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Memoir: a journey of self-awareness and self-acceptance and much more

ByGrady HarpTop Contributor: Children's BooksHALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERon October 15, 2013

Format: Paperback

In this densely composed memoir by Thomas Wictor we meet now only the music journalist of the title, but also a man with so many back stories and plots that he seems as though eh should be behind the Wizard of Oz' curtain. For example, form one of his many websites we learn that `Thomas Wictor was born in Caripito, Venezuela, on August 6, 1962. He has worked as a stevedore in Stavanger, Norway; a bartender in Portland, Oregon; a conversational English teacher, technical writer, e-news editor, and voice-over actor in Tokyo, Japan; and a delivery driver and document retrieval agent in San Francisco. He was also a freelance music journalist for ten years, five of which he spent covering Los Angeles as a Contributing Editor at Bass Player. His first book was `Cold Sweat: Interviews with Really Scary Musicians', though he has also published more material on WW I flamethrowers than anyone in history! He currently lives in Southern California, where he pursues his dream of becoming a novelist.

GHOSTS AND BALLYHOO explores the theme of conquering a traumatic past by transforming anger over devastating loss into gratitude for what once was. Much of the book is an extrapolation of entries from his `Talk Bass' forum and therein lies both the success and shortcomings of the book. The bulk of the book is an interview type format in which we learn (sometimes more than we want to know) about the music business in Los Angeles. It is peppered with many photographs, quips, meanderings into philosophy cum existentialism gone sour, and considerable laugh-out-loud humor. Or as one journalist states,' The book is structured as a collection of anthologies rather than a continuous narrative; the seven anthologies detailing Wictor's failed career are separated by six interludes with the Collateral Ghost, one of the most brilliant yet unsuccessful musicians who ever played--former Frank Zappa bassist Scott Thunes. Thomas Wictor's experiences include multiple failures across multiple spectra; a spontaneous recovery from total liver failure; adopting a reincarnated cat; narrowly avoiding a terrorist bomb; losing much of his eyesight and the ability to play the bass guitar; purchasing a painting of the Cardinal Ghost done by an artist who never met her; learning that Scott Thunes played a role in his life years before Wictor even heard of him; turning the tables on a vicious stalker; a miraculous escape from an attempted murder; contracting an incurable illness that will eventually cost him his hearing; discovering a life-saving poet; experiencing the suicide of his best friend; and a near-death experience complete with tunnel, bright light, and vision of what lies beyond. Throughout his life, Wictor also benefited from an endless series of coincidences that always returned him to the notion that there is a Plan. Losing nearly everything he loved gave the author clarity, enabling him to see patterns of guidance and sustenance visible everywhere once he was no longer blinded by rage and negativity. Clarity un-haunted Thomas Wictor and brought him peace of mind, which allowed him to transform the anger over what he lost into gratitude for what he once had.' Few could sum up this entertaining book better. Brace your eyes: the font is very small. Grady Harp, October 13

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