When Musicians Write Novels

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How unforgiveable is it? I haven't been able to bring myself to read Cave's "And the Ass Saw the Angel" OR Johnny Cash's "The Man in White". Are there more, do people actually read them...?

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 12 November 2003 01:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Elvis Costello read at least one musician's novel, I gather.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 01:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't get it (i am dum)

― Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 12 November 2003 01:45 (twenty-two years ago)

luke sutherland's 'jelly roll' is well done though i am not sure i would have enjoyed it had i not already been a huge fan.

― keith (keithmcl), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 01:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Is the thread title supposed to read like When Animals Attack? 'Cause now I'm imagining someone like Sheriff John Bunnell (ret.) reporting on these crimes.

― brian nemtusak (sanlazaro), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Leonard Cohen's "Beautiful Losers"

― Jeremy (Jeremy), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 01:47 (twenty-two years ago)

luke sutherland's 'jelly roll'

Damn, that reminds me I need to get this!

Shaky Mo -- one of the Attractions (Pete Thomas?) wrote a thinly-disguised story about Elvis and working with him called The Big Wheel or something like that in the eighties. It wasn't very flattering and Elvis was not amused, resulting in the song "How To Be Dumb."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 01:52 (twenty-two years ago)

almost as awful as when they try and act.
i do have a big soft spot for the nick cave book. its good.
i own none of his records. blah blah. need bed. me go now.

― zappi von trappi (joni), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 01:54 (twenty-two years ago)

"After signing with St. Martin's, Durst received a hefty bonus ... but unfortunately, this rocker-turned-writer's next advance would be straight to the bargain-book table ... in jail."

― brian nemtusak (sanlazaro), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:01 (twenty-two years ago)

louise wener

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:04 (twenty-two years ago)

I have to thank this thread for prompting me to ask for Sutherland's Sweetmeat for Xmas.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:27 (twenty-two years ago)

How's Iggy's book?

― Francis Watlington (Francis Watlington), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:33 (twenty-two years ago)

richard hell's "go now" is a decent enough read

― the surface noise (electricsound), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Cohen doesn't really count. He was somewhat well-known as a writer (well really a poet) before he became a musician. As was Richard Farina, who probably wrote the "best novel" by a musician by most estimations.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:39 (twenty-two years ago)

It's more UNFORGIVEABLE that someone publishes novels that musicians write btw

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Go Now is so FUCKING FANTASTIC!

As is Farina's Been Down So Long (though less so).

Hell was a poet and writer before a musician too though.

― Sterling Clover (s_clover), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, I mean the clear divide is did the person just wake up one day and try to be a novelist. I mean clearly Hell and Cohen and Farina were/would have been reasonably well respected without ever picking up an instrument or singing a note (in fact, I bet a lot of readers of the Farina novel have never heard one of his songs or was aware he released records). I'm not sure Cage or Cash can make that claim.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Not that any of this would matter if their novels were good (shit if you can wake up one morning decide NOT to pick up your guitar and instead write something like Absalom, Absalom more power to ya).

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Rennie Sparks of the Handsome Family has an excellent collection of short stories called "Evil".

― Gear! (Gear!), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 02:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Go Now is actually pretty good, though he ought to be sending Alex Trocchi royalties. The stuff about the car is great, though - the second half of the book mostly lifts it out of tired old junkie territory and into tired old junkie Americana, which is more fun.

― Dave M. (rotten03), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 03:15 (twenty-two years ago)

i've heard nick cave's books are good. ?? all i know is that one of my lit pals in school had never heard of the birthday party or nick's music but spoke highly of his writing.

i never gave it a shot tho. thurston's book of random stuff was aight. berman of silver jews writes some pretty funny/fun poetry. noveldom's a different bag of woosh tho...
m.

― msp, Wednesday, 12 November 2003 03:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Has anyone made it through Tarantula?

― Mark (MarkR), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 04:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"And the Ass Saw the Angel" is actually pretty good. Not great, mind you, but I certainly have no regrets reading it. If Cave decided to focus all his time on writing novels, he could probably eventually do a very credible job. There's no way I could fault him for the attempt, though; it's well above average.

― Charlie Rose (Charlie Rose), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 04:06 (twenty-two years ago)

the hottest state is great, ethan hawke counts as a musician after 'reality bites'.

― keith (keithmcl), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 04:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Keith: Where did you find "Jelly Roll"? Is it avail anywhere in the States?

― Gentry Boeckel, Wednesday, 12 November 2003 05:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Heh, Gentry, I was just checking that tonight. Sweetmeat is available through Amazon as is a preorder for Venus as a Boy, but no Jelly Roll yet -- I'll have to go amazon.co.uk I think.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 05:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I always wanted to read Jelly Roll, but never had the impetus to really track it down. I love everything else Luke Sutherland's done, and the response here seems to be positive; maybe I'll get around to it finally. It won the whitbread prize, didn't it?

― derrick (derrick), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 07:20 (twenty-two years ago)

john lennon's books were funny when i was 14, though i doubt i could read them now.

― Justyn Dillingham (Justyn Dillingham), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 09:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Got nominated for the Whitbread possibly, pretty sure it didn't win anything. It's pretty good though

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 10:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Charlie Higson's 'Full Whack' is pretty good, and a friend of mine raves about 'King Of The Ants'. The book Mark Manning wrote for Attack! is pretty funny too - more so if you read it back-to-back with 'Crucify Me Again', which appears to be only marginally less fictionalised.

― aldo_cowpat (aldo_cowpat), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 11:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I've read enough of the Cave (ie not much) and the Cohen (most of it) to know I don't think they are any good. But to be fair they both write in a style that wouldn't appeal to me even if they were better writers. I'd have though both would appeal mostly to precocious adolescents.

― ArfArf, Wednesday, 12 November 2003 11:36 (twenty-two years ago)

The singer from The Flaming Stars wrote some very funny short stories which he read on the Mark Racliffe show one week. Now, what was his name? Max something.

Anyone ever been brave enough to read Bruce Dickinson's book?

― Philip Alderman (Phil A), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 12:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Has anyone read Ray Davies' Waterloo Sunset? I struggled a bit with X-Ray (which I guess is sort-of semi-autobiographical in a strange way).

I believe Hawksley Workman's written a book of some sort as well.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 12:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I love Bruce Dickinson's book, so I'm not going to spoil it by reading it.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 14:21 (twenty-two years ago)

If Steve Martin can be considered a musician for his King Tut rap jive dancing schtik, I thought his Shopgirl book was a sweet, somewhat slight novella, but surprisingly good.

― Matt Helgeson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 20:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Not a single mention of Kinky Friedman.
Unforgivable.

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 20:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Has anyone made it through Tarantula?

"Made it through" is right. I checked this out of the library and forced myself to finish it when I was first getting into Dylan in college. I don't remember much about it, other than it was impenetrable.

― o. nate (onate), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.dragcity.com/catalog/books/dc77.jpg

― Sam J. (samjeff), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not sure if it counts as a novel (it's too short, and seems almost totally autobiographical) but Joe Pernice's book 'Meat is Murder' is beautifully written and pretty funny.

― Rick Spence (spencerman), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Steve Earle wrote a pretty decent collection of short stories - 'Doghouse Roses'

Louise Wener's 'Goodbye Steve McQueen' is rank

I must try again with 'The Ass saw the Angel'

― Ben Dot (1977), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 21:01 (twenty-two years ago)

Lydia Lunch - Complete works

― Bruno- (Bruno-), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 21:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Stuart David's Nalda Said is excellent, however you may feel about his music.

― Sarah Pedal (call mr. lee), Wednesday, 12 November 2003 23:59 (twenty-two years ago)

No doubt! I was all set to laugh AT that book and found myself completely sucked in.

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Thursday, 13 November 2003 01:35 (twenty-two years ago)

I've read that Kevin ('Razorblade') Coyne book once... um, don't recall the title now! Wasn't too bad a book, actually. Though didn't often hide its wholelottalove for all things Kafkaesque, to be honest.

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Thursday, 13 November 2003 01:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Jean Smith (of Mecca Normal) is a phenomenal writer.

― Kevin Erickson, Thursday, 13 November 2003 02:18 (twenty-two years ago)

With good reason, nobody's mentioned Greg Khin's horror novels.

Did I spell his name right?

― Ian Grey (Ian_G), Thursday, 13 November 2003 02:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a Jimmy Buffet book that I have yet to read, and that Steve Earle book! I won it in a competition.

I think one of the dudes from Girls Against Boys writes and has a small press of some kind: Akashic, innit?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Thursday, 13 November 2003 04:04 (twenty-two years ago)

i was given 'jelly roll' as a gift from my then girlfriend. i bored her with my luke obsessing.

― keith (keithmcl), Thursday, 13 November 2003 04:10 (twenty-two years ago)

haha, as in the Greg KihnSpiracy? oh god.

― derrick (derrick), Thursday, 13 November 2003 05:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Either Jad or David Fair wrote books which were called stuff like Worms In It and I Can't Stand Cats. I daresay they were as useless and unbearable as their music.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 13 November 2003 10:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Stuart David's Nalda Said is excellent, however you may feel about his music.

I cannot over-emphasise the rightness of this statement. Nalda Said is exceptionally fucking good.

So in conclusion:

http://www.looper.info/media/naldasmall.gif

(Bruce Dickinson's Lord Iffy Boatrace book is pretty funny IIRC, but I was 17 at the time)

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 13 November 2003 11:33 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought Jelly Roll was an incoherent clunky mess. I say this as a huge LFK fan.

― Ricardo (RickyT), Thursday, 13 November 2003 11:43 (twenty-two years ago)

For what it's worth, the Music AM record (Sutherland, Stefan Schnieder from To Rococo Rot, and someone called Volker Bertlemann) is lovely. And I liked Jelly Roll too.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Thursday, 13 November 2003 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Bill Callahan from (Smog) is said to be writing a novel... maybe hstencil knows more about that?

― D.J. Anderson, Friday, 14 November 2003 00:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I liked Pete Townsend's Horse's Neck when I read it, but that was probably 15 years ago.

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Friday, 14 November 2003 00:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Has no one mentioned....

http://brucedickinson.virtualave.net/images2/book01.jpg ??

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 14 November 2003 00:11 (twenty-two years ago)

nick cave is a brillant writer, and i couldn't recommend his work more.

now on the other hand everyone had been trying to get me to read nalda said, so i did. it's a book by stewart from belle and sebastian and looper fame. might i say, it was one of the worst things i have ever read in my entire life. i would of felt more challenged by using that hour to watch an episode of celebrities uncensored.

― mallory bourgeois (painter man), Friday, 14 November 2003 00:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Has no one mentioned....

Several times now.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 14 November 2003 00:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah well....I just wanted to throw the cover up therer.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 14 November 2003 00:55 (twenty-two years ago)

might i say, it was one of the worst things i have ever read in my entire life. i would of felt more challenged by using that hour to watch an episode of celebrities uncensored.

Mallory, are you serious? I mean, it's clear you are, but still. Wow. Nalda Said had quite a huge effect on my head, I can't quite put into words why, but...wow. And you read it in an hour? Mind boggling.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Friday, 14 November 2003 15:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't eblieve no-ones mentioned 45, since its not only one of the best music books evah, its one of the best books of anything evah.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Friday, 14 November 2003 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Johnney B OTFM

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Friday, 14 November 2003 16:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Anybody know if that Dave Navarro book (admittedly not a novel) ever saw publication?

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 14 November 2003 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Little Rich the ex-Suede guitarist should write a childrens book called "Hooky Penis Farm" about a load of Peter Hook lookalike cartoon cocks who run about a farm solving crimes. Brett should do the illustrations.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Friday, 14 November 2003 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)

A vision!

45 is indeed quite fantastic; it is not however a novel.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 14 November 2003 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe lovely Simon the drummer could hit back with some sort of faux-intellectual drugs/murder/my-youth-was-better-than-yours novel (you know the kind, the kind that gets put on tables in the middle of Waterstones with a big invisible sign saying "Hello? Students? This is what you're looking for to make you look cool so that you might lay that insecure emo girl with pigtails"). It should have a compound title made from the following list of words:-

Chemical
Dismemberment
Culture
Syndrome
Wierd
Generation
Prozac
Love
Popstar
Lazarus

Etc.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Friday, 14 November 2003 17:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Obviously if that happened then Brett would be forced by avarice and design to strike back with his own tome, probably after the faliure of his first solo album, "The Man with All the Sexes".

What would he write about? The same as Simon, obviously, but he would try and up the intellect-ante by telling it in flashback (one critic would sharply dub it "The Killing of a Flashback") and ripping off the plot of "Women on the Edge of Time" lock, stock and two smoking Art Students.

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Friday, 14 November 2003 17:11 (twenty-two years ago)

That guy Simon was at the Ennio Morricone gig on Monday, he looked like a complete twat but one shouldn't judge a book by the cover ('scuse pun)

― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 14 November 2003 17:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, you're mean. (Also Simon is an absolute treasure, very friendly fellow and very much a fan favorite in terms of chatting with people and things like that.)

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 14 November 2003 17:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Isn't it true that at one point all the members of Suede had their own fanzines, except for Brett?

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Friday, 14 November 2003 17:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I think Brett had a couple here and there! But yes, pretty much every member had at least one dedicated specifically to them, with the exception of Alex (if only because he came along so late to the party).

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 14 November 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

What in God's holy name was in the one about Matt?

― Lynskey (Lynskey), Friday, 14 November 2003 17:27 (twenty-two years ago)

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