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PowellsBooks.Blog
Authors, readers, critics, media − and booksellers.

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Small-Time Music Critic Asked to Follow Famous Author on Book-Nerd Blog

by Chris Force, August 2, 2010 9:49 AM
First, let's get this piece of housekeeping out of the way: fuck you, PowellsBooks.Blog! Who puts some C-list self-published music journalist on after GARY FUCKING SHTEYNGART?! Dude's public readings rival those cut-rate clearance-sale days at American Apparel. Guy has a romper lost and found in his office. And not only is he out-balling me, but his books, you know, sell! Like, people buy them, and paid print critics, the most fickle of them all, say they're smart and touching! I carried Absurdistan around in my Chrome messenger bag for weeks, savoring the opportunity to read it. Now I've got to out-witty that Russian bastard for five days. Your choice of scheduling is just cruel, and embarrassing. You realize I have a degree in ceramics? What kind of inferiority complex are you trying to feed here? I'm from the Midwest! Haven't I suffered enough? At least my beard is superior to Shteyngart's.

So, before the hate mail rolls in, let me take a minute to plug my book.

This month, a book that I edited, Alarm 38: Invisible, will go on sale. (I hope the girls from Hunter read it but I won't hold my breath.) The book is a collection of exclusive features on musicians whom we think are awesome but overlooked. It's 228 pages of geeking out over some of the best, weirdest, most moving, important, badass, and truly independent music that our editors could find. It marks the 15th year I've been editing and publishing Alarm, and it has some of my favorite stories I've ever published.

Jamie Ludwig writes about Tim Barry (Avail), a successful singer/songwriter with legions of fans, who lives completely off the grid with a "compost bucket and no running water." Jessica Steinhoff writes about Carolina Chocolate Drops, one of the last remaining African American string bands. Music editor Scott Morrow writes about Mike Patton's (Faith No More) time in Italy and his 40-piece Italian orchestra project, Mondo Cane.

Read it. Remember a few of the band names, and then casually mention them to the girl with bangs and fluorescent yellow tights in line to hear Shteyngart speak. Let me know how it works out.




Books mentioned in this post

ALARM 38 Invisible Overlooked Albums & Unseen Artists

Chris Force

Absurdistan

Gary Shteyngart
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3 Responses to "Small-Time Music Critic Asked to Follow Famous Author on Book-Nerd Blog"

manwith7talents August 2, 2010 at 02:04 PM
Yeah, you suck Powell's Blog! ...unless you were being facetious that is.

Miss Gretchen August 2, 2010 at 12:55 PM
Dude, I was already feeling sorry for you last week, thinking of you following Lady G. If that helps. Please mention some more of the awesome musicians you have profiled in Alarm 38, because unless some of my faves are on that list (and I already did a cursory check on Big Brother Search Engine) you will have to be mighty convincing. Of course, I am a woman twenty years older than you, therefore, in our culture: Invisible.

Heidi August 2, 2010 at 10:20 AM
Welcome! Hey, if it makes you feel any better....I'm that girl, in the karaoke bar, who's forever cursed to follow that guy that sings "Hey Jude", while the crowd waves its arms, lights lighters, sings along, and cries happily in their pints. It's tough...but if you can make them notice you at all, you're kind of awesome. The tongue-in-cheek (I'm assuming?) acerbity had me paying attention, reading and re-reading so as to prolong my morning chuckle. Cheers!

Result(s) 3

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