Lit Riffs - Softcover

Lethem, Jonathan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743470265 ISBN 13: 9780743470261

Publisher: MTV Books, 2004

Synopsis

Following in the footsteps of the late great Lester Bangs -- the most revered and irreverent of rock 'n' roll critics -- twenty-four celebrated writers have penned stories inspired by great songs. Just as Bangs cast new light on a Rod Stewart classic with his story "Maggie May," about a wholly unexpected connection between an impressionable young man and an aging, alcoholic hooker, the diverse, electrifying stories here use songs as a springboard for a form dubbed the lit riff.
Alongside Bangs's classic work, you'll find stories by J.T. LeRoy, who puts a recovering teenage drug abuser in a dentist's chair with nothing but the Foo Fighters's "Everlong" -- blaring through the P.A. -- to fight the pain; Jonathan Lethem, whose narrator looks back on his lost innocence just as an extramarital affair careens to an end -- this to the tune "Speeding Motorcycle" as recorded by Yo La Tengo; and Jennifer Belle, who envisions a prequel to Paul Simon's "Graceland" -- one that takes place at a children's birthday party replete with a real live kangaroo.
With original contributions from Tom Perrotta, Nelson George, Amanda Davis, Lisa Tucker, Aimee Bender, Darin Strauss, and many more -- riffing on everyone from Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen to the White Stripes, Cat Power, and Bob Marley -- this is both an astounding collection of short stories and an extraordinary experiment in words and music.
Soundtrack available from Saturation Acres Music & Recording Co.

About this title

About the Author

Tom Perrotta is the author of eleven works of fiction, including Election and Little Children, both of which were made into Oscar-nominated films, and The Leftovers and Mrs. Fletcher, which were adapted into acclaimed HBO series. His new novel is Ghost Town.

Touré is an author who has published six books, including I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon and Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now, a New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book. He was a TV host at MSNBC, MTV, and BET, and a correspondent at CNN. He hosts the podcast Touré Show. He has written for The New York Times, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Nation, Vogue, and many other publications. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two children. Follow his Instagram @Toure.

Matthew Miele created and developed the idea for Lit Riffs in order to reinvent the musical experience through literature. While a literary agent with John Hawkins & Associates, Inc., he handpicked the hippest and most celebrated storytellers of our time to imaginatively compose stories inspired by songs.
Prior to his publishing career, Miele wrote and directed the feature film Everything's Jake -- due for release in fall 2004, starring Ernie Hudson, Graeme Malcolm, Debbie Allen, Robin Givens, and Lou Rawls -- and was a sound designer/music composer for film and television.
Miele recently founded and is current host of the Manhattan Concert Club (MCC), a subscription-based, ten-concert series presenting intimate, acoustic performances by the world's most renowned recording artists in a wide variety of Manhattan's most unique and treasured settings. Miele hopes that every MCC Concert will reflect to true music enthusiasts what the inception of the "Lit Riff" and this groundbreaking collection ultimately will reflect as well -- a renewed celebration of and appreciation for great music.

Neil Strauss is an award-winning Rolling Stone editor, New York Times columnist, and writer/cowriter of eight New York Times bestselling books including The Game and The Truth.

Reviews

Adult/High School - This book reinterprets songs, using the words, structure, and/or mood to create works that are influenced by the source but are wholly unique. Lester Bangs, famed critic of '70s and '80s rock music, opens with "Maggie May," a story spun out from the Rod Stewart hit of the same name. Through inflamed Kerouac-tinged prose, this tale of an up-and-coming rock star having a relationship with an older woman is an interesting commentary on the life of a music idol. The anthology continues with many different approaches, 24 in all. Touré's "I Shot the Sheriff" transforms the Bob Marley anthem into a wonderful fable about standing up for oneself. Neal Pollack's "Death in the Alt-Country," inspired by Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried," is about a musician's wake, but also criticizes much of the country and alt-country music of today. "The National Anthem" by Jonathan Lethem is written as a letter to a friend describing a failing love life and is based more on the general mood of Yo La Tengo's "Speeding Motorcycle" than on anything specifically mentioned in the lyrics. This literate, highly readable collection creates wonderful experiences for music lovers. - Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
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Thematic anthologies can be a mixed bag. The short stories collected here, based on popular songs and featuring some of the trendier authors of the day (most of them seem to have some affiliation with Dave Eggers), range from inspired to mediocre and tackle songs by such artists as Jeff Buckley, Tom Waits, and the Foo Fighters. Acclaimed late rock critic Lester Bangs, dead two decades now, launches the compilation with a "found" work that probably should have remained lost. Based on Rod Stewart's "Maggie Mae," this opener leaves a bad taste marring much of the work that follows. Heidi Julavitz sets the bar much higher with her comical take on Cat Power's cover of "I Found a Reason," and Neal Pollack uses Merle Haggard's "Mama Tried" to reveal posers in the alt-country scene. Contributor Zev Borow's comment on this venture hits the nail on the head: "I always thought Dylan songs were short stories, only better." Also included are stories by Jonathan Lethem, Aimee Bender, and J. T. Leroy. Benjamin Segedin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: MTV Books
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0743470265
• ISBN 13: 9780743470261
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 432