Twilight of the Gods by Steven Hyden

Part personal, part historical, Steven Hyden discusses the past, present, and future of “classic rock.” Broadly speaking, the book covers a period between the 1960s and the late 2010s.

Pros:

The author masterfully weaves together his own history with that of classic rock. He also discusses the prevailing assumptions and ideas of many of the “eras” of classic rock, and often does so through the lens of one of his, “rock gods,” (e.g. Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, etc).
The author acknowledges the dominance of the, “straight, white male,” in rock music, and makes cogent arguments as to how this has been a detriment to the preservation (let alone the growth) of rock over the decades.
As someone with a “history” with classic rock and many of the bands mentioned in this book, I definitely want to revisit many of the tracks / albums mentioned in this work.
Though some may find it cheesy, I liked that the author referred to the chapters of this book as “tracks,” and gave “liner notes,” for each.

Cons:

If you aren’t already a fan of this music, or steeped in the mythology of this genre, this book may not engross you as deeply as it might a fan. I don’t think it is a requirement to know every band or song mentioned (I certainly didn’t), but I think having at least a passing familiarity with the bands / genres mentioned only adds to the proceedings.
I wish Hyden would have done more to present artists outside the “mainstream (e.g. straight, white males).” By my estimation, women and people of color compose a chapter or two of this book at most (in a 19 chapter book). Women and people of color do come up as both progenitors of and participants in the genre, and the author argues that more artists in marginalized communities might fit the genre of rock than many assume, but he just doesn’t give them “air time” in the same way he does for white, male artists.
[Nit-pick] I know it would have been a logistical and legal nightmare, but I think it would have been amazing to include the music mentioned in the audiobook (even if it was only a preview), or to release a companion CD or playlist to accompany the work. I have found a few such playlists on the internet, but they are hardly comprehensive (e.g. they include 10 or so tracks, not the dozens or hundreds mentioned in the book). I’m sure it would include days worth of music, but it would have been nice for reference.

Conclusion:

If you like classic rock, I would consider this to be a “must read / listen.” Hyden is an insightful, engaging author, and I plan to look into this other works (Your Favorite Band Is Killing Me: What Pop Music Rivalries Reveal About the Meaning of Life comes to mind). I also appreciate his progressive, honest approach to the music, iconography, and heroes of his life; this book could have been packed with considerably more hero worship (or even more glazing over of misogyny and other forms of oppression), but it isn’t. If you aren’t particularly interested in classic rock, you may still enjoy this work from a cultural / anthropological perspective (e.g. how and why tastes change), but given this work’s focus on particular “rock gods,” and the systems that created and propped them up, you might be better served elsewhere. Still, as a long-time consumer of this type of music, this book was a joy.

Check it out here.