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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman

@beckbook.com
240 followers 11 following 71 posts

THE UNTOLD STORY OF A POP MESSIAH, FINALLY TOLD BY BESTSELLING AUTHOR @josie.zone SIMON & SCHUSTER OCT. 6, 2026 PREORDER TODAY: beckbook.com

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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 29/09/2026
beckbook.com
donnie darko text:

Dawn of THE FINAL WEEK // 7 days remain
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
NEW RAVE FROM BOOKLIST THE BOOK HAS NOW BEEN REVIEWED POSITIVELY BY ALL 5 MAJOR TRADE MAGAZINES PREORDER TODAY: beckbook.com
"Riesman parses these stories out as both a fan and a diligent reporter. It all adds up to an insightful, never gossipy, and definitely surprising ode to a Gen-X folk hero.”
—Booklist
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com
“The Last Temptation of Beck is a riveting work of nonfiction, a story of artistry, stardom, and the compromises made by those trying to marry the two. As someone who knew nothing about Beck going in, I was nevertheless hooked from the start, drawn in by Josephine Riesman's propulsive storytelling. This is a fascinating look at Faustian bargains, how secrets can prevent intimacy, and how legitimately scary organizations benefit when we follow our most paranoid, isolationist instincts.”

— Ilana Masad, author of Beings
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com
“An amazing read, both for longtime obsessive fans and wild-eyed newcomers… The beauty of Beck is how he defies the trappings of genre and style, just as readily showing you his scars as he does all his favorite tricks. How lucky for us then that Josephine Riesman’s book manages to reveal all his carefully hidden truths, while never fully ruining what pleasure comes of bearing witness to Beck’s legendary oeuvre.”

— Niko Stratis, author of The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com


“This biography has everything: sex, secret societies, fashion, betrayal, Hollywood, rock 'n' roll—it's like Pop-Up Video with way more scandal."

— Colette Shade, author of Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com
“A gripping thrill for longtime fans as well as readers who have never followed the trippy, lo-fi output of the Gen X icon. That’s because The Last Temptation of Beck is really an incantation on fame, late-20th century L.A., dot-matrix printers and cassette tapes, Prodigy chat rooms and the changing spread of rumor, truth and lies in American society … It lands as a reckoning.”

— Charlie Wells, author of What Happened to Millennials
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com
“One of the best books I’ve ever read about the forging of an artistic persona—a love story, a ghost story, a family story spanning three generations of bohemia, and a portrait of the artist wrestling the forces of evil in a bozo nightmare.”

— Alex Pappademas, Senior Culture Editor of GQ and co-author of Quantum Criminals: Ramblers, Wild Gamblers, and Other Sole Survivors from the Songs of Steely Dan
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com


“Josephine Riesman's book is as uncategorizable as Beck's music. It's the story of a Gen X savant from a very unusual family but it's also an investigation into friendship, fandom, Scientology, secrets, and the difference between authenticity and truth. Beck has tried to remain an enigma. Riesman explains why. I found it fascinating. Not what I expected at all. I can't think of another music book like it."

— Dorian Lynskey, author of 33 Revolutions Per Minute and The Ministry of Truth
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com


“This is a masterpiece … It reminded me of nothing more than, of all people, Stephen King, both in the easy, novelistic, conversational narrative flow and the unremitting horror of the actual story being told.”

— Andrew Hickey, host of A History of Rock Music in 500 Songs
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com


“This is alt-rock biography as compulsively readable literary thriller … It becomes a Faustian existential battle for the soul of a man, and ultimately, a nation always at war with our better angels. In this riveting salvo in her American Myth series, Riesman has captured the dream of the ’90s, but also the nightmare we are yet to wake up from.”

— Aidan Levy, author of Dirty Blvd.: The Life and Music of Lou Reed and Saxophone Colossus: The Life and Music of Sonny Rollins
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com
"Well-researched and thoughtful ... An intriguing portrait of an artist. Smart pop-culture reporting on an especially tricky subject."
—Kirkus Reviews
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com
“Doggedly researched … [A] complex portrait of an artist who wants his audiences to see him as fashion-forward but has had a hard time shaking his past.”
—Los Angeles Times
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com
"Riesman brings passion and investigative grit to this biography of multiplatinum musician Beck ... Meticulously researched via original interviews with those close to Beck, it’s a captivating look at an enigmatic artist."
—Publishers Weekly
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com
"Riesman delivers a deep dive into the evolution of pop music and its industry, parasocial relationships, and Beck’s complicated ties to his family, girlfriends, religion, and fans. ... Casual Beck listeners will enjoy, while Gen X and elder millennial readers will especially be drawn in."
—Library Journal
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 18/09/2026
beckbook.com


"Riesman gathers an impressive array of interview sources [and] brings a great deal of empathy to her subject as a longtime fan.... Every bit as complex and intriguing as the pop star himself… [A] captivating profile of the Gen X pop sensation."
—Shelf Awareness (starred review)
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 23/06/2026
ADVANCE PRAISE BECKBOOK.COM
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 01/03/2026
🎶Billionaires smile like weapons Passing out platinum pensions They're out of control No one knows how low they'll go...
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 27/02/2026
beckbook.com
PRE-ORDER THE LAST TEMPTATION OF BECK NOW
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 26/02/2026
When Beck was an adolescent, he appeared in Rene Daalder's punk-rock movie-musical POPULATION: 1 (1986) Beck pretended to play the accordion on a whirling stage during a party scene (see clip below) This was not Beck's FIRST film appearance… but that's a whole OTHER story… beckbook.com
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"The Last Temptation of Beck" by Josephine Riesman @beckbook.com · 26/02/2026
NOVEMBER 17, 2026 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙇𝘼𝙎𝙏 𝙏𝙀𝙈𝙋𝙏𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝙊𝙁 𝘽𝙀𝘾𝙆 THE UNTOLD STORY OF A POP MESSIAH — FINALLY TOLD BY @josie.zone PREORDER NOW: beckbook.com
Cover of THE LAST TEMPTATION OF BECK: THE UNTOLD STORY OF A POP MESSIAH by Josephine Riesman
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