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Poster Child

The Psychedelic Art & Technicolor Life of David Edward Byrd
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Poster Child by Robert von Goeben and David Edward Byrd is a captivating memoir that intertwines personal stories with the vibrant history of pop culture and graphic art in the 20th century. Through the author's unique perspective, the book explores the transformation of visual arts within this dynamic era, offering keen insights into the intersection of creativity and industry. It's a vivid recollection that sheds light on the influences and events shaping an artistic revolution.
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Format: Hardback
$8000
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the vibrant intersection of art, culture, and personal stories, especially exploring the world of poster art and its impact through the lens of a remarkable individual’s journey. This Biography & Memoir offers a captivating glimpse into the life of someone who significantly influenced visual culture, making it a compelling read for art enthusiasts and those interested in the personal narratives behind creative legacies.

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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

Poster Child chronicles the life and art of David Edward Byrd, one of the foremost graphic artists of twentieth-century culture. Told in a deeply personal, strikingly honest conversation with author Robert von Goeben, Byrd shares his journey through sixty years of rock ’n’ roll, theatre, and movie artistry.

Pioneering iconic visual styles that have come to define rock music, Byrd created posters for concerts and album art for legends such as the Who, Lou Reed, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Ravi Shankar, Traffic, Van Halen, the Grateful Dead, Kiss, and Jimi Hendrix—whose kaleidoscopic 1968 poster created for the Jimi Hendrix Experience tour was voted #8 in the Top 25 Rock Posters by Billboard.

Byrd went on to design celebrated imagery for Broadway theatre hits, including Follies, Godspell, and Little Shop of Horrors, among others. With brutal honesty and raw vulnerability, this stunning retrospective shares the artist’s journey through family trauma, excess, career detours, rehab, and, ultimately, love, success, and recognition.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781949480405

Publisher: Cameron & Company Inc

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 23 November 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Cameron & Company Inc

Illustration: Full-color illustrations throughout

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Mark Myers
  • Afterword by Jolino Beserra

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 305.0mm

Height: 267.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 176

About the Author

David Edward Byrd (1941-2025) was one of the world’s most renowned graphic artists. His acclaimed music art includes work for the Rolling Stones, the Who, and the Grateful Dead, as well as the original poster for the 1969 Woodstock festival. His 1968 poster for Jimi Hendrix is now in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He then moved on to Broadway, where he created iconic posters for Follies, Godspell, and Little Shop of Horrors, among others. He was later the art director for Advocate magazine and the senior illustrator at Warner Bros. Consumer Products for twelve years. He has had retrospective shows in Los Angeles, New York, Sarasota, and Seattle.

Robert von Goeben has contributed to many publications, including Upside magazine, CNET, HotWired, the Good Men Project, and Bold Italic. He is the author of many books, ranging from lifestyle titles to children’s books. His recent book Deep Cuts is an offshoot of his popular trivia show. A music executive at Geffen Records in the ’90s, he then moved to San Francisco to become a successful investor and entrepreneur. Robert is a professor at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco.

Marc Myers, a music journalist who regularly contributes to the Wall Street Journal, is the author of Why Jazz Happened, Rock Concert: An Oral History, and Anatomy of 55 More Songs. He is also the founder of JazzWax, which is a three-time winner of the Jazz Journalist Association’s best blog award. He lives in New York City.

Jolino Beserra is a master mosaicist whose career was inspired by a summer working on Los Angeles’s renowned Watts Towers. He lives in Los Angeles.

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