The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll is a non-fiction narrative that tells the history of rock & roll seen through the lives and legacies of 34 musicians[1] who each died at the age of 27 (also known as The 27 Club).[2] The 27s was created by Eric Segalstad (author) and Josh Hunter (illustrator). It was independently published, and distributed by Random House.[3] The 27s won silver in the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Award for Popular Culture[4].
The impetus for the club's creation were the deaths of Jones, Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison.[4] Cobain, who died in 1994, was later added by some. With the exception of Joplin, there is controversy surrounding their deaths. According to the book Heavier Than Heaven, when Cobain died, his sister claimed that as a kid he would talk about how he wanted to join the 27 Club.[5] On the fifteenth anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, National Public Radio's Robert Smith said, "The deaths of these rock stars at the age of 27 really changed the way we look at rock music."[6] The 27s: The Greatest Myth of Rock & Roll details the history of the phenomenon.
Picture |
Name |
Date of death |
Official cause of death |
Fame |
Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Brian Jones | July 3, 1969 | Having drowned in a swimming pool,[7] the coroner's report stated "death by misadventure."[8] | Rolling Stones founder and guitarist/multi-instrumentalist. | 27 years and 125 days |
 |
Jimi Hendrix | September 18, 1970 | Autopsy showed he asphyxiated on vomit after combining sleeping pills with wine.[9] | Pioneering electric guitarist, singer and songwriter for The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys. | 27 years and 295 days |
 |
Janis Joplin | October 4, 1970 | Probable heroin overdose.[10] | Lead vocalist and songwriter for Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Kozmic Blues Band and Full Tilt Boogie Band. | 27 years and 258 days |
 |
Jim Morrison | July 3, 1971 | Cause of death listed as "heart failure"; however, no autopsy was performed.[11] | Lead singer, songwriter and video director for The Doors. | 27 years and 207 days |
 |
Kurt Cobain | April 5, 1994 | Ruled as suicide by shotgun.[12] | Founding member, lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for Nirvana. | 27 years and 44 days |
Equal parts music history book and visual journey, The 27s weaves the lives of Robert Johnson, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Michael Hutchence, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain and more than two-dozen other musicians into a tight narrative. Along the way, Hunter’s art complements and spins off, adding layers to the story with symbolism, artifacts, and color palettes that reflect the era. Josh Hunter told Huffington Post that, "The artwork tells its own story as well. There are these other layers, these hidden symbols and cryptic messages that, if you're alert to them, you're going to find we're packing-in as well." [5] In addition, The 27s feature twenty-two original portraits. The book's creators gave an example on how the art adds more to the story in an interview with WNEW: "We wanted visual stimulation. The art correspond with the words here, supporting the story, visualizing it in an artistic interpretation. Then there are times when the art tell a different story or add to the words. Around Brian Jones' death in The 27s there's a photo of a freshly dug grave adorned with flowers. The overlay of white butterflies is an example of the latter. It tells a story about Brian's death that's not described using words."[6]
The book's storyline snakes through the history of rock in a largely linear fashion (although The 27s can also be read at random),[7] albeit with intriguing detours into the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche as it applies to music, numerology, astrology, and the findings that more rock stars have died at 27 than at any other age.[8]
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