Baby Got Books

Hey Jack Kerouac

The literary and musical worlds are colliding in Little Five Points next Wednesday, March 14th. Wordsmiths Books and Criminal Records are hosting a literary/musical extravaganza. The event begins at 7 PM at the Aurora Coffee in L5P with readings by John Sheppard and Evan Mandery. (Show up early to hear the authors rock the house with cuts off their i-Pods.)

Sheppard will be reading from Small Town Punk, a “semi-autobiographical story of kids trapped and bored in a landscape of Walmarts and Pizza Huts, but buoyed by their love of old-school punk rock.” Mandery’s Dreaming of Gwen Sterfani explores the dark side of our celebrity-obsessed culture. (Is there another side?) There is talk of complimentary adult beverages to take the edge of your triple mocha latte. Bonus: Wordsmiths-guy Russ’s girlfriend is rumored to be baking something for the occasion. How much would you pay for this golden night of entertainment? But wait, there’s more…

Next door, the improbably named Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nuttini will be doing an in-store performance at Criminal Records. How sweet is that that? Listen to a reading, listen to some music, and pick up that new Arcade Fire you’ve been hearing about all over the internets. Come on out. No one will have any idea what your talking about at work the next day, which, of course, = cool. And it’s all FREE (no pay).

To further sweeten the deal, Russ (of the cookie baking girlfriend) is hooking us up with a set of both books to give away to our readers, which you can then turn around and have signed on the spot. Winner need not be present or even live locally to win.

For this week’s contest, tell us about one of the following:

Your favorite book that features music (e.g., King Dork),
Your favorite song that is based on a book/poem (e.g., “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush),
or your favorite literary references in songs or band names (e.g., the title of this post – the band “Steely Dan” taking their name from an item in Naked Lunch).

I’ll pick the “most inspired” from the comments section. If you can’t make it to the reading, I’ll get the books signed and ship them to you. You can double your chances of winning by entering the exact same contest at That Truncheon Thing. Also: read Russ’s excellent post on the intersection of music and books. Unlike those cheapskates at TTT, we’ll pay to ship to our international friends. That’s just the way we roll.

We also roll like this:
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Update: there should be a really sweet YouTube video above complete with interpretive dance. If all you see is blanks space, it means that YouTube’s service is still down. Dammit.

Books, Happenings | Tim | March 8, 2007 11:47 am

By Russ, March 9, 2007 @ 8:42 am

Can I, for a moment, dispute the quality of “king dork”? it was a twice-’cross-the-room book (meaning, in angst and frustration, i hurled it against a wall…twice).

also: my favorite music/book tie-in=kate bush, the sensual world.
By DJ Cayenne, March 9, 2007 @ 9:14 am

You can dispute the quality of King Dork, I’d mostly disagree with you though.

If/when YouTube ever returns, be sure to check out Kate bustin’ a move in the video above.
By Frank, March 9, 2007 @ 9:15 am

I gotta say, it takes a confluence of many errors of judgment — a perfect storm of bad ideas, if you will — to make someone as smokin’ hot and hugely talented as Kate Bush was back in the day look as silly as she does in that video. As in Ministry of Silly Walks levels of silly.

Band name: Veruca Salt, which of course is named after the brattiest little girl in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. Not my favorite, but you said we’d be judged on inspiration, and that’s one people don’t think about much any more.
By Herman Glimscher, March 9, 2007 @ 9:32 am

I’ll give an answer that works in several ways: Steppenwolf. References to Mozart and jazz abound, with Mozart actually appearing as a character, and, according to Hesse himself, the novel’s structure is based on the sonata form.

I think there was also a rock combo that used that name.

And if that doesn’t get your motor running, I don’t know what will.
By DJ Cayenne, March 9, 2007 @ 10:42 am

Frank: It was the ’80s. It was a simpler time.
By Russ, March 9, 2007 @ 12:30 pm

kate. that video. my eyes. they burnses
By Shaft, March 9, 2007 @ 12:59 pm

Here goes. My favorite literary reference is the band Velocity Girl (whom I was friends with and whose show I saw at the 40 Watt in Athens one night in 1994 shortly before falling down an elevator shaft, hence the nickname above). They named themselves after a b-side from Primal Scream, who named themselves after a book by Dr. Arthur Janov, whose book also lent its name to an album by Maynard Ferguson and was the genesis of Tears for Fears’ name. Beat that.
By DJ Cayenne, March 9, 2007 @ 1:09 pm

Russ: I think Kate’s dance really “sells” the song. I keep waiting for Heathcliff to come over the more and give her nothing but his scorn.

Shaft: Bonus points for mentioning genesis. I assume that since you used lower case your were referring to the substandard incarnation of the band as helmed by Phil Collins.
By Beth (The Toronto One), March 11, 2007 @ 3:52 pm

Third attempt at posting here. I’m beginning to think I’ve been banned from your site.

Mack the Knife – The Three Penny Opera – Bertolt Brecht

White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane – Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll

Not my very, very favourites but I do like them.
By DJ Cayenne, March 12, 2007 @ 1:40 pm

Toronto Beth: You’re definitely not banned. I was able to fish you out of our over-zealous spam filter. Thanks for alerting me to the problem.

All: If you’ve commented here and your sure-to-win entry has not appeared, please contact me using the “contact us” form on the main page. Thanks.
By julia, March 14, 2007 @ 5:11 pm

the machines, formerly known as ‘the machines of loving grace,’ named after a richard brautigan poem. *not as good as the guy who legally changed his name to, or the couple who named their baby, ‘trout fishing in america,’ but . . .