Bands whose music you dislike but that you love reading about

Beatles, Zappa.

ICP is a pretty good answer to this. Their interviews (especially with anyone trying to "nail" them) are incredible.

The Fall

Why?/Y0ni Wolf. i really like his weekly podcast, which has gotten me more into his music, but i'd still rather listen to him talk than listen to his records.

Zappa. I actively dislike his music (some of which I completely loathe), but his autobiography was pretty entertaining, even if it had a bit too much "everyone is stupid except me."

I'd have to take another look at the Ben Watson book, but I think the definitive book about FZ hasn't been written yet. The Neil Slaven one was absolute crap...the more I think about it the madder I get.

I'm not an Elvis Presley fan, but a detailed non-fawning bio would probably be really good. (Any recs?)

Guralnick's Presley bios are likely your best bet. They're definitely not fawning, but almost to a fault: at a certain point, the retelling of events gets bland enough that you wish a critical voice would step in for a minute (and Guralnick's critical voice does occasionally, but only for a minute). But they're insanely detailed/well-researched.

the Zappa autobio I had was pretty entertaining but yeah I kinda came out of it having my worst suspicions about Zappa confirmed

U2

Bill Flanagan's U2 bio from the nineties is one of the smartest of its kind; it hoodwinked me into liking them for a few minutes.

I love reading up about pretty much any band that I dislike, to be honest.

Alfo can you confirm for me that that U2 book has a chapter detailing Bono's "nautical kleptomania" where he steals boats any chance he gets?
I read it as a teen and that chapter seems too weird to be a real memory

I don't remember the phrase, but yeah, he likes boats and skinnydipping.

Ugh, Bono skinnydipping, thx for that guys

Bono is a Parrothead!

Kiss p much owns this thread for me

also, Motley Crue