Music inspires a unique passion in those who truly love it. We collect it, we catalog it, we talk about it, we share it, and we fall like dominoes from one band to another in search of recapturing that moment of recognition certain artists inspire within us upon first listen. We also read about it, from the hardened memoirs of those who barely scraped out a living sharing their work with the world (or who nearly buckled under the weight of that world's expectations), to the ruminations of professional critics who strive to pinpoint what defines genius where genius is subjective.

We asked Bookmans employees and customers to give us their Music Must-Reads, be they biographies, essay collections, even novels. Even if you've never picked up a "music book" in your life, you'll find all flavors here. Make a list before your next trip to Bookmans.

Audrey C, Ina Event Liaison
PSYCHOTIC REACTIONS AND CARBURETOR DUNG by Lester Bangs
Audrey says it best: "I think it is necessary for everyone to read [this book]...because LESTER IS THE MAN!" While Bangs' personal reputation is the stuff legends are made of, it was his uncompromising opinions and wonderfully vivid language that solidified him long ago as the ultimate critic. You only have to read his piece on Van Morrison's Astral Weeks to realize that, for all his faults, he was also rock music's ultimate fan and romantic.

Chris W, Accounting
GET IN THE VAN by Henry Rollins
While Rollins fronted punk legends Black Flag from 1981-1986, he kept a personal journal and that's what provides the meat in this memoir of a scrappy punk band surviving violent shows, international tours, having no money, and ending with Rollins' eventual departure. If you're a big fan of his spoken word, you won't be disappointed by his books.

@ClubCongress, Friend of Bookmans
BOOK OF PSALMS in The Bible / ANYTHING by Chuck Klosterman
Tucked amidst all the begats and commandments in the Old Testament is Psalms, a collection of 150 religious songs written by the giant-slaying King David. Bet you wish more good books rocked their own soundtrack, right? On the other hand, Chuck Klosterman - the pop culture-addicted scribe that hipsters seem to love to hate to love - goes out in search of his own soundtrack in Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota, Killing Yourself to Live: 85% of a True Story, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto, and Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas. If you're the type of person who could watch VH1 Classic for 24 hours straight, then Klosterman is soon to be your guru.

T.J. Maiden, Mesa Assistant Manager & @catfishvegas, Bookmans customer
CASH by Johnny Cash
For a man that so often laid bare his personal demons in his songs, Johnny Cash's follow-up to The Man in Black covers tumult and contentment with equal parts humility, humor, and stoicism.

Trevor A, Bookmans customer
LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE: THE HISTORY OF THE DISC JOCKEY by Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton
This comprehensive history makes the case that DJs are not only trendsetters, they're artists, often breaking down cultural barriers on dancefloors and airwaves, all in the name of dance.

Amy C, Speedway Visul Merchandiser & @mousetrot, Bookmans customer
HIGH FIDELITY by Nick Hornby
Top Five Reasons You Should Read This Book: 1) It's written by Nick Hornby, whose love of pop music is perhaps only rivaled by Rob, his own literary creation and the narrator of High Fidelity; 2) If you have ever, in your life, worked in an independent record store, used a mix tape as means of romantic expression, or made a list of the song you want played at your own funeral, then you'll recognize yourself on these pages - to an extent; 3) You'll finish it in a few hours; 4) You loved the movie - and so did a lot of the book fans, even with the switch from London to Chicago. Such is the power of the Cusack; 5) High Fidelity has become a minor classic amongst retail and record geeks of all stripes for a good reason. Read it!

@casadecalexico, Awesome band and FOB
SERGE GAINSBOURG: A FISTFUL OF GITANES by Sylvie Simmons / JOHN PEEL: MARGRAVE OF THE MARSHES by John Peel and Sheila Ravenscroft / SATIE SEEN THROUGH HIS LETTERS by Ornella Volta
Two Frenchmen and one passionate British DJ taken far too soon - and you'll probably never be as cool as any of them.

Mike O, Warehouse & @catfishvegas, Bookmans customer
OUR BAND COULD BE YOUR LIFE: SCENES FROM THE AMERICAN INDIE UNDERGROUND 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad
The author of Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana gives a history of the scene that made Nirvana possible, following 13 influential indie bands through the 1980s. While there's a definite nostalgia factor for those who can brag they saw R.E.M. at a tiny club when Life's Rich Pageant came out, the book is equally unflinching when it comes to the hard truths of bucking the record company system (and money).

@kennokishi, Bookmans customer
SCOTT PILGRIM'S PRECIOUS LITTLE LIFE by Bryan Lee O'Malley
If unfamiliar with the series of Scott Pilgrim manga-esque novels, here's what you need to know: he's in a band called Sex Bob-Omb, there is love, and there is kung-fu. And it's all very, very funny.

Chris W, Accounting & Heather C, Web Monkey
THE DARK STUFF: SELECTED WRITINGS ON ROCK MUSIC by Nick Kent
Nick Kent has been called Lester Bangs' British counterpart but the descriptor does him a huge disservice. Flip open this collection of writings and go straight to his phenomenal piece on Brian Wilson. Not only is it a portrait of a genius spiralling into madness, it's an all-encompassing saga of love, sorrow, and disappointment. His conversation with Jerry Lee Lewis is also essential reading. And when Iggy Pop is writing the intro for your book, you're serious business.

@mutabilis, Bookmans customer
DRAGONSINGER by Anne McCaffrey / ARCHANGEL by Sharon Shinn
An angel and an apprentice share one thing in common in these two fantasy novels: music. 

Frank S, Speedway Assistant Manager
SEX by Madonna
Well, you don't read this one, per se. You can, as there are essays, but who are we kidding?

@interfaceguru, Bookmans customer
SLEEPING WITH SCHUBERT: A NOVEL by Bonnie Marson
While we don't recommend actually sleeping with Schubert (because he's dead), we can recommend reading this unconventional and charming ghost story (of a sort).

Matt P, Bookmans customer
THE DEAD EMCEE SCROLLS: THE LOST TEACHINGS OF HIP-HOP by Saul Williams
Says Booklist: "Williams is the guy. He has chosen a sublime path in the hip-hop world: yes, a 'road less traveled.' He is the prototype synthesizer between poetry and hip-hop, stage and page, rap and prose, funk and mythology, slam and verse. He is one of spoken-word poetry's most charismatic performance poets alongside Regie Gibson and Patricia Smith."

Bob, Owner
BETWEEN THE STRINGS: THE SECRET LIVES OF GUITARS by John Schroeter
This collection features 100 stories, each centered around a guitar and many of them true tales from the world's most legendary guitarists, including B.B. King, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Jack White, Eric Johnson, and tons more. A perfect gift for that guitar student you know.

Todd W, Mesa Visual Merchandiser/Event Liaison
MENUDO by Keith Greenberg
Todd explains: "First music-related book I purchased was the unauthorized biography of Menudo. Because if it's unofficial, that's where you're gonna find the best stuff right? Exactly that I did. As they taught me a new moral value every Saturday morning (Menudo on ABC), I became witness to the hardships of growing up in Puerto Rico, having to struggle learning English in order to take over over the US market, and to being unceremoniusly booted out of the band once they became of age. That just ain't right."

@aclaritymaven, Bookmans customer
THE REST IS NOISE: LISTENING TO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY by Alex Ross
The New Yorker's classical music critic Alex Ross steps readers through iconic pieces of classical music and the talent behind them, giving social context along the way. Read the book and then go peruse the Classical section for your own context.

Jody P, Executive Secretary
SPILLVILLE by Patricia Hempl
Jody says: "I don't know that everyone should read it, but it's good. It's about the author's visit to all the places Antonin Dvorak came to when he was in the states and which inspired him to write his American Symphony."

@jenswildyears, Bookmans customer
RESERVATION BLUES by Sherman Alexie
Alexie's first novel is the tale of Coyote Springs, "an all-Indian Catholic rock band." And that summary more or less obligates you to read the book, no? Did we mention it's written by Sherman "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" Alexie?

Edouard U, Bookmans customer
SHAKEY: NEIL YOUNG'S BIOGRAPHY by Jimmy McDonough
An unprecedented look into the life and work of Neil Young - who's not too big on the interviews, in case you haven't heard.

Heather C, Web Monkey
PLEASE KILL ME: THE UNCENSORED ORAL HISTORY OF PUNK by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain
Hands down, the most entertaining overview of the glory days of punk rock you will ever read, straight from the mouths of the musicians, club owners, managers, agents, publicists, and other reprobates who lived it. Even if you're not "into" memoirs, you will devour this book and marvel that anyone made it out alive (after all, not everyone did).

Donna C, Grant/Ina Facilities Manager
EARLY POEMS of John Lennon
You can find many of Lennon's work outside of the Beatles in three books: In His Own Write, A Spaniard in the Works, and Skywriting by Word of Mouth. You can see selections from these and from various other collections and album sleeves on this website: The Poetry and Prose of John Lennon.

Robert S, Bookmans customer
AUDIO IN MEDIA, Fifth Edition by Stanley R. Alten
For the audiophiles and practical among you: Though the book is now in its eight edition, it remains the most thorough scholastic text on audio production.

Katy R, Store Operations Manager
MUSIC & SILENCE by Rose Tremain
The author of Restoration moves from Britain to Denmark to tell the tale of Peter Claire, an English lute player in the Danish court orchestra, and the romantic entanglements that develop amongst the music.

John B, Bookmans customer
GODEL, ESCHER, BACH: AN ETERNAL GOLDEN BRAID by Douglas R. Hofstadter
What do a mathemetician, an artist, and a musician have in common? And what does it have to do with artificial intelligence? We're not going to tell you, so read the book!