I’m from Montana and do not handle the infernal Texas heat very well. Not very well at all, in fact. Thus, my favorite summer reading spots are all air-conditioning-related. My top spots are either the cold, dark confines of Casino El Camino South Side with an ice-cold Lone Star by my side and soul and rockabilly music on the juke… Or my living room couch with records on the turn-table (give the Congo’s seminal roots-reggae album Heart of the Congos a spin for some top-ranking summer jams) and my favorite summer cocktail in hand (vodka, grapefruit juice and that elixir of life, Topo Chico). What completes that alchemical combination of AC, good tunes and adult beverages for my unbridled summer bliss? MUSIC BOOKS!
1. You Don’t Know Me But You Don’t Like Me by Nathan Rabin
Let’s just say I have less-than-positive feelings towards the bands Insane Clown Posse and Phish. You may be asking yourself why I mention those two wildly different bands in the same breath. ICP and Phish have two (and perhaps ONLY two) things in common: both have quite sizable and extremely loyal fan-bases and both bands are much maligned among music snobs like myself. While I cannot stand the music that either band produces, I must admit to being intrigued by the the extraordinary group behavior exhibited by the fans of both bands. Nathan Rabin, head writer for the Onion’s AV Club, shares my feelings and spent a summer immersing himself in the worlds of Phish and ICP. This is my ideal pool-side reading book… funny, insightful, tawdry and a little voyeuristic. (Join Book People’s music book club, This Book Could Be Your Life on Sunday, August 18th for a discussion of You Don’t Know Me by Nathan Rabin.)
2. Making Rumours by Ken Caillat and Steve Stiefel
Speaking of tawdry, there are few groups in popular music more interesting or steeped in scandal than Fleetwood Mac. This book, written by one of the Mac’s producers, is a first-hand account of the making of one of the best-selling albums of all time, Rumours. This book is chock full of drugs, love triangles and, of course, some really fricking awesome music. Another perfect pool-side read. PS- I had the pleasure of seeing Fleetwood Mac last month with three other of your intrepid BookPeople booksellers and take it from us: The Mac are STILL one of the best rock bands on the planet.
3. I Dreamed I Was A Very Clean Tramp by Richard Hell
I’ll admit to having a long-time crush on Richard Hell so when his autobiography showed up on our shelves, I rejoiced. Hell and his band the Voidoids were key figures in the incendiary downtown New York music scene of the ’70s. Hell is a seasoned writer, having published poems, essays and novels for years, so this book was a real pleasure to read. I especially enjoyed Hell’s tales of shenanigans with his childhood friend Tom Verlaine, who himself would go on to front the band Television, another extremely influential NYC band.
4. The Last Holiday by Gil Scott-Heron
In college I was madly in love with a tall, handsome poet who seemed to have walked right out of a Beat novel. He had a late-night radio show on KBGA, the college radio station in my hometown of Missoula, Montana. I was enchanted by the jive-talking, jazzy spoken-word piece that he used to open every show, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron. I quickly purchased vinyl Gil Scott-Heron albums and have been a fan ever since. Gil died in 2011 but not before completing his autobiography, The Last Holiday. The book chronicles his poor upbringing, modest success in music, crippling addictions and eventual comeback. A great story with a lot of heart.
5. Detroit Rock City by Steve Miller
I have a theory that there must have been some magical substance in the water in Detroit in the late ’60s/early ’70s. A seemingly disproportionate number of some of the best rock bands that this country has ever produced came from that time and place: Death, The Stooges and my favorite rock band EVER, the MC5. This oral history straight from the mouths of the people that lived it paints a vivid picture of the city and the art it produced. Bonus activity: if you’re looking for a break from all these wonderful music books, go visit our friends at the Alamo Drafthouse and view the thoroughly excellent documentary A Band Called Death, the amazing story of the best Detroit band you’ve never heard of, Death. I dare you to find a more inspiring music film.
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