Crime of the Century: Classic Rock and True Crime

Book excerpt: Crime of the Century is a comprehensive book about classic rock’s connections to true crime cases with over twenty true stories of classic rock musicians and their encounters with murderers, and musicians who committed murders. Inside the book you’ll find the most famous stories like how The Beach Boys met Charles Manson and how Phil Spector went from legendary producer to convicted murderer. There are stories of how classic rockers encountered some of the most notorious serial killers like The Kinks meeting John Wayne Gacy on their 1965 American tour and Debbie Harry allegedly getting into Ted Bundy’s car in the early 70s. You’ll see how the Manson Family’s classic rock connections run deeper than you thought with their encounters with Neil Young, John Phillips, Tony Valentino, Phil Ochs, and Frank Zappa. You’ll also learn how classic rockers were only a few degrees of separation from presidential assassinations and attempted assassinations like The Band meeting Jack Ruby, Squeaky Fromme pursuing Jimmy Page, and John Hinckley’s encounter with DEVO and how they used the poem he wrote for Jodie Foster as song lyrics. It’s a wild and crazy ride through classic rock history. But believe it or not, these are all true stories.