Books

New rock and not-quite-rock memoirs and bios

In "Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir" published Sept. 18, the singer recalls going from IHOP waitress to ‘80s pop icon and activist-singer-mom.

In “Cyndi Lauper: A Memoir” published Sept. 18, the singer recalls going from IHOP waitress to ‘80s pop icon and activist-singer-mom.  (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

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Spurred by the success of Patti Smith’s memoir, “Just Kids,” publishers signed up for a plethora of memoirs and biographies of rock stars and stars who are not quite so rock ‘n’ roll. You can read more about these musicians’ lives very soon.

Courtney Love

A memoir from Courtney Love, slated for fall 2012, has been postponed.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Duran Duran

Duran Duran’s John Taylor, right, has written the memoir “In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death, and Duran Duran,” which is being published this month. This 2011 photograph shows him with his original Duran Duran bandmates, minus guitarist Andy Taylor, who published the memoir “Wild Boy” in 2008.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Neil Young

In his L.A. Times review, David L. Ulin writes that Neil Young’s memoir, “Waging Heavy Peace,” is “one of the most idiosyncratic rockstar autobiographies” he’s ever read. Review  (David Fitzgerald / Los Angeles Times)

Mick Jagger

The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger has not yet followed in bandmate Keith Richards’ footsteps with a memoir, but October sees the publication of the biography “Mick Jagger” by Philip Norman.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

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