 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
"Rock On" gives a humorous insight to what it'd be like working for a major record label. Tom Kennedy does a lot of sort of complaining about his job and him being lowly middle management, but deep down, he knows that he works in a pretty cool profession. The decent paying office marketing job that he had wasn't as exciting as being a full fledged rock star, but Kennedy had some memorable moments during his year and a half tenure.
The most exciting part of the book comes towards the end, with rumors of Atlantic Records being sold running as rampant as the rumors that a thousand people would lose their jobs in the process. By this time, it seems that Kennedy has almost lost his luster with the job, but he still soldiers on under an umbrella of concern. It shows that music is as much a business as anything else out there.
I especially liked reading about the ad campaigns that he worked on. Some might find that boring, but I got very excited hearing about him putting videos together for Fat Joe and Jewel. His love of punk rock is something that struck a chord with me, throwing in some cool references and telling a great story about going to see Iggy Pop. He wrote it in an interesting way, and the topic itself is something I enjoy.
While the book is relatively well written, Kennedy has some definite faults. He sounds like he's trying to convince himself of things, as he'll repeat himself and than ask a question, as if sizing up the reader. This happens much too often, which takes me out of the story, sounding juvinile. He has a humorous writing style, and he knows how to spark the interest of the reader, although I know that the subject matter helps. I'm not sure how many die hard history buffs would glue themselves to this book, but that's part of its charm: an inside look at the business for die hard music fans.