Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges Into Music »

What do Franz Liszt, Louis Armstrong, Woody Guthrie, and Elvis Presley have in common? What’s the story on the birth of the banjo, the electric guitar, and the Stradivarius violin? Why did disco happen? Who are the punk princesses? These are just a few of the questions answered in this lively book. Filled with facts, trivia, and stories about the world’s musicians, instruments, songs, and more, this endlessly diverting "plunge" dips into the history of Motown, muzak, and marching bands; tells the secret stories behind the hits; explores legendary venues like the Grand Ole Opry, the Apollo, and the Fillmore; spots the rarely sighted “two-hit wonders”; describes the origins of karaoke, rap music, and the cha cha cha. In short, it includes all the music news that’s fit to print is here in a variety of formats — longer entries for extended sojourns and brief tidbits for shorter stays.

Behind the Hits
Medium
Cover Me!     13
Behind the (Silly) Hits     15
I Hate My Song     123
One-Hit Wonders     137
Hits of the 1970s     163
Who's That Song About?     246
Behind the Hits     354
It Began as a Joke     377
"Cop Killer"     383
Instrument History
Medium
A Cymbal of Success     63
Ancient Instruments: The Bronze Lur     99
They're Instrumental     293
Let's Play the Ngarrriralkpwina!     335
Long
Twang! A Brief History of the Electric Guitar     77
The Uke     119
Secrets of the Stradivarius     209
Eatin' the Tin Sandwich     263
Music Makers     405
Banjo Rising     490
We're with the Band
Short
The Reunion-nots     55
Juzt Nutz     141
Who's That Band?     345
Medium
The Replacements     147
Guess Who's Playing at the County Fair?     235
The Who?     392
Long
The Fifth Beatle     299
Fads & Flops
Medium
Killer Albums     23
Failed Comebacks     87
"The Next BobDylan"     153
Long
The Next Big Thing     439
Concert Tickets
Short
Attack!     49
Stage Frights     409
Medium
Hot Fun in the Summertime     221
Concerts Gone Bad     375
Long
Venerated Venues     321
Myths & Rumors
Short
Oh, Frankie!     259
Medium
Keith Urban Legends     213
Legendary Songs     399
Long
Was John Fogerty Really Stuck in Lodi?     82
Americana
Medium
Musical Presidents, Part I     27
"Hail to the Chief"     50
Musical Presidents, Part II     289
Musical Presidents, Part III     419
That's Death
Medium
Swan Songs     181
The Unlucky 27 Club     217
Rock 'n' Roll Heaven     283
More Swan Songs     349
Autopsies of the Rich and Musical     403
Long
The Suicide Song     95
Give a Listen
Medium
Outsider Music     18
The Other Sopranos     89
Long
Influential Unknowns     272
Jobriath     413
Twelve Recordings that Changed Music     369
Musical Feuds
Medium
Strange Lawsuits     41
Musical Mayhem     142
Banned Music     195
Battling the Band     329
Long
Tipper vs. Music     242
Music Busine{dollar}{dollar}
Medium
Show Them the Money     21
Music to Go Shopping By     39
Why Gold? Platinum?     168
Check the Label, Part I     203
How iPod Changed the Music Business     304
Check the Label, Part II     380
Long
The Sound of Muzak     199
Have You Heard...?
Medium
Odd Homemade Instruments     389
The Aeolian Harp     401
Lost Instruments     455
Long
Seven Instruments Bigger Than a Tuba     311
Mouthing Off
Short
Crazed Conductors     33
Music Lessons     86
Origin Stories     116
"Thank You, Boston!"     131
Laugh Tracks     160
The Power of Music     183
Music Lessons 2: The Biz     216
Random Quotes     303
Quotin' Country     338
More Laugh Tracks     356
Classical Opinions     368
Jazz Is...     391
More Laugh Tracks     438
Dead-Heads     458
Final Thoughts     506
Medium
Film Muzik     251
Great Composers
Medium
Modern Mozarts     91
Mozart's Concerto in G Major for Piano and Starling     425
Long
Classical Hit Makers     255
Jokes & Notes
Short
Music Notes     17
What's the Definition of Perfect Pitch?     20
9 Random Music Lists     464
Medium
Six More Musician Jokes     449
So Bad It's Good
Medium
The Strangest Musicals Ever Made     31
Encore, Mr. Hand-Fart Man!     132
Pass Me the Earplugs     157
Ozzy Osbourne Meets Miss Piggy     187
Creme de la Crud     417
Music Education
Medium
Why Does the Rubbed Wineglass Sing?     34
Sachs-Hornbostel     128
Go Far In Life: Be a Musician     193
Music Class     239
Long
Why Do Instruments Sound Different?     486
The Fat Lady Sings
Short
What's Opera, Doc?     276
Medium
A (Bad) Night at the Opera     107
The History of Opera in Three Pages     226
The Plot Thickens     343
La Triviata     479
Stage, Screen & Print
Short
They're Unreal, Man!      310
Medium
The Elvis Movie Generator     29
Name That Fictional Musician     53
Video Treasures     139
A Musical Is Born     175
A Musical Is Born     260
The Kings of the Singing Cowboys     351
Long
Rolling Stone     231
May the Force Be With You     394
Music History
Medium
The Story of Music, Part I     150
From Troubadours to Vaudeville     165
Rocket 88     269
Mythic Music     315
The Story of Music, Part II     346
The Story of Music, Part III     443
Long
How Alan Freed the Music     459
By the Time We Got to Woodstock     497
Odd Notes
Short
Musical eBay     12
Bagpiper's Fungus     68
Dem Bones     262
The Bathroom Album     472
Medium
Musical Studies     75
The Sincerest Form of Flattery     112
What a Concept     237
Long
The Killer vs. The King     475
TV Tunes
Short
MTV Facts     362
Medium
I Want My MTV!     43
TV Hits     114
Musical TV Episodes     155
Cartoon Composers     223
TV Mu{dollar}ic     307
Name That Tune(Writer)
Medium
The Story of "Silent Night"     161
Who Wrote "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"?     206
Amazing Grace     318
They Wrote the Songs     446
Genre Origins
Medium
Metallurgy     325
A Cappella U.     109
The Folk Revival, Part I     365
What Is the Origin of Rap?     410
Long
Birth of a Genre     59
Why Disco Happened     177
Why Disco Died     451
The Folk Revival, Part II     468
Lists & Numbers
Medium
9 Random Lists About Madonna     25
Music Awards Shows by the Numbers     101
Elvis by the Numbers     184
American Idol by the Numbers     267
16 Random Lists About Frank Sinatra     332
10 Random Lists About the Beatles     386
Pure Country
Short
"Did I Shave My Legs for This?"     36
Medium
The Father of Country Music     65
Waylon Jennings: A Five-Song Biography     125
Country's First Family     190
Bard of the Backwoods     286
Willie Nelson's "Night Life"     465
Long
Johnny Cash's Captive Audience     339
Legends of Music
Medium
Champagne Music     229
Lost Legend: Ma Rainey     248
Two-ets     296
You Can Count on Basie     473
Long
Satchmo     71
The Slave Prince of Rock 'n' Roll     171
Liberace     481
Recording History
Medium
Unsung Heroes     56
Now Hear This!     93
Long
A Brief History of the Jukebox     277
The Producers     357
Make Room for Motown     429
Words of Music
Short
Musical Word Origins     198
Toiletto!     428
Medium
Musical Word Origins     47
Codas and Tuttis     69
Keys and Slurs     281
Cab Calloway's Jive Dictionary     291
Music in the News
Medium
Crazy About Music     117
My Dingo Has Fleas     145
The Musical Condom     253
It's a Weird, Weird World (of Music)     363
Long
Channeling Satan     421
Has Anyone Seen My Stradivarius?     434
Pop-Pourri
Short
The First...     11
First Records     46
Celebrity Orchestra     106
Quiz: Women Who Rock     220
Medium
Music's Most     37
Musical Comedy     103
Let's Dance!     134
Newsic     327
Answer Pages     507