Frank Moriarty's Room of Books and Articles

	WELCOME TO FRANK'S ROOM Frank Moriarty, Kennedy Space Center, 2011. Photo by Christopher Scott Grimaldi. Make yourself at home on my little thread of the World Wide Web. I've been writing professionally for more than three decades, beginning with music reviews and interviews with artists ranging from Grace Slick to Robin Trower in the 1970s, then expanding my fields of interest to include NASCAR, the national space program, and other realms. On the remainder of this page, you'll find samples of my work. You can either scroll down until you find something of interest (be sure to check out New and Noteworthy, Recent Book Projects or Recent Features). You can also follow the links from the table of contents (separate lists for older books or newspaper/magazine articles) below. Read the material online, or print it to enjoy away from the glow of your monitor. Where can you find my books? They're available in most book stores, or follow these links to the "on-line" booksellers: Barnes and Noble or amazon.com Just enter "Frank Moriarty" or the book title in either site's search window... (If you're looking for Frank Moriarty's Ecotoxicology: The Study of Pollutants in Ecosystems that is NOT one of mine - sorry to disappoint you!) All text material copyright Frank Moriarty New and Noteworthy It's here: the LOUDFASTBLOGS internet network! Follow @loudfastblogs I'm pleased to announce a new media venture, the creation of blogs covering my three main realms of interest: music, motorsports, and aerospace. All three are accessible from the home link below... All links below open in a convenient new browser window. Click here to reach the LOUDFASTBLOGS internet network home page Here's a brief overview of each of the blogs, with direct links: THE VIEW FROM THE PITS From a pre-teen pit rat “helping” the crews of Roland Leong's “Hawaiian,” Ray Godman's “Tennessee Boll Weevil,” and other match drag racers to more than a decade spent covering NASCAR's top series, I've long been drawn to the ground-pounding machines and great personalities of racing. THE VIEW FROM THE PITS offers motorsports' past, present, and future from around the world. Click here to read The View from the Pits FRANK BLANK MUSIC I saw Jimi Hendrix when I was 13, but it was Mick Jones of The Clash who insisted I buy a guitar and start creating sounds instead of just listening. My love of music has led to record contracts and concerts to go along with decades of articles, reviews, and books on rock, jazz, country and more. In FRANK BLANK MUSIC that passion and perspective characterizes these thoughts on music. Click here to read Frank Blank Music AEROSPACE PERCEPTIONS Manned spaceflight is at a crossroads, and fascinating technical innovations characterize the realms of modern flight. Not a dry technical compilation, AEROSPACE PERCEPTIONS is the place to learn about and focus on the excitement and wonder of rising into the skies and beyond. Click here to read Aerospace Perceptions Recent Features Black Blank "Live at Skunkworks," CD released September 2008 RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2008: LIVE AT SKUNKWORKS The first release by BLACK BLANK, my musical collaboration with Richard Black Farnkopf, is now available. You can access a Web site dedicated to BLACK BLANK below... Click here to visit BLACK BLANK on MySpace Music (opens in new window) TOP SPEED: Dodge and Plymouth Stock Car Racing, released July 2007 RELEASED JULY 2007: TOP SPEED In July of 2007 my book "TOP SPEED: Dodge and Plymouth Stock Car Racing" was released by iUniverse/Barnes and Noble. A comprehensive history of the Chrysler Corporation brands that have left a lasting mark in stock car competition, the book also includes conversations with NASCAR legends Richard Petty, Buddy Baker, Pete Hamilton, and the late Harry Hyde. You can access a Web site dedicated to this title below... Click here to visit www.ironfistleadfoot.com (opens in new window) From the broadcast... EARNHARDT AND GORDON BOOKS SET THE STAGE In May 2007 Speed TV dedicated a 90-minute special edition of the popular show "Wind Tunnel" to the topic of how the careers of Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon will be remembered. Above, from left to right, are Winston Cup champions Rusty Wallace and Darrell Waltrip with esteemed motorsports commentator Dave Despain. And in the center just below them, my books on Earnhardt and Gordon. It was a pleasant surprise to see them featured so prominently. Freddy Koella playing with Bob Dylan Freddy Koella I had the opportunity to speak at length with guitarist Freddy Koella, whose fascinating career in music includes a period as Bob Dylan's lead guitarist - certainly an intimidating job, to say the least! I hope you'll enjoy this interview that tells how a young guitarist growing up in France winds up sharing the stage with one of the greatest songwriters of our time. Please click below to read the interview: Interview with Freddy Koella Vintage Guitar magazine, December 2005 issue Photo by Frank Moriarty: Cream on stage, Royal Albert Hall, May 6, 2005 The Reunion of Cream, May 2, 3, 5, and 6, 2005 I know I was incredibly fortunate to see the Jimi Hendrix Experience, especially since I was just 13 at the time (an account of this event is available in the articles section of this page). But even though I’ve seen thousands of bands in the years since 1969, my biggest musical regret was that I never had the opportunity to see Cream. Over the years, my appreciation for the brilliant aggregation of bassist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist Eric Clapton only grew with the discovery of each new unofficial recording that leaked out, every one further contributing to the legend of the trio’s brief-but-incendiary alliance in the 1960s. Though all three band members have each left indelible marks on rock’s history in their post-Cream efforts, a question remained unanswered for decades: what if Cream reformed? When Eric Clapton announced that this unimaginable reformation would indeed take place with a week of shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall in May, 2005, there was a sense of anxiety among Cream fans. The band had left a towering musical legacy – could they even begin to approach those imposing sonic heights? There was only one way to find out, and my wife Leigh Anne and I had long ago made a vow that if they played, we would be there, wherever “there” turned out to be. So, it was off to London. After attending the first and last of the four-show series, I reviewed the event for Vintage Guitar magazine. Please click below to read the review: Review of Cream at Royal Albert Hall Vintage Guitar magazine, August 2005 issue Recent Book Projects This book was released by iUniverse/Barnes & Noble, Fall 2006 Iron Fist, Lead Foot: John Coletti and Ford's "Terminator" Click here to visit www.ironfistleadfoot.com (opens in new window) “I’m going to go into this store and see if they sell any Alpo. And I’m going to buy a six-pack and throw it in the back seat of this thing because it’s a dog.” The angry words of John Coletti offered stark proof that things weren’t going well on the 2000 Western Drive. The annual high-speed excursion into wide open spaces - where Ford Motor Company’s elite Special Vehicle Team goes to shake down upcoming performance product – found SVT boss Coletti less than pleased with what was planned to be the flagship of SVT’s 2002 product offerings, the Mustang Cobra. Coletti soon drew a line in the sand: dramatically increase horsepower by supercharging the car, improve its handling, and create a Mustang Cobra that would be one of the most powerful and awe-inspiring production cars in American history. This is the untold story of how Coletti’s mandate led to the creation of a car known as the “Terminator,” the 2003-4 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra. How did SVT engineers stare down an impossibly short deadline, while redesigning nearly every aspect of a car that had been deemed ready for production? Iron Fist, Lead Foot takes readers deep behind the scenes for the answers. It’s the revealing account of what happens when a major American auto manufacturer, under a veil of secrecy, creates a vehicle that turned the performance world on its ear. This book has its very own Web site, where you can read sample material, explore galleries, and buy the book! Just click below... Click here to visit www.ironfistleadfoot.com (opens in new window) In 2003 Taylor Trade Publishing released Frank Moriarty's Seventies Rock: The Decade of Creative Chaos, a year-by-year in-depth look at the most tumultuous period in rock's history. Includes a foreword written by Brian May, guitarist of Queen. Excerpts from *Publishers Weekly* review, 2003: "Moriarty presents a year-by-year historical account of the concerts and recordings of almost every single musical trend and innovator from the death of Jimi Hendrix in 1970 to the breakup of the Clash... Along the way, he deftly captures the glories of an artistically chaotic decade that encompassed the Beatles, heavy metal, glam-rock, jazz-rock, progressive rock, country rock, reggae, funk, punk, New Wave and Bruce Springsteen... His great empathy with the musical and commercial nuances of the era gives him a solid foundation for arguing the importance of what was a wild and crazy decade of music." *Click on the book cover below for a taste of the sonic chaos!* Front cover, Seventies Rock: The Decade of Creative Chaos My Back Pages Frank Moriarty with Third Stone Invasion CD, day of release at Tower Records "Frank Blank" Moriarty, on stage with Informed Sources, East Side Club, Philadelphia, PA, 1982 What was it like in the world of punk rock in the 1970s and 80s? Funny you should ask! Under the name Frank Blank, I played guitar in the punk band Informed Sources and the experimental Bunnydrums. Click on the photo above to read a cover story from the Philadelphia City Paper's October 17, 2002 Music Issue. BOOK SAMPLE TABLE OF CONTENTS Sunday Drivers: NASCAR Winston Cup Stock Car Racing Supercars: The Story of the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth SuperBird Bold As Love: The Jimi Hendrix Experience Johnny Cash The Encyclopedia of Stock Car Racing Springsteen Jeff Gordon Superstars of Stock Car Racing Dale Earnhardt Dale Jarrett Dynasties: Legendary Families of Stock Car Racing all text material copyright Frank Moriarty NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE TABLE OF CONTENTS Jimi Hendrix Plays Philadelphia (UniVibes: The Int'l Jimi Hendrix Magazine) Lonnie Youngblood and Jimi Hendrix (UniVibes: The Int'l Jimi Hendrix Magazine) Slayer's Kerry King (Philadelphia Weekly) Sepultura Roots (Guitar Shop) Reloading "Machine Gun" (Guitar Shop) Type O Negative (Guitar) Out to Launch (Philadelphia City Paper) Why Go to Space (Philadelphia Daily News) Jimmy Spencer and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Philadelphia Weekly) Elmo Langley, one of NASCAR's greatest personalities (Circle Track) Bill Elliott, NASCAR Most Popular Driver (Harris Publications/Circle Track)
		Sample Material from: SUNDAY DRIVERS: NASCAR Winston Cup Stock Car Racing back to Table of Contents...
	Sample Material from: SUPERCARS: The Story of the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth SuperBird back to Table of Contents...
		Sample Material from: BOLD AS LOVE: The Jimi Hendrix Experience back to Table of Contents...
	Sample Material from: JOHNNY CASH back to Table of Contents...
		Sample Material from: THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF STOCK CAR RACING back to Table of Contents...
	Sample Material from: SPRINGSTEEN back to Table of Contents...
		Sample Material from: JEFF GORDON back to Table of Contents...
	Sample Material from: SUPERSTARS OF STOCK CAR RACING back to Table of Contents...
		Sample Material from: DALE EARNHARDT back to Table of Contents...
	Sample Material from: DALE JARRETT back to Table of Contents...
		Sample Material from: DYNASTIES back to Table of Contents...
	ARTICLES AND FEATURES
		Article: THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE AT PHILADELPHIA'S SPECTRUM back to Table of Contents...
	Article: LONNIE YOUNGBLOOD AND THE FIRST RECORDINGS BY JIMI HENDRIX back to Table of Contents...
		Article: SLAYER'S KERRY KING back to Table of Contents....
	Article: SEPULTURA'S ROOTS back to Table of Contents....
		Article: RELOADING MACHINE GUN - RECREATING JIMI'S AMAZING TONE back to Table of Contents...
	Article: TYPE O NEGATIVE back to Table of Contents....
		Article: A TRIP TO THE NASA KENNEDY SPACE CENTER back to Table of Contents...
	Article: WHY GO TO SPACE? back to Table of Contents...
		Article: JIMMY SPENCER AND THE NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES back to Table of Contents...
	Article: RIDING WITH ELMO LANGLEY back to Table of Contents...
		Article: AWESOME BILL FROM DAWSONVILLE - NASCAR'S MOST POPULAR DRIVER back to Table of Contents...

in memory of my dog, Elmo

Please visit the page of our canine companions, *ASTRO* and *BELLA*