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Supernatural Strategies For Making A Rock 'n' Roll Group (2013)

by Ian F. Svenonius(Favorite Author)

4.11 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1617751308 (ISBN13: 9781617751301)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

Akashic Books

review 1: This is a great idea for a book in concept - some rock enthusiasts conduct a seance to uncover the secrets of great rock bands from our long dead rock idols. The seance part is kinda cheesy, but when you get into the actual advice for rock bands, the book is pretty dead on and hilarious. Some gems: "Human artistic endeavors are typically borne from a deep sense of shame."Or "Ironically, all groups are tied to an automotive destiny. And the automobile is, of course, the primary culprit in the destruction of the world via global warming, suburban sprawl, and oil wars. This underlines the paradox of the group, who purport to embody some accelerated utopian artistic ideal, but are alchemized into Teamsters for most of their lifetime."Svenonius is a wonderful character, he alwa... moreys has been, and his wonderful view on capitalism, labor, socialism, modern society and rock and roll is always a breath of fresh air. My favorite: "Predicting drug trends could be an enormous asset for a group, akin to a stockbroker knowing how to play the market effectively."A worthy read if you used to dream of being in a rock band or, god forbid, you still do.
review 2: Ian Svenonius knows of what he speaks when he offers tips on how to start a rock 'n' roll band and enjoy all the power that such an enterprise may provide. The book offers guidance on assembling your very own band, dealing with producers, finding the proper tour vehicle and so forth. This info is so useful that Svenonius didn't really need to include a seance that brings us into contact with many late, lamented rock 'n' rollers who choose to communicate via inanimate objects. He probably knows more about being in a band than Brian Jones does, though Brian Jones might know considerably more about a debauched lifestyle.Once the seance part is over, the fun begins. Nearly all the chapters find a way to tie rock 'n' roll to the broader history of American-style capitalism and the military-industrial complex. For example, Sevonious declares that rock 'n' roll was the Trojan horse that smuggled capitalist values into communist countries, "seducing the globe to a US-led capitalist hegemony." (Exhibit A: The Scorpions, though this theory does not explain the odd popularity of David Hasselhoff as a pop star in Germany because I can't bear to consider Hasselhoff's work "rock 'n' roll.")Along the way, Sevonius serves up some classic smack-talk about politicians, food co-op meetings and Tim Burton. A few times, he reminded me of an MSNBC commentator or my vegan grad-student cousin who loves making everyone squirm at the Thanksgiving table. So, maybe "Supernatural Strategies ..." starts slow, but give it time because you'll have fun. less

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