Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsDon't Quit Your Rock Job
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2005
A collection of short stories written by musicians seems like a great idea in concept, but things haven't turned out so well after the words hit the page. The best submissions here are, unsurprisingly, from those musicians who also have distinguished and credible writing careers– most notably Jim Carroll, Greg Kihn (also the editor here), Richard Hell, and Mick Farren. There are also a few other rockers here who can really write and may have an acclaimed side career in the making, including Wayne Kramer, Pete Townshend, and Steve Earle. But otherwise, the majority of the stories here feel like indulgences from bored musicians experimenting with a writing hobby, and who should probably stick to the music. None of the stories are especially unlikable (except maybe the dippy pseudo-religious yawner from Ray Manzarek), but you won’t exactly find any of them mindblowing either, and that gives this book a pretty indifferent impression overall. But there are still a couple of pleasant surprises from the hobbyists – my favorite being the fun and unselfconscious little story from Joan Jett, who assures us that not even vampires can defeat the spirit of rock n' roll. More tales like that would have made this book a more enjoyable collection of rockin' literature. [~doomsdayer520~]
