BrandLike A

Rock Star

T h e m u s i c a l c o m pa n i o n

Steve Jones
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 Preface

W
elcome to your media guide for my book, Brand
Like a Rock Star.
If you haven’t had the chance to get ahold of
Brand Like a Rock Star, it is the product of my nearly thirty
years of experience working in the world of rock ’n’ roll.
Brand Like a Rock Star is a compilation of business lessons
I have learned from some of the greatest bands in history. It
will help you build a stronger brand and a more profitable
business.
I’m proud to say that people seem to like the message of
the book.
“Steve Jones knows a thing or two. Listen and take
notes.”
—Gene Simmons of KISS

“Rock stars are larger than life, full of emotion and sex
appeal, compelling us to become fans and spend money
(lots of money). Chock-full of modern examples of
success, Steve’s book shows you how to use proven rock-
star techniques in your business, making you a hit in
your marketplace. But be careful, because you’ll need to
learn how to deal with groupies!”
—David Meerman Scott, bestselling author
of Real-Time Marketing & PR and
Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead

“Everybody has something to sell ... whether it be a

product or a personality. What can you do to make
your brand more famous? More mysterious? More
NOTORIOUS? Steve Jones’ book Brand Like a Rock
Star gives you the insight of a rock ’n’ roll veteran. Read
it, and your brand just might go from Milk Toast to
Tiger’s Blood.”
—Alice Cooper

“Steve captured the mysteries of marketing with this

analogous book. Who rises and crashes, rebrands and
relaunches, more than a legendary rock star? Steve is
brilliant and so is this book.”
—Mike McVay, president of McVay Media
and McVay Syndication
 “With each page, Steve Jones shares the strategies that
turned garage bands into rock stars and he helps you
apply them directly to your business.”
—John Warrillow, author of Built to Sell: Creating a
Business That Can Thrive Without You

Even though Brand Like a Rock Star is designed for

business, it is also inherently a music book, which only
makes sense.
For many, music is a tremendous source of inspiration
and creativity. I am no exception. As I wrote about the
business lessons learned from AC/DC, Jimmy Buffett, U2,
the Grateful Dead, and other legendary bands, I often found
myself listening to my iPod and to the radio, hearing great
songs that I hadn’t heard in years. Listening to the songs
helped me put the branding and business lessons in better
focus.
In fact, one of the most enjoyable aspects of writing this
book was the opportunity to rediscover some amazing music
and listen to it with fresh ears. That’s when the concept for
this musical companion emerged. This is the soundtrack
that played in my head while I wrote Brand Like a Rock Star,
and I want to share it with you.
The songs that I reference in this companion will help
you get into the important business concepts exemplified by
the bands. For example, if you aren’t really familiar with Bob
Marley (chapter three), you can use this guide to help you
discover his music, seeing and hearing how he so brilliantly
illustrates how a business can reach millions of customers
by staying focused on a small niche in which it specializes.
 If you weren’t into the British punk movement of the
late ’70s and missed out on the Sex Pistols, you can turn
to this guide to navigate their music and better appreciate
how Malcolm McLaren, their legendary manager, used PR
to create a brand that went far beyond music.
And so on, over the course of twenty-one chapters.
Some of the songs might already be on your iPod or in
your collection. Others are easily available from the major
download sites or waiting for you on YouTube. You might
not like every band or every song (I know I don’t!), but as
you read Brand Like a Rock Star and Brand Like a Rock Star:
The Musical Companion, you will definitely develop a greater
appreciation for how each band pioneered valuable business
techniques that will help you build a stronger and more
profitable brand.
This musical companion is also filled with nuggets of
rock ’n’ roll lore. Some of it is absolute fact, and some is
purely my opinion, to which you are welcome to disagree.
Do you have any favorites? Do you think some of my selec-
tions suck? Don’t worry … I can take it. I would love to hear
about it. You can reach me by e-mailing
steve@brandlikearockstar.com.
Ultimately, I hope that this guide will provide the
soundtrack for your brand’s success.
Rock on!
—Steve Jones
Summer 2011
 CHAPTER ONE

AC/DC AND THE ART

OF CONSISTENCY

T
he opening chapter of Brand Like a Rock Star is all
about consistency in business, and no rock ’n’ roll act
demonstrates consistency better than AC/DC.
While researching Brand Like a Rock Star, I had the
chance to spend some time talking to Phil Carson about AC/
DC. In the mid-’70s, Phil was a record-label executive with
Atlantic Records. Someone had sent him raw Super 8 video
footage of an Australian hard rock band, and that footage
sent Carson scrambling to the phone. Without ever meeting
the band in person, Carson signed them to a fifteen-album
deal and brought AC/DC to England and America.
 From those early days, it was evident to Carson that con-
sistency was what this band was all about. They knew what
they did, and they did it well. During an era famous for pro-
gressive rock and musical experimentation, AC/DC proudly
pounded out catchy and unforgettable rock riffs and simple
songs about rockin’, drivin’, drinkin’, and women. Our
chapter one playlist contains five examples of AC/DC and
their incredible consistency, through four decades and two
lead singers.

1. “Jailbreak,” from the 1976 album Dirty Deeds Done

Dirt Cheap (Australian version)
We begin early in the band’s career with the 1976 cut
“Jailbreak” from the Australian-only version of Dirty Deeds
Done Dirt Cheap, the band’s third album. The song didn’t
make it on the international release of the album, and
remained a hidden gem from their Australian days for nearly
a decade. “Jailbreak” didn’t see the light of day in the US,
Japan, and Canada until it was rereleased in 1984. The song
is a fan favorite and serves as a perfect introduction to the
band. The riffs are simple but irresistible. The rhythm sec-
tion is seamless and tight, although it is interesting to note
that drummer Phil Rudd added more drumrolls and fills in
“Jailbreak” than he did in most AC/DC songs.

2. “Highway to Hell,” from the 1979 album Highway to

Hell
Built around another brilliantly simple Angus Young gui-
tar riff, Phil Rudd’s drums once again kick in with perfect
precision and give “Highway to Hell” tremendous momen-
tum. Released in 1979, the Highway to Hell album would be
the last with lead singer Bon Scott, who was found dead in
the back of a friend’s car in February of 1980.

3. “Back in Black,” from the 1980 album Back in Black

Most bands would have difficulty replacing a lead singer, but
AC/DC did it with the same sense of consistency found in
their music. When Brian Johnson auditioned for the band,
he was said to have put a smile on their faces for the first
time since Scott’s death. “Back in Black” is the title cut from
the first album with Brian Johnson as lead singer. Once
again, the entire song builds upon an astoundingly simple
and punchy guitar riff, accentuated by the tight rhythm sec-
tion and screaming vocals. The song is everything AC/DC
was, and would become. Back in Black was dedicated to Bon
Scott, and it went on to become AC/DC’s biggest-selling
album and the second-bestselling album in music history,
ahead of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon but behind
Thriller by Michael Jackson.

4. “Thunderstruck,” from the 1990 album The Razor’s

Edge
“Thunderstruck” represents another milestone for the band,
and one that they once again tackled with stellar consis-
tency. The 1980s started out great for AC/DC, but became
a tough decade as tensions rose and drummer Phil Rudd
eventually left the band. His absence came at a time when
the “hair band” sound became popular, and suddenly AC/
DC’s gritty brand of rock ’n’ roll wasn’t as fashionable as it
was only a few years earlier. The mid-’80s saw the release of
poorly received albums like Flick of the Switch and Fly on the
Wall. As the decade closed, the band’s popularity rose again
with their soundtrack album to Stephen King’s Maximum
Overdrive and the release of the album The Razor’s Edge, on
which “Thunderstruck” appears. This time the tapping-style
riff is a little more complicated but equally contagious as
earlier AC/DC riffs. The song was the band’s biggest hit
since the Back in Black days and reestablished them as rock
’n’ roll legends.

5. “Rock ’n’ Roll Train,” from the 2008 album Black Ice
“Rock ’n’ Roll Train” establishes itself with a catchy and
simple guitar riff that, once again, leaves you no choice but
to remember it. Phil Rudd brings in the band, and Brian
Johnson’s growl creates another consistent winner. “Rock ’n’
Roll Train” was AC/DC’s biggest hit since “Thunderstruck”
and was the opening track on their massive Black Ice world
tour.
As you enjoy the chapter one playlist, listen for these
examples of AC/DC’s amazing consistency:

ff Simple, powerful, and memorable guitar riffs

ff Precise drumming that lacks showy drumrolls but
gives songs immense power
ff Growling and screaming vocals, whether Bon Scott
or Brian Johnson is singing
ff Songs
focused on topics like rock ’n’ roll, fast cars,
women, drinking, and having fun
 CHAPTER TWO

CHANGES

U
2 serves as a fantastic example of a band that nearly
strayed too far from the expectations of its fans.
Fortunately for the brand, the members of U2 were
able to find a way to pursue their unusual musical tastes
without damaging their reputation. They did so by creating
an alter-ego band called Passengers.
As U2 rose to fame in the early ’80s, fans grew to expect a
certain sound from the band, a sound that brought together
Edge’s jangling guitar and Bono’s passionately strained voice
on songs that addressed social issues and deeply personal
emotions.
That sound, and the band’s popularity, reached a pin-
nacle with the 1987 album The Joshua Tree. It remains one
of the rock era’s great albums. However, the album also
appeared to be a tipping point for U2. As the ’90s dawned,
U2 became more and more experimental as they discovered
new sounds and new technology. That sense of discovery led
U2 further away from their core sound, to the point where
they recorded an album so experimental that they felt they
couldn’t release the material as “U2.” That album became
Original Soundtracks 1 under the band name “Passengers.”
Eventually the pendulum swung back the other way, and
U2 returned to their trademark sound.
The chapter two playlist takes you through the U2 cat-
alog to discover five songs that capture each phase of the
band’s evolution.

1. “Pride (In the Name of Love),” from the 1984 album

The Unforgettable Fire
Although it was from their fourth album, “Pride (In the
Name of Love)” came out at a time when the band was just
breaking into the North American pop music mainstream.
Therefore, for many U2 fans “Pride” was the song that intro-
duced them to the band. It serves as a powerful political
statement as it chronicles the assassination of Martin Luther
King Jr. The song is a stellar example of Edge’s ragged guitar
work and Bono’s intense vocal style.

2. “With or Without You,” from the 1987 album The

Joshua Tree
While “Pride” rocked, “With or Without You” is a more
intimate song and captures the band’s ability to commu-
nicate urgency without having to make a lot of noise. The
guitar jangle and intense vocals are still there, but this time
both are restrained. That, coupled with a mesmerizing
rhythm section, delivers a song that is almost hypnotic. The
troubled lyrics leave a haunting message in a way similar to
the Police’s “Every Breath You Take” a few years earlier.

3. “Numb,” from the 1993 album Zooropa

“Numb” is a glimpse at the experimentation that was under
way within the band in the early ’90s. With Edge doing
much of the vocal work, the song brings more industrial
and electronic influence into U2’s sound. The chorus comes
back to the band’s more recognizable sound, but the use of
tape-loop sound effects at the beginning and the odd vocal
style are both good indications of the direction the band was
headed in. The choice of “Numb” as the lead single from
the Zooropa album was an unusual one that left some fans
concerned about the future of the band.

4. “Miss Sarajevo,” from the 1995 album Original

Soundtracks 1 by Passengers
The only song on this playlist that isn’t technically a U2
song is “Miss Sarajevo.” It is from the too-eclectic-to-be-U2
album by Passengers and features a wonderful guest vocal
by Luciano Pavarotti. This song is the most commercial and
accessible of the Passengers songs, and the band has incor-
porated the song into their live set over the years. However,
the album was never promoted as a U2 project, therefore
it never alienated the many fans who were hoping that U2
would return to their core sound.
5. “Beautiful Day,” from the 2000 album All That You
Can’t Leave Behind
The uplifting “Beautiful Day” is a song that signaled that
U2 was back. After the experimentation of the 1990s, U2
publicly stated that they were “reapplying for the job of the
best band in the world.” “Beautiful Day” contains the trade-
mark sounds that U2 had come to represent, and as a result,
reception from critics and fans was quite positive. “Beautiful
Day” quickly became a U2 classic and a steady part of the
band’s live repertoire.
As you experience the career of U2 in the chapter two
playlist, consider these elements to their success:

ff The band established a trademark sound. Edge’s

guitars and Bono’s vocals, as well as socially relevant
topics, became their hallmarks.
ff Noticehow they drifted from those core values as a
brand with the song “Numb.”
ff When the experimentation became too far from the
U2 core sound, the band created a pseudonym to
record under.
ff Eventually they were able to reconcile their need to
experiment with the desires of their fans, creating
classic songs like “Beautiful Day.”
 C H A P T E R T H R EE

BOB MARLEY: JAMMIN’

WITH THE BRAND

B
ob Marley is a great example of how a brand can start
off serving a very small niche market, and by staying
true to core values grow its audience without ever
compromising. When Bob Marley began playing music,
there was no genre called “reggae.” The name came to be
long after Jamaican musicians first combined various ele-
ments from rock, ska, and R&B to create this new island
music. At that time, in the late 1960s, it was popular only
in Jamaica and the islands of the Caribbean. The popularity
of reggae music didn’t spread until the mid-1970s, at which
point Bob Marley quickly became its worldwide ambassador.
The story of Bob Marley, and how it relates to massive brands
like Jeep, KFC, and Jones Soda, is a lesson in turning your
niche into something much, much bigger by never straying
from core values.
The chapter three playlist begins with the early roots of
Marley’s music and takes you through his short but power-
ful career.

1. “Sugar Sugar,” a single released only in Jamaica

Creating reggae versions of contemporary pop hits has
always been popular in Jamaican music, from the early days
of reggae up until today. The Wailers, with lead singer Bob
Marley, recorded their version of “Sugar Sugar” in 1970, a
year after the original version by the Archies had topped the
charts. This song shows Marley’s music without the refine-
ment and production that went into later work, and it dem-
onstrates that even as production techniques improved, Bob
Marley’s core sound hardly wavered.

2. “I Shot the Sheriff,” from the 1973 album Burnin’

The album Burnin’ was the fourth album for the Wailers,
and the last before Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer would
leave the band. The album’s most famous track is “I Shot the
Sheriff,” a song that would later catapult Marley and reggae
music into the mainstream when Eric Clapton recorded a
version of it.
3. “I Shot The Sheriff” by Eric Clapton, from the 1974
album 461 Ocean Boulevard
Clapton’s version is worth including on an otherwise all-
Marley playlist simply because it was such a pivotal moment
in the career of Bob Marley and the popularity of reggae
music. By recording a Bob Marley song in such true fash-
ion, Eric Clapton lent the singer from Jamaica a tremendous
amount of rock ’n’ roll credibility and brought reggae music
to an entirely new audience.

4. “Jamming,” from the 1977 album Exodus

While Bob Marley’s fame rose substantially when Clapton
recorded “I Shot the Sheriff,” the album Exodus clearly
established Marley as a superstar. It gave us a long list of
hit songs, including “One Love/People Get Ready,” “Three
Little Birds,” “Turn Your Lights Down Low,” “Waiting in
Vain,” and the classic “Jamming.” Exodus is widely regarded
as one of the greatest albums ever, and it was ranked num-
ber 169 on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2003 list of the 500
Greatest Albums of All Time.

5. “Buffalo Soldier,” from the 1983 album

Confrontation
Two years after his death, this album of unreleased mate-
rial was compiled. Bob Marley recorded the song in 1980
during his final recording session, but it didn’t appear until
1983, at which time it became one of Marley’s biggest
American hit songs. The song is evidence that despite his
immense popularity, Bob Marley’s commitment to making
socially conscious reggae music never wavered.
When taking in the chapter three Bob Marley playlist,
soak up the island vibes, rays of sunshine, and positive spirit
of Marley’s music, and consider these lessons:

ff From a business perspective, notice how Bob Marley

never altered his mission. He stayed true to his core
values and let his audience grow, instead of compro-
mising his sound to appeal to a wider audience.
ff When listening to “I Shot the Sheriff,” notice how
closely Bob Marley’s original and Eric Clapton’s
cover resemble each other. Clapton added a blues
undertone, but the songs are remarkably similar, giv-
ing reggae instant credibility.
ff On “Jamming” and “Buffalo Soldier,” consider how
Bob Marley was dealing with fame. Over a ten-
year period, reggae had evolved from nothing to a
worldwide phenomenon. The pressure must have
been immense, but Marley stayed true to his roots
through it all.
 CHAPTER FOUR

DEAD HEADS AND

PARROT HEADS:
BUILDING A TRIBE

R
ock star brands today take a cue from the tribe-
building tactics employed by Jimmy Buffett and the
Grateful Dead. Buffet and the Dead discovered the
value of social media decades before Facebook, Napster, and
Myspace. Despite their mutual lack of hit songs on the radio
(both had only one each), both became top-grossing concert
acts year after year. They learned to tap into the power of
their fans and surrender some of the control of their brand
over to those passionate fans. They also turned their music
into an immersive experience for fans, not just something
they listened to but something they actually lived.
Our chapter four playlist contains songs by both Jimmy
Buffett and the Grateful Dead that show how these two bril-
liant brands evolved.

1. “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett, from the 1977

album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
Buffett had spent the early 1970s busking around New
Orleans and Key West, developing a sound that brought
together country, folk, rock, and Caribbean influences. It
was “Margaritaville” in 1977 that became his first (and only)
big hit song, peaking at number seven. That song became
the framework for a business empire that includes restau-
rants, hotels, retail, casinos, sports franchises, and more.

2. “Playing in the Band” by the Grateful Dead, from

their 1971 live album called Grateful Dead but also
known as Skull and Roses
The Dead Head phenomenon began in earnest with the
release of the band’s seventh album in 1971. In the sleeve
of that album was a note asking fans to write to the band.
They did. From that initial invitation, one of rock’s most
famous fan organizations began. The mailing list grew expo-
nentially over the years, becoming a sort-of social network
long before social networking was even a term.
3. “One Particular Harbour” by Jimmy Buffett, from
the 1983 album One Particular Harbour
By 1983 Jimmy Buffett was a solid and consistent concert
draw, but he wasn’t close to being a chart-topping musician.
This song peaked at number twenty-two on the Billboard
adult contemporary charts, but it was far from a hit single.
What makes “One Particular Harbour” important on this
playlist is how it embodies what Jimmy Buffett is all about.
The song begins with a chant in Tahitian, and the lyrics are
completely in step with Buffett’s beach bum image. Fans
gravitated to the song, and it remains a staple of his live
shows nearly thirty years later.

4. “Touch of Grey” by the Grateful Dead, from the

1987 album In the Dark
Like Buffett’s “Margaritaville,” this was the Grateful Dead’s
one commercial hit. It was also the band’s first ever music
video. Like many Dead songs, “Touch of Grey” evolved
from live jam sessions, and it was being played live by the
band for about five years before they finally recorded it. The
video featured a live performance of the band, first as life-
size skeletons and later as themselves. It was the video and
the steady diet of the song on the radio that helped nurture
a new generation of Grateful Dead fans.
5. “Here We Are” by Jimmy Buffett, from the 2006
album Take the Weather with You
Jimmy Buffett gets the extra song on this playlist, mainly
because a subsequent chapter examines the Grateful Dead
in greater detail, and we’ll have the chance to experience
five wonderful cuts from the Dead then. “Here We Are” by
Jimmy Buffett is important because it shows how a brand
can give back to the fans. The song was recorded as a tribute
to Buffett’s loyal fans, and a video was recorded for the song
that became part of Buffett concerts. It didn’t take a ton of
effort on Buffett’s part, but it meant a lot to fans who felt
acknowledged by the song. It also fits well on this playlist for
the lyric that ties these two acts together:

“We’re the dreamy Dead Heads who just like us and

Dave Matthews”

As you take in the unusual mix of Buffett and Grateful

Dead songs that make up the chapter four playlist, consider
some of the implications for brands today:

ff Social media success doesn’t come from technology

itself; it comes from using the available technology
to create opportunities for your customers to become
passionately invested in your product.
ff Success isn’t always measured by the same standards.
There were hundreds of artists who achieved higher
chart positions than Jimmy Buffett and the Grateful
 Dead, but very few have become as successful or as
rich.
ff When a movement has a name, it takes on added
profile. Buffett fans became Parrot Heads. Dead fans
became Dead Heads. Lady Gaga has called her fans
“Little Monsters” and KISS famously drafted fans
into the “KISS Army.”
 CHAPTER FIVE

ARE YOU
EXPERIENCED?

T
he essence of chapter five is that brands that offer an
experience transcend brands that simply offer a prod-
uct. Harley-Davidson offers middle-aged professionals
the chance to escape from reality for a few hours on the
weekend and become a bad-ass biker. Guinness offers beer
drinkers the chance to experience the authentic honesty of
an Irish pub, no matter where they might be geographically.
Jimi Hendrix was an experience, to hear and to see. He
even named his band “The Experience.” He is the template
for sharing an experience with your customers.
1. “Hey Joe,” from the 1966 album Are You Experienced
Although his childhood home was Seattle, we can trace
the rise of Jimi Hendrix to the United Kingdom. It was
in London in 1966 that Hendrix hooked up with former
Animals bassist Chas Chandler, who was looking for acts
to manage and produce. “Hey Joe” was the first song that
Hendrix released, and it became an instant top-ten hit in
the UK.

2. “Purple Haze,” from the 1966 album Are You

Experienced
Jimi Hendrix followed “Hey Joe” with a song that became
an anthem for the psychedelic sixties and remains one of
rock ’n’ roll’s greatest songs. “Purple Haze” went to num-
ber three on the UK charts, and it became Hendrix’s first
chart hit in his homeland. The song is famous for the often
misheard lyric “Excuse me while I kiss the sky,” which is
frequently interpreted as “kiss this guy.” Having a keen sense
of humor, Hendrix would often sing the misheard version
when he played “Purple Haze” in concert.

3. “All Along the Watchtower,” from the 1968 album

Electric Ladyland
Although a Bob Dylan composition, Jimi Hendrix’s version
of “All Along the Watchtower” is the more widely recog-
nized version, and Rolling Stone ranked it forty-eighth on
its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. Dylan was quoted
as being influenced by the Jimi Hendrix version of his song.
In the album notes from his Biograph album he points out
that “ever since he died I’ve been doing it that way. Strange
how when I sing it, I always feel like it’s a tribute to him in
some kind of way.”

4. “Fire,” from the 1967 album Are You Experienced but

released as a single in 1969
“Fire” was a song the band loved to play, and they opened
many of their concerts with it. The song also became
extremely popular in marketing, appearing in TV com-
mercials for the Chevrolet Camaro (1993) and the Pontiac
Sunfire (1999), as well as Verizon in 2007.

5. “The Star Spangled Banner,” from the 1970 live

album Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack
and More
Jimi Hendrix captured what many considered to be the pin-
nacle of the 1960s with his version of “The Star Spangled
Banner” to close out the legendary 1969 Woodstock con-
cert. His set was delayed by hours, and the sun was rising
on Monday morning when he finally took to the stage. He
played for two exhilarating hours and ended his set with a
chilling rendition of the national anthem. With war raging
in Vietnam, racial tensions high, and a generation coming
of age, this was a galvanizing moment for millions.
As you relive the late ’60s with Jimi Hendrix, keep these
points in mind:
ff Greatbands and great brands offer their fans a
unique experience. Seeing Hendrix burn his guitar
on stage was an experience unlike any other!
ff Although the career of Jimi Hendrix was short, you
can bet that had he not tragically died he would have
continued to offer his fans a unique experience.
ff What experience does your brand offer? Move away
from selling products, and focus on selling the emo-
tional and visceral connection fans have with your
brand.
 CHAPTER SIX

THE BRANDING
EQUATION: DEMAND +
SCARCITY = VALUE

T
he old law of supply and demand takes on new mean-
ing when you look at the careers of The Who and Led
Zeppelin. Both came into being in the ’60s and domi-
nated rock music in the ’70s. Both bands had high-profile
and dynamic drummers who died. The Who had Keith
Moon; Led Zeppelin had John Bonham.
When Keith Moon died, the band carried on. Even when
bassist John Entwistle died years later, they found a new bass
player and carried on. To this day, The Who embarks on a
world tour every few years.
When John Bonham died, Led Zeppelin ceased to be.
They recognized they would never be the same without him,
and they broke up. Since then, the band has played together
three times. They had Phil Collins play drums at 1985’s Live
Aid concert, and singer Robert Plant called it an “atrocity.”
They appeared at a private show to mark Atlantic Records’
fortieth anniversary in 1988 with Jason Bonham, John’s son,
on drums. Plant characterized that performance as “foul.” In
2007, they decided to reunite in memory of Ahmet Ertegun,
the president of Atlantic Records. That reunion, once again
with Jason Bonham on drums, became the hottest ticket
in rock ’n’ roll. More than twenty million ticket requests
were made online, giving Led Zeppelin the world record for
ticket demand.
That’s supply and demand. If demand is high and sup-
ply is high, as with The Who, value isn’t all that high. But
if demand is high and supply is low, as with Led Zeppelin,
you can break records. The Who and Led Zeppelin deserve
to be recognized as two of the greatest bands in rock history,
but Led Zeppelin has elevated their brand’s value by keeping
supply far lower than demand.
The chapter six playlist profiles both legendary bands,
beginning with their 1960s roots and paying particular
attention to the charismatic drummers that became so inte-
gral to both bands.
1. “My Generation” by The Who, from the 1965 album
My Generation
Few songs have distilled the sentiments of youth the way
“My Generation” did. The line “I hope I die before I get old”
became one of rock ’n’ roll’s most quoted lines, and Roger
Daltry’s stuttered vocal communicated a sense of frustration
and urgency.

2. “Good Times Bad Times” by Led Zeppelin, from the

1969 album Led Zeppelin
“Good Times Bad Times” was the first song on side one of
Led Zeppelin’s debut album, and it signaled the arrival of a
new sound. With microphones placed all around the stu-
dio, the band captured a live sound when they recorded the
track. John Bonham also introduced a new way to play the
kick drum, creating sixteenth-note triplets on a single bass
drum. John Paul Jones claims the bass riff he created for the
song was the most difficult one he ever wrote.

3. “Pinball Wizard” by The Who, from the 1969 album

Tommy
While Zeppelin was playing “Good Times Bad Times,” The
Who was creating a “rock opera” in the form of Tommy,
the story of a deaf, dumb, and blind pinball player. While
Pete Townshend was never happy with the writing, the song
became one of The Who’s big commercial successes and a
concert favorite. “Pinball Wizard” has been played at nearly
every Who concert since 1969.
4. “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin, from the
1971 album Led Zeppelin IV
“When the Levee Breaks” is an example of the blues influ-
ences that permeated much of Led Zeppelin’s music. The
original was written and recorded by the husband-and-wife
team of Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie, in refer-
ence to the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Zeppelin’s ver-
sion is significant, as it illustrates the impact John Bonham
had on the band. His drum sound on “When the Levee
Breaks” was played on a brand-new drum kit placed at
the bottom of a stairwell using two different microphones
placed at the top of the stairs. The result is a distinct and
memorable drum sound that has become one of the most
sampled drum sounds in modern music.

5. “Who Are You” by The Who, from the 1978 album

Who Are You
This song was released a mere month before Keith Moon was
found dead in his sleep from a drug overdose. The album
Who Are You became the band’s fastest-selling album, peak-
ing at number two on the Billboard charts. The song “Who
Are You” was also one of the band’s most successful songs. It
was inspired by a true event in the life of Pete Townshend,
as he battled alcoholism and “woke up in a Soho doorway.”
One of the intriguing aspects of “Who Are You” is the use
of the word “fuck” on two occasions. The obvious swear was
never removed from radio versions of the song. It continues
to be played unedited on radio stations around the world,
although many American radio stations removed the word
in the wake of the Janet Jackson “Nipplegate” incident and
the ensuing FCC crackdown on indecency.
This is definitely a playlist to turn up good and loud.
The Who and Led Zeppelin are both famous for their loud
shows, and their music sounds best when played that way.
As you crank these songs up, consider the lessons that can be
applied to your business:

ff Because demand was higher than supply, Led

Zeppelin set a world record for ticket demand.
ff Sometimes the normally invisible piece of your orga-
nization can be one of the most critical. Keith Moon
and John Bonham were drummers who were irre-
placeable in their respective bands.
ff Ifyou sing something offensive, most people won’t
notice. The Who proved it with two F-bombs in
their hit song “Who Are You.”
 CHAPTER SEVEN

WALK THIS WAY:

GETTING TO KNOW
YOUR BRAND

T
here are two versions of “Walk This Way” on Rolling
Stone magazine’s list of the Top 500 Songs of All Time.
Depending on when you were born, you probably pre-
fer one over the other.
The original version is from Aerosmith’s 1975 classic
album Toys in the Attic. Toys in the Attic is one of those
albums that everyone seemed to own at the time, and nearly
forty years later almost every song on the album stands up
as a vintage part of the Aerosmith story. The original peaked
at number ten on the Billboard chart, and ranked 336th on
the Rolling Stone list.
Eleven years later, the song returned to the charts as a
duet between hip-hop group Run-DMC and Aerosmith.
This time around it had rap verses and a singing chorus, and
was backed by a thumping hip-hop drum beat. The revital-
ized version became a bigger hit than the original, peaking
at number four on the Billboard chart and ranking 287th of
all time on the Rolling Stone list.
The song, and the story behind it, serves as a template for
ideal brand partnerships and the need to always be recruit-
ing new fans for your brand. Stagnation happens quickly
when brands stop marketing, innovating, and searching for
a new generation of fans and followers. The songs on the
chapter seven playlist take you through the mid-1980s colli-
sion between hip-hop and rock.

1. “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith, from the 1975

album Toys in the Attic
The original is repeatedly cited as one of the greatest hard
rock songs of all time, and often makes many of the “greatest
guitar songs ever” lists. In 2009, VH-1 named it the eighth
best rock song of all time. It is a true rock ’n’ roll classic.

2. “Walk This Way” by Run-DMC and Aerosmith, from

the 1986 Run-DMC album Raising Hell
Producer Rick Rubin brought the song to the attention of
hip-hop group Run-DMC, and they recruited Aerosmith’s
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry to appear on their version. The
result was a song that broke hip-hop and rap music into the
mainstream of pop music. It also revitalized the sagging for-
tunes of Aerosmith, who had all but disappeared from the
music scene amidst infighting and drug abuse.

3. “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)” by

Beastie Boys, from their 1986 album Licensed to Ill
There is some irony to including this song on this playlist,
since the band has expressed such distaste for the song in
hindsight. Yet it was named by the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame as one of the 500 songs that helped shape rock ’n’ roll.
Coming out at around the same time as Run-DMC’s “Walk
This Way,” “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)”
was a landmark coming-together of rock guitar riffs and
hip-hop styles. It made it to the top ten on Billboard, top-
ping at number seven.

4. “Wild Thing” by Tone Lōc, from the 1988 album

Lōc-ed After Dark
The subject of a civil lawsuit, this 1988 hip-hop song heavily
relied on the uncredited Van Halen song “Jamie’s Cryin’.”
The band and Tone Lōc settled out of court, with the hip-
hop star cutting Van Halen a check for $180,000. The song
peaked at number two on the Billboard chart and is an
example of the melding of rock and hip-hop that was com-
ing into the forefront in the late 1980s.
5. “Epic” by Faith No More, from the 1989 album The
Real Thing
Outside of the original Aerosmith version of “Walk This
Way,” the songs on this playlist showcase hip-hop acts that
brought rock sounds into their music. “Epic” is an example
of the opposite approach, and it showcases the influence
that hip-hop music was having on rock ’n’ roll at the time.
“Epic” was Faith No More’s only top-ten hit, and it helped
pave the way for acts like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kid Rock,
Limp Bizkit, and others that fused their rock with elements
of hip-hop, funk, and rap.
Some interesting points to consider in the chapter seven
playlist:

ff By bringing rock and hip-hop together, Aerosmith

and Run-DMC presented two distinct sets of fans
with something new to appreciate.
ff Great brands are always searching for new customers
and fans. Incorporating elements of another band’s
music into their own gave many of these bands
access to a new group of potential fans.
 C H A P T E R EI G H T

THE OPPOSITE
OF LOVE

S
ure, my teenage boys both say they hate him, yet they
seem to know a lot about him. Justin Bieber is an
example of how important it is for brands to accept
that they cannot please everyone. Being hated is okay, as
long as you are well known.
Great brands are widely loved, yet passionately hated. It is
a law of nature that any action will have an equal and oppo-
site reaction, and branding is no different. Brands that try
to win over everybody usually end up appealing to nobody
at all. Justin Bieber wins the love of millions of adoring
fans, and repulses millions of others at the same time. Great
bands, and brands, know that the opposite of love isn’t
hate, it is indifference. Very few people are indifferent about
Justin Bieber.
Our chapter eight playlist focuses on bands that polarize
and alienate people, yet are immensely successful. And I’m
warning you in advance, there’s going to be a Justin Bieber
song on this playlist.

1. “Baby” by Justin Bieber, from the 2010 album My

World 2.0
The young man everyone loves to hate was already a world-
wide sensation when this song was released. It was the lead
single from Bieber’s first full-length album, and raced into
the top five in the US in early 2010. In June 2010, the video
for “Baby” was simultaneously the most viewed and the
most disliked clip on YouTube.

2. “Yes Sir, I Can Boogie” by Baccara, a 1977 single

release
This disco song was never a hit in America, despite being a
massive hit across Europe. Disco itself stands up as a great
example of the relationship between love and hate. “Yes Sir,
I Can Boogie” sold eighteen million copies and is one of
fewer than thirty singles in history to sell over ten million
copies.
3. “… Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears, from
the 1999 album … Baby One More Time
This was the single that launched a career filled with con-
troversy from the start. The steamy video, shot with the
seventeen-year-old Britney Spears in a Catholic schoolgirl
costume, became a flash point for some conservative groups.
Yet it went on to be voted by Myspace users as one of the
most influential music videos of all time, and Britney’s cos-
tume from the shoot is on display at the Hard Rock Hotel
& Casino in Las Vegas. Britney is loved and hated, but very
seldom are people indifferent toward her.

4. “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion, from the

1997 album Let’s Talk about Love
Celine Dion’s ballad became the centerpiece for the block-
buster movie Titanic, yet even as the song was becoming
the most-played radio hit of 1998 there were plenty of hat-
ers. Whether that hatred came about because of the sappy
nature of the song or the fact that it was impossible to escape
in ’98, it is impossible to tell. The single sold fifteen million
copies worldwide and easily became the year’s bestselling
single, and it remains one of the all-time bestselling songs.
Interestingly, Aerosmith was rumored to have been offered
the song first, but they declined it. They would later record a
similar song, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” for the movie
Armageddon.
5. “Girl You Know It’s True” by Milli Vanilli, from the
1989 album Girl You Know It’s True
Everyone knows the story of Milli Vanilli, the two singers
and dancers who won a Grammy Award and became world-
wide stars, until it was discovered that they lip-synched their
songs and never actually sang a note. Within days of being
discovered as a fraud, their Grammy was taken away and
their record company dropped them and deleted their album
from their catalog. Yet until the moment when the world
turned on them, they were worldwide superstars. After the
truth came out, neither the real singers (known now as “The
Real Milli Vanilli”) nor the disgraced duo (singing for real as
“Rob & Fab”) could manage any notable success.
While you groove to the odd songs on the chapter eight
playlist, think about how they impact your business:

ff Are you focused on seriously pleasing your fans (like

Justin Bieber) or are you trying too hard to please
everyone?
ff How do you feel about complaints? It might be
worth considering that complaints are valuable
because they enlighten you as to how people see your
brand. In that light, some complaints are perfectly
acceptable to ignore.
ff Are you comfortable with some people disliking
you? The concept of people disliking you is hard to
reconcile, but one of the hallmarks of a great brand is
the ability to create something people cannot ignore.
There are Apple haters, Google haters, and Harley-
Davidson haters out there.
 CHAPTER NINE

SMELLS LIKE
SOMETHING FAMILIAR

C
hapter nine of Brand Like a Rock Star uses Nirvana
as the ideal example of a band that introduced an
entirely new sound to the world by packaging it in a
way we would understand. They combined punk with pop,
using catchy hooks and deeply personal lyrics, creating a
sound that was entirely new yet somehow very familiar at
the same time. New ideas are hard to digest, but when pre-
sented in a context that is familiar, new concepts are much
easier to grasp. For product launches, smart brands consider
the context in which they present their story.
The chapter nine list explores Nirvana’s incredible
ability to create songs that sounded instantly familiar, bring-
ing together elements we were already familiar with to create
a fresh, new product.

1. “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” from the 1991 album

Nevermind
It was their debut song, their biggest hit, and a song that
remains a turning point in music and a generation’s theme
song. While it was widely regarded as the point where grunge
music emerged, Kurt Cobain told Rolling Stone magazine
that he “was trying to write the ultimate pop song.” It is
interesting that what many cite as the ultimate alternative
rock song actually began with such mainstream intent.

2. “Come as You Are,” from the 1991 album Nevermind

The record label saw “Come as You Are” as a more main-
stream song than “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” intending to use
it as a follow-up to bring the band to a wider audience. The
commercial success of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” came as a
surprise to the band and the record label! “Come as You Are”
is one of the band’s most melodic and memorable songs,
although hearing Cobain sing “I don’t have a gun” is haunt-
ing, since he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in 1994.

3. “Rape Me,” from the 1993 album In Utero

In 1992, Billboard magazine announced that “Nirvana is
that rare band that has everything: critical acclaim, indus-
try respect, pop radio appeal, and a rock-solid college/
alternative base.” Their new album, In Utero, came out a
few months later and continued the fine balance between
alternative credibility and mainstream appeal. “Rape Me”
is a perfect example of that balance. By the way, if you pur-
chased In Utero in a Walmart store, the song was listed as
“Waif Me” because Walmart objected to the song’s title and
subject matter.

4. “All Apologies (Unplugged),” from the 1994 album

MTV Unplugged in New York
Recorded for MTV in November 1993, the album wasn’t
released until a year later, a few months after Kurt Cobain’s
April 1994 suicide. The song “All Apologies,” originally
a split single with “Rape Me,” also appeared on MTV
Unplugged in New York. It is a song that Melody Maker mag-
azine called a “gorgeous, aching tune,” and it is yet another
example of Nirvana’s ability to bridge pop and alternative to
create an accessible yet credible sound.

5. “Heart-Shaped Box,” from the 1993 album In Utero

The band’s unexpected popularity in the wake of Nevermind
made recording a follow-up album a difficult experience.
One of the obvious challenges was creating a commercially
appealing album that maintained alternative credibility.
Before In Utero came out, rumors circulated that Nirvana
had recorded an album that completely rejected commer-
cial success. Yet that was far from true, as Ben Thompson
of The Independent newspaper in London noted: “Nirvana
have wisely neglected to make the unlistenable punk rock
nightmare they threatened us with.” The first single from
the album, “Heart-Shaped Box,” was called “the Nirvana
formula personified” by journalist Gillian Gear. “Heart-
Shaped Box” is all at once a catchy, gritty, deep, melodic,
and confusing song that sums up Nirvana’s ability to create
something entirely new out of familiar parts.
Nirvana and the chapter nine playlist inspire some points
to ponder relating to business:

ff Legendary new products are most often positioned

in a framework we already grasp. Dyson created a
bagless vacuum cleaner. It was an entirely new prod-
uct, presented in a way that was easy to understand.
ff When launching a competing product to the mar-
ket leader, their brand identity might dictate how
you present your brand. Scope became the leading
mouthwash by marketing itself as a mouthwash that
didn’t taste like medicine, like Listerine did.
 CHAPTER TEN

DEATH BY HYPE:
LEARNING FROM
AXL’S MISTAKES

L
ike Sweet sang about love and oxygen, “get too much
you get too high, not enough and you’re gonna die,” so
it is with hype. Too much or too little, and everything
goes wrong. Axl Rose proved it with the long-awaited Guns
N’ Roses album Chinese Democracy.
Guns N’ Roses started working on the album in 1994,
amidst drug addictions and infighting, and shortly after
work began guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan, and
drummer Matt Sorum all left the band. Leader Axl Rose
rebuilt the band and soldiered on. Over the course of the
next fifteen years, Rose would go through various incarna-
tions of the band, numerous producers, and a rumored $13
million to create Chinese Democracy. It was released in late
2008.
Despite generally positive reviews, the album is regarded
as an expensive failure in large part because of the immense
hype that built up over more than a decade of waiting. Rose
and others frequently boasted about the work-in-progress,
creating hype that no album could live up to.
The chapter ten playlist includes not only cuts from
Chinese Democracy but also songs from the Sammy Hagar–
led supergroup Chickenfoot, which Sammy compared
to Led Zeppelin and Van Halen. Although Chickenfoot’s
music was solid, the advance hype didn’t help. How can any-
thing live up to Zeppelin comparisons?

1. “Chinese Democracy” by Guns N’ Roses, from the

2008 album Chinese Democracy
The first single from the long-awaited album was the title
cut, a song that the band had been developing in their live
shows since 2001. It is a song that starts quiet, building into
a powerful guitar riff and tough chorus. The song, like the
album, got generally positive reviews. Even former guitarist
Slash had good things to say about the song.

2. “Better” by Guns N’ Roses, from the 2008 album

Chinese Democracy
“Better” was leaked on the Internet in early 2006, and for
a short time that year it was used in a Harley-Davidson
commercial. It was officially released as the second single
from Chinese Democracy in November 2008. Many critics
suggested that “Better” was the best song on the album and
sounded most like classic Guns N’ Roses music.

3. “Street of Dreams” by Guns N’ Roses, from the 2008

album Chinese Democracy
“Street of Dreams” is another song that had been widely
heard by fans in the years leading up to the release of Chinese
Democracy, as the band played it live many times under the
original title “The Blues.” “Street of Dreams” is a piano-
driven ballad that became the third single from the album.

4. “If the World” by Guns N’ Roses, from the 2008

album Chinese Democracy
“If the World” is an unusual Guns N’ Roses song, with a
restrained sound and industrial-style instrumentation. The
normally loud guitars are replaced, for much of the song, by
classical-sounding guitar.

5. “Oh Yeah” by Chickenfoot, from the 2009 album

Chickenfoot
Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony (ex–Van Halen), gui-
tar wizard Joe Satriani, and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili
Peppers) put together this “supergroup” and released their
debut album in 2009. It was hard to live up to expectations
after Sammy Hagar promised a band that was “better than
Van Halen” and comparable to Led Zeppelin. Chickenfoot’s
debut song “Oh Yeah” is a fun party song, but it doesn’t
quite measure up to that level of advance hype.
 As you rock out to G N’ R and Chickenfoot on the chap-
ter ten playlist, think about how publicity can help and hurt
your brand.

ff Toomuch hype creates expectations that are often

impossible to meet.
ff Hype itself is artificial. Strive for natural excitement
around your brand, not artificially created hype.
ff Word of mouth is powerful. Create a remarkable
brand and use many channels to allow your custom-
ers to rave about it. That avenue beats bragging and
hype any day.
 CHAPTER ELEVEN

YOU GOTTA SERVE

SOMEBODY

B
ob Dylan has spent forty years making music that
matters to him. It has certainly connected with mil-
lions of others, but Bob Dylan serves himself. It is an
important lesson for brands and businesses: if you are pas-
sionate and honest about your mission, others will be more
likely to join you. You can’t fake it. Dylan hasn’t always done
the popular thing, but he’s always done something uniquely
his own.
The chapter eleven playlist takes you deeper into Dylan,
with examples of some of the unusual and interesting twists
he has taken on his career path.
1. “Ballad of Hollis Brown,” from the 1964 album The
Times They Are a-Changin’
A song about a desperate farmer killing his family and tak-
ing his own life doesn’t exactly reflect the musical main-
stream of an era that gave us “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by
The Beatles. But Bob Dylan seemed to instinctively avoid
the obvious and chart his own course. This haunting blues
song is a Dylan classic that showcases his musicianship as
much as his poetry.

2. “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” from the 1965

album Bringing It All Back Home
Dylan went electric in the mid-’60s, and this song was one
of his first noteworthy electric pieces. The video of a young
Dylan holding lyrics on cue cards has become legendary.
Rumor has it that John Lennon was so captivated by the
song that he was intimidated at the thought of having to
write a song to compete with it.

3. “Like a Rolling Stone,” from the 1965 album

Highway 61 Revisited
At the time he wrote “Like a Rolling Stone,” Bob Dylan was
feeling burned out and depressed, and he seriously consid-
ered quitting music altogether. The song was judged to be
too noisy for radio at the time, and far too long. And his
fans, upon hearing the electrified version for the first time
at the Newport Folk Festival, were unenthusiastic about this
new rock ’n’ roll Bob Dylan. Despite all of that, the song
didn’t just become a hit, it became the number one song on
Rolling Stone magazine’s 2004 list of the 500 Greatest Songs
of All Time.

4. “Hurricane,” from the 1975 album Desire

The story of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, sentenced to jail for
murder, became one of Bob Dylan’s most famous storytell-
ing protest songs. Dylan created an eight-minute trip into
a hot New Jersey night, where a vicious triple murder had
taken place and a man had been wrongly convicted. The
song became famous for its subject matter and controversial
and accusatory lyrics. Carter was eventually exonerated, and
the Bob Dylan song is widely believed to have influenced
the eventual outcome of the lengthy case. Dylan hasn’t
played the song in concert since 1976.

5. “Here Comes Santa Claus,” from the 2009 album

Christmas in the Heart
Bob Dylan, born Jewish but with a long history of
Christianity, surprised many when he released a Christmas
album in 2009. Not only did Dylan record Christmas songs,
but he recorded surprisingly upbeat songs like “Must Be
Santa,” “The Christmas Song,” and the Gene Autry classic,
“Here Comes Santa Claus.” While this is an unusual album
in Dylan’s career, that’s exactly what makes Bob Dylan so
great. He does what he wants to do, because he is passionate
about doing it.
 Bob Dylan and the chapter eleven playlist should leave
you with plenty to consider when it comes to your brand
and business:

ff Doyou create something you are passionate about?

Dylan sang about what mattered to him, and he
made it matter to us.
ff Areyou brave enough to go against the grain?
Recording six-minute epic songs such as “Like a
Rolling Stone” wasn’t the norm in the ’60s, but it
became arguably the greatest song of the rock era.
 C H A P T E R T W E LV E

HONESTY:
YOU CAN’T FAKE IT

N
othing can replace honesty. With today’s endless social
connections, brands have little choice but to replace
false hype with real communication. Smart brands
relish the chance to be more human, creating a stronger
bond between brand and customer.
Some of the greatest rock ’n’ roll classics are so memo-
rable because they communicate that same sense of honesty.
From mistakes left in to songs created on the spur of the
moment, we relate to things that are real. Perfection, after
all, is impossible. Human beings cannot relate to perfection.
We can, however, relate to reality.
1. “Barbara Ann” by the Beach Boys, from a 1965 single
release
Few songs embody a real party in progress the way that
“Barbara Ann” does. The song was apparently recorded dur-
ing a long and strenuous recording session that gradually
devolved into a party, complete with friends and flowing
beer. As things got more and more out of hand, the tapes
kept rolling. In the final version, you can clearly hear a cho-
rus of singers who have no idea as to what the lyrics actually
are. You can hear studio drummer Hal Blaine tapping along
on an ashtray instead of the drums, and someone yells out
“Hal and his famous ashtrays” as he plays.

2. “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger, from the

1979 album Stranger in Town
Legend has it that the famous eight piano notes that open
the song were actually never supposed to be played twice.
Someone included them twice, and everyone liked the way
it sounded. That mistake has become an integral part of a
rock and roll classic!

3. “Eruption” by Van Halen, from the 1978 album Van

Halen
This famous song wasn’t even a song at all. “Eruption” began
as a solo that Eddie Van Halen would play during the band’s
live shows. He was playing it in the studio while producer
Ted Templeman was recording it, and the solo became
the second song on the band’s debut album. It served as a
stunning showcase to Eddie Van Halen’s immense talent,
although Eddie has often admitted that there are mistakes in
the final version, and that he probably could have played it
better. If you really want to be true to Van Halen, “Eruption”
is best served as an appetizer to “You Really Got Me,” the
Kinks remake that immediately followed it on the album.

4. “Flake” by Jack Johnson, from the 2002 album

Brushfire Fairytales
Jack Johnson’s first single wasn’t his biggest hit, but it remains
one of his most memorable. What makes Jack Johnson wor-
thy of inclusion on this playlist is that his career is built on
honesty. He doesn’t just preach a commitment to improving
the environment, he actually lives up to his words. With a
solar-powered studio and a plan to offset the carbon emis-
sions generated by each of his concerts, Johnson has built up
a solid base of fans, thanks to his ability to speak honestly
to them.

5. “How Do You Sleep?” by John Lennon, from the

1971 album Imagine
Amidst the anger and rubble of the breakup of The Beatles,
John Lennon let his honesty out on this song directed at
Paul McCartney. In “How Do You Sleep?” Lennon viciously
attacks McCartney, letting his anger come through in every
lyric in the song. While George Harrison played guitar on
the song, Ringo Starr was apparently unhappy with John’s
decision to record it. Eventually, Lennon and McCartney
would reconcile, but “How Do You Sleep?” is an example
of the raw honesty that connected John Lennon to his fans.
The chapter twelve playlist about honesty might inspire a
few considerations about your business:

ff Honesty connects. People bond with real entities and

not faceless companies. We sensed John Lennon’s
anger and the Beach Boys’ party atmosphere, and we
bonded with them.
ff Always leave the tapes rolling because you might
record a classic. In other words, be open to where
your next great idea might come from. Eddie Van
Halen was messing around when he recorded
“Eruption.”
ff Live up to what you say. It takes conviction but
it pays off. As a brand and as a person, your word
is who you are. Break it, and you won’t easily be
forgiven.
 C H A P T E R T H I RT EE N

CASHING IN ON OLD
(SPICE) BRANDS

T
he amazing resurrection of Johnny Cash’s career is the
template for chapter thirteen, looking at how bands
and brands revive themselves and become relevant
again to an entirely new generation. Old Spice is the per-
fect brand example, going from the leading product in men’s
grooming to a nearly dead brand and back again. In music,
Johnny Cash might be the best comparison.
Johnny was always unusual in country music. He was
louder, bolder, wilder, and brasher than most of his coun-
try music contemporaries. His songs bordered on rock
’n’ roll, and he used outlaw imagery to further cultivate
his antiestablishment image. After a legendary career that
spanned twenty years, Johnny Cash’s star faded in the mid-
’70s. For the subsequent twenty years, Cash was nearly
invisible. But starting in the mid-’90s, Johnny Cash began
to rise again. In the decade before he died, he once again
became one of music’s iconic figures.
Our chapter thirteen playlist chronicles the rise and fall
of Johnny Cash.

1. “I Walk the Line,” a single released in 1956

Producer Sam Phillips helped Cash create his first number
one hit, recorded at the famous Sun Studio in Memphis.
The song was originally a slow ballad, but Phillips encour-
aged Cash to pick up the pace of the song. Rolling Stone
magazine ranked “I Walk the Line” at number thirty on its
list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

2. “Folsom Prison Blues,” from the 1968 album Johnny

Cash at Folsom Prison
After some career peaks and valleys in the 1960s, Cash real-
ized his long-standing dream of performing live at a prison
on January 13, 1968, at Folsom State Prison in California.
The album became a surprise hit, and the live version of his
1955 song “Folsom Prison Blues” reached the top forty.

3. “The Wanderer” by U2 and Johnny Cash, from the

1993 U2 album Zooropa
Although his career was legendary, Johnny Cash had
largely been written off in the early 1990s until a series of
collaborations brought his music to an entirely new gen-
eration. One of the first of those collaborations was with
U2, when Cash sang lead vocal on this song from their
Zooropa album.

4. “Hurt,” from the 2002 album American IV: The Man

Comes Around
Teaming up with famous producer Rick Rubin, Cash
recorded a series of albums that cemented his place as a con-
temporary force. The albums were sparse, often just Johnny’s
deep baritone and acoustic guitar. Most of the songs were
covers of rock and alternative hits, songs fans would never
expect to hear Johnny Cash sing. The most famous of those
songs is this one, a Nine Inch Nails song called “Hurt.”
Recorded shortly before he died, the song and video are
hauntingly powerful and serve as an epitaph to Cash’s life
and career. After hearing Cash’s version, songwriter Trent
Reznor said “that song isn’t mine anymore.”

5. “Ain’t No Grave,” from the 2010 album American VI:

Ain’t No Grave
The most recent of Cash’s posthumous releases, American
VI: Ain’t No Grave continues to carve a powerful legacy.
The first song and title cut, “Ain’t No Grave,” carries added
depth because Cash was quite ill at the time it was recorded.
During the 2003 recording sessions for the album, his wife,
June Carter Cash, passed away. Johnny Cash would die only
four months after his wife. He was buried next to her in
Hendersonville, Tennessee.
 As you savor the incredible Johnny Cash on this playlist,
consider how his career and his comeback can help your
business:

ff Every brand (and band) has a timeline. At some

point all brands peak and need to reinvent
themselves.
ff Working with new partners can open entirely new
doors. By aligning himself with U2 and then Rick
Rubin, Johnny Cash was presented to a new genera-
tion as an artist worthy of consideration.
ff By working with new partners, Johnny Cash found
a wealth of new songs that helped reinvigorate
his career. Recording his own interpretations of
“Personal Jesus” (Depeche Mode), “I Won’t Back
Down” (Tom Petty), “Hurt” (Nine Inch Nails), and
“Rusty Cage” (Soundgarden) gave new life to Cash’s
career.
ff Isyour brand always looking for the next generation
of customers? If your brand’s fortunes start to sag, as
Johnny Cash’s did, look to new partnerships to help
expose your brand to new customers and new ideas.
 C H A P T E R F O U RT EE N

THE POWER OF THE

INCOMPLETE

O
f the twenty-one chapters in Brand Like a Rock Star,
this was probably my favorite to write. It is a bit out-
there, drawing comparisons between Led Zeppelin,
the Beatles, DaVinci, Volkswagen, and In-N-Out Burger.
The common thread between them is an ability to harness
the power of the incomplete. In one way or another, each
of those artists and brands smartly tapped into the human
brain’s need to fill in the gaps. The Beatles and Zeppelin
did it with album cover art, including the sparse White
Album by The Beatles and Zeppelin’s famous Zeppelin IV.
Both albums didn’t even have names written on them! It was
music fans who gave the albums the nicknames by which we
know them today.
The power of the incomplete goes beyond the visual,
though. Many bands have used silence as an integral part of
their music, employing an audio version of what advertising
executives might call “white space.” Those songs make up
the chapter fourteen playlist.

1. “Animal” by Def Leppard, from the 1987 album

Hysteria
This song was painstakingly put together by the band and
producer Mutt Lange over the course of two and a half years.
The band said it was the most difficult song on the album to
get right, but it also proved to be a massive hit around the
world. Near the end of the song, as the chorus repeats, the
entire song comes to a startling halt. After a few seconds of
silence, it kicks in again with a final refrain of the chorus.

2. “A Day in the Life” by the Beatles, from the 1967

album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
This song uses the power of the incomplete near the end,
as the band holds the final piano note for forty seconds. It
remains one of rock ’n’ roll’s most famous final chords. All
of the members of the band played an E chord simultane-
ously on different pianos. In the studio, they kept increas-
ing the recording level to capture the fading sound. As the
level increased, the studio noise became audible, including a
squeaking chair and rustling papers. The silence that closes
“A Day in the Life” is every bit as much a part of the song as
the piano notes that open the song.

3. “The Look” by Roxette, from the 1989 album Look

Sharp!
This song used the power of the incomplete in two ways.
First, it was a mystery to many when Minneapolis radio
station KDWB started playing it. They had been delivered
a copy by a US exchange student who bought it while in
Sweden, where the band was already popular. When KDWB
started playing it, there was a sudden rush in America to
find a copy of “The Look” because it was a rare import until
EMI Records could get a copy rushed out to hungry fans.
Second, like Def Leppard’s “Animal,” the song comes to a
complete stop near the final chorus before picking up again.

4. “Shakin’ All Over” by Chad Allan and the

Expressions, a single released in 1965
When this Canadian band recorded a version of Johnny
Kidd’s “Shakin’ All Over,” they had an instant number one
hit in Canada. With the British Invasion in full swing, the
record company didn’t want US radio stations to know that
this new song was by a Canadian band. To create mystery
around it, they released the song in a white label with the
words “Guess Who?” on the front. It worked … almost too
well! The song went to number two on the US charts and
led Chad Allan and the Expressions to change their name to
the Guess Who.
5. “Good Vibrations” by Brian Wilson, from the 2004
album Smile
The original Smile album was intended to be the follow-
up to the incredibly successful Pet Sounds album. Using
the same progressive recording techniques that created the
number one hit song “Good Vibrations,” Brian Wilson envi-
sioned creating a masterpiece. Unfortunately, his deteriorat-
ing health, escalating drug use, and other pressures put the
project on hold and the album was left unfinished. Over the
course of thirty years, Smile became the hottest album that
never was, as bootleggers and collectors shared what little
elements of the album were leaked. Finally, in 2004, Wilson
completed the album, thirty-seven years after he started it,
and without the help of the original band. This version of
“Good Vibrations” is from that album. While Wilson’s solo
version was well received, fans still clamored for the original.
Early in 2011 the band finally announced that they would
be releasing the album under the title The Smile Sessions.
Here is how chapter fourteen and the power of the
incomplete can help your business, especially in terms of
marketing:

ff Are you telling too much of the story? The human

brain loves to fill in gaps and is intrigued by an
incomplete story.
ff What are you leaving to the imagination? Great mar-
keting always leaves something for the consumer to
mentally absorb.
ff Remember that one of the purposes of great mar-
keting is to allow the customer the opportunity to
mentally make the purchase. Once they’ve mentally
seen themselves do it, actually making the purchase
becomes much easier.
 C H A P T E R F I F T EE N

THE SEX PISTOLS

AND THE ART OF
GETTING ATTENTION

O
ne of the great masters of creating buzz passed away
in 2009. Malcolm McLaren created the Sex Pistols in
the 1970s and helped spawn a punk music revolution
that in many ways laid the foundation for bands like Green
Day, Nirvana, the Offspring, and Oasis. His influence will
be felt for generations to come, both in music and in PR.
Malcolm McLaren knew that the Sex Pistols weren’t just
about the music; they were about image, fashion, culture, and
attitude. Fans of the Sex Pistols were fans of a movement,
not just a band. The Sex Pistols and the music and legacy of
Malcolm McLaren form the chapter fifteen playlist.

1. “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols, a single

from 1977, later included on the album Never Mind the
Bullocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
Although it wasn’t their first hit, “God Save the Queen”
embodies the band, and the story behind it embodies
McLaren’s knack for generating excitement. The Sex Pistols
were signed to A&M Records, and 30,000 copies of the
single had been pressed and were ready to ship when the
band trashed the record company offices in London. They
were promptly dropped by A&M and nearly every copy
of the single was destroyed. Days later they were signed
to Virgin Records, but the staff at the factory pressing the
single refused to work because of the abusive content of the
song. Eventually that dispute was solved, and “God Save the
Queen” was released. To promote it, McLaren had the band
play live on a boat sailing down the River Thames outside
the houses of parliament. He, along with others in the band’s
entourage, was arrested. The single sold 150,000 copies that
week and went to number two on the charts. To this day,
some claim the song should have been a number one hit, but
the charts were rigged to prevent that from happening.

2. “Anarchy in the UK” by the Sex Pistols, a single

release from 1976 later included on the 1977 album
Never Mind the Bullocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols
Never Mind the Bullocks was the only full album the Sex
Pistols ever released, but it claimed a place in rock history.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked it number forty-one on its list
of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. But a year prior to
the album’s release, they released their debut single “Anarchy
in the UK.” It was a violent snapshot of a frustrated gen-
eration of young people growing up in Britain at the time.
Malcolm McLaren called the song “a call to arms” and “a
statement of self rule.” It peaked at number thirty-eight
on the UK singles chart, but it caught the attention of the
world and paved the way for the band’s future success.

3. “No Fun” by the Sex Pistols, an unreleased song

recorded in 1977
The song “No Fun,” originally recorded by the Stooges,
was the last song the Sex Pistols played before breaking up
in early 1978. They were playing in San Francisco and Sid
Vicious had been dropping deeper into drug addiction and
erratic behavior (even by their standards). Tensions were
high in the band as Johnny Rotten took to the stage at the
Winterland Ballroom and told the audience, “This is no fun.
No fun. This is no fun at all. No fun.” They broke up three
days later. Vicious died of a heroin overdose thirteen months
after the breakup.

4. “Buffalo Gals” by Malcolm McLaren, from the 1983

album Duck Rock
Sounding nothing at all like the music he helped inspire
in the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren helped popularize
an entirely new musical movement in the early ’80s. After
attending a street party in New York City, McLaren decided
to incorporate elements of hip-hop and scratching into his
music. The result was a song that served as an introduction
for many into hip-hop music. Eminem even paid tribute
to it at the start of his 2002 single “Without Me” when he
sings “Two trailer park girls go ’round the outside.”

5. “Madame Butterfly” by Malcolm McLaren, from the

1984 album Fans
Turning once again to entirely new sounds, McLaren bravely
attempted to fuse together elements of R&B, hip-hop, and
opera. While the album Fans was considered strange by
many people, the song “Madame Butterfly” managed to
reach the upper echelons of the British and Australian pop
charts, and the erotic video of beautiful models lounging in
saunas and steam baths brought the song a wealth of atten-
tion. While the song doesn’t warrant a high-profile place in
rock music history, it is worthy of inclusion in any discus-
sion about the impact of the late Malcolm McLaren.
Malcolm McLaren was an unusual figure in music, but
the chapter fifteen playlist that chronicles his career can help
you build a stronger brand.

ff In many ways, PR is the new marketing. If you

 can get thousands of people talking about your
brand—as McLaren did for the Sex Pistols—you’ll
accomplish something that it would take millions of
marketing dollars to accomplish.
ff Evenbad publicity can help certain brands. For
edgy bands like the Sex Pistols, the endless stream of
negative press helped further their antiestablishment
image.
ff Tapinto emotional waves. The Sex Pistols rode the
wave of disenchanted youth in the UK. They were an
emotional outlet for millions of angry young people.
 C H A P T E R S I X T EE N

DIFFERENT BEATS
BETTER

O
f all the branding principles looked at in Brand Like a
Rock Star, few are as important to grasp as the simple
concept that “different beats better.” The premise is
that most businesses get far too fixated on being better than
their competitors, when what really matters is being different
from your competitors.
KISS, Madonna, Alice Cooper, and Lady Gaga are prime
examples. All are massive stars around the world not simply
because they are better musicians than everyone else, but
because they are unlike anyone else! When you present the
world with something remarkable, it gets noticed. Getting
noticed is the first, and hardest, step in becoming loved. The
chapter sixteen playlist profiles several artists who showed
us remarkable things that we had never before seen, proving
that being different is more important than being better.

1. “Love Gun” by KISS, from the 1977 album Love Gun

When the New York band Wicked Lester changed their
name to KISS and adopted comic book imagery and
makeup, their fortunes turned. Within a year they were
embarking on a world tour and within three years they were
one of the biggest rock and roll acts on the planet. Although
“Love Gun” wasn’t one of the band’s bigger chart hits, it
became a concert favorite and has been on the set list for
every tour since it was released.

2. “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” by KISS, from the 1979

album Dynasty
Flavored with elements of disco, “I Was Made for Lovin’
You” became the biggest KISS hit to date when it was
released in 1979. It came at a time when tensions were high
in the band, and drummer Peter Criss was dismissed from
the band shortly after. “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” is the
most pop-friendly song in the KISS catalog, which accounts
for both its enduring popularity and its polarizing nature
among hard-core KISS fans.

3. “Welcome to My Nightmare” by Alice Cooper, from

the 1975 album Welcome to My Nightmare
A funky and jazzy song, “Welcome to My Nightmare” isn’t
typical of Alice Cooper’s hard-rocking history, but it is a
great example of Alice Cooper’s brilliant use of antihero
imagery. Cooper recognized early in his career that most
rock stars portrayed themselves as heroes, so he took a dra-
matically different approach. Alice Cooper became famous
for his shocking stage shows, using elements of horror, fan-
tasy, death, and gore to leave a lasting impression.

4. “Like a Virgin” by Madonna, from the 1984 album

Like a Virgin
For her second album, Madonna took control of her career,
became a coproducer, and gave the world a song and a
video that shocked. “Like a Virgin” is lyrically laced with
plenty of innuendo, and the video of her frolicking in a
wedding dress with a lion and dancing suggestively on the
canals of Venice got plenty of attention. Madonna was a
relatively new phenomenon at the time, and her provoca-
tive sexuality and religious imagery set her apart from many
long-forgotten artists of the day.

5. “Born This Way” by Lada Gaga, from the 2011

album Born This Way
Lady Gaga has become one of the biggest stars of modern
music by creating a persona that is unlike any other. She
might not be the absolute best artist of our time, but she
is one of the most unusual and unforgettable. Her appear-
ance in a dress made entirely of raw meat landed her on the
cover of nearly every newspaper and magazine. Between her
fashion choices and her music, Lady Gaga has grabbed the
attention of the world in a big way.
 Almost any smart marketer will agree that being dramati-
cally different is more important than being dramatically
better than your competitor. Here are some things to con-
sider as you enjoy the chapter sixteen playlist.

ff The human mind only notices the unusual. We learn

to forget the everyday things we see over and over
again. Seth Godin made the point well with his book
Purple Cow.
ff Ifyou can show people something they haven’t seen
before, they have no choice but to pay attention.
Once you’ve got their attention you can show them
how much better you are.
ff Being different creates passion. Lady Gaga’s fans
are passionate. KISS fans joined the “KISS Army”
to show their passion. When you create something
unique that people identify with, you create a strong
and lasting bond.
 C H A P T E R S E V E N T EE N

ABBA-FY YOUR BRAND

F
ew bands have been offered as much money to reunite,
over and over, as ABBA has. They are rumored to
have turned down one billion dollars to reunite for a
concert tour. Why? According to Bjorn Ulvaeus, the band
wants to be remembered as they were, young and exuberant
and full of energy. They don’t want to be viewed as a cover
band, touring around playing versions of their own songs.
What makes ABBA special and noteworthy in terms of
branding is their acknowledgment that their fans see them in
a special way, and they steadfastly refuse to violate that expec-
tation. Brilliant! Most of us get caught up in how we see
ourselves, but the only thing that really matters is how your
fans and customers see you. Their perception is your reality.
 The chapter seventeen playlist is a fun spin on the career
of Sweden’s biggest musical export, ABBA, from their early
days to their unofficial breakup in 1982. Love them or hate
them, you have to respect their integrity and their awareness
of how their fans perceive them.

1. “People Need Love” by Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha, and

Anni-Frid, a 1972 single that was included on the 1973
album Ring Ring
The first song credited to the four members of the band
came out in 1972, about a year before their name was short-
ened to ABBA. “People Need Love” is a catchy song that
shows exactly where the band was headed in terms of sound
and style.

2. “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, from the 1976 album

Arrival
The song that became a number one hit in thirteen countries
began as a demo called “Boogaloo” that gradually evolved
into “Dancing Queen.” It was premiered on Swedish TV
on the eve of the royal wedding of King Carl XVI Gustaf
and his bride-to-be, Silvia Sommerlath. Four decades later,
“Dancing Queen” is considered by many to be one of the
best pop songs of the 1970s.

3. “Take a Chance on Me” by ABBA, from the 1978

album The Album
Next to “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me” was
ABBA’s most successful hit song, reaching the top ten in
fifteen different countries. The song’s pacing was apparently
conceived by Bjorn Ulvaeus while jogging. British synth
band Erasure took their version of the song to number one
in the UK for a month in 1992.

4. “Super Trouper” by ABBA, from the 1980 album

Super Trouper
The Super Trouper album marked a change in direction for
ABBA, adding more keyboards and a more lush sound. The
title song from the album was the band’s final number one
hit in the UK. The band would record only one more album
before unofficially breaking up in 1982.

5. “One Night in Bangkok” by Murray Head, from the

1984 album Chess
What does a one-hit wonder by British actor and singer
Murray Head have to do with ABBA? The music for “One
Night in Bangkok” was written by Bjorn Ulvaeus and
Benny Andersson as part of their contribution to the musi-
cal Chess in 1984. The song became a major hit worldwide,
although it was banned in Thailand for disrespecting Thai
culture and Buddhism, according to the Thailand Mass
Communications Organization. Boxer Mike Tyson made
Bjorn and Benny a little more money in 2011 when he
performed a version of the song during his cameo in The
Hangover: Part II.
I don’t think I ever envisioned writing a business book
about ABBA, but the chapter seventeen playlist does give
brand managers some worthwhile points to consider:
ff When you stand for something in the mind of the
consumer, you are wise to reinforce that perception
instead of fighting it. ABBA became famous for
youthful exuberance, and they refuse to reunite if
they cannot adequately live up to that image.
ff Bynot reuniting, and potentially letting down their
fans with a less than youthful version of ABBA, they
have continued to increase the value of their brand.
A reunion that didn’t live up to expectations would
have the opposite effect.
 C H A P T E R EI G H T EE N

KNOW YOUR ENEMY:

GREEN DAY MEETS
SUN TZU

I
t may seem like a stretch at first, comparing a band that
played Woodstock ’94 covered in mud with a famous
ancient Chinese military general and philosopher. But
Green Day sang a song in 2009 that perfectly captures one
of Sun Tzu’s lessons in his teachings in The Art of War: know
your enemy.
Sun Tzu essentially said that anyone who hopes to win a
battle needs to know everything about themselves and their
enemy. Knowing only one or the other would never result in
consistent victory. The same is true in business and branding.
Defining your enemy is a vital part of understanding what
you are as a brand, and what you stand for and against. The
chapter eighteen playlist rocks out with some of Green Day’s
best songs.

1. “When I Come Around (Live at Woodstock ’94),”

from the 1995 album Woodstock ’94 and originally
from the 1994 album Dookie
Dookie was Green Day’s first major-label album, and it
quickly caught on, but it was Green Day’s mud-covered
Woodstock ’94 performance that made the band legendary
nearly overnight.

2. “Brain Stew,” from the 1996 album Insomniac

With their second major-label album, Insomniac, Green
Day emerged with a little darker sound. The album didn’t
sell as well as the Dookie album before it, but it rated four
out of five stars in Rolling Stone magazine and gave us lasting
songs like “Brain Stew.”

3. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” from the 1997

album Nimrod
Certain songs transcend genre and era to become classics.
“Good Riddance” is one of those songs. It showed a side of
Green Day that many people had yet to see, and brought the
band’s music to a wealth of new fans when it was used in the
closing moments of the historic finale of Seinfeld.
4. “American Idiot,” from the 2004 album American Idiot
The song “American Idiot” came at a time when Green
Day had been invisible for a few years, and it was a perfect
revival for the band’s career. The song was written by Billie
Joe Armstrong as a response to the redneck pride espoused
in the Lynyrd Skynyrd song “That’s How I Like It.” It also
introduced fans to a more politically aware Green Day, will-
ing to speak out about the future of their country.

5. “Know Your Enemy,” from the 2009 album 21st

Century Breakdown
Continuing the band’s politically charged theme, “Know
Your Enemy” is a classic protest song, harking back to the
’70s punk rock of The Clash and the Sex Pistols. The song
has simultaneously become a sports anthem, video game
soundtrack, and political rallying cry.
Green Day has cemented its place in rock history over the
past two decades, and the chapter eighteen playlist can help
cement your brand’s place as well.

ff Know your enemy! It is a principle of any battle.

Know who you are up against, what armaments they
have, and what strategies they employ.
ff Defining your enemy and what they stand for helps
to define your brand. For every brand position, there
is a brand that stands for the opposite position.
Know them and define them.
ff Recognize that you need your enemy. Without Coke,
there is no Pepsi. Without PCs, there is no Apple.
 C H A P T E R N I N E T EE N

CHANGE WITH THE

TIMES: EMINEM’S
COMEBACK

F
or a while he was everywhere. He was the face of hip-
hop. If the song you heard wasn’t his, it seemed he had
a hand in it somehow, as a collaborator, writer, pro-
ducer, actor, or record label executive. And then Eminem
seemed to disappear.
In 2010 Eminem came back, in a major way, tapping
into a trend in honesty and openness.
Eminem’s early music was theatrical, almost parody.
Songs like “The Real Slim Shady” and “Without Me” were
self-indulgent and antagonistic toward others. They mocked
different bands and built Eminem up as music’s only true
star. At the time, that approach was what hip-hop music was
all about. Rappers picked fights with each other through
their music all the time.
But times change. Eminem’s music needed to change too.
The chapter nineteen playlist is a journey through the evo-
lution of Eminem, from boastful young rapper to mature,
self-reflecting hip-hop veteran.

1. “The Real Slim Shady,” from the 2000 album The

Marshall Mathers EP
In his first hit song, Eminem picks on Pamela Anderson,
Christina Aguilera, Will Smith, Britney Spears, ’NSync, and
others. The song was controversial and antagonistic, garner-
ing a wealth of publicity for the young rapper.

2. “Without Me,” from the 2002 album The Eminem

Show
“Without Me” continued Eminem’s path of destruction,
openly mocking Vice President Dick Cheney, Moby, Limp
Bizkit, and all of his critics. The premise of the song is that
Eminem is back to save the music industry.

3. “Just Lose It,” from the 2004 album Encore

While previous Eminem songs had generated controversy
and become massive hits, “Just Lose It” broke the trend. It
generated controversy, but it wasn’t quite as big a hit as pre-
vious Eminem songs, and it started a downward trend in
Eminem’s career. In 2005 he took a hiatus from music, hint-
ing in interviews that he might not return at all.

4. “Love the Way You Lie,” featuring Rihanna, from the

2010 album Recovery
After a less-than-successful album called Relapse and some
time spent in actual rehab, Eminem returned in 2010 with
an album full of songs that maintained his passion and
venom, but did so without the silliness and gimmickry of
his early work. The song “Love the Way You Lie” became a
worldwide smash hit.

5. “Not Afraid,” from the 2010 album Recovery

In years past, Eminem would have viewed his comeback as
the music industry’s saving grace. Instead, “Not Afraid” pre-
sented a humble and grateful Eminem, apologizing for let-
ting his fans down and alienating those around him. In the
song he promises “no more drama” and a commitment to
being a better father. He even takes a poke at his own music,
admitting his 2009 album Relapse wasn’t up to par.
The chapter nineteen playlist is essentially about honesty,
and as you listen to Eminem’s career evolve from self-inflation
to self-actualization, you can take a few points away to help
your brand:
ff We bond with those who have similar qualities. By
being honest about his struggles, Eminem forges
a bond with fans who have undergone similar
struggles.
ff Weakness can be strength. When you expose a weak-
ness or vulnerability, you give your brand human
qualities that we can relate to.
ff Thereare universals in life, and when a brand relates
to those universals it can connect with customers on
a deeper level.
 CHAPTER TWENTY

THE NOT-SO-DIRE
STRAITS OF
CONTROVERSY

W
hat brought Dire Straits back from rock ’n’ roll
obscurity in early 2011? It wasn’t a comeback
album or a reunion tour of a young artist doing a
remake of one of their songs. All it took to return their 1985
hit “Money for Nothing” to the charts was a healthy dose
of controversy.
In January of 2011 the Canadian Broadcast Standards
Council ruled, based on a listener complaint, that the uned-
ited version of “Money for Nothing”—containing the lyric
“the little faggot with the earring and the makeup”—was
a violation of their codes. Hence, Canadian radio stations
were effectively banned from playing the unedited version
without risking punitive repercussions. The unexpected
banning of a hit song from twenty-six years before made
headlines around the world, stirring up renewed interest in
“Money for Nothing,” so much so that the song made an
appearance on the iTunes chart for a few weeks, alongside
Taylor Swift, Eminem, and Lady Gaga.
The focus of chapter twenty is how certain brands benefit
from controversy and other brands lose. Brands like Calvin
Klein and Red Bull have used controversy to their advan-
tage. Other brands, like BP and Tiger Woods, have been
forever damaged by it. Our chapter twenty playlist contains
five songs that have been the subject of controversy, for bet-
ter or for worse.

1. “Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits, from the 1985

album Brothers in Arms
It was a number one hit, a Grammy winner, and it won
Video of the Year at the MTV Music Video Awards. “Money
for Nothing” stands up as the most successful song in the
career of Dire Straits, featuring an unforgettable guitar
riff, a cameo from Sting, and lyrics that satire the working
man’s view of the pampered rock ’n’ roll life. While contro-
versy surrounding the song was minimal at the time it was
released, the 2011 Canadian controversy gave it an entirely
new life.
2. “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, a 1983
single included on the 1984 album Welcome to the
Pleasuredome
To promote the song, ZTT Records took out quarter-page
ads in British music magazines, promising a band that
would “make Duran Duran lick shit off their shoes.” The ads
featured members of the band in outlandish sailor costumes
with the slogan “All the nice boys love sea men.” The song
was a slow starter but eventually went to number one on the
UK charts, fueled by a BBC ban on the song for its sexually
suggestive lyrics. The song went on to top charts around
the world and become one of the decade’s most memorable
records, due no doubt in part to the controversial marketing
and BBC ban.

3. “Darling Nikki” by Prince, from the 1984 album

Purple Rain
Although never a single, this Prince song about a sex fiend
“masturbating with a magazine” caught the attention of
Tipper Gore, who founded the Parents’ Music Resource
Center to help protect children from controversial content
in music. The PMRA is the group behind the advisory stick-
ers we see today on CDs. Prince was already well known for
his raunchy lyrics at the time, and “Darling Nikki” helped
further his sexual image.
4. “Cop Killer” by Body Count, from the 1992 album
Body Count
First-person protest song or hate-inciting anthem? Body
Count lead singer Ice-T claimed it was a protest song
from the point of view of someone who had experienced
police brutality. But the song’s anti-police message attracted
unprecedented attention, from President George H.W.
Bush to local police associations, some of whom called for a
ban on all products distributed by Time-Warner, the parent
company of Warner Music. Eventually the outcry led Body
Count to withdraw the song, rereleasing their album with-
out “Cop Killer” on it. There is no question that the song,
album, and band would have had far less attention without
the offending song.

5. “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette, from the

1995 album Jagged Little Pill
Rumored to be about Morissette’s breakup with actor Dave
Coulier, the song “You Oughta Know” set new standards
for an angry, jaded breakup song. With controversial lines
like “would she go down on you in a theater” and “are you
thinking of me when you fuck her,” various edited versions
needed to be presented to radio stations. The song definitely
owes some credit for its success to the controversy surround-
ing the lyrical content and the mystery around who she is
singing about.
 Chapter twenty and the story of Dire Straits are about
using controversy to your advantage. Here are a few things to
keep in mind while you listen to the chapter twenty playlist:

ff Controversy doesn’t work for everyone. While some

brands benefit, some don’t. Know your brand and
understand your situation before trying to capitalize
on controversy.
ff People are enticed by bans. When a song, like
Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “Relax,” is banned by
authorities, people are naturally interested in hearing
it. They want to know why and they want to be part
of the story.
ff Ultimately, controversy is a form of PR. If you can
make it work in your favor, you can accomplish what
it might otherwise take millions of dollars to accom-
plish. You can tell your story in a way that paid
marketing could never do.
 C H A P T E R T W E N T Y- O N E

THE GRATEFUL DEAD’S

CRYSTAL BALL

S
ome would say I’ve saved the best for last.
The Grateful Dead are unquestionably one of rock’s
great brands, and as chapter twenty-one of Brand
Like a Rock Star details, the Dead did things that no band
before them had ever done. They encouraged fans to boot-
leg their shows. They built the ultimate mailing list, which
became the ultimate fan club. Looking back on their career,
it almost seems like the Grateful Dead had a crystal ball that
allowed them to see into the future, because much of what
the Grateful Dead did resembles file sharing, social media,
and the rise of the artist-driven business model prevalent in
the music industry today. The chapter twenty-one playlist is
a long, strange trip through the Grateful Dead’s incredible
catalog.

1. “Truckin’,” from the 1970 album American Beauty

This is one of the most widely recognized Dead songs, and it
includes the classic line “what a long strange trip it’s been.”
That phrase has become part of the pop culture lexicon
thanks to the Grateful Dead. Having peaked on the charts
at number sixty-four, it remained the highest-charting
Grateful Dead song until “Touch of Grey” became a sur-
prise hit in 1987.

2. “Uncle John’s Band,” from the 1970 album

Workingman’s Dead
Covered over the years by Jimmy Buffett, Crosby, Stills, and
Nash, and the Indigo Girls, “Uncle John’s Band” is a clas-
sic Grateful Dead song. The harmonies are perfect, and the
song is a stellar example of the band capturing their jam-
ming style in a commercially accessible way. When the song
came out, the band was already an underground legend, but
“Uncle John’s Band” helped expose them to a more main-
stream audience thanks to its presence on emerging FM
progressive rock radio stations.

3. “Casey Jones,” from the 1970 album Workingman’s

Dead
One of the most recognizable Dead songs thanks to fre-
quent play on classic rock radio stations, “Casey Jones” was
inspired by the true story of an engineer who crashes his
train. The song was even made available to a new generation
of fans as a download for the video game Rock Band.

4. “Sugar Magnolia,” from the 1970 album American

Beauty
“Sugar Magnolia” is one of the most-played Grateful Dead
songs over the course of their long concert career. It made
its first live appearance in July 1970 and turned up on the
album American Beauty later that same year. The song has
the folk/country feel that the band was famous for in the
early ’70s.

5. “Hell in a Bucket,” from the 1987 album In the Dark

The band reached a commercial peak somewhat unexpect-
edly in 1987. They hadn’t recorded a studio album since
1980, although they were extremely popular on tour. In the
Dark is most famous for the band’s only top-ten hit, “Touch
of Grey,” but it also contained the gem “Hell in a Bucket”
with Bob Weir on lead vocals. Having created a massive
MTV hit with “Touch of Grey,” they recorded a humor-
ous video for “Hell in a Bucket,” but it failed to replicate
the chart success of “Touch of Grey.” Nevertheless, the song
stands on its own as a latter-day Grateful Dead classic.
What makes the Grateful Dead and the chapter twenty-
one playlist important for your business?
ff TheGrateful Dead broke the rules. The band didn’t
do what the music industry said they should do, they
did what they deemed best for their band.
ff Becausethe band did things differently, they created
a devoted following. Fans respected the band for the
way they treated their fans and the music.
ff The Grateful Dead endorsed file sharing long before
computers by encouraging fans to record their con-
certs and trade the tapes. They were involved in
social media long before Facebook by facilitating a
connected network of fans.
ff The Dead surrendered some control over their brand
by allowing their fans so much freedom, but the fans
responded by treating the brand with tremendous
respect and devotion.
 Ep i logu e

THE BACKSTAGE PASS:

CLOSING WORDS

T
here isn’t a single business today that wouldn’t benefit
from having a stronger brand. Strong brands get the
click-through traffic on Google. Strong brands get
the walk-up traffic. Strong brands survive the up-and-down
nature of the economy. If you plan on being in business for
any length of time, you need to understand and develop
your brand. I hope that Brand Like a Rock Star helps you
do that, and makes your business plenty of money along
the way.
Brand Like a Rock Star was forged from my mutual pas-
sions for music and business. It began on a spring night in
Austin, Texas, while I listened to Jimmy Buffett on my iPod,
but it doesn’t end with the publication of the book. Brand
Like a Rock Star continues to evolve online through blog
posts, discussions, and contributions from people like you
who love music and business. Here are some important links
to bookmark:
www.brandlikearockstar.com—The Brand Like a Rock Star
website and blog
www.brandlikearockstar.com/index.php/purchase—A direct
link to order your copy of the book
www.facebook.com/brandlikearockstar—Brand Like a Rock
Star on Facebook
www.twitter.com/rockstarbrands—A link to follow my
updates on Twitter