Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turtles Flo and Eddie and Frank Zappa, etc.

Howard Kaylan's "Shell Shocked" is an extremely entertaining, informative and just plain fun book. I enjoyed it immensely. From Penn Jillette's foreword all the way to the very last page it's exciting, funny and gives you a real sense of how things really were throughout the history of The Turtles and Flo & Eddie. Now I know a little something about Howard and the Turtles. I am a drummer and I played several shows with them a few years ago. Their regular drummer that they've had for the last 32 years, Joe Stefko had a few medical issues a couple years back and they called me to sub for him on a bunch of dates. And even before that I had been a fan of both The Turtles music when I was in high school and then the Flo & Eddie period when they were working with Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. During the time I worked with The Turtles I had a chance to talk a bit with Howard and also with Mark Volman about some of their history and got a few great war stories from the early road days. Then I picked up Howard's movie "My Dinner With Jimi" and got a bit more insight into the very crazy world of The Turtles in the very early days. But now with this book I feel like I've learned the whole real deal and it was such a fantastic read. Now I have always known that both Howard and Mark are extremely well respected among their peers in the rock n' roll world. I knew that in addition to their own music and the Zappa stuff that they were a part of that they had both sung on several other albums by many top artists over the years. However until reading this book I didn't really have a sense of how deeply entrenched they were in the industry and how many amazing super stars they crossed paths with and worked closely with throughout their career. These guys are icons! Almost everybody is familiar with The Turtles. OK, some younger kids may not know the name right off the bat but if you hum a little bit of "Happy Together" they'll say, Oh yeah, those guys! And as many major hits as The Turtles had you probably wouldn't necessarily think of them in the same way you think of The Beatles or Rolling Stones or even Bruce Springsteen or U2. But the fact is that Howard and Mark not only crossed paths with all of those huge names but they actually worked with most of them in some capacity. I'm a sucker for a great biography and this one did not disappoint in any way. I only wish I would have known all of this stuff during the time I was playing with The Turtles so I could have quizzed Howard and Mark a little more about some of these amazing stories. If you're a fan of The Turtles or Frank Zappa or Flo & Eddie, or if you're just very interested in the stories of early rock n' roll icons and some of the interesting behind the scenes stuff, do yourself a favour and get this book. You'll love it. I know I certainly did.

Buch habe ich mit großem Genuss gelesen. Offen und ehrlich geschrieben lernt und erfährt man doch viel über das ausufernede Leben der Pop/Rock-Protagonisten in Kalifornien.Großartig!

I just finished this book. I bought it at the same time I picked up a CD copy of the great "Battle of the Bands" album from the 60's. The stories, as far as they go, are wonderfully entertaining. Sadly the writing is a little flat and Mr. Kaylan does not go into much detail about how great albums like the one mentioned above were actually recorded. It's an easy read - I finished it it one day. The stories of sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll are what you would expect from a memoir of this type. I found the stories of his and his band-mate's financial ups and downs fascinating if not surprising. Even the Beatles, with their gazillions, were ripped off for more than they were ever actually paid. His story of meeting the Beatles - well, most of 'em - was enlightening if a bit sad (SPOILER ALERT - John totally crushed a Turtle's musical career with few well-aimed and quite cruel remarks. What a jerk). His friendship with the great Harry Nilsson was a total surprise and fun to read about despite the rather send ending. Frank Zappa's death is also dealt with compassionately. Great stories - fun as heck to read! Maybe he'll write a second volume that concentrates more on the music and less on the (admittedly entertaining) shenanigans Also - he's apparently sober now and a little more information on how that change occurred would have been nice. .

Exactly what you'd expect. A bit scattered at points, but a very enjoyable read.

Fun book to read, especially if you are a Turtles/Flo and Eddie fan, but I got bored with all of his sexual encounters. Who cares? I was interested in the music business and processes that he went through, which is why I bought the book. I don't give a damn about his sexual relations.That being said, well worth reading, and enjoyed his view on his musical journey.