Rock and Roll Fiction and Non-fiction

bowiefan1970 · Apr 18, 2011

Hey, my name's Matt Syverson. I live near Austin, TX. I write rock n roll themed novels, and I want to talk to others with similar interests.

My book is called "Black Dog" and is about two teens who find an old record collection and play records backwards. That's when the weird stuff starts.

As far as rock fiction, I don't really know of any, so I'd love to hear some recommendations.

As far as non-fiction, I love "Hammer of the Gods" and "No One Here Gets Out Alive". I have Keef's new book, but I haven't started it yet.

What do you like?

alleycat · Apr 18, 2011

Possibly Eddie and the Cruisers.

Did you get the Black Dog title from the Led Zeppelin album?

strawberryblondie · Apr 18, 2011

For non-fiction I'm a big fan of Somebody to Love? by Grace Slick

bowiefan1970 · Apr 18, 2011

Yes, Black Dog is from Zep. The characters play numerous Zep songs backwards. When they do so, something from the song is called into existence, but they can never know for sure what.

bowiefan1970 · Apr 18, 2011

strawberryblondie said:
For non-fiction I'm a big fan of Somebody to Love? by Grace Slick

I gotta read that! Have you heard this song?- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgOwO4DYK0c
It's an anti-war thing. It goes on forever, but the vocal part is amazing.

bowiefan1970 · Apr 18, 2011

alleycat said:
Possibly Eddie and the Cruisers.

Did you get the Black Dog title from the Led Zeppelin album?

See my prior post about the zep question. Did you read "Eddie". I only saw the movie. I only remember the Beaver Brown Band was in it. I thought their name was hilarious.

Williebee · Apr 18, 2011

Hmm, Jump Cut, Pay the Piper;
High Fidelity and Juliet, Naked by Hornby,

Oh yeah, Paul is Undead - (Haven't read it, but the title amused me)

ooo Deep Blue, David Niall Wilson

Mercedes Lackey has some music related stuff. So does Charles deLint.

And Terry Pratchett's Soul Music (Discworld)

alleycat · Apr 18, 2011

bowiefan1970 said:
See my prior post about the zep question. Did you read "Eddie". I only saw the movie. I only remember the Beaver Brown Band was in it. I thought their name was hilarious.

I tried reading the book after I had seen the movie. As you might expect, the book is quite a bit different from the movie.

I think the book probably appeals more to a certain age group and a certain type (the type who only likes bands that no one else has heard of; once something has become popular it loses it's attraction). They would understand the Eddie of the book.

The book is darker than the movie.

bowiefan1970 · Apr 18, 2011

Williebee said:
Hmm, Jump Cut, Pay the Piper;
High Fidelity and Juliet, Naked by Hornby,

Oh yeah, Paul is Undead - (Haven't read it, but the title amused me)

ooo Deep Blue, David Niall Wilson

Mercedes Lackey has some music related stuff. So does Charles deLint.

And Terry Pratchett's Soul Music (Discworld)

Wow, thanks for all the recommendations! I've only heard of High Fidelity. I'll try to check some of them out.

Nick Blaze · Apr 18, 2011

I'd consider writing a book about metal if only it wasn't so completely misunderstood by American audiences. There are very few books on actual metal and most make ridiculous claims to bands who are not metal as being metal. As for rock and roll, though, somebody already recommended the book I was planning on recommending.

There are some anime on the concept of light rock and rock and roll... just what were they?

bowiefan1970 · Apr 18, 2011

Nick Blaze said:
I'd consider writing a book about metal if only it wasn't so completely misunderstood by American audiences. There are very few books on actual metal and most make ridiculous claims to bands who are not metal as being metal. As for rock and roll, though, somebody already recommended the book I was planning on recommending.

There are some anime on the concept of light rock and rock and roll... just what were they?

Maybe you should write the book on metal to explain it to Americans. I'm curious who/where you think metal is really understood. I'm suspecting Britain, but maybe you're talking about Norway or Brazil. I'd love to know more.

Nick Blaze · Apr 18, 2011

bowiefan1970 said:
Maybe you should write the book on metal to explain it to Americans. I'm curious who/where you think metal is really understood. I'm suspecting Britain, but maybe you're talking about Norway or Brazil. I'd love to know more.

To be honest, I'm thinking about it.

American radio almost never plays metal, aside from the occasional Black Sabbath or old Metallica. People are led to believe by the media that hardcore or screamo bands are metal, so it would be nice to educate some people.

Brazil and Japan, as well as Finland and the Fareo Islands have a good concept of metal; it's played often on radios and references in video games, anime and normal shows fairly often. Norway only cares about black metal, so they're a bit biased.

EDIT: One of the anime I was thinking of was K-On. They don't play rock and roll, but pop rock instead. But they have She-ja playing the "metal band", who is the guitarist for the thrash metal band Volcano, teaching guitar at Tokyo U., and has been in about a dozen other metal bands. But there was another that truly was about rock and roll, my head is starting to hurt. >_<

Max Vaehling · Apr 19, 2011

bowiefan1970 said:
My book is called "Black Dog" and is about two teens who find an old record collection and play records backwards. That's when the weird stuff starts.

Love it already.

As for your question - Salman Rushdie's The Ground beneath her Feet is a good one. Kind of an alternate history of Rock'n'Roll from an Indian perspective.

Do Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger books count as rock fiction?

Oh, and definitely Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's Phonogram comics.

megan_d · Apr 19, 2011

The '33 1/3' series would be a good place to look. They're short little books, each one devoted to a particular album, (some non-fiction, some fiction). I would especially recommend John Darnielle's one, focusing on Black Sabbath's 'Masters of Reality.'

Jettica · Apr 19, 2011

It annoys me when people refer to metal as screamo/similar. But I suppose some genre definitions change. When I tell my contemporaries I like metal they get the completely wrong idea.

Bowiefan, the concept of your book sounds amazing. Right up my street.

Vito · Apr 19, 2011

My favorite rock 'n' roll novel is The Wishbones by Tom Perrotta. it's about a bunch of thirty-something guys in a band that plays the wedding reception circuit in New Jersey. Great stuff.

bowiefan1970 · Apr 19, 2011

Jettica said:
It annoys me when people refer to metal as screamo/similar. But I suppose some genre definitions change. When I tell my contemporaries I like metal they get the completely wrong idea.

Bowiefan, the concept of your book sounds amazing. Right up my street.

Jettica, I checked out your blog. Very cool. I think you'll like my book.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=black+dog+matt+syverson

Caitlin Black · Apr 19, 2011

Jumping in on the metal conversation.

What annoys me is that whenever I mention I like metal, everybody always says something in response that mentions old Heavy Metal, like that's all there is to it.

There's never any mention of Black, Death or Doom metal, which is what I actually like. Personally, I think the Heavy Metal bands are kind of boring...

But yes, I agree that radio hardly ever plays metal. I'm in Australia, not America, but it's the same over here. On PayTV you might get 1 hour a week that is devoted to metal (on one of the music channels) and if you know where to look, you might find 1 hour a week on radio that is all about the metal. Of course, they always seem to have a few bands in their metal hour that don't really sound metal to me... And aside from those 1-hour blocks, there's just no metal ever.

You've just got to buy the CDs, youtube metal bands, go to metal bars, whatever, or else you just don't get exposed to this type of music.

It's really sad, actually.

Chicago Expat · Apr 19, 2011

Doesn't appear that anybody has mentioned The Commitments yet.

Priene · Apr 20, 2011

Or Espedair Street by Iain Banks.

cletus · Apr 24, 2011

You could try one of Raymond Benson's Spike Berenger novels - A Hard Day's Death and Dark Side of the Morgue

If you're into the blues you could try one of Ace Atkins' Nick Travers novels - Crossroad Blues, Leavin' Trunk Blues, Dark End of the Street, and Dirty South.

I've read A Hard Day's Death and have Crossroad Blues in my tbr pile.

Devil Ledbetter · Apr 26, 2011

Nick Blaze said:
I'd consider writing a book about metal if only it wasn't so completely misunderstood by American audiences. There are very few books on actual metal and most make ridiculous claims to bands who are not metal as being metal. As for rock and roll, though, somebody already recommended the book I was planning on recommending.

There are some anime on the concept of light rock and rock and roll... just what were they?

I highly recommend Chuck Klosterman's books, particularly Fargo, Rock City for anyone who's into books and metal.

Bowiefan, welcome to AW. Rock does creep into my books. The one I have at the query stage now is called STATE OF LOVE & TRUST and it's about a Pearl Jam fan.

Rock and Roll Fiction and Non-fiction

bowiefan1970

alleycat

Still around

strawberryblondie

bowiefan1970

bowiefan1970

bowiefan1970

Williebee

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

alleycat

Still around

bowiefan1970

Nick Blaze

Jun-Ikkyu

bowiefan1970

Nick Blaze

Jun-Ikkyu

Max Vaehling

megan_d

Falling in the milk

Jettica

Superfluously multisyllabic

Vito

Recalled to life

bowiefan1970

Caitlin Black

Wild one

Chicago Expat

Distracted

Priene

Out to lunch

cletus

I'm a king bee

Devil Ledbetter

Come on you stranger, you legend,