Book Musik 045 – A Band With Built-In Hate: The Who From Pop Art to Punk – discussion with author Peter Stanfield

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

Tosh and Kimley are joined by author Peter Stanfield to discuss his new book A Band With Built-In Hate: The Who from Pop Art to Punk. The Who is a band rife with contradictions and easily one of the most acutely self-aware bands to come out of the British music scene of the 1960s. From recording ads on The Who Sell Out to the rock opera Tommy, The Who explored the vast continuum of what popular music could be. They were anti-intellectual intellectuals who embraced constant change and who weren’t afraid to smash a few guitars along the way.

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

Book Musik 042 – The Velvet Mafia: The Gay Men Who Ran the Swinging Sixties – discussion with author Darryl W. Bullock

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

Tosh and Kimley are joined by author Darryl W. Bullock to discuss his new book The Velvet Mafia: The Gay Men Who Ran the Swinging Sixties. Rock ‘n’ roll as we know it would not exist if not for this group of gay men in the U.K. during the late fifties and sixties fondly referred to as “The Velvet Mafia.” Larry Parnes, Brian Epstein, Joe Meek, Lionel Bart, and Robert Stigwood are some of the major players in this book who left an indelible mark on the pop/rock world. At a time in the U.K. when being gay was illegal and when pop music could only be heard from pirate radio stations, they managed to push the needle forward and open up a culture that allowed us all to swing!

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

Book Musik 040 – From Elvis in Memphis (33 1/3) – discussion with author Eric Wolfson

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

Tosh and Kimley are joined by author Eric Wolfson to discuss his new book Elvis Presley’s From Elvis in Memphis (33 1/3). Elvis is a paradox who became the mold for all rock stars to follow. He was the King of Rock in the 50s and then the king of schlock in the 60s but made an impressive comeback with the release of this album in 1969 that reinforced his place in the rock ‘n’ roll pantheon. Going back to Memphis where he started and working at the gritty, down-to-earth American Sound Studio helped him create what is considered by many to be his best studio album.

Links to Eric’s social media:
www.fromelvisinmemphis.com
Twitter: @FromElvisIn333
Instagram: @PresleyDayByDay

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

Book Musik 030 – Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music by Alex Ross

Posted on September 15, 2020August 2, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music by Alex Ross. A famous quip goes “Wagner’s music is better than it sounds.” Whether you find Wagner’s music to be sublime or bombastic, this is an essential read. It is not a biography or an examination of his music but, more interestingly, it’s a very deep dive into the enormous cultural and political influence Richard Wagner has had on his contemporaries and everyone since, from writers to painters, dancers, philosophers, politicians, and filmmakers. The diversity of those who’ve come under the spell of Wagnerism is beyond compare. And this is despite Wagner’s well-known antisemitism and association with Hitler and the Nazi regime. Cancel culture hasn’t quite figured out what to do with Wagner but Ross leaves no stone unturned in this enormous and hugely satisfying read.

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

Book Musik 028 – Go All The Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop by Paul Myers and S. W. Lauden

Posted on August 15, 2020August 2, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Go All the Way: A Literary Appreciation of Power Pop by Paul Myers and S. W. Lauden. This compilation of short essays by a wide range of writers (including Michael Chabon and Allison Anders among others) explores the minutiae of what constitutes power pop exactly, whether or not it is even desirable to be lumped into this subgenre and which bands are considered power pop, with bands like Bad Finger, The Raspberries, Big Star, and Cheap Trick generally being considered the prototypes. Despite its effervescent appeal, fans of power pop are deadly serious about its nuances. Both celebrated and maligned, power pop is a nebulous genre and after reading this book things still seem murky to us. But like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart pronounced in an attempt to define porn, we know it when we see it!

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

Book Musik 021 – Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock by Nik Cohn

Posted on May 1, 2020August 2, 2022 by Book Musik

Tosh and Kimley discuss Awopbopaloobop Alopbamboom: The Golden Age of Rock by Nik Cohn. Initially written in 1968 and revised in 1972, Awopbop… is one of the earliest books to tackle the history of rock ‘n’ roll, both in front of and behind the curtain, and this is back when everyone still thought it was a passing phase. Fifty years later and now this book is essential reading in the music writing cannon. Cohn developed a writing style that was completely in sync with his subject matter – brash, visceral, in your face, with loads of attitude. He doesn’t mince words and will happily tell you that The Beatles sucked. You may not agree with him but you’ll still be smiling as you attempt to muster up a few choice words of your own for the writer.

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