West Hollywood, CA – Sunset Marquis is thrilled to announce the publication of “If These Walls Could Rock” written by the family owned hotel’s co-owner Mark Rosenthal and Craig Williams. Covering five decades of never-before-told stories, “If These Walls Could Rock” follows the evolution of what was an Astroturf-lined apartment hotel into a world-class luxury property and its parallel to the development of the music and entertainment industries.
“In the summer of 1960, two years before he broke ground on The Sunset Marquis Hotel, real estate developer George Rosenthal sat in the living room of Chicago’s Playboy mansion with Hugh Hefner, trying to decide whether or not they should accept a twelve-million- dollar loan from Jimmy Hoffa.”
For five decades, Sunset Marquis has been one of the best-kept secrets in the entertainment industry, the home away from home for actors, comedians, writers, artists, filmmakers, fashion designers, supermodels, restaurateurs, billionaire entrepreneurs, and the newest breed of entertainer when the hotel opened its doors in 1963: rock stars. With a very limited first printing, “If These Walls Could Rock” features artful photographs of the property and portraits of its celebrated guests by renowned photographers, including Julius Shulman, Bob Gruen, Timothy White, Ross Halfin, and Robert Knight, accompanied by anecdotes drawn from interviews with the hotel’s owners, employees, and guests. “If These Walls Could Rock” illustrates the Sunset Marquis’ place in entertainment history and explores the reasons the Marquis holds such a special place in the hearts of so many entertainment icons, including Keith Richards, The Ramones, Cindy Lauper, The Clash, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Debbie Harry, Slash, Billy Bob Thornton, Green Day, and U2.
Art director/designer, producer and a five-time Grammy nominee, Geoff Gans, founder of Rare Cool Stuff, designed “If These Walls Could Rock”. The book’s design, print and bindery work is made in the United States and boasts being produced in LA at Dorado Music Packaging on Forest Stewardship Council-certified substrates advocating “Green” printing and packaging.
“If These Walls Could Rock” is available for pre-order at www.ifthesewallscouldrock.com and costs $63.00, further celebrating the 1963 birth of Sunset Marquis.
“If God had invented a hotel for rock bands, it probably would look like the Sunset Marquis,” Rolling Stone magazine’s Dave Marsh wrote in an August of 1978 profile of long- time guest Bruce Springsteen.
Source: http://www.ballantinespr.com/News/SunsetMarquis/SM_Walls.html