Mad World

A “hugely entertaining” history of the 1980s New Wave music scene told through new interviews with its biggest artists (Rolling Stone). Mad World is a compelling oral history that celebrates the New Wave music phenomenon of the 1980s via new interviews with 35 of the most notable artists of the period. Each chapter begins with a discussion of their most popular song and leads to stories of their history and place in the scene, ultimately painting a vivid picture of this colorful, idiosyncratic time. Mixtape suggestions, fashion sidebars, and quotes from famous contemporary admirers help fill out the fun. Participants include members of Duran Duran, New Order, The Smiths, Tears for Fears, Adam Ant, Echo, and the Bunnymen, Devo, ABC, Spandau Ballet, A Flock of Seagulls, Thompson Twins, INXS, and more. “One addictive chapter after another.” —Rob Sheffield, author of Talking to Girls About Duran Duran “Tells the tale of some of the decade’s most unforgettable songs . . . in fascinating detail, letting the architects of these memorable records shine a light on how the sound of a generation came to be.” —The Hollywood Reporter “The new wave era is often dismissed for its one-hit wonders and silly haircuts, but [Mad World] examines the period with a great deal of love and reverence.” —Buzzfeed “A really informative and insightful read.” —People

Since the show's debut in 2007, Mad Men has invited viewers to immerse themselves in the lush period settings, ruthless Madison Avenue advertising culture, and arresting characters at the center of its 1960s fictional world. Mad Men, Mad World is a comprehensive analysis of this groundbreaking TV series. Scholars from across the humanities consider the AMC drama from a fascinating array of perspectives, including fashion, history, architecture, civil rights, feminism, consumerism, art, cinema, and the serial format, as well as through theoretical frames such as critical race theory, gender, queer theory, global studies, and psychoanalysis. In the introduction, the editors explore the show's popularity; its controversial representations of race, class, and gender; its powerful influence on aesthetics and style; and its unique use of period historicism and advertising as a way of speaking to our neoliberal moment. Mad Men, Mad World also includes an interview with Phil Abraham, an award-winning Mad Men director and cinematographer. Taken together, the essays demonstrate that understanding Mad Men means engaging the show not only as a reflection of the 1960s but also as a commentary on the present day. Contributors. Michael Bérubé, Alexander Doty, Lauren M. E. Goodlad, Jim Hansen, Dianne Harris, Lynne Joyrich, Lilya Kaganovsky, Clarence Lang, Caroline Levine, Kent Ono, Dana Polan, Leslie Reagan, Mabel Rosenheck, Robert A. Rushing, Irene Small, Michael Szalay, Jeremy Varon

Stanley Kramer, who proudly calls himself "the most frequently picked producer in movie history", has directed or produced such classics of the American cinema as "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, High Noon, On the Beach, The Defiant Ones, Death of a Salesman, The Caine Mutiny", and "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World". In this anecdote-laden autobiography, Kramer gives a highly-readable account of his fascinating life. Photos.

A terrifically engaging and original biography about one of England’s greatest novelists, and the glamorous, eccentric, debauched and ultimately tragic family that provided him with the most significant friendships of his life and inspired his masterpiece, ‘Brideshead Revisited’.

TRILOGY BOOK FOUR includes three recent books from my twenty years of writing. Being a philosophical book-writer, dealing with world-view and value systems, I get to take time doing something that is considered the work of men of leisure. While it may not be the toughest of jobs, I assure you that most days I am worn out from just thinking about it. And can I conclude anything yet? Sometimes I think I am going in reverse! Reflections of a Mad, Mad World is the title of the book, and it is the headline work followed by two more books, Remaking Michael and Forty Songs. All three were written with you (the reader and fellow life-mate) in mind. If you wonder about the madness and chaos that in the world today, and what you can do about it, maybe you will benefit from reading Reflections of a Mad, Mad World (Book One). This work addresses the nutty, whacky world in which we live, and suggests ways to cope. If you are trying to turn over a new leaf, and need some insight and direction, then Remaking Michael (Book Two) might be for you. In my personal travels through life, I have been remade over and over again its fun! There are always two sides to every coin. My book, Forty Songs, takes on 20 negative points of view, and counterbalances them with 20 more points that are positive. You be the judge as you weigh the evidence when the matter of Life itself is placed on trial. I am hopeful that this three-books-in-one volume will be rewarding and beneficial for you. On my web site, HowISeeTheWorld.com, questions and answers about Life that continue to crop up in the human mind are addressed. Come to the site and see what I am talking about!

'Ozzy Man always finds a way to spice up the banal, put some panache into the otherwise monotonous and regularly rouse your spirits over something stupid.' Bam Margera's blog 'Brilliant, funny, creative. Keep it up man. You are the best!' A super-nice YouTube subscriber Meet Ozzy Man. A fair dinkum cheeky online entertainer via YouTube and Facebook. He loves his sport, he loves his wildlife, he loves strange things on the internet, and he's obsessed with Game of Thrones. The foul language in his videos may make some viewers blush, but to his legion of fans, his commentary is deep, profound and full of wisdom. Ozzy Man's Mad World is a literary exploration of his favourite moments on Earth so far-or at least the ones he's managed to critique. Part nature book, part sports book, part news-and-viral-entertainment book, this is Ozzy Man's take on living in a mad world. Relive the best of Ozzy Man Reviews from his first three years of hard yakka (a.k.a. taking the p*ss). Join him as he quietly reflects on his own commentary and his behind-the-scenes adventures in web media. And once you've made it to the end, you can brush up on your vocabulary with Ozzy Man's hand-picked glossary of Australian words and phrases. Yeah nah, this is a must-have book to flick through on the dunny.

“The Suicide Game is dark, twisted, no-holds-barred fun.” - Jason Starr, author of Bust, Slide, and The Max Everyone’s playing an angle in the City of Angels. The Suicide Game tells the stories of a black hitman who doubles as a university professor, a Catholic priest who longs to be a gangster, a would-be author from Kansas, a gay phone sex operator who claims he’s straight, a group of rich twenty-somethings playing a deadly game of life and death, a ruthless Mafia boss, and a sleazy Hollywood movie director. As each of their stories intersect, bodies start piling up - and the action comes nonstop in this tense, white-knuckle thriller by Andy Rausch. This book contains graphic sex and violence, and is not suitable for readers under the age of 18.