A little inspiration to get my reading goals jumpstarted! Two music books I knocked out last year and then dragged on when it came to writing about them.
The first is Record Collecting for Girls which is really a semi-autobiography and collection of essays by Courtney E. Smith. It isn’t a guidebook to help other ladies since women are in the minority with all aspects of music in the West. The second is I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll (Except When I Hate It) by Brian Boone. This book you’d think was what Courtney was aiming for, nope, it’s a collection of trivial matters which I elaborate on later.
I did have the honor and opportunity to meet Courtney in 2011, hence why I bought and read her book…I’m just slow. Boone’s I picked up on a whim while browsing at Waterloo Records’ new releases section around the same time.
I’ll start with Collecting.
This was an interesting mental journey of Courtney’s opinions and observations about how part music has played in a major role in her life that it led to a job with MTV for a few years. She’s about a decade younger than I am so there’s already some disagreements in taste, especially pushing out the Finn brothers for screechfest Sleater-Kinney all because they were LUGs, in her all-time favorite five acts. The chapter covering all-girl bands was interesting but the Bangles v. Go Go’s part was a no-brainer. Any music fan with half a brain knows they’re different styles (Jangle-Psychedelic Pop v. Power Pop/Cleaned up Wannabe Punk respectively), hence I would’ve never insulted Susanna Hoffs or Debra Peterson with a question about how Jane Wiedlin or Belinda Carlisle paved the way for all-girl groups. The section warning women not to date guys who are way too much into the Smiths/Morrissey was unnecessary. The title tells it all; no read it, it does have funny observations as I tease my friend Pablo about. Each chapter ends with a playlist covering the general topic.
I am glad I read it from beginning to end though. Courtney has too much reverence for the Beatles and Stones yet she was probably spared the Eighties when they were rammed down my age group’s throat. However, one sign that the author has a knowledgeable opinion about the music she likes is how well she can defend it and me getting irked is just part of one’s passion. I bet if I wrote a similar book, I could get under Courtney’s skin the same way. Let me give a better example. My wife Somara’s love of music is not on the same devotional level as mine or Courtney’s. Somara probably likes stuff the author and I may find indefensible. Now have me trade places with Somara on Science Fiction books. Here I would be up against the ropes, as I was last Christmas when we were buying something for the Olive Garden’s giving tree.
Is it worth reading? As insightful and delightful Courtney’s prose is, I would say the subject matter would only appeal to music nuts such as ourselves. I will be on the lookout for Courtney’s next book to show my support.
Now to conclude with Love/Hate.
Boone is a frequent contributor to those bathroom readers, I think the Uncle John ones. This book is broken up into topics such as how many people have been called the Fifth Beatle, acts that disbanded too soon/late, solo artists who failed/succeeded after they left the band, etc. Some facts I already knew, many I didn’t, and most I couldn’t have cared less because they covered the Boomers’ crap.
The interesting nuggets he did provide:
- When did audiences start holding up their lighters during sappy tunes; I remember going to INXS and Michael Hutchence telling people to put them away, he wasn’t performing some Hippie tune; “Shine Like It Does.” The answer…some forgotten singer at Woodstock and lighters were used if the Hippie lacked a candle. Now we’ve got an App for this!
- Before drunk idiots started yelling, “More cowbell!” Their older brothers/cousins used to yell, “Freebird!” Allegedly, Boone said it was originated by boorish Chicago DJ (Johnny B) trying to embarrass Florence Henderson at her concert. Sounds about right yet I’ve read conflicting accounts.
Boone’s writings just serve as research material for me to remember whenever I participate in Geeks Who Drink, although Pablo and Ken (teammates) often have music trivia well covered. Therefore, I don’t recommend his book when most of its anecdotes are posted on Wikipedia, Snopes and more interesting bios. His hatred of the Eagles now makes me glad I bought Don Felder’s book covering his time with an act who has sold one of the five best all-time-selling albums in Pop history.