I grew up in the Asbury Park area. I spent many an evening at The Pony. I was SO excited for this book. And, I applaud the writer for what was clearly a lot of interviews. But... other than a paragraph or two at the beginning of each chapter, it's just excerpts from the interviews. The chapter introductions were good, but the rest is just... lazy, sorry. Every chapter is the same - short intro, then a long list of responses from the interviewees. It's just not interesting, and it's just not good writing - it's just not writing, it's not an "oral history." It's just transcribing. Bummer. I really wanted to love this - I could already picture it on my coffee table, and being my gift to everyone at our HS reunion this summer.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Harper for an advance copy of this musical history about a world renown music venue, its scrappy rise to the top, and the many people who played, worked, or listened to the rock n roll played there.

Everyone wants a place that welcomes them, knows what the want, makes the pain of the day go away, where the beer is cold, the music hot, with a chance to shake rattle and roll. A place that has a great story. And a lot of stories about being there. The Stone Pony in Asbury Park is one of these places, probably the last of the great rock and roll venues left standing. A testing ground for certain players, a proving ground for legends, the biggest being Bruce Springsteen. But don't forget Southside Johnny, and the others who still make the scene. The Stone Pony has been packing them in since the middle of the seventies, weathering changes in music, the business of music, politics, economics and more. All while never lowering the volume. I Don't Want to Go Home: The Oral History of the Stone Pony by reporter Nick Corasaniti is a story of New Jersey, making it, getting left behind, and of course music, told in the tales of those who were there.

Asbury Park was one a popular place, with a happening music scene, a popular beach business, and a place that was fun and exciting. The 60's though were a time of strife with riots over race burning or forcing out many of the venues, or businesses in the area. There had been attempts to make a club, one which had brought many musicians together, some of which would become legendary. Nothing lasted. Until 1974 when a guy decided he wanted a bar. Jack Roig bought the first place he saw, a place not even listed yet, and brought in Butch Pielka to help him run it. Times grew lean, as disco was being played, and disco dancers weren't spending money. Local acts asked for times, even paying to rent the Stone Pony to give shows. Show which eventually caught on. And soon a local guitar slinger Bruce Springsteen, would make the place his home, and things began to look up, even as music, the economy and everything around started to change.

I am a huge fan of music books, and love oral histories because in music, as in all things, success has many parents, and there a lots of different stories of why things worked, and why they didn't. Somehow the truth rises to the surface. This is a very good book, with a lot of different voices, from musicians, to employees, neighborhood people, finance people and more. One can see the reporting background that Corasaniti has in tracking down people, and asking the right questions to get to the truth, and to get some great stories. Like a musician being fired from his own band, after hiring the guy who was telling him to go. The mutual respect that many musicians had for each other. That disco people didn't spend much money in the bar, but drank a lot of ice water. The musicians run the gamut from legendary, to local bands, but all have a lot to add. Also Corasaniti spends a lot of time on what was happening outside the bar, race riots, the rise of punk, local politics, urban blight, and gives a very good sense of what was going on, and what was affecting the Stone Pony, and how in many ways it's continuing success is so impressive.

Recommended for music historian, Bruce Springsteen enthusiasts, fans of New Jersey, there must be one or two, and people who love stories about rock and roll.

Having family who live near Asbury Park, along with my dad who grew up in the area, I was used to hearing stories of the Stony Pony and Asbury in General. Now, having read this, this book confirms to me what my family has told me about the place and the town. Seeing Asbury thrive and the entire Jersey Shore as well makes me happy to see this as well.

Regarding the actual book, I thought that this was a good Oral History which highlighted more the Pony than just Bruce. I was happy that Mr. Corasaniti highlighted him when he needed to and not make this all about Bruce and have the Pony as a background.

I think the biggest issues that I had were that some of the chapters made no sense into why they were included, and I feel that he could have had a description of who the people were when they were introduced in the book rather that at the front of it. I know I was reading this digitally, but even if I had a hard copy, I think that flipping back and forth to see who was who could get annoying.

Overall, a great read and will be ordering several copies when it comes out for my family for sure.

I was born and raised in Monmouth county New Jersey and, being really into music and spending the majority of weekends at different concerts and shows, I couldn’t begin to fathom how many shows I went to between 1993 - 1996/97 - many of them at the Pony.

In October 2023, my teens and I traveled to NJ specifically to go to the Stone Pony to see our favorite band (The Damned). Going brought back a lot of memories and I was really thankful to be able to share going to see a really, really great show at the venue I spent much of my own time at with my kids.

Getting an early copy of this was such a gift (thank you Harper Books 😘) because while I did spend a lot of time there, outside of the Bruce Springsteen connection, I knew nothing about the history of the Pony, and reading this taught me a lot. The author definitely did his due diligence with research and with the featured voices (many of those brought back memories as well), stories, and history this book shines brightly as the end result of what had to have been a labor of love.

This is one that I’ll certainly be getting for our bookshelves and it’s a definite recommendation from me.



Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for the DRC

As someone who grew up in NJ in the 90’s/2000’s I have very specific memories of Asbury Park. I also remember the first time my parents ever agreed to let me go to the Stone Pony … I was in middle school. It was a school night. Not sure how that happened. BUT I remember feeling the magic that so many describe in this book. There is something about the Pony that nobody will understand until they’ve experienced it themselves.

This book gave me so much more detail on things that I have heard bits and pieces of but spun it into easy to read interview responses while telling the entire history of the Pony and the city of Asbury Park.

The interviews are great and are a wide variety of people - performers, employees and government officials … those I never would’ve thought to include. Research was done. A lot of NJ musicians from various decades are included. I know Bruce is a basically New Jersey’s musical sweetheart (and I’m not knocking that at all) but seeing smaller artists who got to see a similar love for the venue was great.

I no longer live in NJ and often times miss Asbury / shows at the Pony dearly but reading this awoken something inside me and that desire is stronger than ever.

I’m buying this to keep in my living room the moment it releases for all my loved ones to peek at and enjoy.