Jovanovic, Rob 1969-

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JOVANOVIC, Rob 1969-

PERSONAL: Born August 18, 1969, in Nottingham, England; married, wife's name Carolyn, 1998. Ethnicity: "White." Education: Earned a B.S. (honors), 1995.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Justin, Charles Books, 20 Park Plaza, Suite 909, Boston, MA 02116. E-mail—robj@innotts.co.uk.

CAREER: Organic chemist, 1988-2001; music writer.

WRITINGS:

Beck! On a Backwards River, Virgin Books (London, England), 2000.

Badventures in Hi-Fi: The Complete REM, Orion (London, England), 2001.

Nirvana, Firefly Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2002.

Offıcial ISL Yearbook and Media Guide, Pineapple Books (Nottingham, England), 2002.

Forest Giants: The Story of Nottingham Forest, 1975-80, Pineapple Books (Nottingham, England), 2003.

Perfect Sound Forever: The Story of Pavement, Justin, Charles (Boston, MA), 2004.

Big Star: The Story of Rock's Forgotten Band, Fourth Estate (New York, NY), 2004.

The Velvet Underground, Virgin Books (London, England), 2004.

Nirvana: The Complete Recording Sessions, Firefly Books (London, England), 2004.

Contributor to periodicals, including Mojo and Record Collector.

SIDELIGHTS: Rob Jovanovic specializes in writing on the rock music scene, contributing regularly to periodicals, as well as publishing books on numerous artists and bands. In Beck! On a Backwards River, he provides a biography of Beck Hansen, the innovative rocker from California. Beck's mother was one of Andy Warhol's starlets, and his father, also a musician, worked with top performers, including Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. Early in his career, he was dubbed "the voice of his generation" by poet and cultural commentator Allen Ginsberg. Jovanovic tells Beck's story "with verve and in depth," reported Mike Tribby in Booklist. A Publishers Weekly reviewer perceived the book as "a labor of love," but felt that Beck was still too young to be a suitable subject for a biography.

In Perfect Sound Forever: The Story of Pavement, Jovanovic chronicles the course of the rock band Pavement, a critically acclaimed group that broke up in 1999. Though they never became a household name, Pavement came close to commercial success in 1994 with their album Crooked Rain. Despite their relative obscurity, they continue to be hailed by some as one of the finest rock groups of the 1990s. Jovanovic's book is enriched by interviews with all the band members, personal memorabilia provided by the band, and plentiful illustrations and photographs. A contributor to Publishers Weekly found that while Perfect Sound Forever is "not terribly insightful and thoroughly uncritical, the book is still a fond retrospection." Ed Park, reviewing the book for the Village Voice, described it as "good-natured if workmanlike," and Michael Vennard, a writer for Pitch.com, recommended it as "a quick and enjoyable read for Pavement fans, casual and hardcore alike."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2001, Mike Tribby, review of Beck!On a Backwards River, p. 1521.

Library Journal, March 15, 2001, Caroline Dadas, review of Beck!, p. 84; June 1, 2004, Lloyd Jansen, review of Perfect Sound Forever: The Story of Pavement, p. 138.

Publishers Weekly, March 12, 2001, review of Beck!, p. 72; April 26, 2004, review of Perfect Sound Forever, p. 49.

Village Voice, May 25, 2004, Ed Park, review of Perfect Sound Forever.