Rites of Rock

Rites of Rock
One man's journey through 50 years of rock 'n' roll
By Eric G. Müller
ISBN 0-932776-32-9
372 pages; paperback; $14.95

"The riveting saga of a sensitive musician's initiation into rock 'n' roll and his ultimate struggle to remain true to himself, Rites of Rock burns with passion as it explores the most potent musical hybrid--rock, in all its variegated forms. This fast-moving biographical novel takes us from South Africa through Europe to the United States, through outrageous rock scenes, romance, and chilling encounters with evil to new frontiers of musical experience.   At the same time, it offers a rare glimpse into the heart of an artist's soul."

"Eric Müller's succulent Jeremiad of rock rings necessary bells. The insidious commercial culture of rock, indubitably megalomaniacal, present and past, is his subject. The author doesn't bandy with religion to make his spiritual points, he goes right to the boss, his own presciently audible inner voice, which never stops pestering his fledgling attempts at self-destruction. Charging at a good clip through a mindscape of devilish villains, sublime goddesses and the walking dead, he makes it experientially clear that, for a musician, salvation is in the music or nowhere, certainly not in the absurd trappings of success. His observations on the art of music are deeply intuitive and fully educated. This book feels like it just had to be written and Müller took fifteen years to do so gracefully, poignantly and with unquestionable sincerity. If this book makes him famous, I reckon he can handle it."
-Robert Hunter (Chief Lyricist for The Grateful Dead)

"When Vincent Erling discovered Rock and Roll, he was exhilarated by its power, energy and vitality.   This rollicking novel (on the surface hip and savvy) is the story of a young man's odyssey through a world of new sound and his search for a new way of living--the Rites of Rock."
-Thomas Locker

"This is a beautifully written book about a life lived attendant to the right kinds of questions.   Eric writes like the Laurens van der Post of the subsequent generation."
-Sidney Fulop