It must be said: the cover you see below of Martin Millar’s novel Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me is hideous. According to me, anyway.  My eyes!  If you can make it past the cover, inside is a well-written novel that surprised me with its depth and its humor.

The novel is the semi(?)-autobiographical coming of age story about a boy, Martin, trying to make sense of the usual adolescent angst.  Martin is a nerdy kid from the nicer part of Glasgow whose only real friend, Greg, joins Martin in Tolkien-esque fantasies of slaying drgons.  Cherry is the nerdy girl that Martin and Greg mock to make themsleves feel better.  Suzy is the beautiful girl they have no shot of dating because she is the girlfriend of the über-cool older guy, Zed.  Zed inexplecibaly befriends Martin and Greg and steeps them in the lore of Led Zeppelin.  That’s high school.

The story is told from the perspective of the present day.  Martin is an aimless writer who suspects himself to be something of a fraud.  His best friend, Manx, is a single mother battling post-partem depression.  To cheer her up (and himself as well), Martin tells Manx The Led Zeppelin story, which over time becomes The Led Zeppelin Book that he is working on.  Martin’s adult reflections on a bittersweet past provide the perseptive and depth that make the book more than just a high school drama.

The backdrop of the novel is a real Led Zeppelin show that occured on December 4, 1972 in Glasgow, Scotland.  Led Zeppelin was arguably at the height of their powers, having just released Led Zepplin IV.  The show was played in Green’s Theatre, an impossibly small venue for Led Zepplin to find themselves in at this point, seating only a few thousand.  And the price!  £1!  Inconceivable.  Two friends of mine managed to get into the Led Zeppelin reunion show last year in London - let’s just say that they paid more.  

Millar’s descriptions of the anticipation of the show, the amazing show itself, and the show’s lasting impact on Martin’s life are some of the best writing about music that you’ll come across. More than that though, Suzy, Led Zeppelin and Me is a great coming-of-age story for those that already have.  If you’ve ever felt, like Dewey in The School of Rock, that the perfect rock and roll show could change your life forever, then you might need to check this out post-haste.  If I lost you at Led Zeppelin, you may want to skip this one.

And finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this:

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, ah,
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!

Immigrant Song (features prominently in the novel)

Also: Check out the author’s web site to see a ticket from the fabled show and the author wearing an Afghan coat (which feature prominently in the book) to read at the book’s launch party.

And:  Read the review of the 2007 London show that my friend Huey somehow filed for The Washington Post.  That’s 35 years later than the Glasgow show if you’re keeping score at home.