In his first novel, veteran music journalist Ira Robbins satirizes the foibles and fanaticism of '60s radicalism. The dark humor of Kick It Till It Breaks is tempered by affection and respect for those who devoted themselves to ending the war in Viet Nam. Ydinia Ochreman is the leader of the Plumbers, a pre-Watergate organization engaged in watery terrorism; her travels and exploits shape the story, which involves a colorful cast of dubious characters, including the incompetent FBI agent on her trail, a pacifist protest leader with a complicated agenda, a cranky peg-legged bar owner, an Irish atheist on a quest to end organized religion whose son kills people for it and a confused loser from Memphis who gets lost in London and finally finds a way to live. Rich with period detail, slang and settings, Kick It Till It Breaks is both a fond epic of long-ago times and a stick in the eye of anyone with too idealized a recollection of the era.

Kick It Till It Breaks: A belated novel of the 1960s

Literature & Fiction

Robbins, Ira

Literary

Trouser Press Books

Music in a Word, Volume 1 is an anthology and memoir by veteran American music journalist Ira Robbins. If you've ever wondered how and why anyone becomes a critic, some of the answers are here. "Music in a Word" gathers articles, many previously unpublished interviews, album and concert reviews and other writing, with colorful recollections of 50 years spent on a musical soapbox. Subjects include Trouser Press, John Lydon, Nirvana, Bruce Springsteen, Ice Cube, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Cure, Liz Phair, Michael Jackson, T. Rex, the B-52's, Isaac Hayes, Elvis Presley, Jethro Tull, J. Geils, Public Enemy, David Bowie, R.E.M., Linda Ronstadt, Pavement, Kirsty MacColl, Holly Beth Vincent, Billy Joel, Tears for Fears, Julian Cope and Ian McCulloch, as well as movie reviews and much more. Profusely illustrated with images from the author's personal archive.

Music in a Word: Volume 1 (Learning to Write)

Robbins, Ira A.

Humor & Entertainment

The second volume of veteran rock critic Ira Robbins' anthology-and-memoir Music in a Word trilogy compiles his extensive writing about nine artists: The Who, Cheap Trick, Ramones, Nirvana, Clash, Kinks, Elvis Costello, Keith Richards and the Replacements.\nThis large-format paperback includes features, reviews and previously unpublished interviews as well as commentary and memories from a half-century of writing about popular music. Illustrated with images from the author's collection.

Music in a Word Volume 2: Fandom and Fascinations

Arts & Photography

Music

Looking for the Magic: New York City, the '70s and the Rise of Arista Records

Cohen, Mitchell

Music in a Word Volume 3: Whippings and Apologies

Rock's in My Head: Encounters with Phil Spector, John & Yoko, Brian Wilson, and a host of other people who should be just as famous

Biographies & Memoirs

Fein, Art

Arts & Literature

Backstage & Beyond Vol. 1: 45 Years of Classic Rock Chats & Rants

Sullivan, Jim

Time Has Come Today: Rock and Roll Diaries 1967 - 2007

Bronson, Harold

Sweet, Wild and Vicious: Listening to Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground

Higgins, Jim

Zip It Up!: The Best of Trouser Press Magazine 1974 - 1984

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Trouser Press Books publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Trouser Press Books