SEVEN ISTHEMAN

EXILE IN ROSEDALE: THE MUSICAL LIFE OF SEVEN 1963-2009
Seven Istheman
Xlibris

If Van Gogh were Seven Istheman – he would have cut off both ears, his nose, and another appendage I won’t mention.

We’ve all been hypnotized by VH-1 Behind the Music a billion times (and the new “Re-mastered” version, no less), but what becomes of a non-legend most? I’m referring to Seven: a rock ‘n’ roll warrior who never headlined Madison Square Garden, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone, tossed a TV set out a Sunset Strip hotel window, played nasty with a shark , nor scored the now extinct major-label record deal replete with huge financial advances and porn-star groupies.

EXILE IN ROSEDALE is perhaps the greatest and most authentic rock ‘n’ roll book ever written – no apologies to the late Danny Sugarman (No One Gets Out Here Alive), Nikki Sixx (A Year In The Life of A Shattered Rock Star), or Steven Davis (Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga). Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll comes easy with fame and fortune – all you have to do is write it down. However when deals go bust, musicians freak out on the precipice of fame, managers screw artists, artists screw managers, a mother-in-law-goes wild, backs get stabbed, money runs out and debt piles up, drugs get cheap, and the abyss not only appears inevitable but a welcome respite from the shattered dreams - that’s where rock ‘n’ roll really lives. In Rosedale, New York!

All Seven Istheman (not his real name, of course) wanted to do in life was play and record rock ‘n’ roll. He idolized his father who managed legendary recording studios in New York and watched in shock and awe as the greats recorded and cavorted. A self-taught composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, Seven earned his chance to hit the big time so many times you’ll lose count: the egomaniacal bands he led, the innovations he concocted in the studio which were stolen outright, the songs he wrote, the folks he helped up the show biz ladder... Though Seven was the man behind the console for Public Enemy’s classic Fear of a Black Planet – it is a mere footnote to the great things he accomplished and the lives he touched through his music and larger-than-life-and-death personality. One problem: Seven never got rich and famous.

EXILE is his redemption – and a grand one it is. This brilliant tome is interactive, which means you’ll receive exclusive access to a website with Seven’s music, video, and photos galore. God gave rock ‘n’ roll to you and Seven pushed the play/record button.

You don’t know rock ‘n’ roll until you take an EXILE IN ROSEDALE.

--Tom Semioli

exileinrosedale.com