Gary Benchley, Rock Star [Paperback]

Paul Ford (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 27, 2005

"Before I moved to New York from Albany, I wrote out a careful, step-by-step plan: 1) Rock out; 2) No more data entry."

Gary Benchley, recent college grad and aspiring rock star, left his dead-end life in Albany to seek his fortune in that hotbed of hipsters—Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Earnestly optimistic and completely confident in his fate, Gary writes of his trials and tribulations securing a roommate, a girlfriend, and even a band—the "world’s most inclusive band"—complete with a gay synth player, a hot chick drummer, and a cool black bassist. Calling their not- quite-musical sound "indie prog," they combine the most pretentious music of the 1970s with the most pretentious music of today. But after a dozen shows and even an album, the band begins to fall apart, and Gary finds himself increasingly disillusioned with his rock star fantasies. In Gary’s world, though, the glass is always half full.

Gary Benchley, Rock Star is a hilarious, satirical debut that grew out of Ford’s popular column on TheMorningNews.org.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Recent college grad Gary Benchley leaves dull-but-secure Albany for the rock hopeful's paradise of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in Harper's editor Ford's debut. By day, Gary slaves as a temp at consultancy BrandSolve. In his off hours, he forms Schizopolis, Brooklyn's most diverse indie-prog band, with his gay co-worker on synth, a black music journalist on bass and a "hot chick" drummer. Gently mimicking MTV's Behind the Music, Ford follows Schizopolis as it comes together, does small gigs, signs with a small label, records an album and sets out in a van to tour as an opening act. Girlfriend Para, a few years older, obsessively blogs each stage of her and Gary's tepid romance, talks of pregnancy and performs potential groupie cock-blocks, while bandmate Katherine sends sparks Gary's way. Ford, who is also an NPR commentator, nicely captures the smalltown feeling of Williamsburg, where the 20-something rock and arts scenes are incestuous, shallow and deadly serious. Gary's first person is breezy and believable (the novel was first serialized online with Gary's byline, and people wrote in to cheer him on), and the rock minutiae, immature personae and clotted relationships are dead-on. For anyone now in their 30s with past musical ambitions, it's a funny, rueful read. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Twentysomething aspiring musician Gary Benchley moves from dead-end Albany to "hip" Brooklyn with one goal in mind: "Rock out." However, it turns out that it's a "terrible time to rock, but a terrific time for data entry." While working a temp job, Gary holds firmly to his dream; first he has business cards made up identifying him as a rock star, and then he meets a gay synth player and decides to put together the world's most inclusive band, recruiting a sexy female drummer and a dreadlocked black bassist (who accuses Gary of racial profiling but agrees to join the band anyway). They call themselves Schizopolis, write and record songs such as "We're All Annoying Together," and ultimately land a recording contract and a tour. But even the wildly optimistic Gary has to concede that he is disappointed, especially when his one groupie turns out to be a registered Republican who is a big fan of the Left Behind series. Out of his exceedingly droll take on the indie music scene, Ford fashions a novel that just keeps getting funnier. Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 291 pages
• Publisher: Plume (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452286638
• ISBN-13: 978-0452286634
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,293,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific pseudo-memoir of the ultra-hip indie lifestyle December 25, 2005

By Jessica Lux

Format:Paperback

Gary Benchley is a hip indie scenester stuck doing data entry in upstate NY. His fictional memoir opens as he moves to New York city with dreams of becoming an indie rock star. He does have to learn more then five chords on his guitar, but he also has to assemble the right cast for his band. He succeeds at assembling his dream lineup-a gay synth player, a hot chick drummer, a cool black bassist, and no lead guitar player. The process of uncovering his stereotypical bandmates makes for deliciously wicked reading (the hot chick can be obtained via ads, but he has to racially profile black men on the street to find his dream bass player).

Benchley's rise and plateau with his band is filled with elements familiar to any NY hipster--a girlfriend whose blog he reads to try to gain insight into their relationship, alternative art and media shows, mindless blogger get-togethers (why do bloggers hand out business cards?), the local music scene, and the name-dropping of ultra-new indie bands (Gary has great fun making up fake names and trying to catch scensters lying). Of course, we also have the process of getting a band to gel, learning to perform live, getting a record deal, and touring. Gary Benchley tries his damndest to be the Rock Star his business card claims his occupation is, and it makes for hilarious reading (especially his quest for groupies). I'm waiting for Volume 2!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars No more data entry! November 2, 2005

By Gina Trapani

Format:Paperback

If you've ever dreamed of making it big or searched for the right someone to love, Ford's novel is for you. A goofy, genuine, endearing character, Benchley will crack you up and show you parts of yourself you've forgotten.

Many of the indie rock references may get lost on the less hip (like myself). Regardless, the story is so engaging it halted my life for two days. I simply couldn't put it down. It was just too easy to get lost in the adventures of a 20-something taking on New York City with empty pockets, priceless comical insight and a dream - to ROCK OUT.

I'm ready for the next installment. Gary Benchley, Rock Star part 2, please.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking of moving to the Big City? September 28, 2005

By ATL-Carpetbagger

Format:Paperback

This is a hilarious and alarmingly accurate account of trying to 'make it' in post-millennial New York. Sort of Midnight Cowboy for the L-train set. See for yourself by reading some of the original installments on The Morning News.
[...]
Also recommended, if you've already landed somewhere, as a great (and only faintly salacious) gift that will make your teen/college-age niece or nephew think you're slightly edgy. Give it a spin.