“Jake Austen has the brains of a world-class scholar driven to illuminate previously obscure but vital arcana, the soul of a historian eager to bring the past roaring back to life, and the heart of a furious but funny rock ’n’ roll hell-raiser. As the majordomo of <i>Roctober</i>, fronting a posse of like-minded and equally passionate fellow travelers, he has picked up the mantle of that first-generation rock-critic giant Nick Tosches and at long last given us his answer to <i>Unsung Heroes of Rock ’n’ Roll</i>. Yes, <i>Flying Saucers Rock ’n’ Roll </i>really is a book worthy of being mentioned in that company, and it’s a must for any serious rock reader’s bookshelf.”-<b>Jim DeRogatis</b>, critic, author, educator, and co-host of <i>Sound Opinions</i>-the world’s only rock ’n’ roll talk show “With an awe-inspiringly integrated and thoroughly unassuming knowledge of all the nooks, crannies, and hidden corners of American popular culture, there’s no more appropriate cheerleader for musical humanity than Jake Austen, a polymath force of nature who’s been amazing me for twenty years. If any of the rest of us had just a hundredth of the energy, enthusiasm, and big-heartedness that Jake seems to show with every project he undertakes, the world would be a much better place-and a lot more fun.”-<b>Chris Ware</b>, cartoonist and author of <i>Jimmy Corrigan-The Smartest Kid on Earth</i>