I Know, It’s Only Rock N’ Roll…

by John

...But I haven’t been this excited for a book in years! Of course, I’m talking about Keith Richards’ LIFE, which officially goes on sale today. And even if the excerpt from Rolling Stone didn’t live up to the hype (which it does), or if Michiko didn’t give it a rave review in the Times, I’d still be first in line to get my copy.

As a new agent, I’ve done several interviews over the last few weeks, and one of the usual questions is what did you read as a kid? Typically, my answers reference grade school or middle school, because once high school hit my pleasure reading pretty much dried up—except for rock bios, which aren’t exactly considered high literature. But looking back now at my well-thumbed copies of No One Here Gets Out Alive, Hammer of the Gods, and ‘Scuse Me While I Kiss the Sky, it’s fun to remember how I devoured these sordid tales of excess, and also to recognize the profound effect they had on me—no, I’m not talking about a raging heroin addiction, but how Beatles biographies like Peter Brown’s The Love You Make made me want to learn guitar almost as much as their music did.

So now that Keef has made the plunge, I can’t wait to dive in with him—partly because it promises to be an amazing story, but also I’m eager reconnect with that teen reading experience. By the way, if anyone wants a primer on rock bios/memoirs, check out this slideshow from The Wrap. And is anyone else as excited for LIFE as I am? Who else had their teenage world “rocked” by books as much as music?

The allusive and elusive Jay-Z

by Lauren

As you may recall, I’m a bit of a poetry fan. Truth be told, though, I enjoy breaking apart its rhythms and allusions much more than I ever have any sentiment it’s meant to convey. I like the challenge of memorization and figuring out the appropriate intonation, as well as the more scientific analysis of form, which is both nerdy and perhaps a real violation of the spirit in which many poets endeavor. I myself am a fan of the just slightly too clever type of poet—Paul Muldoon and the like—instead of poetry in which form doesn’t play a strong role. I have a vague recollection of once reading a poem about poetry that was so clever, it actually demonstrated each term as it discussed it, and while I instantly fell in love I can’t for the life of me recall what it is.  Does anyone know what I’m thinking of? It’d certainly be some canonical thing from an English class.

I was reminded of this type of analysis while reading a Guardian article on Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind,” a song I quite like, not least because it sort of sounds like nonsense if don’t understand the allusions. I certainly don’t get much of it on my own, which is why I lost a bit of time down the rabbit hole of this blog entry and subsequent comments on The Awl a while back. The analyses of various parts of the song and the allusions that may or may not be contained therein—as well as this very detailed explanation of the entire song linked to in the comments—are really kind of mind blowing. If you like the song, are confused by it, or just love when people put words together in an interesting way, do check it out! And if the bad grammar of the chorus bothers you as much as it does me, you’re going to love this solution.

P.S. I really need to teach my nephew to do this once he learns some more words, because I’m thoroughly impressed with the way this kid captures the nuance and rhythm required for this poem to make sense. (Thanks, Michael, for sharing the link!)

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?

by Lauren

I've been on a bit of a Beatles kick lately, and--rather than my usual method of creating playlists of songs I already love by various artists--I decided to actually listen to some albums in full.  Much to my surprise, I've discovered that a song I never liked is actually pretty fun:  "Paperback Writer."

I wonder if my opinion has changed since I probably last really listened to it before I spent so much time with the slush pile: a song that's actually a query letter is truly a delight.  (It bears an unfortunate resemblance to some of the more misguided queries that come our way!)  I can certainly think of songs about books or about writers or about trying to write, but I can't think of any other songs about the business of publishing.  

There must be some, and I love a good themed playlist, so can anyone think of any other songs about the publishing industry?  Songs about writing, books, and authors also welcome.

Oasis, Alanis, Anne Rice, and Gilbert Grape

by Lauren

What do those four things have in common, other than being convenient markers of my adolescence?  I used to be unable to hear Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill or Oasis's (What's the Story) Morning Glory? without being transported to Anne Rice's Lousiana or the Iowa of Peter Hedges. This GalleyCat post on music to write by made me think about the ways in which I experience music and reading together.  As a person who tends to listen to the same album incessantly, not switching up till I never want to hear it ever again, there have sometimes been albums intrinsically tied to a novel I was reading--though apparently the effect lessens over time, because I now can't recall which CD above went with which book.  Every time I hear Brandi Carlile, it calls to mind a novel by a client that I devoured in a couple sittings with The Story on repeat in the background.  (I also experience this with apartments:  Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head = my senior year in Ditmas/Flatbush; John Mayer's Room for Squares is two apartments later, on the Upper East Side.  My musical taste = ever so slightly embarassing.)

I've always loved the power that music has to do this--feeling reinserted into the world of a beloved novel can sometimes be like coming home.

I recently discovered a new version of this phenomenon: my client, Michael Gavaghen had been having a bit of trouble diving back into his novel to do the edits he and I had discussed.  When he'd first worked on the novel, he'd been listening to a lot of blues music, and since then had shifted his listening habits.  In fact, he'd been working on another novel as well.  When it came time to revisit the first novel, he had trouble re-immersing himself in that world.  But as soon as he put back on the blues, he recaptured the rhythm and voice of the novel.  Handy trick!

Does anyone else experience this, either as a writer or a reader?  And does anyone actually have a strong sense memory from simply reading about music rather than hearing it?