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Gary Benchley, Rock Star
 
 
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Gary Benchley, Rock Star (Paperback)

by Paul Ford (Author) "Before I moved to New York from Albany, I wrote out a careful, step-by-step plan: 1) Rock out..." (more)
Key Phrases: merch girl, chick drummer, synergy model, New York, Original Syn, Gary Benchley (more...)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)


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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

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 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 (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #639,674 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
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 (7)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Thinking of moving to the Big City?, September 29, 2005
By ATL-Carpetbagger (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
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.
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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
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!
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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 "Gina" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars I would rather be home crying
This book would be awsome, if I were still attending junior high school, in the suburbs. Gary Benchley is for kids who aspire to be a cliche. Read more
Published on March 17, 2007 by real deal

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever, current bildungsroman
This tightly-written and humorous novel uses backdrop of very current (i.e. 2005) musical genres, movements, and bands to tell the story of a young man who moves to New York and... Read more
Published on January 3, 2007 by Bendejo

4.0 out of 5 stars Crass Commercialism
I really enjoyed reading about The Letters of Gary Benchley, Rock Star when it was in online form on TheMorningNews.org. Read more
Published on January 9, 2006 by hobbes8calvin

4.0 out of 5 stars great, but was better online with a complete suspension of disbelief
After finding out the the Gary Benchley of themorningnews.org was really Paul Ford I realized how obvious it was; but I also realized that the reason I had bought the whole thing... Read more
Published on December 11, 2005 by Daniel W. Miller

5.0 out of 5 stars speaking words of wisdom... rock out!
I had fun with this book, but more importanly, this book had fun with me. I think a book that cares enough about its readers to make sure they're having a laugh (out loud... Read more
Published on November 2, 2005 by STACY ESCH

5.0 out of 5 stars everybody wants to be a rock star
Ford's breezy first novel about an ambitious indie rocker trying to make it in the big apple is wiseguy funny, hip to the silly pretensions of post-adolescents longing desparately... Read more
Published on October 30, 2005 by J. Esch

2.0 out of 5 stars GARY BENCHLEY, LAME AND DISAPPOINTING
I typically enjoy any fiction focusing on music or the music industry, but this book really let me down. The dialogue is stale. The characters have little to no personalities. Read more
Published on October 23, 2005 by Jonathan B. Cohen

5.0 out of 5 stars funny and smart, hip but not at all smug
I just plowed through this book in a few days. It's a great read, there's something on every page to make you laugh, and something on every couple pages to make you nod your head... Read more
Published on October 10, 2005 by Daniel W. DeLuca

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