Verus Ferreira's music quiz book takes you backstage with the greats

Going through Verus Ferreira's 'The Great Rock Music Quiz Book', one wonders how relevant is it in today's time?

Lester Bangs, arguably America's greatest rock critic, perhaps had a prophetic answer to this question when he shockingly claimed, during his swashbuckling heyday in the early '70s, that rock 'n' roll died when it became 'cool'.
Strangely, Ferreira's passion for rock music made me reminisce and draw parallels with director Cameron Crowe's brilliant, autobiographical 'Almost Famous', which was a great personal tribute to the Golden Age of rock that became a cult masterpiece. The similarity is in the author's attempt to get his readers on a green room visit of some of the greatest rock bands of our times, albeit in the form of a quiz.

With the word 'Great' in its title, readers may be led to believe that there is something for every type of rock fan out there. Moreover, over 950 questions may sound a lot, or less, depending on how you look at it. The truth, however, is that this book is an over-simplified ready reckoner of just 16 popular rock bands. And it is not without glaring errors that have escaped basic proof-reading. For instance, Kurt Cobain, it is claimed, killed himself in 1984, a whole decade earlier than the actual tragedy.

The book's does not pretend to be encyclopaedic, as is evident from its modest sidewall of 200-odd pages. This is proved by glaring omissions of verbiage on bands like Black Sabbath, Lynyrd Skynyrd and AC/DC, to name a few. While it diverges to include a chapter in memory of some of the great performers who've passed on, it excludes the mention of stellar musicians such as those of Leonard Cohen or David Bowie.

There is also a section on colourful quotes from rockers. "Up until I became a father, it was all about self-obsession. But then I learned exactly what it's all about: the delight of being a servant," says one of the more touching quotes by Eric Clapton.

Although described as 'interesting' by composer Lesle Lewis in his foreword to this book, the chapter Code of Conduct with its prescription of dos and don'ts for fans at rock concerts, can be overbearing and somewhat pretentious.

For the wisecracks in any group of rock fans, there is a personal compilation of rock puns that Ferreira concludes with. For instance,

Why did Aerosmith almost fall off a cliff?

Because they were 'Livin' On The Edge'
Straying away from the question of relevance, let's ask — who is this book designed for? Think of it — rock anthems of the past have been kept alive for the younger generations of today through associations with film franchise such as AC/DC in the Iron Man series or Led Zeppelin in Thor and King Arthur. All said, this book is a handy stowaway for passionate rock fans from the bygone era of prose, showmanship and rebellion.