Customer Reviews

Rock Bottom: A Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In rock and roll mythology, there are two linked stories that seem to be told over and over again: Pride, and The Fall. We admire a band's success, marvel at its excess -- and then, like motorists passing a grisly accident, we rubberneck at its self-immolation. VH1's Behind the Music series has made an industry out of telling and retelling this story -- adding, for the sake of narrative, a Part Three (call it Aftermath, or Redemption) and bending over backwards to force every band into their up-down-up, N-shaped rubric. The effect, of course, is facile, the glossy television product of elided facts and carefully edited interview snippets.

Rock Bottom, Michael Shilling's debut novel, bears a paradoxical relationship to this old rock and roll story. In recounting the very bad last day of the Blood Orphans -- a very bad band that could, once upon a time, have been very good -- Rock Bottom is at once a raucous celebration of rock mythos and magic and a searing portrayal of what it might actually be like to be caught at the center of a VH1-worthy storm. What makes this novel noteworthy is Shilling's ability to reconcile these objectives. Rock Bottom embraces the myths of rock even as it explodes them.

This feat is the product of an apparently egoless author. Like a good impresario once the band has taken the stage, Shilling makes himself invisible: the narration of the novel is given entirely over to its central characters, the four band members and their female manager. Jumping, in successive chapters, from one troubled head to the next, Shilling writes in an extremely close third-person that occasionally verges on stream-of-consciousness. The effect is remarkable: constructed completely from the actions, memories, and language of the characters themselves (none of that intrusive Behind the Music narrational presence), a complete picture of the Blood Orphans' dissolution emerges. The language may be salty, but one of the pleasures of this novel is the way in which it speaks through its characters. To deny them their F-bombs would be to deny them a certain degree of reality on the page. Shilling, to his credit, never flinches.

It would be unfair to call these characters "unlikeable" and leave it at that -- more often than not, these characters don't like themselves. Each is responsible, in his or her own way, for the failure of a band that began with such promise; the power of the novel lies in its relentless plot, which forces each bandmember and their manager to face that fact. Think of that line from Nixon: "Mistakes were made." With the passive voice, he camouflages his culpability. Scene by scene, Shilling strips the camouflage of passive denial from his characters until at last they see themselves -- and we, as readers, likewise see them -- clearly.

Because of this, though it brims with brio and black comedy, Rock Bottom is also a novel haunted by the specter of what could have been; a keenly rendered awareness of loss inflects many of its best passages. (Consider the deeply tragicomic moment, early in the novel, when Bobby the bassist stumbles upon a Blood Orphans display in a record store.) The path these characters follow is mythic, but by their humanity -- Shilling has imagined each so intricately, in all his or her particularities -- they rejuvenate it. Shilling's is an exciting new voice: muscular, ballsy, and heartfelt.

At a key moment in the novel (I won't reveal where, or in what context), a blue arc of electricity appears. Its purpose, I think, is to remind us: the Rock Gods are present here. Rock Bottom is a myth expertly repackaged. Through the humanity of its characters, it transcends its subject, finding art where VH1 finds only sensationalism. Rock Bottom takes an age-old rock and roll story and retells it in a funny, fresh, and surprisingly moving fashion.

I thoroughly couldn't stand some of the characters in this book. Therefore, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Shilling created living, breathing personas and was able to talk about the last day in the life of a band named Blood Orphans. More than just a story about five individuals that made up a completely dysfunctional rock n' roll family, the author showed how absolutely dreadful people can be to each other yet still delude themselves and hold on to a common bond.

Some people may mistake Shilling's take on relationships to be one whereby he believes that every person can be magically fixed by finding a special person in their lives, but I believe it can go deeper than that. What he may really be driving at is that, on some level, sometimes all we need is for someone to see the good in us and believe in it. Also included is a cautionary tale of how that belief can be completely derailed once you get to know someone. There are also times when Shilling also overreaches in trying to come up with detailed terminology (being involved in the medical field, I can tell you that some of what he put down was incorrect), but that can also be very charming and I found myself chuckling with all the rock references that were included.

This is definitely a solid first effort and an engaging story that isn't just about some of the stereotypical rock-god-complex driven musicians. I look forward to see what else the author has in store for the future.

Rock Bottom is about the final day of a band's collapse. The Blood Orphans are formerly ironic former rock gods turned Ugly Americans in a washed up band. None of the characters are particularly likable in the beginning, but by the end of the novel I found myself rooting for all of them. Rock Bottom is fast paced, mostly funny, and occasionally touching. It's not the next Great American Novel, but it's a strong first showing from Michael Shilling. Highly recommended.

Mr. Shilling's terrific comedic imagining of a band's burnt heart is as hilarious as it brutal. This book is no acoustic jam session by a bonfire on the Oregon Coast-- it's a long storm of its characters in lust, insecure, angry, frantic, and thoughtful. Yes, it does employ the F-word more than a few times, but, like James Kellman's excellent "How Late It Was, How Late," "Rock Bottom" takes us to a dark side for the best reasons I can think of-- because it's there and thrilling. Don't miss this book.

This book is simply fantastic. The members of Blood Orphans, a disgraced heavy metal band, each have their own bitterness and and misfortunes that they are forced to deal with on this last day of their tour. Bobby, the bass player with the diseased hands, spends his day fighting off his feelings of inferiority and struggles to believe in the affections of a beautiful Dutch girl. Adam, the insanely talented guitar player, finds himself believing in a future without Blood Orphans. Shane, the evangelist singer, spends his day covered in rancid peanut butter, struggling with the dying embers of his once white-hot faith. But it is Darlo, the sex-addicted drummer, who goes through one of the biggest transformations. While the other band members think of him only with hostility, he reveals a troubled, pained soul while dashing through the streets with Joey, the band's drug-addicted manager. Darlo's life changes with one phone call from the family lawyer, and he is forced to face the demons of his past.

Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the characters, which give readers a glimpse into the extreme mental and emotional anguish and journey of each band member. By the end of the book, the band has morphed into something completely different...but I will leave it to future readers to discover what that is! I would recommend this book to any fan of rock-and-roll, or to anyone who has watched and loved This is Spinal Tap.

This was an intriguing read about the last day of glory of a failed rock band. I was drawn into the story of these few desperate boys trying to hold onto their fleeting moments of fame and fortune. Shilling is a good writer with a strong grasp of the voice of his characters; although he used a lot of obscenities, they never came across as gratuitous because it was so clearly the appropriate language for Blood Orphans.

It was interesting to note that the band was on the verge of imploding from its first tortured gigs; reading this book made me think of the many "VH1 Behind the Music" specials I've seen over the years. The only quibble I had involved the revelations about Darlo and his father- I believe Shilling could have gotten another entire book out of that plotline so it seemed a bit rushed at the end.

All in all, an enjoyable read- dark humor, bleak yet occasionally uplifting, certainly an excellent selection for anyone who has been involved in the music scene. 3.5 stars.

This debut novel by talented debut author Michael Shilling is dark and funny and shows enormous promise. Set in Amsterdam, the action takes place on the last day of their final tour as the members of Blood Orphans, a rock band that had it all and then lost it all, try to take one last shot at fame and glory. Deeply insightful about the music business and gorgeously written, this is one of the best novels I've read in a long time. Can't wait for Shilling's next book!

Michael Shilling's writing and ideas are interesting and I thought this was a pretty good considering it was a debut.

However, this book was a little too cartoonish for me. I was hoping for a glimpse of the desperation of humanity in a situation of absolute personal and professional failure, which this book delivered to a degree, but the strong points of this book are also its' weak points. The book presents a look into the day of the life of members of a band on the verge of finalizing it's irreperable failure. Here is what I did not like about it:

I thought the author too often wandered into the territory of shock and depravity - particularly in the lurid porn-filled back-story of Darlo the drummer's childhood. It went way beyond the purpose it was supposed to serve - presumably - to illustrate why Darlo was in such heavy denial about his band, the incredulously named - "Blood Orphans" - ultimately being dropped from the label.

And that's another thing while we're on the subject. Could anyone credibly see a band with THAT name, plus a song called "Hella Prosthetica" about having sex with a women with no legs actually having a distance to fall from to begin with? Could anyone see a band like this ever actually having the chance to open up for Aerosmith? I didn't think the "Spinal Tap" type irony worked too well here. Often these bands rise, then fall like this, simply because they're not very interesting to begin with - yet some A&R type took a chance that they could capitalize on someone else's success. That would be a more believable premise in my opinion.

It isn't that these shock elements are offensive as I expect lurid stuff in a book like this. It just isn't necessary, and it robs the story of credibility. I wish the author would have found more subtle and effective ways to characterize the members of the group and their coke-head manager, Joey.

Still, I made it through the book in under a week - that's automatically a minimum of 3 stars.

Right from the first few pages of Michael Shilling's "Rock Bottom," you get a solid sense of what it's like to be in a struggling rock 'n' roll band that is dutifully trying to finish the rugged end of a grueling two-year tour around the world: looking out the window of a dreary Amsterdam flat to witness the steel gray morning sky; itchy eczema hands that make life a grind; blankets that are too small to sleep under; various band members who wake up at different hours and in different parts of the city, if they got lucky the night before; and the inevitable bleak feelings that coincide with all of this illogical mayhem. Yes, right from the start, you feel like you're the bass player in the once-hopeful Blood Orphans -- here goes another day in hell.

Of course, Bobby, the neurotic "passenger" bass player, is only one viewpoint throughout. Thankfully, Shilling takes us through the warped minds of all these guys, along with their well-meaning female manager, Joey, whose heart is in the right place but managing skills leave a lot to be desired. Due to being tagged racists (perhaps unfairly) and thumbing their collective noses at the music industry and everybody else for too long, the Blood Orphans are on a severe downward spiral, commercially, spiritually and mentally -- and it's a shameful blast to read about them going through it. From the arrogant and oversexed Darlo (drummer) and Shane (singer) to the only level-headed and truly talented member of the band, Adam (guitar), Blood Orphans are a big-time wreck, damaged goods to the core.

And yet, on the band's wild last day on tour, epiphanies, contrition, camaraderie, shared experiences and, yes, even newfound loves, develop. And it's done in a way that's true-to-life, organic and far from a love-is-all-you-need cliche. Even more impressive, tucked away amid all the bawdy dialogue and hilarious prose, there are spots of writing that are simply gorgeous, almost too good for this motley crew of young has-beens who never actually attained rock star glory. Though some of the melodramatic, woe-is-me thoughts and actions from these characters get a bit tiresome toward the end, they aptly convey band dynamics and the hopelessness that comes with being in a failed rock group that once had high hopes. The hazy end is near for the drunk, drugged-up and drained Blood Orphans, and they can't wait to get there.

This is the story of the Blood Orphans The Blood Orphans are a rock band in serious decline. At one time they had it all and were on the road to rock and roll stardom. Then they had one horrible review and everything went south from there.
The book highlights their very last day on their last tour as they are getting ready to perform at a small venue in Amsterdam. We get introduced to Christian turned Buddhist lead singer Shane who can't stop preaching from the stage, drummer Darlo the son of a porn king millionaire fighting his sex addict demons, Bobby, the bass player who's eczema stricken hands have earned him the nickname Mummy, Adam the quiet , talented lead guitar player, and of course Joey, their coked out manager.

Their last day is both funny and tragic. We see the death of their dreams and what it has meant to each of them. We get a look into their raunchy, pathetic life on the road. This book is as much about the actual band itself as it was a commentary on the transitory and destructive nature fame.

Over all this book was a good read. It was such an interesting look into a dream so many people have had, and what happens when you let fame get the better of you. I loved watching them evolve over the course of the book. On the other hand the book is very graphic and raunchy and the language is coarse. I don't think any of it was outside the realm of what you could expect in a rock "memoir". I enjoyed this book immensely.