$700 Lynyrd Skynyrd Coffee Table Book – This Ain’t No “Free” Bird

Listen... there is a reason, but holy crap.  Chances are the Lynyrd Skynyrd coffee table book cost more than your coffee table. Pronounced: A Visual History Of The Band From 1973 To 1977 is a limited edition book that won't ship until late fall, but preorders have already begun.  The $700 book is "The Leather and Metal Edition." It's a supersized edition (375mm square) bound in recycled leather and presented in a metal slipcase." (bravewords.com) 50 numbered copies are all that will be made and each has been signed by Gary Rossington shortly before his passing.  Those books have already sold out.  

Good News!  There are still some copies available of the $385 Lynyrd Skynyrd book.  Bravewords.com describes The Deluxe Collectors Edition: "features a recycled leather spine and comes in a special, printed slipcase together with a poster, and collectible giclee print." Only 450 copies of this book will be available.  Moreover, the books are also numbered and signed by Gary Rossington. If you'd like to pick up a copy before they're gone, rufuspublications.com is where you can enter your preorder.

Can I Get The Lynyrd Skynyrd Coffee Table Book For Less Than That?

Yes.  Pronounced, The Standard Edition "measuring 30cm square and running to more than 340 pages,  will be a hardback book with a matt laminated, foiled, and embossed cover." The Standard Edition runs about $115. All editions are scheduled to ship in late Fall.

If I'm being honest, I can't blame them for selling the book for $700.  There are 50 numbered copies that are signed by Gary Rossington.  Furthermore, I find it surprising that the $385 version still has any of the 450 copies left.  I may have to ask if they have a layaway program.  From coffee table books, let us segue way into coffee...

Ratt's Stephen Pearcy is the latest to join rock stars with a coffee brand. Stephen is a well-known coffee lover and is releasing a line of signature coffees in partnership with the Writers & Rockers Coffee Company. The coffee blends include "Round and Round," "Hollywood Wired," and "Ultra Nitro."  Stephen came to play.

I love coffee and rock and roll, so rock stars with a coffee brand have a piece of cake, built-in audience with me.  I'm always curious to check out rock star sponsored products be it coffee, hot sauce, or anywhere in between.  Steven Tyler should have a line of scarves.  Ted Nugent should have a cookbook for game and fish... oh wait, he does... Kill it & Grill It.

I read about Stephen Pearcy's coffee and I thought, "Alice Cooper should have his own coffee.  A cup of "Black Widow" or "Black Juju" sounds delicious." Turns out Alice doesn't have his own coffee, but he does have an "Official Alice Cooper single origin African Brundi AA Specialty Coffee" by Cat Fight Coffee. I'm not sure how that works... I would rather have a cup of Black Widow, but it got me thinking:

Dang, Dee Snider knows how to market himself. Dee has a brand called "For the Love of Coffee." It's made through DeadSled Coffee and is described as, "a deliciously smooth blend of beans from Guatemala and Central America. The beans were grown at an altitude of 1,200 – 1,700 meters and roasted to a medium level which creates a bright and pleasant full-bodied taste."  I will buy this for the packaging alone.

Grab a cup of Valhalla Java and get your Viking on. Zakk Wylde used to love beer. A decade sober and Zakk loves coffee. Check out his coffee brand at DeathWishCoffee.com.

Styx has a coffee brand that they use for their charity, Rock to the Rescue, that they founded with REO Speedwagon.  100% of their coffee sales go to "support many hand-picked, small charities all over the country who need a little help."

Aerosmith’s drummer has had a lot of success with his Rockin’ & Roastin’ coffee brand. Even though his own coffee shop only lasted a year, fans can still buy his brew through a subscription service at RockinAndRoastin.com.

The Metallica guitarist partnered with Dark Matter coffee to create his special blend called Ghoul Screamer likely due to his horror film fandom. 

Wait…why is Folgers listed?  They’re not the official coffee of Paul Stanley. However, Paul Stanley did film an awful TV commercial for the coffee brand once. While it was never aired, it did make its way to YouTube, and any excuse to share the cheesy ad is a good excuse.  Remember, the best part of waking up is watching this commercial repeatedly.