Tombstone Tourist: Musicians

The Tombstone Tourist : Musicians by Scott Stanton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I reviewed the first edition of this book in Morbid Curiosity #5. The author, Scott Stanton, went to the trouble of tracking down my phone number to call and discuss the review, especially my list of musicians who should have gotten some attention and my concerns that the lack of an index made the book difficult to use. Both issues have been corrected in this edition.

Full disclosure: Stanton asked me to photograph some grave monuments for this edition, but my photos didn’t make the cut into the book. Very disappointing! Still, he thanks me and Morbid Curiosity in his introduction, so that was nice to see. The photos that are included tend to be smaller than I would prefer and somewhat dark, but I fully admit that might be sour grapes.

Special praise goes to the careful directions Stanton gives for potential cemetery visitors. Some graveyards, particularly Southern California’s Forest Lawns, will not give maps or directions to fans who want to visit their idols. To counteract that, Stanton gives specific instructions on how to find the graves. That’s worth the cover price right there.

The book is encyclopedic, spanning the roots of blues through rock to rap and rasta. If there’s a music lover in your circle, this is the perfect gift. If I were more of a music lover myself, I would give the book more stars here.

I’m still awaiting the second volume of the Tombstone Tourist series. I’m torn between Literary Figures or Actors, but either way, I’d love to see Stanton apply the same level of attention and detail to more dead people.

You can order your own copy from Amazon: The Tombstone Tourist: Musicians

Final home of Jim Morrison: Cemetery of the Week #10: La Cimetière du Père Lachaise in Paris, France

Final home of Jimi Hendrix: Cemetery of the Week #49: Greenwood Memorial Park, Renton, Washington

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