Fame has its ups and downs.
Many of us might have fantasised at one point or another about basking in the limelight and our fans adoration.
Photographer Mick Rock looks back on 4 decades spent snapping Rock Royalty, Princes and Paupers and looks back on his career in Exposed (Chronicle Books). David Bowie in one of his 9 lives graces the cover.
Does the heavy tome qualify as coffee table material? That's for you to decide.
There's quite a bit of Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy with or without The Stooges.
Ladies run the gamut from Madonna to Lady Gaga (no Grace Jones).
There's also Siouxsie and Debbie Harry (then and now).
It's not all rock'n' roll, mind you.
Kabuki theater has its place with Kanzaburo Nakamura .
Mick Rock shares that in 2007 he did a book and exhibit titled Tamashii: Mick Rock meets Kanzaburo…
I will not give you a laundry list of those captured and featured in 'Exposed'.
I do appreciate the fact that the book documents 40 years of pop and rock without falling in the 'good old times' teary eyed nostagia trap.
(*All photos copyright Mick Rock, from 'Exposed' (published 2010), reproduced with permission of Chronicle Books)
Add to Gift List for the discerning music fan you know.