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THE
RICE ROOM: Growing Up Chinese-American:
From Number Two Son to Rock ‘N Roll
Hyperion Books 1994, Limited Edition, Hardcover,
Autographed $19.95 + Shipping & Handling.
 Purchase
Now
I saved
a handful of the first edition of my memoirs, and am now offering
copies through AsianConnections Online Store. Let me know who you
want me to sign it to, and I’ll do it. The Washington Post called
The Rice Room “a courageous book...moving and important.” It’s been
used in high schools and colleges. In fact, Colby College in Maine
named it its Freshman Book and gave a copy to each incoming student.
Here
are comments by other readers:
“This
is a book you want to hug...a wonderfully poignant portrait of growing
up - from Chinatown to the Age of Aquarius” - Amy Tan, author of
The Joy Luck Club
“From
childhood to manhood we see his struggles and triumphs as he negotiates
growing up in the ‘60s with Elvis, hippie rock and roll, personal
tragedy, and a Chinese-American soul. A witty, moving, heartfelt
read.” - Philip Kan Gotanda, playwright and film director
“Ben
Fong-Torres’ voice rocked over the radio waves, and a whole generation
listened to one of the pioneer voices to break out of Chinatown.
Now Fong-Torres fills his memoir with worlds of feeling, both tender
and tragic, to reveal the fire behind that voice.” - Faye Myenne
Ng, author of Bone
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NOT
FADE AWAY: A Backstage Pass to 20 Years of Rock & Roll
Miller Freeman Books, 1999, $14.95
 Purchase
Now
This
is a collection of 30-something of my favorite pieces from Rolling
Stone and other magazines, with backstage stories, photos by Annie
Leibovitz, and a foreword by Cameron Crowe. Here are some nice comments
about the book:
“As
a lifelong fan of Ben’s insightful, wry takes on my fellow rock
and rollers, I’m honored to be included in this collection. Ben
got a lot of us before the rest of the world did. What a great window
on those times.” - Bonnie Raitt
“Fong-Torres
offers up refreshingly candid and bombast-free missives interwoven
with original articles on rock and pop colossi of the ‘70s...You
couldn’t hope for a more upbeat, sane, and dryly revealing observer
of popular music’s halcyon era.” - Carl Rosen, Billboard
“In
a journalistic world where, as the saying goes, ninety percent of
success is showing up, Fong-Torres made his presence known with
diligence and style.” - Nathan Brackett, Rolling Stone
“Solid
journalist that he is, Fong-Torres can stretch from James Brown
to Neil Diamond, from Bob Dylan to Iggy Pop - all without straining.”
- Steven Stolder, Amazon.com
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THE
HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING: The History of Top 40 Radio
Miller Freeman Books/Gavin, 1998, Only $13.97 at Amazon.com
 Purchase
Now
Buzzing
with behind-the-scenes stories from Top 40 DJs, many of them as
popular as the records they spun, this blast from the past reflects
the rhythmic pulse of Top 40 radio itself. It takes you back to
the rantings and ravings of dozens of "cooler rulers," like the
Real Don Steele, "Fifth Beatle" Murray the K, WMCA Good Guy B. Mitch
Reed, the colorful "Cousin Brucie," the inimitable Wolfman Jack,
and the controversial Alan Freed.
Says
Laugh-In’s Gary Owens: "Which star was mooned by which evangelist?
Did Cher cure mononucleosis by vigorous kissing? This volume has
it all!"
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HICKORY
WIND: The Life and Times of Gram Parsons
St. Martin’s Griffin, 1998, $13.95.
Originally published hardcover in 1991 by Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster.
 Purchase
Now
Long
out of print, Hickory Wind is back, in a revised and expanded form,
with a new epilogue and photos. A must-have for fans of the original
Mr. Americana.
"A
remarkable job of tracking the life of Mr. Parsons...the writing
is clear, and the tales ring true ashe follows a seminal figure
of country rock from his birth into a citrus-moneyed family in Winter
Haven, Florida, to his drug-related death in the high desert town
of Joshua Tree, California." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A
saddening piece of reading, but one which members of Parsons’ large
cult will find essential." - Musician magazine
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CDs
Larry Ching, Till the End of Time
Produced by Ben Fong-Torres, $14.99
 Purchase
Now
Larry
Ching was a star performer at the legendary Forbidden City nightclub
in San Francisco in the Forties and Fifties. Now, at age 82, he
has made his first album, entitled Till the End of Time and
produced by journalist, broadcaster and columnist Ben Fong-Torres.
Ching,
backed by pianist George Yamasaki, along with veteran bassist Dean
Reilly (Vince Guaraldi, Carmen McRae) and drummer Jim Zimmerman
(Cleo Laine, Dianne Schuur), recorded the album at S.F. State University’s
studios.
Till
the End of Time features 12 of Larry’s favorite standards, including
several tunes reflecting his native Hawaii, plus four bonus cuts
of unknown origin. Ching recorded the songs (including the title
tune) "sometime in the Forties," he says. They were found on 78
r.p.m. acetate disks, and have been restored by engineer John Barsotti
for this, their first release in 60 years.
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A
CONVERSATION WITH JIM MORRISON (Beserkly Records, 1997)
 From
the CD liner notes, by Ben Fong-Torres: Working for Rolling Stone,
I used to pop into Hollywood on a regular basis. Sometimes I stayed
at the apartment of a rock publicist friend, Diane. One of her neighbors
was Pamela Courson - Jim Morrison’s old lady. One February afternoon
in 1971, Jim came around, looking for Pamela. She wasn’t there,
so he decided to hang out & wait.
When
Diane introduced us, I asked for an interview. He and I hit it off
right away, and got into doing this parody of a TV talk show. I
played Dick Cavett; he was a rock star.
He
told a couple of jokes so risque that they would have gotten Cavett
canned, and then, with my cheap cassette recorder running, we settled
into a pretty serious chat about the Doors and the blues; the future
of rock, and his own future.
Despite
his reputation as a wild man; despite his busts for obscenity and
for exposing himself on stage, Morrison had struck me, in published
interviews, as a smart, thoughtful guy. Maybe he wasn't quite the
poet and artiste he fancied himself to be, but at least he was playing
with the conventions of rock, performance, and theater. He was at
home on the edge.
Jim
was planning to move to Paris within weeks, and this turned out
to be his last interview before his departure in March. In July,
I was in Hollywood again - visiting with his friends and associates,
and writing his obituary.
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STRANGER
THAN FICTION
 Purchase
Now
Stranger
Than Fiction is exactly that, and I'm proud to be part of it. If
you know about the Rock Bottom Remainders, you get the concept:
Authors from exalted literary types like the late Jessica Mitford
and the rarely late Dave Barry to rock critic scum of the earth
like Greil Marcus and Dave Marsh are not only allowed to sing; the
results are unleashed onto a suspectingpublic.
Now
comes a two-CD set from Remainders founder-producer-guitarist-label
head Kathi Kamen Goldmark. Over three years in 11 studios, she rounded
up Stephen King, Norman Mailer, Amy Tan, Maya Angelou, Matt Groening,
Molly Ivins, Roy Blount Jr., Bob Greene, Leonard Maltin, Peggy Orenstein,
and many others, along with real musicians like Jeff "Skunk" Baxter
and Warren Zevon, helping out on the recording sessions.
My
bit is a track called "Rainy Day Bookstores," a takeoff on Bob Dylan's
"Rainy Day Women 12+35," in which I play the parts of Dylan and
Elvis Presley, with a gorgeous kazoo orchestra background and backup
vocals by Amy Tan, among others. It's psychedelic!
The
CD, which benefits the PEN Writers Fund's Special Fund, will be
in stores as of April Fool's Day. A special Collectors' Edition,
with liner notes by Warren Zevon and artwork by Gretchen Schields,
can be ordered directly from Goldmark's label, Don't Quit Your Day
Job Records.
For
Stranger Than Fiction and for info on DQYDJ's wide array of cool
recordings, surf on over to its Web site: http://www.dqydj.com.
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