Clinton Walker
[isbn]
You spend enough time as a gigging musician and you start to think you know it all. And then you pick up a book that blows the doors wide open and really makes you question your preconceptions. Clinton Walker has done that to me twice now. Buried Country: The Story of Aboriginal Country Music is an excellent work of scholarship that is as much fun to read as these impeccable artists are to listen to.
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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Mark Savage
[isbn]
Is Mark Savage the author real, or merely a figment in the imagination of my co-worker, also named Mark Savage? The name of the book is "Fictional..." and yet I could swear I've seen trailers for some of these films. Either Mark has magicked away my dreams, or I'm merely a character, a plot point if you will, in the unwritten sequel to Fictional Film Club, a book that will surely come to be seen as a classic of Weird Literature.
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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Shannon Stocker, Devon Holzwarth
[isbn]
Evelyn Glennie has long been a personal inspiration of mine, and now with this lavishly illustrated book, the younger generation can be introduced to the joy of a life dedicated to music.
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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Vivien Goldman
[isbn]
In the truest punk tradition, instead of writing the cliche "one band, one chapter" music history, Vivien Goldman takes the unique (and ultimately, more rewarding) approach of having each chapter function as a curated mix-tape, allowing the author to more thoroughly examine themes such as money, identity, and protest.
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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Clinton Walker
[isbn]
England in the 60s. The Pacific Northwest in the 90s. In the late 70s and 80' it was Australia,* and Clinton Walker was right there in the thick of it. Stranded is a classic of rock/punk literature and a must read for anyone who likes Lester Bangs, Hunter S. Thompson, and rock music that sounds like it fell off the rails before they even recorded it.
Bands You Should Know: The Go-Betweens, Warumpi Band, Laughing Clowns, The Triffids, and... (read more)
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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Cookie Mueller, Olivia Laing, Chris Kraus
[isbn]
Maybe I'm just weird, or maybe it's because my mom's favorite filmmaker is John Waters, but stories like Cookie Mueller's help me to see the tragic, paradoxical beauty inherent in being human. Reading these now for the first time is a bit like meeting an old friend I never knew I had.
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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John Higgs
[isbn]
There's something about Blake that speaks to me. Well... not so much "speak" as "slaps me across the face with both hands before shaking me by the shoulders while jumping up and down, ranting and raving about god knows what," and I love it. Sometimes though, it would be nice to understand those ravings a little better, and luckily, John Higgs, scribe of The KLF and I Have America Surrounded: The Life of Timothy Leary, has... (read more)
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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Bob Odenkirk
[isbn]
At this point, we need to just wake up and accept that Bob Odenkirk is a school of comedy unto himself. Seriously, if I had a dollar for every one of his jokes I've laughed at, I could buy his book.
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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Warren Ellis
[isbn]
I've often thought that nonfiction can tell you about a person, place, or thing, while fiction is more about the relationships between persons, places, and things. This is the rare book that does both. What could be a rather off footnote of a bearded violin player stealing a piece of gum transforms into an incredible meditation on humanity, collecting things, memory, and so much more.
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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Thilde Kold Holdt
[isbn]
Historical fiction at its finest, and it happens to be the first book in an epic fantasy trilogy! An intoxicating blend of realistic characters and fantastical happenings, anyone with even a passing interest in the Norse pantheon needs to read this book.
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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James Kelman
[isbn]
Winner of the 1994 Man Booker Prize, How Late It Was, How Late follows the trials and tribulations of our main character Sammy after he unwisely picks a fight with some plainclothes police. Getting beaten senseless, literally, he wakes up the next day completely blind. Written in Kelman's inimitable style with an emphasis on the first-person stream-of-consciousness technique, Scottish literature is a law unto its own self and this book... (read more)
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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Cisco Bradley
[isbn]
I had the privilege of standing in line behind William Parker about five years ago at Mississippi Studios. I still regret not buying him that cup of tea. He is, without a doubt, without peer as a composer, bass player, activist, and human being whose time is long overdue. This masterful portrait is a must-read for anyone interested in creative music and the idea of art as a force for social change.
Recommended by Fletcher O.
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