Corn Flakes with John Lennon: And Other Tales from a Rock 'n' Roll Life This instant

Hiburn obviously had a trusted two-way relationship with some of the legends of rock and country. There are some great stories here for fans and music history buffs of Springsteen, Dylan, Lennon, Elvis and Cash. Hilburn makes a mistake though in underestimating the influence of Roxy Music - says they were great, but like Steely Dan, a bit cold to be up there(or right beneath) w/ Dylan, U2, the Beatles, etc. The Guardian's position in contrast argues the opposite:

"Roxy is the drug. As Roxy Music hit the comeback trail, Tim de Lisle explains why they are second only to the Beatles...

Scissor Sisters don't bear much resemblance to U2. Franz Ferdinand are not obviously related to Bill Murray. Radiohead have nothing in common with Spandau Ballet. ABC didn't take their cue from Talking Heads. The original punks had no time for disco. Damon Albarn is not and has never been a goth. Yet all of them share one piece of cultural DNA: Roxy Music.

Brian Eno famously said that only a thousand people bought the first Velvet Underground album, but they all formed a band of their own. The line almost applies to the band Eno himself made his name with. The difference is that Roxy Music were not just in with the in crowd. Somehow, in a landscape dominated by Led Zeppelin at one end and the Osmonds at the other, they managed to reach the Top 10 with a heady mixture of futurism, retro rock'n'roll, camp, funny noises, silly outfits, art techniques, film references and oboe solos. And although their popularity has ebbed and flowed, their influence has been strikingly consistent.

...The most influential of all British groups is clearly the Beatles. Who comes second is more debatable: the Stones, the Who, the Pistols, the Clash ... But have any of them had wider repercussions than Roxy?"
(google "guardian roxy music is the drug" for the full article)

Hilburn's glowing review....

"...Looking beyond the group's fondness for colorful, quirky fashions and glamorous album graphics, you saw that Roxy Music wasn't truly glam at all, musically-speaking. The band--whose original lineup included pop auteur Brian Eno--was one of the pioneering ventures into art-rock.

Unlike the stark, street realism of the Velvet Underground, Roxy Music reflected onstage in the '70s some of the teasing theatrical verve of English music hall. But the music itself was smart, experimental and challenging--an influence, to varying degrees, on such equally cerebral outfits as Talking Heads and Radiohead."
(google LATIMES HILBRUN ROXY MUSIC for the article)

...of Roxy's 2001 tour even highlights the issue. Quote "When Roxy Music surfaced in 1972, it was in the very large, mesmerizing shadow--at least in this country--of David Bowie..."... that's the point, "at least in this country". In the UK and Europe, there was no shadow; and Roxy was a tier-one influence on punk and new wave and notable recent bands (Oasis, Franz F, etc). The missing quote from the book is from U2 themselves: "In March, U2 were inducted into the Hall of Fame in New York. The drummer, Larry Mullen, said in his acceptance speech: "The Sex Pistols, Television, Roxy Music, Patti Smith - these people are in our rock'n'roll hall of fame. Thank you.""Get more detail about Corn Flakes with John Lennon: And Other Tales from a Rock 'n' Roll Life.