All you needed to do was read any weekly installment by longtime Los Angeles Times music editor Robert Hilburn to know who his favorites were. Even if was writing a piece on Bruce Springsteen, he'd inevitably bring up John Lennon or U2 or Johnny Cash. The esteemed journalist certainly held certain musicians on high, but he did try and deal fairly with those bands and artists he didn't care for. In his long-awaited autobiography, Hilburn focuses mainly on those musicians who played a significant part of his journalistic life - that includes the abovementioned John Lennon (hence the book's title), Springsteen, Elvis, U2, Bob Dylan and Cash.

The book centers on the writer's experiences with these various artists. He talks about hanging out with John Lennon in the studio while the former Beatle was recording Double Fantasy, and he explains how long and hard he tried to interview Bob Dylan. If you're a fan of these artists, this is worth reading. Hilburn was not an extraordinary writer, but he did have a sense of how an artist impacted the culture around him.

Robert Hilburn was in a high-powered position, and he intersected with some extraordinary individuals. Corn Flakes reveals his insights about some of these people and in turn tells us a lot about the author himself.