{"product_id":"we-had-fun-and-nobody-died-adventures-of-a-milwaukee-music-promoter-9781976600302","title":"We Had Fun and Nobody Died: Adventures of a Milwaukee Music Promoter","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe entertaining and inspiring story of a stubbornly independent promoter and club owner \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e This irreverent biography provides a rare window into the music industry from a promoter's perspective. From a young age, Peter Jest was determined to make a career in live music, and despite naysayers and obstacles, he did just that, bringing national acts to his college campus at UW-Milwaukee, booking thousands of concerts across Wisconsin and the Midwest, and opening Shank Hall, the beloved Milwaukee venue named after a club in the cult film \u003ci\u003eThis Is Spinal Tap\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e This funny, nostalgia-inducing book details the lasting friendships Jest established over the years with John Prine, Arlo Guthrie, and Milwaukee's own Violent Femmes, among others. It also shines a light into the seldom-seen world of music promotion, as Jest attempts to manage a turbulent band on the road, negotiates with agents, deals with fires (both real and metaphorical), struggles through a pandemic, and takes pleasure in presenting music of all kinds--from world-famous acts to up-and-coming local bands. In addition to photos of celebrated musicians, the book includes concert posters, tickets, and backstage passes documenting decades of rock, folk, and alternative shows that helped put Milwaukee on the live music map. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e As the music industry has become dominated by profit-driven corporations, \u003ci\u003eWe Had Fun and Nobody Died\u003c\/i\u003e chronicles the career of a one-of-a-kind independent promoter whose hardheadedness and love of music have helped him keep it real and make it in the music business for more than forty years. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"[An] adventure-filled biography of music promoter Peter Jest. . . . Reflecting decades of changes to the music business, \u003ci\u003eWe Had Fun and Nobody Died\u003c\/i\u003e is a fascinating biography of a passionate promoter's work to transform Milwaukee's music scene.\" \u003cbr\u003e --\u003ci\u003eForeword Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Amy Waldman and Peter Jest weave a thrilling tale of fanhood gone pro. Dreams followed, dragons slain, and the roof of a venerable venue repeatedly blown sky-high. We're proud to have provided the name [for Shank Hall]; it took men and women of sterner stuff to do the heavy lifting.\" \u003cbr\u003e --Michael McKean, actor and comedian, \u003ci\u003eThis Is Spinal Tap \u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"\u003ci\u003eWe Had Fun and Nobody Died\u003c\/i\u003e is a fantastic journey of a Midwest boy, his love of music, and his excitement to be part of it all.\" \u003cbr\u003e --Kevn Kinney, lead singer and guitarist of Drivin N Cryin \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Peter Jest's story is one that conveys a winning combination of friendship, determination, and entrepreneurial insights that led him to a lifelong career in support of the live music industry and the community that comes together in common appreciation of it.\" \u003cbr\u003e --Shana Morrison, singer-songwriter \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAmy T. Waldman\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning writer and editor whose feature articles, reviews, profiles, and essays have appeared in the \u003ci\u003eMilwaukee Journal Sentinel\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eShepherd Express\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMilwaukee Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eForward\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eReader's Digest\u003c\/i\u003e. She was also a reporter and lifestyle editor for the \u003ci\u003eMarshfield News Herald\u003c\/i\u003e where she wrote Fresh Sounds, a biweekly record review column. She is a reference librarian at the Milwaukee Public Library. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter Jest\u003c\/b\u003e has promoted music in Wisconsin and the Midwest for more than forty years and is the owner of the Milwaukee music venue Shank Hall. This is his first book. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Luhrssen\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of many books on film and music, including \u003ci\u003eThe Vietnam War on Film\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Encyclopedia of Classic Rock\u003c\/i\u003e, and coauthor of \u003ci\u003eMilwaukee Rock and Roll, 1950-2000\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBrick Through the Window: An Oral History of Punk Rock and New Wave in Milwaukee\u003c\/i\u003e. He is managing editor and film critic of Milwaukee's weekly newspaper, the \u003ci\u003eShepherd Express\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Wisconsin Historical Society Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50708596130066,"sku":"9781976600302","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_41e0a1b2-7e88-47d0-852f-d933ecec08ee.jpg?v=1734507459","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/we-had-fun-and-nobody-died-adventures-of-a-milwaukee-music-promoter-9781976600302","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}