Two Christmases ago I asked for a book. This is not my usual behavior, if you know me, as I usually have a list filled anything that would involve using my brain academically in any manner. But, this book particularly piqued my interested because it involved one of my favorite things ever: music. Better than that, it also involved a group of musicians I adored (and also later learned to adore because of the book!)
So, I am here to offer my thoughts on the book overall, and what it did for Rock and Roll representation in America moving forward.
The book opens with some smaller New York bands that I've never heard of, like Jonathan Fire*Eater. Early passages of the book include some of the grimier details behind the music scene in the late 90s/early 00s, like hard drug usage.
Here is list of just a few of the musicians mentioned/interviewed in the book:
- LCD Soundsystem
- The Strokes
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- The Killers
- Regina Spektor
- Vampire Weekend
- Interpol
- The Rapture
- The White Stripes
- TV on the Radio
- ...and so many more
This was great for those who needed it, but when the dotcom bubble finally burst, it left people stranded: those who dropped out of school or quit their jobs to focus on side projects were now forced to return to the corporate hell they desperately sought to escape.
The beginnings of this book show a lot of parallels to our world now: young people are worried about the security of our future, job prospects aren't looking great and the world around us seems like it's only getting worse by the day. All that is communicated to us now is that our country (the U.S.) is more divided now than ever, and how we are the ones that are destined to fix it. Truthfully, it's exhausting.
Basically the entire time I was reading the book, I couldn't help but feel like art, especially art in forms of physical creation, is expiring in front of our eyes. No one has time to create anymore because we are all too focus on making ends meet or figuring out where the next meal is coming from.
Also, I have a slightly unpopular side tangent: smoking culture needs a revival. This might be a shallow take, and I want to develop this even further, but I feel like the conversations, thoughts and ideas that come from those who have time to take a moment and reflect...which can be done in the span of time it takes to smoke a cigarette.
On top of this, no one is staying up late maniacally smoking and creating art because there are more addictive things to be doing, like scrolling on your phone. It's hard to break this cycle when there are so many distractions going on at the same time.
Moving back to the book, Lizzy Goodman, the author, does a fabulous job of communicating the glamour that comes with the lifestyle of rock and roll musicians while simultaneously showing the horrors that counteract: drug addiction and irreparable conflicts with the people closest to you are just scraping the top of the iceberg that the novel dives into.
It makes you have FOMO for a time period; you had to be there to enjoy it.
In current music trends, I can see an attempt to bring this sort of spirit back into underground music, and needless to say, I am thrilled. Our culture has seen a significant shift to structure and security, and while I obviously don't think it's necessarily bad for that shift to occur, I still think we are losing some carefree, fuck-it energy that the 2000s had.
Not to say that all is lost, though. Big cities are doing their heavy-lifting, hosting shows with smaller artists, but smaller cities, like the one I'm currently in, need to see a revival as well. There's a sense of community that comes together when a group of people is united through live music, and I want to be a part of it!
Anyway, I don't think I can talk anymore about the book because I want you to read it if you're interested. That's all I have to say for now, until next time, cheers!