Thanks for the book; it’s almost a Baedeker to contemporary Christian culture. I’m not surprised that you couldn’t get access to various names. It’s a very corporate culture that likes to stay on-message. I think you guessed that within the culture there are two distinct groups of opinion leaders: the early adopter/cool kids and the pastors; the former can shift units while the latter can collectively stop someone’s career cold.

I was surprised by several things in your book: one is that Cheap Trick Live at Budokan was actually a live album; I’ve thought all these years that the audience noise was canned. I was also surprised that you devoted a whole chapter (Chapter 9) to the anti-abortion crowd; I didn’t see the connection. And I was surprised that you didn’t devote more space to Third Day. I guess I thought of them as popular and influential, but maybe they’re just popular.

I haven’t tried to track down the anecdote on U2 and the Shalom reaction, but I’m pretty sure October is their second album and Boy their third. Did the Shalom folks want them to disband after October or Boy? The former I can almost understand, the latter not so much.

I was also surprised by your detailing of Amy Grant’s career; I honestly thought she became a pariah after her divorce, and I’m glad to hear that she was rehabilitated.

Thanks again for writing this book; I’d put it on par with Last Night A DJ Saved My Life and This Band Could Be Your Life. I hope you’re not offended by either comparison.