Book Musik 058 – The History of Bones: A Memoir by John Lurie

Posted on December 1, 2021August 1, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss The History of Bones: A Memoir by John Lurie. Lurie is a multi-hyphenate talent: musician-composer-actor-painter and now book-writer. Initially making his mark as the bandleader for downtown New York group, The Lounge Lizards, he quickly went on to establish himself as an actor in several films. He created and starred in the enigmatic, must-see TV show Fishing with John and the more recent Painting with John. He’s toured the world, composed several film scores, and has even done some modeling. And all along, he’s also managed to keep up a serious painting practice. Is there anything this man can’t do? Tosh and Kimley have some varying thoughts on this…

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik · Book Musik 058 – THE HISTORY OF BONES: A MEMOIR by John Lurie

Book Musik 057 – Nina Simone’s Gum by Warren Ellis with Guest Andrea Tetrick

Posted on November 1, 2021August 1, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley are joined by special guest Andrea Tetrick to discuss Nina Simone’s Gum by Warren Ellis. Warren Ellis is a multi-instrumentalist and frequent collaborator with Nick Cave as well as a member of The Bad Seeds and the trio Dirty Three among other music projects. He now adds talented writer to his resume with this new book which is part memoir but also an homage to art and artists and their power to inspire and lift us up. When Ellis takes Nina Simone’s gum from her piano after a transcendent performance, it takes him on an epic adventure while he contemplates the meaning and importance of these precious objects that we carry with us.

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik · Book Musik 057 – NINA SIMONE’S GUM by Warren Ellis with Guest Andrea Tetrick

Book Musik 056 – Unstrung: Rants and Stories of a Noise Guitarist by Marc Ribot

Posted on October 15, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Unstrung: Rants and Stories of a Noise Guitarist by Marc Ribot. Ribot first started making some serious noise on the music scene in the 1980s adding incredible sounds to records by the likes of Tom Waits and Elvis Costello as well as being an integral member of the downtown New York music scene playing with John Zorn, The Lounge Lizards and leading several bands of his own with wildly varying styles. This is his first book and it’s a mix of music writing and short fiction. Marc has a wicked smart sense of humor and isn’t shy to talk about his strong political leanings. And you can bet that he’ll crank it up to 11!

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 055 – Why Marianne Faithfull Matters by Tanya Pearson

Posted on October 1, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Why Marianne Faithfull Matters by Tanya Pearson. Marianne Faithfull is now entering her sixth decade of pushing creative boundaries. She started in the 1960s as an icon of the swinging London scene both as a singer and an actress. In 1979 in her early 30s (when that was considered over-the-hill), she released her album Broken English which is a visceral masterpiece. And she’s continued to push herself creatively ever since with eclectic collaborations from Metallica to Hal Willner to Jarvis Cocker and just this year releasing an album of recited poetry with music by Warren Ellis. Never one to rest on her laurels, we know she’ll be breaking rules to the very end.

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 054 – Common Tones: Selected interviews with artists and musicians 1995-2020 – discussion with author Alan Licht

Posted on September 15, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Common Tones: selected interviews with artists and musicians 1995-2020 with author Alan Licht. Alan is a musician and writer and his multidisciplinary approach to creativity is just one of the many things that he has in common with his subjects. The majority of his interviewees are active in some combination of music, writing, film, and the visual arts. There’s a creative perspective and aesthetic that flows through this collection of interviews from well-known artists like Lou Reed and Tom Verlaine to some of the key figures who influenced them such as Tony Conrad and Henry Flynt. As a peer and someone who has an enormous passion and respect for the artists he’s interviewing, Alan has a unique knack for getting everyone to open up to him and deliver a lively exchange.

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 053 – You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico – discussion with author Jennifer Otter Bickerdike

Posted on September 1, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss You Are Beautiful and You Are Alone: The Biography of Nico with author Jennifer Otter Bickerdike. Nico is an icon best known for her otherworldly beauty and for her time hanging out at Andy Warhol’s Factory and singing a few tunes with The Velvet Underground but her real story extends far beyond the cool gaze from under those blonde bangs. She managed to leave behind the detritus of post-WWII Germany by remaking herself first into a hugely successful model then catching the eye of Federico Fellini and eventually making her way to New York to become a Superstar of Warhol’s Factory. But her real artistic output came after this celebrated time with her solo recordings and constant touring. Bickerdike fleshes out the mythology of this complicated, imperfect woman with a dense and fascinating narrative.

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 052 – The Lyrics of Syd Barrett

Posted on August 15, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss The Lyrics of Syd Barrett with a foreword by Peter Jenner and an introduction by Rob Chapman. Barrett was not only a founding member of Pink Floyd but was also the lead singer and primary songwriter for the band. After their first album, his presence in the band quickly diminished and their creative trajectory completely changed. He went on to put out two solo albums which are still highly regarded and very unique in the pop world. And then he disappeared from the pop-rock world entirely perhaps due to mental health issues, drug issues or a giant fuck-you to the rock ‘n’ roll machinery that he just couldn’t abide. The crazy diamond, rock ‘n’ roll mythology surrounding Syd is fun to explore but his lyrics make it abundantly clear that he was a true artist in every sense of the word.

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 051 – Why Labelle Matters and Peter and the Wolves – discussion with author Adele Bertei

Posted on August 1, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Peter and the Wolves and Why Labelle Matters with author Adele Bertei. Adele started singing and playing music in the nascent punk scene in Cleveland with her dear friend Peter Laughner. Her memoir about that time is a stunningly poignant reminder of what an important role a single person can play in one’s life. It’s a vivid portrait of Peter as well as the music scene in both Cleveland and New York in the 1970s which were heady times to say the least. At the same time, Adele has had a longtime love of everything Labelle and she lets us know that they do indeed matter! Starting out as a more traditional “girl group” in the 60s, Labelle broke free of those constraints and then nothing could hold them back. Labelle shattered boundaries creatively and pushed for women’s rights with an all-female team behind them and supported the LGBTQ community long before anyone else.

Get Adele’s book tour schedule and further info about her on her website: https://www.adelebertei.com

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 050 – Excavate! The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall with guest Dave Ehrlich

Posted on July 15, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Excavate! The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall (ed. by Tessa Norton & Bob Stanley) with special guest, number one fan of The Fall, Dave Ehrlich. We are neophytes to the forbidding and frankly overwhelming world of The Fall, so we’ve enlisted Dave to be our Sherpa. Dave’s been a super fan since the 80s and guides us through The Fall’s mysterious landscape. This is not a band for the faint of heart and their prodigious output means there’s some work to be done to explore their universe, but we’ve found that the rewards are more than worth it. We’re quickly becoming super fans as well.

Dave’s guide to initiates:

Ten Fall releases I’d grab if the house were on fire:

This Nation’s Saving Grace (1985)
Slates 10” EP (1981)
Hex Enduction Hour (1982)
The Wonderful & Frightening World of the Fall (1984)
Grotesque (1980)
The Unutterable (2000)
Bend Sinister (1986)
Perverted by Language (1983)
Fall Heads Roll (2005)
In: Palace of Swords Reversed: 1980-83 (1987)

If you’d like a crash course on their fantastic Beggars’ Banquet years (the “Brix Era”), incl. some essential tracks not on TNSG/etc., then seek out both of the “458489 A Sides” and “458489 B Sides” collections. And for anyone wanting to take a deep dive, there’s an epic box set of every single one of the band’s 24 radio sessions for the John Peel Show, entitled “The Fall: The Complete Peel Sessions 1978–2004”. Happy excavating!

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17

Book Musik 049 – Dennis Wilson and Charlie Manson – discussion with author Jack Skelley

Posted on July 1, 2021August 4, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley are joined by author Jack Skelley to discuss his new book Dennis Wilson and Charlie Manson. How did fun-loving, handsome surfer-dude and famous Beach Boy drummer Dennis Wilson become entangled with the creepy, dark, murderous cult leader Charlie Manson? As we all know, there are two sides to every coin and Skelley takes the real-life intersection of these two men as well as the pop culture of the era and those around them as its jumping off point to explore the high and low, the dark and the light in this stunningly poetic, strikingly illustrated chapbook.

Jack Skelley’s social media:
Instagram
Twitter

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Theme music: “Behind Our Efforts, Let There Be Found Our Efforts” by LG17