The man who pitted Snoopy against the Red Baron

Coming in March is Phil Gernhard, Record Man, a biography written by Bill DeYoung.  Gernhard, a record producer who (according to the promo blurb) had a life filled with addictions, wives, and demons that ended in suicide in 2008, has a very specific place in Peanuts history: he’s the guy who took the song that Dick Holler had written about the Red Baron and decided to add Snoopy to it, taking advantage of the popular ongoing gags in Peanuts about the beagle dogfighting the baron. The result was, of course, both a huge 1966 hit for the band the Royal Guardsmen and a legal mess, as Gernhard hadn’t actually bothered to get permission to use the Snoopy character. This wasn’t the only hit in Gernhard’s career, and the book certainly isn’t going to be about just that, but if you want it, there you go!

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Upcoming releases
The Essential Peanuts preview

The magazine People ran a preview of The Essential Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz, the upcoming Peanuts retrospective written by my bud Mark Evanier. I’ll let you head there for the content, but I am going to talk on one part of the preview pointed to me by AAUGH Blog …

Upcoming releases
Charlie Brown’s America goes soft

Coming in December is a paperback edition of Blake Scott Bell’s Charlie Brown’s America: The Popular Politics of Peanuts. I reviewed the hardcover when it came out in 2021, and that positive recommendation still stands. Share the news!

Upcoming releases
Finally, a Peanuts book that is ALL ABOUT ME!

Since you’re following this blog, I know that you’re interested in my updates and insights on Peanuts books. I’m not sure how deep your interest in the humble AAUGH Blogger goes… but if you want it, you will soon have the chance to purchase a Peanuts book that’s ALL ABOUT ME! …