1
of
1
Hollywood Dream: The Thunderclap Newman Story (Pete Townshend Signed, Limited Edition)
Pete Townshend, a Band of Outsiders, and the Birth of British Indie Music
Brief Description
HARDCOVER, LIMITED EDITION INCLUDING BOOKPLATE SIGNED BY PETE TOWNSHEND AND ORIGINAL 11" x 17" POSTER BY JOSH TOWNSHEND (PETE'S NEPHEW AND BANDMEMBER IN ONE OF THE LAST INCARNATIONS OF THUNDERCLAP NEWMAN) "We were the best worst band. We died but we died in style." β Speedy...
Read More
Format: Multiple-component retail product
$20500
Unit price
/
Unavailable
AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER
Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 4-6 weeks
Found a better price? Request a price match
Hollywood Dream: The Thunderclap Newman Story (Pete Townshend Signe...
$20500
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
HARDCOVER, LIMITED EDITION INCLUDING BOOKPLATE SIGNED BY PETE TOWNSHEND AND ORIGINAL 11" x 17" POSTER BY JOSH TOWNSHEND (PETE'S NEPHEW AND BANDMEMBER IN ONE OF THE LAST INCARNATIONS OF THUNDERCLAP NEWMAN)
"We were the best worst band. We died but we died in style." β Speedy Keen
Thunderclap Newman stunned the music world in the summer of 1969 with the success of their wonderfully odd debut single 'Something In The Air', which ousted none other than the Beatles from the top of the charts. They followed up with an LP described by Nik Cohn as "one of the finest, most truly bizarre albums of the era" before disintegrating just a few months after its release.
This is the story of one of the most unlikely combos in popular music history, and of the four disparate characters who formed its core: Pete Townshend, principal songwriter and guitarist for The Who; his best friend and driver, the singer/songwriter/drummer John 'Speedy' Keen; a fifteen-year-old wunderkind guitarist named Jimmy McCulloch; and finally, an enigmatic telephone engineer who also happened to be a brilliant improvisational jazz pianist: Andy 'Thunderclap' Newman.
Rife with both triumph and tragedy, the story intersects with seismic cultural events such as the Apollo 11 moon landing and the massive Woodstock Music and Arts festival, and with legendary artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Thunders, Motorhead, Paul McCartney and The Who. Drawing from exhaustive research and more than fifty interviews with those who were there, Hollywood Dream: The Thunderclap Newman Story provides a detailed, exacting look at the fascinating story of a band who everyone has forgotten but everyone knows.
"I will turn to Wilkerson's book again and again to be reminded of my three dear friends who comprised the band Thunderclap Newman. It's carefully and devotedly researched with lots of input from all kinds of other friends of mine who shared their journey, and that itself builds a unique picture of the kind of Boiler Room world that musicians thrived in during the mid to late '60s. When the Beatles were hauling Mellotrons into the studio Andy Newman was hauling his massive Contrabass Saxophone along with his Kazoo." β Pete Townshend
"Thunderclap Newman were among the most intriguing one-album bands of all time, both for their nearly unclassifiable twist on late-'60s/early-'70s British rock and one of the most improbable mix of musical backgrounds and personalities ever assembled. Hollywood Dream reveals much of the mystery behind the trio's brief but fascinating journey, with an impressive blend of exhaustive first-hand research and deftly entertaining writing and storytelling." β Richie Unterberger, author of Won't Get Fooled Again: The Who from Lifehouse to Quadrophenia
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9798989908967
Publisher: Third Man Books
Format: Multiple-component retail product
Date Published: 03 April 2025
Country: United States
Imprint: Third Man Books
Illustration: Illustrations
Contributors:
- Foreword by Pete Townshend
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 203.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 424
About the Author
Pete Townshend, The Who's guitarist and principal songwriter, was born into a musical family in Chiswick, West London, on May 19, 1945. His father Cliff played the alto saxophone with the RAF dance band The Squadronaires, and his mother Betty Dennis sang professionally. An aunt encouraged him to learn piano but after seeing the movie Rock Around The Clock in 1956 he was drawn to rock'n'roll, an interest his parents actively encouraged.
Mark Wilkerson was born in Birmingham, England, in the same year that Thunderclap Newman entered the world. He has written acclaimed biographies Who Are You: The life of Pete Townshend (Omnibus Press, 2008) and Tomas Young's War (Haymarket Books 2016) and coauthored the official Pearl Jam retrospective and New York Times bestseller Pearl Jam 20 (Simon & Schuster, 2011). He lives with his wife, Melissa, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Also by Mark Wilkerson
View all-
Hollywood Dream, The Thunderclap Newman Story
"We were the best worst band. We died but we died in style." Speedy Keen Thunderclap Newman stunned the music world in the summer of 1969 with the success of their wonderfully odd debut single 'Something In The Air', which ousted none other than the Beatles from the top of the charts. They followed up with an LP described by...Paperback$5800Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 2-3 weeks -
Pub Rock
The scene that bulldozed the path from prog and glam to punk and new wave, pub rock was a short-lived phenomenon in the U.K., emerging amidst the bloated landscape of prog rock and an increasingly oppressive economic outlook. In the U.K. in the early β70s, in response to the glitz of glam and the excess of prog, there emerged a...Paperback$3299Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks
More from Biography & Memoir
View all-
This Angry Pen of Mine
This Angry Pen of Mine by Layne Staley invites you to dive into the untold creative world of Layne Staley, the legendary voice behind Alice in Chains. This extraordinary collection showcases his handwritten lyrics, deeply personal poetry, stunning original artwork, rare photos, fan tributes, and so much more. Step into the world of Layne Staley like never before. For the...Hardback$7299Elsewhere:$8999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseFamesick
Chronicling the tumultuous decade between the premiere of Girls to her 2021 shotgunΒ wedding (minus the baby, because she has no uterus), Lena Dunham takes us through herΒ journey with her trademark mix of humor, unsparing honesty, and keen eye for detail. We peek behind the scenes - of her work, her family, her relationships, and her battle to reclaim her body...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseDogs, Boys and Other Things I've Cried About
From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twentysomething woman's search for true love in New York City and the dogs who helped her find it. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Stakes
Read our interview with author Noelle McCarthy! A darkly funny, sparkling follow-up to the authorβs bestselling memoirΒ Grand. You have to invite him in. You have to want the vampireβs badness in the house with you. Growing up in Catholic Ireland, Noelle McCarthy is captivated by Bram StokerβsΒ Dracula. The vampire is a risk-free fantasy, a suave alternative to the fraught realities...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseBuilt for This
Raised among strong women, butcher's benches, and hard ideas about what men are meant to be, Brad Poulter grows up knowing he's different long before he has the words for it. But in late '90s small-town New Zealand, 'different' isn't discussed, it's managed. Joining the Royal New Zealand Navy offers escape, certainty, and belonging. The rules are clear, the uniform...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Even the Good Girls Will Cry
Thanks to a thrown beer bottle and a fan letter to a P.O. box, Melissa Auf der Maur's first band scored an opening slot for the Smashing Pumpkins in her bohemian home town, Montreal. Sensing Melissa's talent, Billy Corgan recommended her to Courtney Love. Whisked from her local scene, Melissa joined Hole just after the deaths of Kurt Cobain and...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseAn Ocean and a Day
An utterly riveting, moving and poignant memoir of grief and loss that will speak to anyone who's ever lost someone they love. An Ocean and a Day is Hannah Richell's personal account of losing her husband, Matt, in a surfing accident on Tamarama beach in 2014. It is the story of the grief journey she travelled over the first two...Paperback$3199Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseA Place to Stand
A Place to Stand by Clare Ward is a profound memoir that delves into the life of a country doctor living and working in the Hokianga Harbour area in the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand. This region is sparsely populated and poses numerous health challenges. This thoughtful account details Clareβs thirty-year career, highlighting the people she works with and...Hardback$3199Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Rule of Lies
Written with all the pace and energy of a John Grisham novel β¦ An incredible true story and a great read! BILL BROWDER, author of Red Notice and Freezing Order An American lawyerβs brilliant, propulsive story of witnessing and playing a part in the transformation of Russia under Yeltsin and Putin. A true tale of fascinating personalities, criminal intrigue, harrowing...PaperbackSold Out -
New ReleaseRory
TheΒ New York TimesΒ bestseller The #1Β Irish TimesΒ bestseller The definitive biography of Rory McIlroy, the most important, popular and confounding player of the post-Tiger era. Rory McIlroy contains multitudes. The child of a working-class family from a small town in a war-torn homeland now commutes to work in his own private jet and counts billionaires as confidants. He can overwhelm a golf...Paperback$3699Elsewhere:$4199Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseTe Kaikaukau | The Swimmer
Novelist, memoirist and playwright Witi Ihimaera β author of Pounamu, Pounamu and The Whale Rider β decided, at the age of eighty, to dive back into the water and spend a year full-time at Te WΔnanga Takiura, immersing himself in his own language, in te reo MΔori. This book tells the story of this kaikaukau, this swimmer, and his year...Paperback$3500Elsewhere:$4500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseThis Is Me: A Reckoning
This is a searingly honest and moving memoir from double Golden Globe-nominatedactress Hayden Panettiere. Hayden Panettiere has been in front of the camera since before she could talk. She roseto stardom typecasted as Hollywood's blonde girl next door. As a young celebrity,naysayers were certain she would crash and burn. Not one to disappoint, she did.Hayden Panettiere's irreverent memoir satisfies our...Paperback$3200Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
