All of the fiction writing I'm doing this summer is directly influenced by (Mormonism) and rock music. I'm not sure it works. I'm worried about the pop cultural references (I had an influential creative writing prof tell me once that they did not work), but all my favorite lit fiction references rock music in some way (real or invented) and/or takes rock music and culture as its central subject. I'm thinking Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Good Squad, Dana Spiotta's Stone Arabia, Nick Hornby's Juliet Naked, Denis Johnson's Jesus Son, Thomas Pynchon's Vineland (and Inherent Vice), Don Delillo's Great Jones Street, Tom Perrota's The Wishbones . . . .
Whether it's good or not, I'm having a lot of fun with what I'm doing. (And isn't that Cameron's point, Lara?.)
This afternoon, I was in Soho and wandered into Housing Works Bookstore Cafe where, on a table, I saw a copy of the memoir written by a singer, Storm Large, who led a popular Portland rock band and then did well on a cheesy reality show I watched avidly six years ago: Rock Star Supernova. (Anyone?) The show was all about finding a lead vocalist for an already assembled rock supergroup made up of members of Guns n' Roses, Motley Crue and Metallica, respectively. Storm was by far my favorite of the handpicked contestants. At six-feet-tall, she was a powerful presence. Her voice was amazing and she exuded a real Amazonian powerful energy. She's who I'd want to be if I ever found myself on stage. This is what I'm attempting in my fiction.
Here's a clip from the show of Storm covering Cheap Trick's "Surrender." Enjoy! And, er, rock on! (Does it mean it's summer when I cuddle up with my computer mid-week and watch six-year-old reality show clips?)
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