Book Review -Rock On: An Office Power Ballad

I could already tell by the title that this book would be about Rock n’ Roll for yuppies. (I didn’t even see the subtitle, “An Office Power Ballad”, until now.) However, it defied my low expectations and proved to be well-written, poignant, and most importantly, relatable.

It is simultaneously a glorification, a mockery, and an accurate portrayal of the music industry. The author has the jaded yuppie wit of an office goon, and the heartbreakingly sincere passion of a rocker. The result is a bittersweet chronicle of a huge record company during its swan song. I made the mistake of reading this book in a library, which is unfortunate because I was constantly shushed for laughing so much. Although most of the humor was funny because it happened to someone else, I don’t pity the author. If anything, I envy him. Not only did he have a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but his writing skills far surpass my own.

Kennedy had the blessing/curse of working for an industrial giant that brought everything, from ephemeral pop sensations, to musical revolutions for an entire generation. He, like many others, went down with the ship, but unlike many, he lived to tell of it.

In a nutshell, it is an autobigraphical account of a kid who dreamed of being a rockstar and instead got a white collar job at the record label that employed his idols. His misadventures were bizarre, stressful, and (since they didn’t happen to me) amazingly funny. Four stars outta five.