Spider Kiss

He claims heвЂTMs not a fan of rock-and-roll, but somehow Harlan EllisonвЂTMs seminal novel based on the career of Jerry Lee Lewis ended up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. One of the first — and still one of the best — dissections of the wildly destructive rock-and-roll lifestyle, Spider Kiss isnвЂTMt about giant cockroaches that attack Detroit or space invaders that smell like chicken soup. Instead, itвЂTMs the story of Luther Sellers, a poor kid from Louisville with a voice like an angel whoвЂTMs renamed Stag Preston by a ruthless promoter. PrestonвЂTMs meteoric rise on the music scene is matched only by the rise in his enormous appetites — and not just for home cooking — and soon the invisible monkey named Success is riding him straight to hell. This raucous early novel reinforces EllisonвЂTMs reputation as one of AmericaвЂTMs most dynamic writers.