PositiveFinancial Times (UK)Frantz tells the story of the early days of the New York scene with admirable recall, evoking a cultural moment when anything could happen, and often did ... Unlike so many rock-star memoirs, Remain in Love...doesn’t recount a fall into the horrors of addiction and subsequent recovery, or rail against the vampires in the record business. Presumably, neither is part of the story, which is refreshing. Frantz is not a polished writer, but that’s forgivable in the rush of enthusiasm he has for the story. Also refreshing is the lack of a neat ending ... a worthy addition to any shelf of rock memoirs.
Preston Lauterbach
RaveFinancial Times\"... not only an epithet for Memphis, but a fair description of Withers’ complex life ... Bluff City does a masterful job of telling the story of civil rights in Memphis in the 1960s, framing it with Withers’ biography, and culminating with the sanitation workers’ strike that would bring King to town — and to his death. Not only is it a great narrative, it’s also a reminder, in these polarised times, that moral complexity is baked into human affairs, and that sometimes people do the wrong thing for what they perceive is the right reason.\
Wayne Kramer
MixedThe Financial TimesYou’ll learn a lot about the MC5 in this book, but only when Kramer’s the centre of attention ... I found it significant that he briefly mentions [bandmate Fred] Smith’s death, but does not mention that at the time, he was long retired, living in Detroit with his very famous wife, Patti Smith, who does not even merit a name-check. Also unmentioned is his long campaign to shut down a documentary film, MC5: A True Testimonial, which took two fans more than seven years to compile. They eventually prevailed, but were unable to afford the music rights after a long lawsuit. For a man who so readily admits his faults, it would have been nice to learn why he so vehemently fought its release, but I suspect that if you have paid attention to The Hard Stuff until the end, you will make an educated guess.
