Spawned by the New Wave/Punk scenes of the 1980s, The Kind the Pharaohs Try offers evocative story-song lyrics, and compelling spoken word stories. The songs speak of doomed loves, and noir tales in exotic locations, inspired by the poetic/wry/bitter-sweet stylings of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Elvis Costello. The spoken word pieces take readers on journeys of seedy carnival midways, lives of urban madness, transcendent spiritual retreats, and coming-of-age garage band shacks. Having spanned the rock scenes of 1980s San Francisco and LA, to National Public Radio and Internet storytelling, this compilation of writings by Michael and Steven Meloan explores the cultural zeitgeist of the late 20th Century West Coast.

"In this book you will find literature that rocks, and rock lyrics that are literature."--Westley Heine, author of Busking Blues and Street Corner Spirits.