Gary pioneered alternate news and multiple mysteries discovered in spades inside the music world history of rock and roll.
"Take A Walk On The Dark Side: Rock N Roll Myth, Legends, and Curses" by R. Gary Patterson
Verified Purchase
Rock and Roll's Fox Mulder strikes again!
Several years ago, I took a chance and interviewed R. Gary Patterson on my radio show about his book, " The Walrus Was Paul " " The Great Beatle Death Clues of 1969."
The reaction I got from my listeners was unprecedented. People called to complain saying they were late for work because they refused to leave their cars until the interview was over.
Time has passed and we lost touch. Then I saw that Gary had written a new book so I took chance number two and purchased it. Wow, " Take A Walk On The Dark Side " by R. Gary Patterson, is a chapter by chapter compilation of weird and spooky Rock and Roll myths and legends, warnings and harbingers, premeditated and organic, gruesome deaths and peaceful endings, coincidences and once in a lifetime tall tales.
They're all wrapped up in a dandy book that can serve as common ground for young people and their elders, who have long shared and passed along in urban legend fashion over the past 50 years ( save Robert Johnson ) of these person to person whispered rock secrets.
These are the tales my friends and I spoke about in the dark, in hushed breaths, blankets over our heads with the ghosts of electricity howling by flashlight onto the bones of our faces. Back then, rock and roll itself was the mysterious force that separated, divided and distinguished my generation from that of our parents.
Until Gary Patterson came along, there was no one to represent the interests of this musically macabre constituency. The funereally fascinated can take ( a still beating ) heart because " Take A Walk On the Dark Side," surely will be their cup of blood.
For me, the chilling thrill of finally reading about tales that have heretofore only existed as the shrouded starless spectral secrets of rock's far more intriguing underside is triumphant, if overdue validation that my friends and I have not been the only ones interested in this saturnine subject.
At this point I think it necessary to address what seems to be a misconception of some of my fellow reviewers. It appears to me that the objective of the book is to assemble many of the more mysterious and compelling stories from the " dark side " of rock and roll and bring them into the light of day. Gary Patterson has done just that.
Reviewers mrliteral and HDBboth expressed dismay that the confirmation or dismissal of these tales is sometimes missing.
I searched through the book after I read their reviews to see if Patterson ever stated that that was his goal.
Looking for confirmation or debunking? Forget it. Nowhere is it stated that he has set out to debunk these stories - what fun would that be?
However, if what you crave is an extended visit to rock and roll's ever enthralling " dark side, " R. Gary Patterson's " Take a Walk On the Dark Side " Rock and Roll Myth Legends and Curses is lurking in the shadows for you.
Can't wait for the film or TV shows to follow.
Author and radio show host unknown at Amazon
"Best", MK II
My links found in this forum that Gary was totally familiar with will be here soon, so stand-by.
2004: Email #1 was a personal Rock N Roll mystery
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Email #2 I allowed 4 years for this to find it's way into alternate news venues. Before I told this eerie Rock connection to Ian on Coast to Coast AM.
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🏔 
"JERRY!"