girl about town

The House of Tomorrow, a new novel by Peter Bognanni (Amy Einhorn Books)

You would have to be young and insane not to love this book. As an author from the High Fidelity and Rock n' Roll High School of thought, talented author and teacher, Peter Bognanni, has written a book that is as rife with confidence, hurt, friendship, and tender heartache, as it is with teenage angst, and balls-out Punk Rawk! This new novel is called, "The House of Tomorrow".

Teenager Sebastian Prendergast lives with his architect Nana in their environmentally-friendly, and see-through, Geodesic Dome. Nana offers tours of the Dome in relation to the futuristic teachings of R. Buckminster Fuller, while Sebastian runs the Dome's gift shop for locals and intrigued passersbys in North Branch, Iowa. Having been homeschooled since childhood with only his Nana for company--Sebastian's lonely and insular world is rocked on the day that his Nana has a stroke; right in the middle of a tour with Janice Whitcomb and her son Jared. 

"He wore a leather jacket with straps, buckles and snapped epaulets. And under the jacket, there was a T-shirt made to resemble the front of a tuxedo. He had skinny black jeans and frayed canvas sneakers. He was even skinnier than I was and wore squarish glasses. A thick lock of uncombed dark hair hung over the top of the frames like a dirty wave. Tiny headphones were buried in his ears." (Peter Bognanni, excerpt from The House of Tomorrow)

Jared Whitcomb is a teen loner with afflictions of his own who turns Sebastian on to music for the first time as they wait together in the hospital, outside of which he eventually fills the boy's heart with the music of the Misfits, Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, and The Ramones. The two teens eventually form a band they call, "The Rash". Punk rock music forms a tenuous and fragile bond which grows between the two teens that neither a beautiful but nagging sister, a worrying mother, or an ailing and strict grandmother could have ever imagined.

Live Review: The Rash, live at Immanuel Methodist Church Annual Talent Show (xxLiving in North Branch Sucksxx, comic and fanzine, issue 3, volume 1)
Baton twirling opener Holly Halverson gave the same performance as last year; Holly--God called, and he wants his baton back and a new performance already, so stop sucking up. And, what was with the magic show by Wayne? Although sadly entertaining; these were the weirdest live talent show openers we've seen all year. Finally, anticipation was high as The Rash made their debut! The unsettled crowd that rushed into the Immanuel pushed 8-yr. olds and grannies aside at the last moment and were yelling for free beer!  This was turning into the most exciting talent show ever as the crowd began chanting; prematurely (and thankfully) ending magician Wayne's lame-ass cup-trick while yelling, "We Want The Rash! WE WANT THE RASH!".

As the new punk duo made their way onto stage to amp their guitars, Jared Whitcomb on guitar and vocals, and Sebastian Prendergast on bass and backing vocals--the crowd began to feel their cold sweat. Either the crowd would have them, or The Rash would have us. Formed in Washington, D.C. (apparently they are now based in North Branch), these two punk kids came out of nowhere to rock our faces off! The opener was a jagged guitar riff that began with a wall of feedback and had Jared yelling something about a "Stuuuupid School", but the second song was better: "Up In My Room" (a girl named Meredith told us the song title) had the bespectacled singer Jared writhing on the floor while Sebastian backed him up! In a total punk rawk move, Sebastian and then Jared ran off stage into the crowd at the end. What a finish! If anyone has any leads on when The Rash are playing next; give us a call! Apparently, those stupid ass-hats that work at The Record Collector have promised to track down and carry their first 7" limited release single; we're hoping we won't need I.D. to buy it. Thanks for nothing, Mom!

Peter Bognanni's outstanding book "The House of Tomorrow" is set to be released on March 4th, 2010 through Amy Einhorn Books (a subsidiary of Putnam/Penguin). We sincerely hope that Peter eventually gets a movie option, but to continue the journey: you can read more here, or here (after you've ordered and read the book, of course).

Peter Bognanni - author site / amy einhorn books

The Death of Bunny Munro, a new novel by Nick Cave (Faber and Faber, 2009)

Cover illustrations by Charlotte Strick

"'My name is Bunny Munro. I sell beauty products. I ask you for one minute of your time.'" In musician and writer Nick Cave's second novel, The Death of Bunny Munro; a haunted and womanizing door-to-door salesman hopes to make sense of his life after his wife commits suicide and he is left caring for his 9 year old son (whom he decides to take on the road). The novel volleys from father to son's point of view throughout the duo's final descent together towards Bunny's ultimate attempt at redemption and forgiveness through a botched road trip, and cigarette and alcohol-fueled sales mission. The character of Bunny Junior is the innocent to his father's soiled morality, and smart as a whip, he reads an encyclopaedia; the only gift he treasures, from his deceased mother Libby. Bunny Junior reads his book as if it were his Bible....as if this Good Book were the only item able to hold father, son, and the seams of reality together on this tumultuous journey. 

"'That's Bunny Junior,' says Bunny. 'He's my son.'
The boy points a thumb at his father and, with a narrow smile, says, 'And he's my dad.'"

The language here is both tough and merciless, and as Bunny Munro leads us into his dark and Lothario ways, we question--is this Nick Cave's alternate project 'Grinderman', writing out his memoir? Bunny's 'wolfish' charms take prisoners through each home sales visit. From a blind elderly woman, a counter-clerk at MacDonald's, to a dark, and drugged-out, kohl eye-lined character resembling pop singer Avril Lavigne, to Britain (and naturally Bunny's) obsession with the music of international sex symbol Kylie Minogue: Bunny spares no one his cocksure attitude, or post-haste exits. As Bunny Junior hides in their bright yellow Punto car awaiting his father's return from each home visit; he lies in fear of the outside world and the wild characters colliding in each dangerous place father and son navigate into. We begin to wonder if the boy will make it out of the the car, and their road trip, alive.

Reminiscent of the strongest fictional male characters right out of Irvine Welsh or Michel Houllebecq novels; what Nick Cave portrays in Bunny Munro is a character who is slowly going off the rails, the wolf in sheep's clothing, wiggling his bunny ears to bend women to his will while his son tries to make sense of what got them both to where they are in the first place.

Cave writes like someone lighting a match for their last guillotine cigarette; and we are gripped, with our hearts torn to the very core for what both Bunny and Bunny Junior have and will experience. Although we are expecting an end; this fictional and creative story shocks in brutal, but very human ways. It is love that finds the final light, and we are haunted by the bittersweet, just as Bunny explains in his final gesture to his son, "'I just found this world a hard place to be good in.'"

The Death of Bunny Munro book and audio versions are out now, and Nick Cave along with his publishing company Faber and Faber are also set to release "500 slip case special edition copies of The Death of Bunny Munroe" this November, 2009, which will be signed by the author and will also include seven audio CDs as a companion to the novel, the unabridged novel, read by Nick Cave. Cave also worked with Warren Ellis (multi-instrumentalist and friend from Dirty Three, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and Grinderman) to create an original soundtrack which will be included among these CDs, as well as a DVD featuring "eleven short videos of Nick Cave reading from his novel." 

The author; Nick Cave by Gavin Evans

Here's what video creators Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard had to say about the new technology used in the making of this package: "We set out to create an immersive and transportive 3D listening experience. We've not heard anything like this before - the result sits somewhere between a film soundtrack, a radio play and an hallucination," said Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard. "Working from fragments of music provided by Warren and Nick, we introduced real-world sound effects, and then sent this to Arup with a spatialisation script to construct a complete soundscape for the narrative designed not only to enhance your experience but also to disturb and interrupt it. For example, you hear sounds occupy the acoustic space inside Bunny’s canary yellow Punto, you hear the infrasonic rumblings of elephants mating on the TV in the corner of the room and you experience the sound of fear rising from the pit of your stomach…"

Other features include:
- Synchronisation between the audiobook and written text, allowing the reader to switch from reading to listening without losing his or her place.
- Eleven videos of Cave reading from the book, filmed by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard.
- Option for fans to receive exclusive news from the author.
- Ability to tilt the device to scroll the text.
- Option to share quotes from the book with others by email.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - band site
The Death of Bunny Munro - book site

Broad Street by Christine Weiser

"No more dick rock. Enter three girlie feminists not afraid to wear a dress, makeup, heels. What the hell was wrong with being a chick?”  These sentiments are echoed by Kit, the bass-playing protagonist of Christine Weiser's new debut novel "Broad Street".  The story follows Kit through the mid 90s Philadelphia music scene as she trys to recover from a breakup and find her own place in the world.  Kit meets Margo, a like-minded compatriot that quickly becomes her band mate and best friend.  Together the girls navigate the city's rock scene, all while trying to cope with family, friends, day jobs, and not-so-nice guys.  Through their own questioning and self-reflection they discover they are a promising band with potential, and this lifts their confidence to new levels as they ultimately come out on top.  Through it all, Kit discovers what's really important in life (besides music, of course) and learns to appreciate her relationships and most importantly her own self worth.

Author Christine Weiser called the band "Broad Street" as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the often not-women friendly music scene.  However, Kit and Margo in the book appropriate the name as a badge of honor, proud of their outsider status which really in turn brings them closer inside the 90s male dominated music world and into another realm of adoration and ultimately respect.

Christine Weiser is a real-life musician as well, playing in current band The Tights (and former girl garage band Mae Pang).  Christine, like her heroine Kit, plays bass and sings backing vocals.  The Tights will be performing at September's Sugar Town in order to celebrate the release of Christine's book.  The launch party will also feature three other bands comprised of lady rockers: Normal, Kitten Disaster, and Thee Minks.  Sara Sherr will be DJing, who incidentally inspired one of the book's characters, a music reporter for the City Paper.  The event is on Saturday, September 27th at the Tritone, and will be preceeded by an 8PM reading from "Broad Street" by Christine Weiser.  And it's free!  So use that money you were gonna spend on the cover and buy the book instead when it comes out in October.

Christine Weiser - website / ps books

Elliot Smith - Autumn de Wilde (Chronicle Books)

Los Angeles photographer Autumn de Wilde is well known in certain music circles for her riveting work, and she has created quite a prolific portfolio through subjects such as Beck, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pavement, Spoon, Fiona Apple, Tegan and Sara, Built to Spill, Death Cab for Cutie, The White Stripes, etc.  But it is with her portraits of the late Elliot Smith that Autumn's work broke through to new heights.  She worked with Smith often, creating the images and look of "Figure 8" album, and directing the "Son of Sam" video.  Four years after Smith's passing, Autumn put together this tribute to her dear friend, which is an intimate visual portrait that speaks eloquently to Smith's music and his life.  Part photo essay with 200 pictures and part written interviews, this 224 page book captures various aspects of Smith's disposition and accurately reflects the deep pathos that is palpable in his music.  Many of the photos are from the album shoots, but some are of documents written in Smith's own hand - things like lyrics scrawled on papers, or receipts and post-it notes.  Not quite a scrapbook, the few items included are not mementos but rather interesting glimpses into Smith's mysterious life.  For example, at the back of the book there is an image of a letter from Sallie Mae sent to Smith, congratulating him that his student loans were finally paid off.  This is the type of thing that makes Smith a real figure apart from his mythologized persona, and one wishes there were more of these included.  However, there are plenty of interviews included with people who have worked with both Autumn and Smith, and were closely connected to the artist's personal world; it is these interviews that serve the purpose of shedding light on otherwise murky territory.  The foreward is a discussion between Beck and Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) about Autumn de Wilde's connection to the artists she photographs and their feelings on the act of being photographed.  Then we get discussions between Autumn and various people that figured relevant in Smith's life: Matthew Caws (Nada Surf, tour mate), Neil Gust (college friend and Heatmiser band mate), Joanna Bolme (girlfriend), Dorien Garry (former roomate), Sean Coghan (former roomate), Alyssa Siegel (asst. to Smith's manager), Larry Crane (owner of Jackpot! Studio), Sam Coomes (Quasi, Heatmiser band mate), Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), Ashley Welch (Smith's sister), Dale Smith (Graphic Designer for "Figure 8"), Mark Flanagan (owner of Club Largo), Jon Brion (singer/producer), Rob Schnapf (engineer), and Margaret Mittleman (manager).  Smith comes back to life like a strong spirit through both the images and words, and it is indeed haunting to read through the book, especially while listening to the CD that is included with the book.  It is called "Live at Largo", which is a club in LA that Smith would frequent.  The CD has five live tracks from 1997 that are previously unreleased:

01. Angeles
02. Between the Bars
03. Clementine
04. Clouds
05. All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down 

Love Is A Mix Tape - Rob Sheffield (Three Rivers Press)

 

Just recently reprinted and issued in paperback, now is the time to get your hands on a copy of "Love is a Mix Tape" by notable Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield.  Rob is known to many of us for his rock journalism, not just in Rolling Stone but in Spin, The Village Voice, etc, and for being a commentator on many a MTV and VH1 show.  But many of you probably didn't know that before Rob moved to New York in the late 90s, he had a whole other life in Charlottesville, VA with his beloved wife Renee, who passed away in 1997 at the age of 31 of a pulmonary embolism.  This book, subtitled "Life and Loss, One Song at a Time", is Rob's goodbye elegy to his wife, done by sharing the personally warm anecdotes about their deep love of music, and their even deeper love for each other.  Making mix tapes was a big part of ther relationship, and Rob uses some of these mix tapes to set the stage for the stories he wants to relive for himself and for us, the readers.  There are lists of these songs at the start of each chapter, and one has to wonder if anyone has gone ahead to create their own Rob n' Renee mix.  While most of the compilations are filled with lots of 80s and 90s alternative tunes (like REM, The Smiths, and lots of Pavement), there are also a lot of classic rock, country standards, Motown, new wave, hip-hop, and dubious top 40 tunes.  This was a sigh of relief, for everyone secretly wants to put "Mmmbop" by Hanson on their mix tapes but no one wants to admit it or actually do it!  So it is quite admirable and very sincere of Rob to wear his heart on his sleeve for his gal Renee and not care about the consequences.  The book opens with a lyric from Pavement, "I wasted all your precious time, I wasted it all on you" (from the song "Perfect Depth"), and this sets the tone for the poignant story Rob is about to tell.  Part nostalgia for a time lost, and part hope for a new future, one can't help but to feel sincere empathy for the guy as he deals with his agony and loneliness.  But in the end, the music gets him through and this is something we all can relate to.  The book isn't all doom and gloom, though, and for the first two thirds we are treated to all the magic and excitement that their burgeoning relationship and mix tapes offer.  And even though we know Renee's fate before we crack open the spine, the actual event comes as a tremendous blow.  Definitely read this with tissues in hand and time to gobble the 224 pages in one sitting, as you won't want to put it down.  And then dig out your Pavement records, or Cheap Trick, or Blondie, or Big Star, or......

Love Is A Mix Tape - website

Made in the UK: The Music of Attitude 1977-1983 – by Janette Beckman, Powerhouse Classics

Photographer Janette Beckman has assembled her images from the forefront of the British punk movement, to which she was an active participant. Beckman was never an outsider, working at Melody Maker and The Face chronicling the explosion of teen popular culture that grew out of Thather’s oppressive politics. With images of Teddy boys, mods, skinheads, punks, and rude boys, Beckman crafts a visual history of one of the most vibrant eras in popular music. Along with a foreword by fashion designer Paul Smith and essays by Vivien Goldman (ex-Melody Maker journalist and all-around punk expert) and Paolo Hewitt (equally respected ex-Melody Maker journalist and biographer), this little book does a lot to capture the essence of the time, which is great for those who don’t want to or have the time to read many of the extensive books on the era. The photos do a great job of telling the story, with gritty realism and rich with detail. Besides all the usual subjects (Sex Pistols, The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Police), you get a heavy dose of Two-Tone ska and the mod scene. Plenty of women are featured from the scene, such as The Marine Girls, The Belle Stars, Annie Lennox, Siouxie Sioux, Blondie, Lydia Lunch, Bananarama, The Raincoats, and The Mo-Dettes. As much as I love the images of the mod guys and gals, my personal favorite image is of a teenage Paul Weller standing on a Soho sidewalk with Pete Townshend. Paul Smith agrees, as he writes “the photograph of Paul Weller and Pete Townshend completely sums up my teenage years – self conscious and fanatical about details”. I couldn’t have said it better myself.