Jonathan Wells

Third Rail: the Poetry of Rock and Roll Jonathan Wells

"The poets who fill these pages have come to testify, to bear witness to the mysterious power of Rock and Roll. -- from the Foreword by Bono

"The thread or the theme That holds this tune Together is the same One that rips it open...." -- from Gimme Shelter by Bill Knott

"Chunky on the shag rug, I'm looking for my anthem, I'm looking for my headphones, I'm looking for the bare spot on the rug to wallow, side-stepped on the chair-stopped door. I blast my ears out." -- from The Prophet's Song by Daniel Nester

"Drums, Whatta lotta Noise you want a Revolution? Wanna Apocalypse? Blow up in Dynamite Sound?" -- from Punk Rock You're My Big Crybaby by Allen Ginsberg

As revolutionary as the music it celebrates, the poetry in this electrifying anthology -- by poets such as Billy Collins, Rita Dove, Yusef Komunyakaa, Paul Muldoon and Philip Larkin -- turns rock upside down with indelible images and powerful expressions of the music that changed our lives.