Mad World

Mad World is a highly entertaining oral history that celebrates the New Wave music phenomenon of the 1980s via new interviews with 35 of the most notable artists of the period. Each chapter begins with a discussion of their most popular song but leads to stories of their history and place in the scene, ultimately painting a vivid picture of this colourful, idiosyncratic time. Mixtape suggestions, fashion sidebars and quotes from famous contemporary admirers help fill out the fun. Participants include members of Duran Duran, New Order, The Smiths, Tears for Fears, Adam Ant, Echo and the Bunnymen, Devo, ABC, Spandau Ballet, A Flock of Seagulls, Thompson Twins and INXS.

“"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."”

"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"
"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"

Having honed her craft at teen titles Sassy and YM, Lori Majewski was a co-founder, and later editor-in-chief, of Teen People. She was also an executive editor of Entertainment Weekly and Us Weekly, and has written for Women's Health, The Guardian and more. Jonathan Bernstein is an author, journalist, and screenwriter. He is the author of, among other titles, Pretty In Pink: The Golden Age of Eighties Teen Movies and the YA novels Hottie and Burning Ambition. He has written for publications such as The Guardian, Spin, Rolling Stone, The Face, and Teen People. He has also written the feature films Just My Luck, The Spy Next Door, Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector, and Max Keeble's Big Move.

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