All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story

by Koren Shadmi

Overview

Born from the iconic NY art and music scene of the late ’60s and the brilliant, untamed minds of its founding members Lou Reed and John Cale, The Velvet Underground are now considered rock ‘n’ roll royalty...but that wasn’t always so. From surviving off oatmeal and donating blood for rent money, to the fame of being the de facto house band of Andy Warhol’s Factory and the objects of the socialite’s fleeting affection, to the unraveling of Cale and Reed’s creative partnership in a storm of jealousy and paranoia, the Velvets’ story is as bold, challenging, and fascinating as their music. Explore the story behind the group NYT called "arguably the most influential American rock band of our time," through good times and bad, as captured by Eisner-nominated Koren Shadmi.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643375106
Publisher:	Humanoids, Inc.
Publication date:	08/22/2023
Sold by:	HUMANOIDS INC - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	83 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	16 - 18 Years

About the Author

Koren Shadmi is an award-winning illustrator and cartoonist. He studied illustration at The School of Visual Arts in New York where he now teaches. Koren’s graphic novels have been published in the US, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Korea and Israel. His latest book, Rise of The Dungeon Master: Gary Gygax and The Creation of D&D (Nation Books), is a collaboration with esteemed tech writer David Kushner. Koren has contributed illustrations and comics to: The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Playboy, Mother Jones, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Wired and others.

Editorial Reviews

08/14/2023

In this snappy graphic history of the Velvet Underground, Shadmi (Lugosi) frames the influential 1960s and ’70s rock group as a project forged by opposing visions. Like Todd Haynes in his 2021 documentary about the band (a cited source), Shadmi focuses on the stories of Lou Reed and John Cale, chronicling the two future luminaries’ early years—mercurial Reed penning pop songs for trend-hopping Pickwick Records, headstrong Cale drifting from conservatory training to music’s fringes. The pair’s mutual admiration is immediate, but a competitive wariness develops and comes to define their creative partnership. The script tracks the band’s formation, its adoption by Andy Warhol’s Factory, and the release of its first LPs, highlighting the ways that Cale and Reed (and Warhol) pull the group in divergent directions that result in the “tension between the pop and the avant garde” that comes to define the group. If Shadmi neglects the less forceful personalities of guitarist Sterling Morrison and drummer Maureen Tucker, and dismisses bassist Doug Yule as “competent,” his cartoon caricatures capture the strain of collaboration on each musician. Meanwhile, the portrayal of German actor/model/chanteuse Nico—ambitious but withdrawn—is a highlight. The lilting and cacophonous urgency of the Velvet Underground’s sound is adroitly packaged in this graphic history. Shadmi’s fervor for the band’s mythic history will win over longtime fans and neophytes alike. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Shadmi’s graphic biography is richly detailed, beginning with Reed and Cale as college boys. Everyone is portrayed with both their talents and their flaws, but this is especially true of Reed and Warhol. Shadmi’s detailed illustrations convey the atmosphere of New York City in the 1960s, as well as the emotions and tension felt by the band members. Publishing is not short on musicians’ graphic biographies, but this one succeeds in showing the
interconnectedness of pop culture at the time."

Booklist

"With absolutely gorgeous illustrations and deft pacing and plotting, every page is a masterpiece of detail and momentum. You can almost hear the music coming off the page."

Newsweek

"An impressive feat that shows just how much work and research went into getting the story right. It’s an inescapable book for those that want to know The Velvet Underground."

The Beat - Ricardo Serrano Denis

★ 2023-07-28
Shadmi tells the story of the iconic underground band in this graphic novel.

The author (who is also the illustrator) has created an extraordinary nonfiction graphic novel about the Velvet Underground, the influential, Lou Reed–led rock band of the 1960s and 1970s. The book opens with the death and funeral of pop artist Andy Warhol, who became the band’s manager in 1966 and designed the famous banana-peel cover for the band’s first album. What follows is a thorough look at the band and its members, focusing on leaders Reed and John Cale. Both Reed, in Long Island, and Cale, in Wales, endured troubled childhoods, eventually bonding during a meeting at Pickwick Records. Soon after, they formed the Velvet Underground, and the book follows the group’s many personal and professional highs and lows. Warhol is a key figure, as the Velvet Underground became the house band at his famous Factory. Shadmi takes a gritty look at a gritty band—Reed’s volatility is front and center (“Anything that scares off tourists is OK in our book”), as well as the sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll that anyone with a passing knowledge of the Velvet Underground knows pervaded its history. The graphic storytelling approach emerges as the perfect way to share the Velvet Underground story, a must-read for both comic book enthusiasts and music aficionados alike. Shadmi’s stunning drawings and taut prose seamlessly interweave the band’s personal history and music into a compelling narrative. The drawings are effective when capturing huge public moments, such as Warhol’s funeral, and detailing smaller, personal ones (such as a disturbing sequence with Reed in a psychiatric institution) with great impact. Stylish, poignant and intriguing, the book recounts the creation of classic Velvet Underground songs such as “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” “Sister Ray,” and “Sunday Morning.” Shadmi’s history offers an immersive and enlightening experience, one that fans will appreciate for its scope and honesty, and one that non-fans are also sure to enjoy, if only for its inventiveness.

Lush drawings and a captivating narrative combine for a wonderful telling of the Velvet Underground story.

Kirkus Reviews