From Blue to Black [Paperback]

Joel Lane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

"A dark, precise insinuating novel that rewrites pop history into something like a perfect wish come disconcertingly true."—Dennis Cooper

In the early 1990s, a band called ‘Triangle’ is a cult item on the post-punk music scene. Karl is the brilliant but troubled vocalist, haunted by past violence and present danger, torn between chasing fame and desiring oblivion, between men and women, music and silence. As the band makes waves with the obligatory alcohol, sex and blurred reality, Karl starts to fall apart. Based on the life of Ian Curtis, lead singer of Joy Division, From Blue to Black is a passionate novel about rock music and its world.

Born in 1963, Joel Lane lives in Birmingham, England. He is a prize-winning poet.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British writer Lane's haunting, angst-ridden debut novel is composed of a pair of intertwining tales, one about a bass player named David Pelsall who joins a rock band called Triangle in the midst of the thriving early '90s gothic band scene in England, the other narrating Pelsall's problematic relationship with Karl, the band's mesmerizing, self-destructive lead singer. The story of the rock band is by far the less interesting of the two, with Lane supplying a standard fill-in-the-blanks story line about the rags-to-riches rise of the band, though he does manage to capture the essence of the musical era while penning some fine, almost poetic prose about the effects of the lyrics and songs on those who follow the music. But David's affair with his tortured band mate constitutes a far more compelling narrative, as the thoroughly smitten bass player struggles to keep from becoming a victim of his partner's episodes of substance abuse, his ongoing bisexual affairs and his bizarre self-destructive tendencies. Both the ending and the over-the-top rock hedonism here will be familiar to many readers, but what sets this book apart is Lane's ability to create two flawed but deeply memorable characters; he writes eloquently about beauty and love as David and Karl struggle to maintain the romantic energy of their obviously ill-fated affair. The arcane nature of the narrow musical setting will doubtless limit this book to a small audience, but the high quality of the prose marks Lane as a writer to watch should he decide to broaden his perspective.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Born in Exeter in 1963 but brought up in Birmingham, Joel Lane is a graduate of Cambridge University. He won the Eric Gregory Award for Poetry in 1993, and a collection of his short stories, The Earth Wire, was published in 1994.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Serpent's Tail (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852426187
• ISBN-13: 978-1852426187
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,907,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralled, July 5, 2003

By 

Dark Raven (Sin City, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Blue to Black (Five Star Paperback) (Paperback)

Joel Lane, you have amazed me. From the moment I began reading this rare tale of strange love, emotional corruption, and rock music, the prose seemed to find its way into my thoughts during my non-reading moments. This is one of those books that takes you fully through the gamut of every feeling and reaction the human psyche can conceive. The title serves as an excellent overview, those who have read may agree; from a blue sadness, to a black endlessness. I don't care whether you are gay, straight, goth, whatever: there is something in here that will find ways to pleasantly haunt you long after you finish the last page.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bleak, Beautiful Love Story, May 10, 2006

By 

Blake Fraina (Connecticut) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: From Blue to Black (Five Star Paperback) (Paperback)

FROM BLUE TO BLACK tells of the rise of Triangle, a fictional power trio, making dark, dissonant rock music in 1990's Birmingham. It is also a love story of sorts. Karl, the group's haunted, alcoholic, bisexual lead singer/guitarist, and David, their new bass player become lovers the night they meet. Their doomed affair, and Karl's descent into addiction and mental illness, plays out against (and is expertly mirrored by) the bleak industrial landscape of Northern England. First time novelist Lane's background as a poet is clearly in evidence as the book is chock full of tangible, amazingly wrought imagery.

Many of the descriptive passages can be taken as metaphors for Karl's troubled psyche - the black hopelessness hidden behind the opaque facade:

"Beyond the terraced streets, we could see the backdrop of green hills. From a distance, the elaborate Victorian frontages of the factories and civic halls looked impressive; but close-up you could see the sprayed messages and the chicken-wire over the blackened glass."

A river on the outskirts of Karl's home town, and the scene of his most terrible boyhood secret is, "...a skinned mass of dark muscle and yellow fat." Even a lover's idyll is tarnished with an ominous, disturbing air; when Karl and David dance together, it is, "...awkwardly, walled in by moving shadows."

If a reader is not interested in rock music, particularly in the various dealings that constitute the day-to-day life of a working rock band, then he/she might find the book to be overly encumbered with minutiae. For me, Lane's detailed descriptions of the writing, production, arrangement, recording and performing of the songs was spot on. The song lyrics were always revealing and the "reviews" of Triangle's concerts and recordings brilliantly aped the pretentious UK rock press.

While reading this book, I was constantly aware of the writer's lyrical skill with words, yet this only enhanced the emotional impact of the story, never distracted from it. This is a beautiful and carefully crafted work. Highly recommended to fans of music, queer literature or just great writing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What an Unusual Book, December 16, 2005

By 

J Martin Jellinek (Memphis, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Blue to Black (Paperback)

As one in my 50s who is mystified by the difference between such (evidently) divergent musical styles as grunge and heavy metal, this book was an eye-opener about a scene that existed many years after I was "into" the latest music. I bought From Blue to Black to get a glimmer into the world of 1990's music.

However, the book proved to be much more than that. The relationship between the main characters, David and Karl, is haunting. On the surface level, their relationship in incomprehensible. However, many elements of their relationship run very true to life. This book challenges the reader to look at his/her own relationships and see destructive elements that have destroyed relationships and say "Ah ha! This is my story too."

From Blue to Black is highly recommended if you search for out of the ordinary reading material.