The first thing that strikes the eye is the vivid crimson
cover-a fitting iconic imagery of the persona that is Rob Zombie.
This illuminating biography written by Joel McIver, with an
engaging forward by Jeremy Wagner, chronicles the life and times of Rob Zombie,
born Robert Cummings. Focussing on the man and not necessarily the concept, the
biography takes us on a tour of Zombie's brain (pun intended). We meet the
slightly off-centre child, whose genius was yet to be exposed to the world and
move forward through decades of impressionable work. So much more than a
musician, director and cartoonist amongst others, Zombie is shown as the artist
he truly is. Not just a glitzy exposé of his private life, the biography
emphasises the extensive body of work and the sacrifices, hard work and good
times it took to create.
Having been a fan of Zombie's for many years, I was excited
to get my hands on this advance preview from Netgalley. Upon completion I felt
a little ambivalent however. Maybe I expected to be entertained more. The use
of 70s horror movies to label the chapters was a great idea and set up an understanding
of where each chapter was heading. I enjoyed the all-encompassing view of the
subject matter-that each facet of his life was touched upon and no section received
special treatment. In saying that however, I felt that if the author didn't
like a particular part of a section like an album or movie, that it was passed
over or merely mentioned. This sometimes then turned some chapters into fleshed
out lists which caused me to gloss over them. The addition of the end credits,
citing all of Zombie's work was a clever move-it finished the book like a movie
and tied it into the chapter headings.
Well worth the read for hardcore fans as well as those
meeting Zombie for the first time. Myths about his evil lifestyle and stage
presence are debunked and he is shown for the gifted and driven man that he is.
An entertaining and enlightening read-homage paid by the author indeed.
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