Never Mind the Pollacks: A Rock and Roll Novel (P.S.)

The most important document in the history of rock 'n' roll since the liner notes to Killroy Was Here.(This paperback includes a new P.S. section with author interviews, insights, features, suggested readings, and more.)

Never Mind the Pollacks, the first novel from acclaimed humorist Neal Pollack, is an epic history of rock-and-roll told through the eyes of two rival rock critics. The novel spans the decades from the 1940s to the present day, and includes such real-life characters as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Bruce Springsteen, Joey Ramone, Patti Smith, Kurt Cobain, and many more. Pollack deploys his trademark roasting of literary pomposity, but his narrative transcends mere parody to become full-fledged social satire. He takes on the icons of popular music and their biographers, true-life rock books and historical fiction. There has never been a book quite like this one, particularly since it contains more than two-dozen original songs written by the author.

The life story of the book's main character, "Neal Pollack," is uniquely American. The only son of Jewish immigrant parents, he shows an aptitude early in life for rock criticism. Prodded by the legendary Sam Phillips and haunted by a ghostly, mysterious blues man, deeply disturbed by his mother's illegitimate marriage to Jerry Lee Lewis, he leaves his Memphis boyhood behind to become a folk troubadour in Greenwich Village. Six broken hearts, two liver transplants, and a lot of cocaine orgies later, he meets his ultimate destiny in a surprise ending that will shock anyone who wasn't paying attention to the early chapters. With Never Mind the Pollacks, Neal Pollack establishes himself as one of the most important novelists of his generation who isn't named Jonathan.

"The whole ugly, hilarious tale is relayed here by...a monstrously pretentious journalist who allows Pollack (the author) to make fun of those who take the music industry seriously." Chris Barsanti, Book Magazine

"[W]hen it comes to approximating the rhythms of literary self-absorption and lacing his prose with deadpan absurdity, Pollack is a virtuoso....Pollack...has delivered an album's worth of funny but somewhat lifeless satire." G. Beato, The Washington Post

"Pollack's novel has a swinging appeal. Not everyone will want to tune in for the author's manic tongue-in-cheek self-canonization...but Spinal Tap fans and groupies everywhere will be delighted." Publishers Weekly

"The pill-popping and name-dropping grow a bit wearisome by the end of this long, strange trip....But St. Pierre's vapidities are hilarious...and Pollack's clever antics carry the day." Library Journal

"Loud, wild, messy, and fun — just like the best rock 'n' roll." Kirkus Reviews

Elvis. Dylan. Iggy. Springsteen.
Pollack.
The fictional Neal Pollack, born Norbert Pollackovitz before being renamed — by Elvis — at his bar mitzvah, first hears the blues as a child. The notes come from the guitar of Clambone Jefferson, an ancient, mythical character whom Pollack spends the rest of his life chasing as the source of music's primal allure. In that pursuit, Pollack becomes a renegade rock journalist who seduces Patti Smith and Joan Baez, discovers Kurt Cobain, and goes on pharmacopeial binges that put the most reckless, bloated rock star to shame.
Through it all, the real Neal Pollack, the greatest American novelist of his generation, manages to echo the style of overeducated blowhards while tackling the history of blues, rock, punk, post-punk, and post-post-punk with equal enthusiasm and disdain. Like a classic album, Never Mind the Pollacks opens with a kick in the guts, proceeds to a bite in the shins, and ends with an uppercut to the jaw.

The most important document in the history of rock 'n' roll since the liner notes to Killroy Was Here.(This paperback includes a new P.S. section with author interviews, insights, features, suggested readings, and more.)

Never Mind the Pollacks, the first novel from acclaimed humorist Neal Pollack, is an epic history of rock-and-roll told through the eyes of two rival rock critics. The novel spans the decades from the 1940s to the present day, and includes such real-life characters as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Bruce Springsteen, Joey Ramone, Patti Smith, Kurt Cobain, and many more. Pollack deploys his trademark roasting of literary pomposity, but his narrative transcends mere parody to become full-fledged social satire. He takes on the icons of popular music and their biographers, true-life rock books and historical fiction. There has never been a book quite like this one, particularly since it contains more than two-dozen original songs written by the author.

The life story of the book's main character, "Neal Pollack," is uniquely American. The only son of Jewish immigrant parents, he shows an aptitude early in life for rock criticism. Prodded by the legendary Sam Phillips and haunted by a ghostly, mysterious blues man, deeply disturbed by his mother's illegitimate marriage to Jerry Lee Lewis, he leaves his Memphis boyhood behind to become a folk troubadour in Greenwich Village. Six broken hearts, two liver transplants, and a lot of cocaine orgies later, he meets his ultimate destiny in a surprise ending that will shock anyone who wasn't paying attention to the early chapters. With Never Mind the Pollacks, Neal Pollack establishes himself as one of the most important novelists of his generation who isn't named Jonathan.

Neal Pollack is the author of the cult classic The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature. He writes for numerous underground publications such as Vanity Fair and The New York Times. His rock credentials are validated by his residence in Austin, TX.