Connections: Flannery O'Connor Meets Sufjan Stevens

Indie rock darling Sufjan Stevens is among the most literary minded musicians you'll ever find. Before his music career soared to nearly universal praise, Stevens earned an MFA in creative writing from NYC's New School. Many contemporary musicians probably don't know who Saul Bellow was. Stevens, on the other hand, named a song after him.

Like the great short story writer Flannery O'Connor, Stevens often expresses and explores his Christian faith through his art. In fact, a couple songs on Stevens' album Seven Swans, "In the Devil's Territory" and "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," are based on an O'Connor essay and short story respectively. O'Connor's "Good Man" is a haunting tale of moral choice. It's one of the most famous stories of the 20th century and rightfully so. Steven's song addresses the work from the perspective of evil incarnate, the character called The Misfit.

Finding the Perfect Drummer

David Menconi's "Songs in the Key of E" provides EXPERIENCED with a humorous touch. In his story, sort of a rock 'n' roll version of "Who's on First?", two would-be rock stars contemplate which drummer might be the perfect fit for their future trio.

Their expectations don't always line up, and are beyond impractical (literally impossible to meet, at times, without reanimation). Nonetheless, the pair keep plugging away in hopes of one day playing MSG instead of their mothers' basements.

EXPERIENCED Review in Lollipop

Scott Deckman provides a detailed review of EXPERIENCED in the new issue of the online music and entertainment publication Lollipop. Some of the stories appealed to him more than others, but, as he suggests: "If you're a fan of rock and fiction both, you'll most likely find something in Experienced: Rock Music Tales of Fact & Fiction to float your SS Stratocaster."

You can read the entire review here

Meet the Neighbors: Dee Dee Ramone

As a Chelsea Hotel resident, Ed Hamilton met lots of wild and famous characters, as his book, Legends of the Chelsea Hotel: Living with Artists and Outlaws in New York's Rebel Mecca, will attest. One such character, whom he writes about in EXPERIENCED, is the late Dee Dee Ramone.

In "Dee Dee's Challenge," it's quickly evident that the Ramones' bassist was no Ned Flanders or George Wilson (no surprise there). But he was definitely the kind of neighbor one would never forget.

 

Here's video of the Ramones at the US Festival:

Phish Heads on Tour

Devoting huge chunks of time following your favorite band isn't always easy, not even for trustafarians. In Laurel Gilbert's, "A Little Worse than Moonbeam," a busload of Phish heads find themselves with more than they bargained for once Trey's solos have ended and the parking lot cops become proverbial kids in a candy store. Once again, real life gets in the way of good, not-so-clean fun.