All roads lead to Austin, what can I say, I live at the center of the cool universe is my conclusion after telling our Maggiano’s waiter about this city’s numerous attractions. Last evening’s book signing continued to strengthen the point I made when Simon Pegg came through in June. For author Courtney E. Smith, it’s the opportunity to have her family in audience (OK, more similar to Julie Powell, another Texan, than Simon Pegg) which I thought was awesome. I loved my grandma very much but she was an English teacher so I know she’d be marking up the book while I read a snipped for the crowd.
On to the guest of honor.
Courtney is a former MTV employee who helped with their programming and label relations. Now before you dismiss her because the network is more infamous for making Snooki a celebrity (amongst other crimes against the intelligent), she did help good bands get well-deserved attention: Vampire Weekend, Death Cab for Cutie and the Shins are examples given in her bio. This makes her work a candle in the darkness of tastelessness we live in.
Recently she wrote a book called Record Collecting for Girls. When I stumbled upon it last week while we were downtown on an important errand (another post), I almost dismissed her work and pending signing. The title gives this an air of a how-to book to assist young women join a hobby dominated by us bossy, evil dudes, not a semi-biographical series of essays both genders will enjoy. I took some time to read a little more than the outside cover’s synopsis (these are written by the publisher’s editors, not the author). Despite being intrigued I remained on the fence about going.
A couple days later, I discovered that Courtney was a guest on Tarsis Lopez’s Alternative Classix podcast for September. Her energy, wit and opinions won me over since she’s a fellow music geek, nerd, whatever. In short, Courtney has the same obsession with music certain friends and I have.
Obsession seems strong but I think it’s the best word to describe it. For example, Mark and I attended over a dozen concerts a year; the average American is about one or two. My personal record collection is approaching 2800 albums, rather small compared to Mark’s brother Scott (I think 6000-plus) while most people I know are a couple hundred at best; it’s probably smaller now with digital downloads pushing out traditional media. People approach us for mix tapes, recommendations and questions. What other term could be accurately used?
I had to go as a show of support. Courtney is a kindred spirit plus I wanted to get a signed copy for my niece Anna (a musician) as a gift. Plus it may be inspirational ammo whenever some dumb boy or worse, a music teacher, says she can’t be a rock star.
Courtney engaging the audience.
The signing was a nice event. Pretty good turn out. Free St. Arnold’s beer. Courtney read three passages: break-up/take-me-back mixes, guilty pleasures and top-five lists. The Q&A followed. Topics covered, the ones I remembered:
- Her thoughts on R.E.M. breaking up? It was about time, they didn’t seem very inspired for the last couple albums.
- What’s the future with digital downloads eclipsing CDs? Music is returning to what it used to be based upon, singles. Listening through whole albums was a marketing trick. (I agree on the singles yet half of iTunes’ sales are entire albums according to researchers).
- What will become of record collecting then? It will turn into music curating.
- Which album needs to be resequenced? There are many but The Beatles’ White Album needs it badly. R.E.M.’s Automatic for the People was done well due it ending with “Find the River.”
- One guy wanted to know how to get his daughter to share his love of vinyl. Let her find her way was the impression I got while she should keep the iPod.
Of course, yours truly asked a couple:
- Why aren’t there any women record producers unless it’s the artist working on her own album? Being the producer means you have to be charge to get the album done. Hence you hear those stories about Butch Vig being a dick when this band was in the studio. If a woman took this role, she’d be called a bitch and she feels none want to be labeled as such.
- I tried to quickly explain the game Mark and I came up with at a concert years ago, the one in which we ask someone to name a band/artist that has no redeemable material whatsoever. The critical part is the answer must be immediate, no contemplating or pondering yet an explanation is fine. Mine is Sonic Youth. Mark’s is Barenaked Ladies. Courtney’s Dave Matthews Band. However, she elaborated a bit why and followed up with Rush. I can see with the latter, I’ve never met a woman who ever liked them much. Don’t get Helen started or local DJ Charlie Hodges.
Afterwards, we spoke a bit while she signed the books (there’s another for a friend). I told her at my age, I don’t sweat nor feel I have to defend guilty pleasures. Sure people call me a tool for liking the Eagles or LRB yet there’s merit in what they did. Courtney laughed a bit and told me when she was younger she would call the Aussie hit-makers Little Rubber Band. This was followed up with me saying I caught her on the podcast earlier in the week. “Oh, were you the one Tarsis told me who left a comment?” Sheepishly, “Uhh…probably, I know I misspelled Aimee Mann’s name and my wife told me I forgot to mention the Donnas.”
I posted to thank Tarsis for having Courtney on his show and how I was looking forward to seeing her due to the interview. I continued with a short list of “girl” bands or those led by a woman since they both said there were very few, especially in the Nineties.
What’s next? I figure, she will continue making the rounds and I wish her good luck. To me, Courtney has a sharp mind, excellent tastes and her gender isn’t important. She is a fellow music fan first. As for me, I will be downloading Record to my iPad to read alongside another amusing piece called I Love Rock n’ Roll, Except When I Hate It. Right after I finish Simon Pegg’s work.