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Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s Paperback – April 15, 2014


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Holy Human League! Mad World professes to not be a definitive history of New Wave, but its authors could've fooled me. Every fantastic detail of the era pops back to life via the vivid tales of its top titans, from Adam Ant to Kajagoogoo (that's right! Kajagoogoo!). Getting lost in story after story made me never want to return to the world of twerking, texting and soy lattes. Come on, Eileen — can't we just whip it good forever?"―Ian Drew, Entertainment Director, Us Weekly

Mad World is an exhaustive, revelatory history of one of the most important eras of modern pop music. Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein lived it, breathed it, and loved it — and make you want to relive it all over again. In a word: awesome.”―Shirley Halperin, Music Editor, The Hollywood Reporter

"Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein take us behind the hairspray and eyeliner to reveal the inside stories of the songs that defined an often-overlooked era — tales of inspiration, ambition, tension, and, of course, hairspray and eyeliner.”―
Alan Light, former Editor-in-Chief, Spin and VIBEmagazines

“Here it is—the whole glossy, gory, glorious story of the 1980s new wave revolution, in one addictive chapter after another. These are the artists who lived it all out, whether it’s Duran Duran making the “Girls on Film” video or Kim Wilde finally explaining the “East California” enigma.
Mad World captures the wild enthusiasm of the moment, evoking a time of perfect songs, innovative style, and lipstick cherry all over the lens.”―Rob Sheffield, contributing editor to Rolling Stone and author of Talking to Girls About Duran Duran

“If you thrill to the sight of the MTV flag waving on the moon, if camera-click sounds make your heart skip a beat in anticipation of Duran Duran’s “Girls On Film,” and you know precisely what killed the radio star, then you’ll melt with
Mad World! Interviews with artists (Adam Ant, Kim Wilde, Howard Jones, Morrissey!) provide inside scoop on the MTV Generation hits we love.”―Martha Quinn, co-author of VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave and DJ, SiriusXM

“Remember the feeling you had in your youth, when you’d meet a stranger who had your obscure favorite band’s pin on their jacket? Reading
Mad World feels exactly like that, except your new friend is charming, much smarter than you, shockingly well connected, and ready to dish. My one problem with the book is my one problem with the New Wave era: that it had to end.” ―Dave Holmes, New York Magazine’s Vulture and former MTV VJ

Mad World is an exhaustive, revelatory history of one of the most important eras of modern pop music. Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein lived it, breathed it, and loved it—and make you want to relive it all over again. In a word: awesome.”―Shirley Halperin, Music Editor, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter

“Co-authors Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein interviewed all of the bands and uncovered many tidbits that blew my mind. I called Lori to reminisce about the ’80s—and dang, I’d love to have 12 more conversations with her, because we didn't even touch upon INXS or Depeche Mode.”―
USA Today’s Pop Candy Blog

“The book tells the tale of some of the decade’s most unforgettable songs . . . in fascinating detail, letting the architects of these memorable records shine a light on how the sound of a generation came to be.”―
The Hollywood Reporter Online

“In the book
Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s, journalists Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein interviewed some of the most memorable musicians of the genre to find out how it came to be.”―New York Post

“Many tomes about Rock and Roll exist, but
Mad World is one of the first to give artists from the 1980s another day in the sun.”―The Huffington Post

“If you miss the days when the world was made of mesh and lace, you’ll want to check out
Mad World . . . hugely entertaining.”―RollingStone.com

“While
Mad World is a must-have for the formerly frosted bangs set, it serves as a useful primer for anyone curious about the oft-maligned new wave era.”―The Los Angeles Review of Books

“A really informative and insightful read.”―
People.com

“It’s a book that pays due to an overlooked generation.”―
Adam Ant

“I want to plug a book that I have nothing to do with but that I’m reading and loving and recommending to friends. It’s called Mad World. If you’re a big fan of 80s new wave music, they take all of those songs, and each chapter is a behind-the-scenes about the song, like “Come On Eileen,” “Take on Me,” [“True” by] Spandau Ballet. I am fascinated by this book.”―
Gary Dell’Abate, aka Baba Booey, executive producer of the Howard Stern Show, on the post-Stern Wrap Up show

“As a good overview of new wave, this title should appeal to a wide audience of pop music lovers.”―
Library Journal

“There aren't many books where you find The Smiths sharing cover space with Adam Ant, or Echo & The Bunnymen considered peers of Duran Duran. But that’s
Mad World for you—“An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s,” in which all manner of unlikely bedfellows are assigned equal space and glory in a very American perspective on that early 1980s period of big hair, big mouths, and, in far too many cases, very bad trousers. (Or pants, if you’re a Yank.) In gathering up copious first-person interviews—including, to their enormous credit, a certain Morrissey—the American-born Majewski and Scots-raised Bernstein have assembled a thorough, and thoroughly entertaining, oral history of a vital period in popular music.”―Tony Fletcher

“The new wave era is often dismissed for its one-hit wonders and silly haircuts, but Lori Majewski and Jonathan Bernstein’s book examines the period with a great deal of love and reverence.”―
Buzzfeed

About the Author

Lori Majewski was a cofounder and editor in chief of Teen People. She was also an executive editor of Entertainment Weekly and Us Weekly. She lives in Weehawken, New Jersey.

Jonathan Bernstein is a Los Angeles–based writer. He is the author of, among other titles, Pretty in Pink: The Golden Age of Teenage Movies and has contributed to publications such as the Guardian, Spin, Rolling Stone, and The Face.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Abrams Image; Illustrated edition (April 15, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1419710974
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1419710971
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
529 global ratings
Like meeting up with old friends!
5 Stars
Like meeting up with old friends!
There are times in history that for those who lived through it, could only be described as a magical, almost mystical time where everything seemed to be vibrant and alive. These times have often been easily documented through various means. Whether it be pictures or records or film and video. I feel very fortunate to have had all three during the 80s. Anyone who was a teenager during this time still have very fond memories of bearing witness to the new sounds that for a American, were coming from a island in Europe called the United Kingdom. This sound would go on to be coined as New Wave. Hated by the music reviewers of the time, but absolutely LOVED by those of us who recognized the new sounds and visuals for what they were. In a word, they were OURS!Lori and Jonathan have created a labor of love that took me back to the days of Star Hits Magazine and the record and music stores in my city where I felt compelled to learn every and everything about the groups and the style and music that they created. Duran Duran were my own personal favorite, and as Lori states in the book, 'Duran chose me - I had no choice in the matter'. it is a statement that I can relate to! As a artist and musician myself, this music was a call to arms for me, one that has never stopped. MAD WORLD is a great answer to that calling. The information of how these bands/artist created certain things and their reasons behind them are presented in a very relaxed, informal manner. Lori and Johnathan's own tidbits sprinkled throughout the book were also a pleasure to me, as it gave me a sense of becoming reacquainted with old friends (Lori, I can attest, is someone who I actually had the pleasure of being interviewed by her for her fanzine, her writing from them to know is even better than it was back then, credit to her experience as a professional journalist, whose credits would be too long to list here).Ultimately, that is where the true joy lies in this book. The passion and vibrancy of those who were compelled to want to listen and play this music and learn more about the artist who made it, is a love letter for those of us who still have memories of that time, that still reverberate to this very day! For those of us whose fire has and never will die for New Wave music, and still hold a candle for when the next 'New Wave' finally arrives, this book will sit nicely next to your albums, DVDs (or in my case laserdisc), and is great to read as you listen to 'Cars', 'The Look of Love', 'New Religion', and of course 'Mad World'. Thank you Lori and Jonathan for helping make the music jangle once again for us all who love it, to remember.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2023
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Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2014
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Top reviews from other countries

Nazz Nomad
5.0 out of 5 stars The (soon to be) Bible for New Wave has arrived
Reviewed in Canada on April 17, 2014
2 people found this helpful
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rollo
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!
Reviewed in Spain on October 4, 2014
One person found this helpful
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Jan van Gemert
5.0 out of 5 stars Please let there be a part two of this excellent book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2014
4 people found this helpful
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Karen Isaacs
5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2021
Max
4.0 out of 5 stars What a great way to find out the history of some of ...
Reviewed in Canada on July 28, 2014