Late night literature
What have you been reading lately? Anything that you think I'd be in to?
I'm currently enjoying a book on T. Rex founder Marc Bolan--Bolan: The Rise and Fall of a 20th Century Superstar. I'm just past the point in Bolan's life when he changes from Mark Feld to Marc Bolan, and right at the beginning of his time in John's Children. It was interesting to read about a young Marc, out-mod'ing his older peers, doing some modeling on the side, and eventually turning into a mystical hippie with a flair for the imaginative farce.
I was chomping at the bit to start this book as I spent well over a month drudging my way through a Phil Spector bio, Wall of Pain. I really thought that I'd be into a Spector bio, but alas I'm just not as interested in the man's life as I originally thought I would be. Actually, the book just wastes too much detail in making its point. Do I really need to follow every single twist and turn in the young Spector's recording career? I mean, after about the fifth page it was obvious that Spector was: 1) brilliant; 2) unique; 3) uncompromising; 4) a snake; and 5) full of business savvy. Sure, it was fun to read about Spector telling a former business associate to fuck off in song--a catchy little number called "Let's Dance the Screw" pressed to virgin vinyl specifically (and only) for the ex-business partner. But, for every insightful anecdote like that, there's a million other dry details that reek of TOO MUCH INFORMATION.
Maybe I'll return to the book down the road and just pick my spots with more careful precision. Another book I hope to return to in the near future is the new book by Dennis Rodman, his third. You may remember Rodman as "the Worm," the multi-colored hairball in the throat of the '90s Chicago Bulls dynasty (circa 1996-98). Well, this particular book isn't on shelves yet. Matter of fact, it isn't even in a publishing house yet. My bosses at SP are considering publishing it, hoping to ride the coattails of Rodman's name to the tune of 20,000 copies sold. It's not a bad bet, as Rodman has a way of keeping his name in the news when it's opportune. (Remember when he showed up to his first-ever book signing for his first-ever book, Bad As I Wanna Be, dressed in drag in a wedding gown?) Speaking of bets, if I get the honors of editing this book, I'm starting an office pool on the number of times Rodman drops the f-bomb in the manuscript. I'll start the bidding at 100.
I'd post a sample of the book proposal--which is as thoroughly outrageous as one would suspect--but I'd rather not lose my job as the result of someone else's Google search.
Cheerio for the evening; I've got some reading to do.
N/P--Devendra Banhart, "Noah"
I'm currently enjoying a book on T. Rex founder Marc Bolan--Bolan: The Rise and Fall of a 20th Century Superstar. I'm just past the point in Bolan's life when he changes from Mark Feld to Marc Bolan, and right at the beginning of his time in John's Children. It was interesting to read about a young Marc, out-mod'ing his older peers, doing some modeling on the side, and eventually turning into a mystical hippie with a flair for the imaginative farce.
I was chomping at the bit to start this book as I spent well over a month drudging my way through a Phil Spector bio, Wall of Pain. I really thought that I'd be into a Spector bio, but alas I'm just not as interested in the man's life as I originally thought I would be. Actually, the book just wastes too much detail in making its point. Do I really need to follow every single twist and turn in the young Spector's recording career? I mean, after about the fifth page it was obvious that Spector was: 1) brilliant; 2) unique; 3) uncompromising; 4) a snake; and 5) full of business savvy. Sure, it was fun to read about Spector telling a former business associate to fuck off in song--a catchy little number called "Let's Dance the Screw" pressed to virgin vinyl specifically (and only) for the ex-business partner. But, for every insightful anecdote like that, there's a million other dry details that reek of TOO MUCH INFORMATION.
Maybe I'll return to the book down the road and just pick my spots with more careful precision. Another book I hope to return to in the near future is the new book by Dennis Rodman, his third. You may remember Rodman as "the Worm," the multi-colored hairball in the throat of the '90s Chicago Bulls dynasty (circa 1996-98). Well, this particular book isn't on shelves yet. Matter of fact, it isn't even in a publishing house yet. My bosses at SP are considering publishing it, hoping to ride the coattails of Rodman's name to the tune of 20,000 copies sold. It's not a bad bet, as Rodman has a way of keeping his name in the news when it's opportune. (Remember when he showed up to his first-ever book signing for his first-ever book, Bad As I Wanna Be, dressed in drag in a wedding gown?) Speaking of bets, if I get the honors of editing this book, I'm starting an office pool on the number of times Rodman drops the f-bomb in the manuscript. I'll start the bidding at 100.
I'd post a sample of the book proposal--which is as thoroughly outrageous as one would suspect--but I'd rather not lose my job as the result of someone else's Google search.
Cheerio for the evening; I've got some reading to do.
N/P--Devendra Banhart, "Noah"
posted by thenoiseboy @ 10:50 PM
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