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So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star by Jacob Slichter

So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star is the memoir of Jacob Slichter, the drummer for the band Semisonic, on their short ride through the music industry until they quickly fell from grace. Slichter was a 32-year old Harvard graduate working temp jobs when asked to join a new band. After lukewarm sales of their first album, the second one sold over a million copies and the band was on top for a short time. Slichter tells how band expenses are charged against their royalties, so that the band was eventually over a million dollars in debt to their label. They made music videos MTV refused to play, and radio program directors would abuse their power and engage in the payola in determining which songs to air. After disappointing sales of their third album, Semisonic was dropped by the label and the ride was over. So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star is a combination of self-deprecating memoir and an insider's look at the music industry. It's received mostly positive reviews with Pop Matters saying, "While Slichter might not be the most talented drummer in rock history, after reading Rock & Roll I also can't help but wonder if Slichter isn't one of the most interesting, intelligent and articulate mainstream rock personalities around."