Euphoric Recall

Peter Jesperson, noted record store maestro, music executive, DJ, manager, tour manager, label founder, and life-long music hound has confirmed new live events this June in support of his recently released memoir Euphoric Recall (Minnesota Historical Society Press) in North Carolina and Virginia.   The events will include book conversation & signing with both Jesperson and Tommy Stinson (The Replacements) as well as a live performance by Tommy’s Cowboys In The Campfire. Dates include:   *June 1 @ Schoolkids Records (405-C W. Franklin St), Chapel Hill, NC w/ moderator Jon Wurster (ex-Superchunk, Mountain Goats, Bob Mould, Scharpling & Wurster) 4pm event (No Cover), 8pm Cowboys in the Campfire ($25.00 tickets) *June 2 @ Schoolkids Records (2237 Avent Ferry Rd. Suite 101, Raleigh, NC w/ moderator David Menconi (journalist, author Step It Up & Go and Oh, Didn’t They Ramble - Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music), 4pm event (No Cover), 8pm Cowboys in the Campfire ($25.00 tickets) *June 3 @ Chilton House, Richmond, VA w/ moderator Mary Lucia (famed DJ), 7pm (SOLD OUT)   Additional dates pending at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Pop Montreal & more.   Since its release, Euphoric Recall has received glowing reviews from readers and media outlets: NPR, Uncut (UK), Mojo (UK), PopMatters, Houston Chronicle, Spill, and Rhythms Magazine (AU). Additionally, musicians such as Jody Stephens (Big Star), Peter Buck (R.E.M.) and Craig Finn (The Hold Steady) have praised the book for its behind-the-scenes tales; for Jesperson’s music-obsessed background, his own experiences living a rock-n-roll life, and evangelizing & supporting artists he believed in. The twelve book events in various cities so far have all been packed and audience response has been immensely gratifying.   A passionate music lover since childhood, Peter Jesperson found his way into the Minneapolis music world just as it was blossoming in the 1970s and ‘80s. While also managing the influential Oar Folkjokeopus record store and DJing at Jay’s Longhorn bar, Jesperson cofounded Twin/Tone Records, which launched such groundbreaking artists as the Replacements, Soul Asylum, The Suburbs, Babes In Toyland, the Jayhawks, and many more. By the early ‘80s Jesperson made the discovery that changed his life: the Replacements. As A&R man and manager, he guided this talented and out-of-control foursome, taking a short break to road-manage an upcoming sensation out of Athens, Georgia: R.E.M. But as his career was on the rise, Jesperson began his own descent into substance abuse.   Motivated by his love of music, Jesperson rallied and made his way to Los Angeles for the next phase of his career. While working with New West Records alongside artists such as Dwight Yoakam, Kris Kristofferson, Vic Chesnutt, and Steve Earle, Jesperson experienced firsthand the dramatic changes in the music industry of the 1990s. After a half century in the music business, Jesperson shares insights, anecdotes, and lessons from his unique vantage point. The book features a forward by noted music journalist & Sirius XM DJ David Fricke.    “An entertaining collection of stories from a rock and roll life, and an astute study of music and music lovers. Peter Jesperson takes us on an amazing journey through record-store counters, band vans, backstages, label offices, and late night record-listening sessions. Throughout, his love for the performers and songs that sent him down this path shine through, illuminating and inspiring,” said Craig Finn, The Hold Steady.

Caught In The Act

CAUGHT IN THE ACT:

A MEMOIR

By Shane Jenek aka Courtney Act

 

  

“Hysterical! Shockingly honest, raunchy, funny and moving, and a hugely surprising education for me. A must-read for anyone curious to know the complexities of being Shane and Courtney!”
—Dannii Minogue, Australian singer, actress, and television personality

Behind SHANE JENEK’s rise to global fame as beloved drag queen COURTNEY ACT is a story of searching for and finding oneself. Told with Courtney’s trademark candor and wit, CAUGHT IN THE ACT: A MEMOIR (Pantera Press: September 13, 2022) is a hilarious, often scandalous, and at times heartbreaking, peek into the entertainment icon’s journey towards understanding gender, sexuality and identity.   

In CAUGHT IN THE ACT: A MEMOIR, Courtney writes about growing up in Brisbane, Australia in the 80s and 90s and how adolescent Shane’s unconventional angst was pitted against the love of his traditionally wholesome parents.  She shares tales of the thrill in discovering the Sydney drag scene and then unflinchingly recounts her adventures into its seedier side that led her to dabbling in methamphetamines and multiple sexual encounters with a broad spectrum of sexualities and genders including straight-identifying men.

Of course, Courtney also dives deep into her wild ride into the world of entertainment, losing so many TV reality shows and finally winning one.  There's lots of Drag Race tea spilled, too, including her shaky introduction to Adore Delano and oh, the time RuPaul blocked her on Twitter.  

In CAUGHT IN THE ACT: A MEMOIR, Courtney Act does what she does best:  she dazzles and titillates.  At the same time, her honest reflections help readers to reexamine and appreciate wrong choices they may have made that ironically helped steer them toward the right path on their own life’s journey.   

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

COURTNEY ACT is a drag artist, singer, advocate and cultural provocateur. She has appeared on several reality TV shows, including her breakout in 2003 on the first season of Australian Idol; making the Top 3 on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6; and taking the UK by storm on Celebrity Big Brother, which she won. When Courtney isn’t busy being glamorous on TV and stage, she’s a boy from Brisbane called Shane Jenek. 

As a gender-fluid, queer person, Courtney uses her public profile to educate audiences on issues such as gender identity, sexuality, marriage equality, anti-racism and more. As a singer-songwriter she has released a pop EP and entertained audiences in her cabaret shows throughout the world. She currently splits her time following Pride parades and chasing summer between London, Los Angeles and Sydney.

 

CAUGHT IN THE ACT: A MEMOIR

By Shane Jenek AKA Courtney Act

Pantera Press 

On-sale date: September 13, 2022 • ISBN:  978-0-6452401-2-2 • Price: $26.95

Also available as an eBook: ISBN 978-0-6452401-8-4 • Price: $9.99

 

My Kid Brother's Band

Fifty Years of THE BEATLES: Louise Harrison Lifts Veil

on Her Life With her Beatles Brother

"…Harrison has an unusual angle for her Beatlemaniac memoirs:
she was living in America when her brother hit it big…" - Rolling Stone
 

She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah...!!!! By the summer of 1965,Beatlemania had gripped the world, with fandom reaching the highest pinnacles of society. The Beatles had played for presidents, heads of state, and accepted a command performance from Queen Elizabeth II. So great was the Fab Four’s rising fame that, in June of 1965, they were named Members of the British Empire--a high honor for four kids from Liverpool. Now, on the cusp of the 50th Anniversary of their MBE induction, one person close to them is looking back at Beatlemania. For Louise Harrison, Beatles success meant something different entirely. Living in the United States, Louise had been a vanguard of the Beatles, and she worked hard to help make the band as big a success in America as they had been across the pond--her efforts often and humorously met with rejection. But behind the fame and away from the lights, Louise and her mother and father provided something to the other three Beatles that only the Harrisons could: a family. Now, for the first time, Louise has lifted the veil on life with the Beatles in a heart-felt, powerful memoir My Kid Brother’s Band: a.k.a. The Beatles!  Recounting the rise from Liverpool, sweeping British and European popularity, and that fateful first broadcast on The Ed Sullivan Show. Louise takes readers on a journey through the years, touching on emotional, spiritual, and professional landmarks along the way. With so many Beatles “50th anniversaries” on the calendar this year, Beatles fans everywhere won’t want to miss this intimate portrait of life inside one Beatles family. ABOUT LOUISE HARRISON Louise Harrison was born in Liverpool, England, the first child and only daughter of Harold and Louise Harrison. Her youngest brother, George, was also the youngest of the four Liverpool lads know as The Beatles. During 1964 and 1965 Louis, living in Illinois, found herself writing and broadcasting daily Beatles reports nationwide, due to public demand for news of The Beatles. Her distinctive voice with its British accent is immediately recognized by Beatles People all over the world.