From his early years as a disc jockey, music critic, rock singer, and bandleader to his lengthy career as a concert promoter, Kenny Weissberg lived all his childhood dreams—some of which turned into nightmares. In Off My Rocker, he chronicles the mayhem and merriment of following the music for nearly six decades.
As a young radio personality, Kenny basks in the glow of the free-spirited, post-Woodstock era but later rebels against the soulless corporate takeover of the music he’s loved forever. Along the way, he succumbs to the dark side, getting caught up in the deceit, greed, theft, and drugs so pervasive in the entertainment industry.
With candor and self-deprecating humor, Kenny shares stories about the impressive cast of characters who cross his path, including showbiz icons Whitney Houston, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, B. B. King, Bill Murray, Ray Charles, and a host of others. Packed with vivid, behind-the-scenes details, this page-turner of a memoir will stay with you long after the closing credits.
AWARDS
2014 Gold IPPY Award: Best Personal Nonfiction Ebook
2014 Eric Hoffer Award: Honorable Mention, Memoir
Eric Hoffer Award: Grand Prize Short List
First Horizon Award Finalist
PRAISE FOR Off My Rocker
“I’ve read nearly every music memoir that has been released in the past ten years, and Off My Rocker is in the top five.” —Deborah Speer, Pollstar
“Yes, you’re ‘off your rocker,’ but how else could we have made it this far? What a story—what a life! How thankful I am that our paths have been intertwined for forty years! I’m forever grateful that you encouraged me to continue performing live.”
—Richie Furay, founding member of Buffalo Springfield and Poco, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee
“Kenny and I have had a symbiotic relationship. He supported my bands with airplay on his radio shows, articles in newspapers, and gigs at Humphrey’s when he became a concert promoter, and I’m proud to say I played an active role in helping him put together his band, Kenny & the Kritix. Off My Rocker is a masterpiece of a memoir to be savored by anyone who has ever considered a life in the music business.”
—Mark Andes, bassist for Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Firefall, and Heart
I learned everything I know about writing from studying the outgoing messages on Kenny’s answering machine. His mastery of language, his knowledge of all things music, his Ernie Kovacs–like wit were things I tried to emulate, then copy, then steal.”
—Jon Steele, author, The Angelus Trilogy and War Junkie
“I’ve known Kenny Weissberg since 1971, when he was a morning disc jockey at KRNW-FM and I was promoting concerts at Tulagi in Boulder. I picked his brain relentlessly for his vast musical knowledge and arranged interviews for him with everyone from Jim Croce and T-Bone Walker to the Eagles and Tom Waits. I was delighted when he became a concert producer. Then he picked my brain until it was numb! I hope Off My Rocker is the first of many books by this wacky musical devotee.”
—Chuck Morris, President-CEO, AEG Live Rocky Mountains