\u003e is a wickedly droll exposé of the hackneyed metaphors, knee-jerk clichés and lazy thinking that have long dogged music journalism. In \u003cem\u003eRock Critic Law\u003c\/em\u003e, Azerrad has collected the worst offenders.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMerciless, snarky, and loving underneath it all, \u003cem\u003eRock Critic Law \u003c\/em\u003eis redeemed by artwork from OG-Seattle-scenester-turned-renowned-illustrator Edwin Fotheringham. The rock \u0026amp; roll love child of \u003cem\u003eElements of Style\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Devil’s Dictionary\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eRock Critic Law\u003c\/em\u003e is a unique appreciation of music writing from one of its own.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dey Street Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44888457871589,"sku":"NP9780062656506","price":23.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062656506.jpg?v=1730229126","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/rock-critic-law-101-unbreakable-rules-for-writing-badly-about-music-isbn-9780062656506","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}