Elliott Smith And The Big Nothing

Book Description

It is rare these days for a recording artist to move his fans so deeply that news of his death sparks instant tribute concerts worldwide-from Dublin to Boston, and Nashville to Los Angeles.

Elliott Smith was such an artist. On October 21, 2003, he was found dead in his apartment from two stab wounds to the chest. But before his tragic death, which is still under investigation, came the solitary beauty of Smith's music. Known best for his heartrending song "Miss Misery" from the Oscar-nominated Good Will Hunting soundtrack, Elliott Smith was catapulted to the status of indie icon after performing at the 1998 Oscars. Sandwiched between Celine Dion and Trisha Yearwood and wearing an unlikely white tuxedo, he looked out of place-but many who witnessed his surreally beautiful performance thought he put Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" to shame. His albums have since sold over half a million copies, with his melody-based rock inspiring successful artists from Belle & Sebastian to the Flaming Lips.

Featuring never-before-published interviews with those that knew and loved Smith, this book takes us from his childhood in suburban Dallas, Texas, to his life-and eventual death-in Los Angeles. Focusing on the crucial interplay between Smith's life and music, and establishing his place in America's musical canon as one who helped to usher in today's rock revival, this is a groundbreaking biography on "an amazing singer and songwriter" (Moby).

Customer Reviews:

Writing style lacking, gives little insight to Elliott himself.......2007-10-15

Facts. That's about all you'll get from this book--it was very impersonal, and not really any insight into Elliott and who he was at all. It was a big let down---but if you're a huge fan than nothing I can say will stop you from buying it. Thank god he's grown in popularity enough for another book to be written by Autumn de Wilde---which will no doubt be much better written. I already pre-ordered, and I suggest you do the same!!!

I have no complaints.......2007-09-16

Benjamin Nugent should have gotten a critically acclaimed response for the work he did with this biography, but all he has really gotten are unfairly harsh criticisms from people and critics who clearly have not done their homework on the life on one Elliott Smith. The author does a phenomenal job of giving us history of Elliott Smiths musical growth, and was able to get input from some of the late artists closest friends. You get to know Elliott quite a bit as the author paints a picture of a man who not unlike Kurt Cobain, simply cared for people too much, and who could not deal with success. We cannot fault the author for what comes down to a lack of resources, he simply doesn't have a whole lot to work with besides an extensive musical history including all the released music
including Smith's earlier band Heatmiser, and stories told by Smiths close friends. As a huge fan of Elliott Smith, I would strongly recommmend this book to others who share my
love for the music of Elliott Smith, but if you are not an
Elliott Smith fan, this book is not for you. Thank You Benjamin Nugent, you have given us a real gem here.

Amazing book when taken in context.......2007-08-13

I don't understand why people are complaing on this book. For those of you who say he has no internal access to smiths life you are right. He doesn't have interview with his family. I don't believe we deserve it. In this life we have friends, we have family. These are the people that we share are inner thoughts and feelings with. They are for those people we choose to share them with and to pressure these people to spill there closest secrets with smith would be wrong. We should feel honored that that close nit circle allowed what we have to be revealed.

If i could shake benjamin nugents hand right now and thank him for what he did i would. Some things are not meant for everyone, smiths life and secrets were one of them.

Got my Attention.......2007-07-28

A friend who is active in Indie music gave me this book and I couldn't put it down. Nugent constructs a compelling narrative about a fascinating character who had a huge influence on progressive popular music. While I wasn't a big Elliott Smith fan before I read the book, I know have CD's and Smith loaded on my MP3 player. Nugent's book convinced me to give Smith a second listen...and I'm glad I did. Well worth reading.

Filling the Void.......2007-05-09

I had purchased this book because of the fact I am a huge fan of Elliott. After I finished reading it I did feel a lot closer to understanding Smith as an artist and a person. Although at some points I felt there was too much unnecessary information that distracted the reader. I also felt as if it jumped back and forth too much between periods of Smith's life. Given the restricted resources Nugent had to work with, this book does the job of shedding light into the mysterious world surrounding Smith. The Big Nothing fills the void of literature on Smith and should be appreciated for what it is, the only book written on Smith to date.

Book Description

Having honed their piloting skills on the subsonic MiG-17 and transonic MiG-19, the Vietnamese Peoples’ Air Force (VPAF) received their first examples of the legendary MiG-21 supersonic fighter in 1966. Soon thrown into combat over North Vietnam, the guided-missile equipped MiG-21 proved a deadly opponent for the USAF, Navy and Marine Corps crews striking at targets deep into communist territory. Most of the VPAF’s 12+ aces scored their bulk of their kills in the MiG-21, which was then the best fighter produced by Russia’s premier fast jet manufacturer, Mikoyan Gurevich. Well over 200 MiG-21s were supplied to the VPAF, and the numerous models and the schemes they wore are chronicled in great detail in this unique volume.

Customer Reviews:

Reference Material.......2007-01-04

I found a reference to this book while trying to find an authentic MiG-21 camouflage paint scheme. The book is excellent in its limited coverage and contains very specialized material. Not designed for the casual aviation reader.

Lifting the veil on the NVPAF.......2003-01-06

Dr Istvan Toperczer has produced several books on the North Vietnamese People's Air Force and surfaced more photography and information on their side of the battle for the skies over North Vietnam against the United States than all the other researchers combined who have tried to elicit this type information. This volume is a welcome addition the Osprey series that deals with type aircraft (in this case the MiG-21) in conflicts. As the thirtieth anniversary of the conclusion of hostilities over North Vietnam approaches in 2003, it is fitting that this work has arrived for the many veterans and interested readers to be able to add to the considerable work on the subject which is always light on the aspect of the NVPAF perspective. The ability of this fledgling air force to introduce the MiG-21 into combat with "home-grown" pilots with a modicum of success in challenging the latest US fighters is a worthy read.

A view from the other side of the hill.......2002-06-25

There has been some very good writing on the USAF side of the airwar over North Vietnam(for example 'Thud Ridge' by Col, J Broughton). This book gives at least a glimpse of what that war looked like from the other side.
The dialogue has a slightly scripted feel, but given that English is a second (at least) language for most of those involved, and the descriptions are to some degree at least the formalised language of the combat report, this is perhaps understandable.
The production is to Osprey's usual high standard with an interesting selection of colour profiles, and some very striking b/w's, the shot of a MiG 21 being airlifted into position under a Mil 6 being particularly memorable. Another feature is the attempt to reconcile the claims of each side with admitted losses.
Primarily a modelling resource, this is also a useful historical document, drawn from primary sources. I found it interesting enough to look for the author's other volume on MiG 17/19 units.

Thoroughly recommended

If you fought Migs, this is a MUST read!.......2002-01-16

As a US Navy Radar Intercept Officer flying in the back-seat of Phantom IIs, I had two engagements with Mig-21s during the Vietnam war...won one, lost one. Winning is a lot more fun, that's for sure, but both types are very interesting. Reading Istvan Toperczer's book, "Mig-21 Units of the Vietnam War" was like taking a little peek inside the Mig pilots' play book...it gave me an idea of how they planned and set up their attacks... and it reinforced for me that we already had pretty good ideas of what was coming when we took them on in aerial combat.

This book has a lot of superb photographs, drawings, illustrations and words which all flow together very nicely and make reading it a real enjoyment. If you are interested in fighter-flying it will be very interesting, and for those who actually fought against the Migs in Vietnam, or tried to engage one, it will be intensely interesting. It was a unique experience for me to read this book and be able to critique it from the vantage point of one who actually lived through it. I highly recommend it as a purchase, and certainly it will make a great gift for any aviation buff, most particularly any military pilot. This book is not just another "book about flying", it is the product of some very thorough research and painstaking efforts to match-up all the reports by Dr. Toperczer, and reading it is like reading a colorful history book on a subject which you love.

Average customer rating:

B&W photos ???

Not bad but not great either...

Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed: Volume 45 (WarbirdTech)
Yefim Gordon , and Peter Davison
Manufacturer: Specialty Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 WarbirdTech Volume 41 (WarbirdTech)

Mikoyan MiG-29 (Famous Russian Aircraft)

ASIN: 1580071066

Book Description

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed, a lightweight air-combat fighter, is one of the most famous military aircraft in the world. No other warplane has been manufactured in such large numbers (over 10,000 in the Soviet Union and about 2,000 in China and India) since World War II. Nor has any other fighter served with so many air forces (the current count is 56). This global success was the MiG design bureau’s fourth in succession in the immediate postwar era.

Powered by one Tumansky R-11F-300 rated at 12,675 lb (w/ afterburner), the MiG-21 was easy to maintain, tough in the harshest environments, and very affordable. It was designed to climb fast to high altitudes, at all heights, and to excel in close combat.

This book covers all MiG-21 upgrades and variants, as well as combat and armament specifications. Over 300 photos are used to illustrate the story of the MiG-21. It features technical diagrams and gives a comprehensive development history. Other topics include design, development, structural detail, international production, trials, comparisons, and much more.

Customer Reviews:

B&W photos ???.......2007-10-06

Great on details. However, 98% photos are black and white - big turn off for me.

Not bad but not great either..........2007-03-27

The book is organized in a familiar way: initial development, technical description, versions (MiG-21s but also Chengdu's J/F-7), operational use, a list of the various countries that used the aircraft and technical drawings. Yes the book is organized like most Yefim Gordon's monographies... and just like his MiG-21 Aerofax book in fact. About 70-80% of the text and pictures comes from the Aerofax. Only the chapter about the operational use and the MiG-21 modelling chapter are new. The text update is pretty superficial. The later is particularly poor. The line drawings are drawn by Vladimir Klimov and they're great but a lot of the ones that were in the Aerofax have been removed for some reason.
Since the Aerofax is out of print, this Warbirdtech book is currently one of the best reference book about the MiG-21. However if you already own the Aerofax book the Warbirdtech is hardly worth buying since it doesn't bring much new information.

Arab MiG-19 & MiG-21 Units in Combat (Combat Aircraft)

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The Cold War meets the Middle East Conflict.
Flies into Virgin Territory
Outstanding, the best of it's kind

Arab MiG-19 & MiG-21 Units in Combat (Combat Aircraft)
David Nicolle
Manufacturer: Osprey Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1841766550
Release Date: 2004-03-25

Book Description

The MiG-21 provided the backbone of frontline Arab air combat strength for many years and remained the Arabs’ only real hope of challenging Israeli air supremacy. This book provides a detailed history of the MiG-21 in Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi service. It includes numerous photographs, most of which have not been seen outside the Arab world and a large proportion of which have never previously been published anywhere. The material is drawn from official sources and from the private collections and recollections of men who flew, or met, these aircraft in combat.

Customer Reviews:

The Cold War meets the Middle East Conflict........2004-04-25

There can be little to add to the excellent review above, except to re-iterate that this is an great book. It is refreshing to see this conflict described from the Arab view point. The book describes the role of Egyptian, Syrian and Iraqi units in the conflicts with Isreal from 1967 to the 1980's. There is also a section covering the wars in the gulf. Much of the material in this book is new to most western readers and includes first hand accounts from Arab MiG pilots. It seems that the MiGs did rather better in combat than was the impression given by the Israeli information at the time. It is interesting to see how the cold war superpowers are involved on each side. An excellent book for anyone interested in MiG's or the Mid East conflict.

Flies into Virgin Territory.......2004-04-23

Since there is very little material available in English on the role of Arab air forces in the series of wars fought in the Mideast between 1967-1991, Osprey's "Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat" flies into virtually virgin territory. The strength of this volume is a wealth of specific detail on Arab pilots, units and combat actions that has been absent in most other works on the subject; anyone seriously interested in understanding the Mideast wars fought in this period needs this volume (and presumably the other volumes to follow in this series) to gain insight to the air component of those conflicts. David Nicolle and Tom Cooper have used their Mideast contacts to shed light on a heretofore-obscure subject.

The first chapter, "The Arabs go Supersonic," covers the introduction of the Mig-19 and MiG-21 fighters into Arab (Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi) service in 1961-1966. While background on the early Arab MiGs is fairly short, it seems that the USSR dumped several hundred MiG fighters on the Arab air forces without providing all the necessary equipment or training to transform these aircraft into fully-functional combat assets (also beginning the Arab tendency to blame the Soviets for their own military short-comings). While the MiG-21 seemed like a major step forward for the Arab air forces, the authors note that "prior to the Six Day War, Egyptian MiG-21FLs did not have guns....the MiG-21FLs actually came to be seen as a disaster.." for the Egyptian Arab Force. Consequently, the early MiG-21s were armed with only two unreliable "Atoll" missiles, which put them at a disadvantage against the better-armed Israeli fighters. This introductory section also covers the 1967 Six Day War (the section is clearly from the Arab point of view, with no references to Nasser's numerous provocative acts that caused the war), in which the Egyptian and Syrian MiGs were mostly destroyed on the ground by some of the best-coordinated attacks in aviation history. The authors point out that the lack of Egyptian combat air patrols on the morning of 5 June 1967 remains a mystery, given the high level of tensions. In any event, only about 10-15% of the Egyptian MiGs survived the first strike, and readers will be interested to see that some Arab fighters did indeed get airborne. After a week of fighting, the Arabs had lost most of their MiGs while claiming about ten Israeli aircraft in air-air combat (about 6 by Egypt and 2 each by Syria and Iraq).

The second chapter, "Fighting Back," covers the War of Attrition in 1968-1970. This was a rough period for both the Arabs and Israelis, with frequent small-scale raids and clashes inflicting considerable loss on both sides. While the Soviets replaced the MiGs lost in the Six Day War, the models delivered were essentially the same as those exported before the war. This section is interesting because it details that the Arabs were able to start developing both the skills and the tactics to challenge Israeli air superiority at least some of the time. Egyptian MiG pilots like Samir Aziz Mikhail, Ahmad Nur el-Din and Ahmed Atef were able to score 2-3 victories each, thereby providing the Egyptian Air Force with a small nucleus of skilled veterans. A unique tactic developed by Egyptians was to ferry MiG-21s by night underneath Mi-6 heavy-lift helicopters to remote airstrips near the Suez Canal, then to ambush returning Israeli strike aircraft who were unaware of the deployment. Syria was also able to develop a small cadre of skilled veterans, including Captain Bassam Hamshu, who became the highest scoring Arab fighter pilot with seven 'kills' before he himself was shot down in 1982. In this period the Arab air forces were able to triple the number of trained jet pilots, but their technical edge slipped even further as the Israelis began to introduce better US-made aircraft like the F-4 "Phantom."

The third chapter covers the 1973 War. This is perhaps the best chapter in the volume, with a great many combat anecdotes on dogfights and bombing missions. The final two chapters cover the 1977 Egyptian-Libyan border war, the Israeli-Syrian fighting over Lebanon, the Iran-Iraq War and Desert Storm - all of which are quite interesting. Obviously, the MiG-21 fighter designed in the late 1950s performed more and more poorly in each succeeding war as it started going up against F-14s, F-15s and F-16s. The Soviets denied the Arabs improved MiGs and missiles until the 1980s, and never again provided the quantities to make a difference. The authors also provide an appendix on Arab air units (thank you!) and 16 pages of color plates. Unfortunately, there is no bibliography, no technical data on the MiGs, no summaries of Arab aerial victories claimed in any of the conflicts and no information provided on sources (just where did they get some of this info?). It is also apparent that the authors had to incorporate a certain amount of "Arab propaganda" into this volume (e.g. tired accusations that American "volunteer pilots" were actually flying Israeli aircraft - can't the Arabs ever accept that they have been bested by Israelis?) in order to gain access to these secretive organizations. It is not always clear if the authors have carefully scrutinized all aerial claims (notoriously exaggerated by pilots from all nations) or just accepted them at face value. Obviously, what is needed is an appendix that lists Arab claims day-by-day and an appendix that lists Israeli admitted losses day-by-day. Finally, there is essentially no attempt to "tie it all together" and produce a comprehensive picture of Arab air operations; rather, this volume mostly consists of interesting but unconnected fighter pilot yarns.

Outstanding, the best of it's kind.......2004-04-04

This is an absolutely superb book, and is easily the best book on Arab air combat ever written. Only Nicolle's own "Phoenix Over the Nile" can compete. The amount and quality of research -- particularly interviews with Egyptian and Syrian pilots -- is outstanding, and nearly all the photos appear for the first time in an English-language publication. The color plates are also excellent, though there are a few minor problems with translation of Arabic numbers, and one Egyptian plane from 1969 wears post-1972 national insignia. A map or two, and a bibliography would also have been useful additions. Overall though, this book is a gem, and even at twice the price would be a bargain. Let's hope there's enough public interest in the subject to warrant further volumes on Egyptian/Syrian MiG-15/17 units, etc.

Lock On No. 21 - Mikoyan MiG 21 MF Fishbed

Average customer rating:

Pictures Only

Lock On No. 21 - Mikoyan MiG 21 MF Fishbed
Francois Verlinden
Manufacturer: Verlinden Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Models | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1930607180

Book Description

This twenty first installment in the popular LOCK ON series focuses on the Soviet-built Mikoyan MiG-21 MF Fishbed. In service with about 40 different air forces around the world, the MiG-21 Fishbed reached an astonishing production level of some 7500, supplying the Warsaw Pact and its allies with what became the standard military fighter aircraft of its time. Stunning full color photography captures such details as cockpit, landing gear, avionics, radar, internal cannon, external weapons and pylons, speed brakes, ejection seat, engine, parabrake housing, ground service equipment, pilots, mechanics, and much more of this enigmatic aircraft. This book provides a very rare and in-depth view of this cold war veteran, and belongs in the collections of scale modelers, aviation enthusiasts, and cold war veterans.

Customer Reviews:

Pictures Only.......2006-11-22

Great pictures, but only print in the book are the captions. No trainer variant pictues. A good supplement for a book with detailed MiG-21 information.

MiG-21 Fishbed in Action - Aircraft No. 131

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MiG-21 Fishbed in Action - Aircraft No. 131
Don Linn , and Don Spering
Manufacturer: Squadron/Signal Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 089747290X

Mig-21 'Fishbed': The World's Most Widely Used Supersonic Fighter (Aerofax Series)

Average customer rating:

Mig-21 Fishbed by Gordon and Gunston =excellent book
A pleasure to read but not for Scale Modellers

Mig-21 'Fishbed': The World's Most Widely Used Supersonic Fighter (Aerofax Series)
Yefim Gordon , and Bill Gunston
Manufacturer: Voyageur Press (MN)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The MiG-21 is unquestionably one of the greatest fighters of the post Second World War era. Not only was it Russia's first operational Mach 2-capable interceptor, it also serves as the stepping stone that enabled many nations to enter the age of supersonic air combat. Using much never-before published materal, a huge array of photographs previously unseen in the West and full color artwork, this book reveals the secrets of the fighter that has flown and fought in more countries than the supersonic jet.

Customer Reviews:

Mig-21 Fishbed by Gordon and Gunston =excellent book .......2005-01-24

Plenty of historical facts that includes information on prototypes and updated versions. The technical specs on each variant are also included as well as color pictures of the variants. It even has a reference section of all the countries that use it and the variants used by their air forces. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in the Mig-21.

A pleasure to read but not for Scale Modellers.......2000-05-26

The author have put everything in a nutshell. Brief and concise text help readers get some idea of what an airplane and the operation history of the Fishbed is. The load of 3-views at the end of the book is impressive. However, because of its limited size, not much detail on the vast number of varients of the Fishbed family is included. Scale modellers are disappointed because it lacks detail shots nor description of various parts of the varients, nor scale plan in popular scales. I am thinking of the technical drawings of the "old Aerofax" minigraph and datagraph series that have disappear in the "new" Aerofax titles. Finally, if you can afford only one book on the Fishbed, this is not the choice.

Average customer rating:

Aircraft Profile 238 Mikoyan MiG-21 ("Fishbed") Variants
John F. Brindley
Manufacturer: Profile Publications Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J45YSA

FIGHTING COLORS: MIG-21 FISHBED IN COLOR.

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FIGHTING COLORS: MIG-21 FISHBED IN COLOR.
Hans-Heiri. Stapfer
Manufacturer: Publisher Unknown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000WASDMK

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Lock On No. 21 - Mikoyan MiG-21 MF Fishbed
Willy Peeters , and Zoltan Buza
Manufacturer: Verlinden Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N29AGU

MiG 21 F-13 U (Flugzeuge der Nationalen Volksarmee)

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MiG 21 F-13 U (Flugzeuge der Nationalen Volksarmee)
Jurgen Willisch
Manufacturer: DHS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000VUSIAI

Product Description

German-language text with English photo-captions. 192 pages packed with information and rare photos of the MiG-21F and U in East German NVA service. The book includes two inserts featuring full 1/72 scale plans for both variants. Of particular interest for MiG-21 buffs will be the material included on the reclusive and unique MiG-21 'Aufklaerer' - the unique MiG-21F recce variant.

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