Outside the Jukebox

How I Turned My Vintage Music Obsession into My Dream Gig

By: Scott Bradlee

Narrated by: Scott Bradlee

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

From the creator of the sensation Postmodern Jukebox - with millions of fans globally - comes an inspirational memoir about discovering what you love and turning it into a creative movement.

With student loan debt piling up and no lucrative gigs around the corner, Scott Bradlee found himself in a situation all too familiar to struggling musicians and creative professionals, unsure whether he should use the little income he had to pay his rent or to avoid defaulting on his loans. It was under these desperate circumstances that Bradlee began experimenting, applying his passion for jazz, ragtime, and doo wop styles to contemporary hits by singers like Macklemore and Miley Cyrus - and suddenly an idea was born.

Today, Postmodern Jukebox - the rotating supergroup devoted to period covers of pop songs, which Bradlee created in a basement apartment in Queens, New York - is a bona fide global sensation, having collected more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube while selling out major venues around the world and developing previously unknown talent into superstar singers. From its Etta James-inspired rendition of Radiohead's "Creep" to its New Orleans jazz interpretation of Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass," the group has established a sound like no other, crafting hits as exquisitely sublime as they are humorously absurd.

But it wasn't always as easy as the YouTube videos make it look. As he worked to establish Postmodern Jukebox, Bradlee struggled through the obstacles that every self-employed artist or entrepreneur with a vision faces: how to collaborate successfully on teams with divergent visions, how to outrun the naysayers, how to chase the next innovation when your reputation makes others start to pigeonhole you, and so many of the other challenges lining the path to success.

Taking listeners through the false starts, hilarious backstage antics, and unexpected breakthroughs of Bradlee's journey from a lost musician to a musical kingmaker - and presenting all the entrepreneurial insights he learned along the way - Outside the Jukebox is an inspiring memoir about how one musician found his rhythm and launched a movement that would forever change our relationships to our favorite songs.

©2018 Scott Bradlee (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"With an uncanny ability to tap into the cultural zeitgeist time and again, Scott Bradlee has given rise to a whole new crop of mega-talented singers and musicians, blending pop and jazz in a completely novel way....Outside the Jukebox takes us inside his unique method." (Dave Koz, jazz saxophonist and host of Sirius-XM's The Dave Koz Lounge)

"Candid, hilarious, and wildly fun, Outside the Jukebox is the book I wish I'd had when I was getting my start in theatre." (Kristin Chenoweth, Broadway and television star)

"Bradlee found tremendous success by going his own way, and he turned his passion into a creative movement....I am learning from this read!" (Mick Fleetwood, co-founder of Fleetwood Mac)

Spectacular!

This book is outstanding! The audio was extremely well done, Scott is a genius. :)

PMJ

Loved this book. Loved the way Scott filled us all in on the behind the scenes happenings

Celebrity in your living room

What I love about this book is that listening to it makes you feel like you're sitting in your living room just chatting with Scott. It's genuine, frank, and encouraging.

Scott Bradlee is very well grounded. You don't get the feeling that he's a celebrity out of touch with his fans and how their lives work.

The anecdotes are funny and genuine. They bring a personable background to the performances of PMJ. It was a very enjoyable read, and the guest performers made it even more enjoyable as an audiobook.

I finished this book...

And I think it was a fun read, especially if you are into the music industry or the music of Postmodern Jukebox specifically. Bradlee brings a personal tone narrating his own writing, and ties together his experiences into a pretty good narrative. I laughed out loud at several moments!