As the series chugs inexorably (ambles merrily) (strides manfully) (limps painfully) (hides dizzily) (yes, I’ve been watching too much Top Model) towards the possibility of signing up some more new books in 2007 – but please don’t send me anything yet! – thoughts turn to potential authors. God knows if any of these people would even want to write one, but my dream list would include:
Scarlett Thomas
Mark Danielewski
Haruki Murakami
Robert Forster
Ian Rankin
Richard Powers
Louise Welsh
Helen DeWitt
If there are any people you would love to see write a book for the series, let me know in the comments section – thanks!
Yeah, I’ll do one.Scarlett Twww.bookgirl.org
John Darnielle.www.lastplanetojakarta.com
Bret Easton Ellis… His random thoughts in American Psycho (via Patrick Batemen) on Huey Lewis and Genesis helped me get through that book. He could surely tackle an important ’80s album with ease.
David Marchese
Might I humbly recommend myself?
Rebecca BrownKathleen HannaTed LeoJeff Chang
Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (the last novel that floored me). He loves music and knows how to write about what music can mean to adolescents coming of age.
I would seriously recommend getting in touch with Dr. Jonathan Smele, a lecturer in Russian history at the University of London. Aside from knowing Russia inside out and back again, he’s also the foremost Daniel Johnston expert in Britain and was the first man to interview Teenage Fanclub. Fine scholarly writing + a love for pop= instant success, no?
i like the mark e. smith suggestion, but only if it’s written in dialect.
David E. James (film scholar)Martin Scorsese
Musicians:Nick CaveBob DylanMark E SmithHows about expanding the range to include graphics from the likes of Alan Moore or Grant Morrison?
Me!
ha ha. something tells me the boat’s sailed on that one, eh dr. david?
What about David Barker, PhD?
rick moodyjonathan lethemgeorge pelecanos
Brian Evensonhttp://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2006/10/book_notes_bria.html
Lucius Shepard:Mainly a writer of literate SF/fantasy/horror, he spent a chunk of the ’70s in rock bands, plus he specializes in works of novella length. He’d be great for something like Miles Davis’ ’70s work. Here’s a short essay he wrote on the topic:http://www.nightshadebooks.com/discus/messages/32/618.html?1153128339
Geoff Dyer
Eugene Chadbourne Jeff TweedyJohn ZornMarc RibotHow about a poet:Jed RasulaRon Silliman!!!!
MorriseyThom YorkeDavid SedarisGeoff TravisDavid MitchellJon Savage
Bobby PollardJack RabidIan ChristieNeil Peart
Vollmann!D.F. Wallace!Zizek!
i second colson whitehead!also:greg tatenelson george
I understand why people think Nick Hornby would be a good choice, but I think for him to do a book in this series would be sort of gross.
I second Nick Hornby.Chuck Klosterman could be a good choice, too.
If you could score Thomas Pynchon I would sign my soul over to you. You already named another great one in Murakami. I also like the books by musicians themselves–perhaps Bob Pollard could do something interesting. Or Ted Leo–that guy always has a lot to say. Or maybe Joanna Newsom or Neko Case. They seem like they’d have a lot of interesting things to say about a favorite album.
William T. VollmannAmy HempelNicholson Baker
Nick Hornby!
Steve Barker, of the The Wire BBC! If you’re writing about music, Barker is the one person you gotta have in this series.
Colson WhiteheadDavid Foster Wallace
dave eggerszadie smithknox robinson