Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel's Messiah

Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel's Messiah by Charles King

Handel's Messiah has become one of the most famous classical works. It's Irish debut at a charity function was very well received. After that, it faded in popularity before it boomed again. The book focuses mostly on the background of the time and characters involved. Handel had leaned into playing for his audience. He took elements of popular opera, but made them accessible in English. Scriptural stories were also understood. Oratorios were an alternative to the high production costs of opera. The book also delves into the history of one of the early stars of his opera. She was a popular actress, but then had a scandalous personal life due to an affair and distance from her playboy husband. Years after things calmed down she was ready to make a comeback with Handel.

Goodbye Russia: Rachmaninoff in Exile

Goodbye Russia: Rachmaninoff in Exile by Fiona Maddocks

Rachmaninoff left Russia for the US. He didn't have much interaction with fellow Russian musician Leonard Bernstein. Russians wanted to claim him back later. He did stuff and had family. Honestly, his life in the US did not seem very interesting. 

Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run

Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run by Paul McCartney and Ted Widmer

Before reading this book, I didn't know much about Wings. I knew McCartney's post-Beatles band sang "Live and Let Die". I could also hum the corus for "Band on the Run". That was about it. This story is somewhere between an oral history and a narrative book. It starts with Paul and his wife retreating to the countryside to escape the limelight at the end of the Beatles era. However, the music bug will just not die. Paul does some work with studio musicians and then Wings came about as a relatively stable thing. There was a time there where they would do a "pop up tour" - going from city to city and playing a show with minimal advanced warning. I have trouble fathoming how there would not be crazy support for an ex-Beatle showing up in town. This would only have been possible in the days before cell phones and social media. Later they evolved to more traditional tours. These were always family affairs, with mom and dad in the band and the kids coming along from city to city. Wings got more popular. Then things came crashing down when Paul was busted for marijuana possession in Japan. The Beatles were a 60s band. Wings were a 70s band. Both pretty much ended as their representative decade ended. I found the story compelling even though I knew little about the band.

Born to Run

Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

This is a fairly long memoir that also moves too fast. It feels that it rushes through key points as side notes, almost putting an afterthought that a song was "Born to Run". I don't remember anything mentioning how he got the nickname "the Boss".  Either I missed it, or it was not mentioned. The book follows the typical rock star format. He struggled initially and barely made ends meet as he was trying to get the career off the ground. He stuck with it and then became a super star. His career arcs up until he has the greatest mainstream success with the misunderstood "Born in the USA". Then he continues on. 

Learn Faster, Perform Better: A Musician's Guide to the Neuroscience of Practicing

Learn Faster, Perform Better: A Musician's Guide to the Neuroscience of Practicing by Molly Gebrian

This book applies neuroscience to music. Some of the research experiments cited started with sports, but are applicable to music. Practicing mentally can just be as valuable as practicing physically. Imagining your hands in the proper position can develop your brain just as well as actually practicing. 

Practicing the right way is also important. It is good to practice starting at various points in the piece. It is also important to practice the "hard parts" correctly multiple times. Generally, you should practice doing the right thing multiple times in a row. Playing the right thing 10 times in a row gets it stored properly. Just going through a bunch of easy parts doesn't house. Practicing properly can be more important than practicing a lot.

My Effin' Life

My Effin' Life by Geddy Lee

Before jumping into his rock and roll memoir, Geddy starts with a narrative of his parents' experience in the holocaust. They were Polish Jews who survived the experience (unlike many of their family members that were killed.) After their immigration to Canada, Geddy's experience in the Toronto suburbs begin. Geddy Lee is a mangling of the English version of his original Yiddish name. As a Jew he was on the outcast of youth culture. He took to the bass, while also smoking and eventually doing drugs. He was in the same class as Rick Moranis, but they were not super close. He did befriend future Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson (who also changed his name from the Serbian original.) After bouncing around a few bands, they formed Rush, only for Geddy to be kicked out and later rejoin. John Rustey, their original drummer left the band shortly after their first album. (He was having trouble and there seemed to be a mixture of him stressing and the other bandmates not liking his behavior.) They auditioned drummers and lined up Neil Peart, and the rest his history. They had plenty of the usual rock and roll things. There were plenty of drugs. (Though Geddy admits enough was enough and he ended up quitting drugs and smoking.) All the band members were married and stayed together, with the only second marriage being after Peart's first wife's death. The touring life while married was challenging, but they were able to get through it after counseling.  There were various challenges on the tour, including roadies that had various personal issues. They also had challenges with recording and the business side of things. Rush is a little different from the typical rock band, and this memoir is a bit different, though much is similar to others.

Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS

Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS by BTS and Myeongseok Kang, translated by Anton Hur, Slin Jung and Clare Richards

BTS is one of the biggest musical acts in the world. They are also Korean and part of the K-Pop idol system, yet they exerted much greater creative control over their music. Their experience is different from those of western musicians. There are a number of subtleties that come out in this story and make it very different from western musical hagiographies.  There is a strong attachment to fans that is different than what is seen in western rock bands. There is also a greater respect for authority and cultural norms. They are breaking with Kpop idol norms in creating their own hip-hop music with personal lyrics. Yet they are still very much part of the system. They are dedicated to working hard to perform the best for their fans. They can move the boundaries without completely tearing them down. Performance is an important part of what they do. I find it takes extra work to relate to people of very different cultures, however, it is often worth it.

Far and Near: On Days Like These

Far and Near: On Days Like These by Neil Peart

Neil Peart rode his motorcycle between venues while touring with Rush. He planned out trips to visit national parks as well as explore various parts of the world. He would seek out the back roads as much as possible. (Sometimes he would even luck out and get people to open gated off logging roads.) GPS may or may not help him. He would always travel with riding buddies and had trucks to carry the bikes in as part of the tour. (He needed to make sure he made it to the concerts.) He had various experiences, both good and bad. Some people recognized him as the drummer for Rush, while many did not. He rarely brought it up on his own. (Though one case where many people bonded together to help, he did go out and offer them tickets.) 

This book primarily has essays regarding his motorcycle tours, though there are a few from other travels and experiences (such as with cars). He uses it to detail his philosophy which sometimes appears directly as some of his songs. The philosophy may not always be externally consistent. (He criticizes the attempts by southern Christians to limit other's rights by limiting abortion, while also criticizing them for not limiting rights by not mandating helmets.) Despite disagreeing with some viewpoints, he takes an open view to the people and situations that occur. He is much more interested in the experience. He loves the streets that nobody goes down unless they live there. He enjoys the small towns and the unique experiences that differ from cookie cutter suburban life. It would be fun to be able to explore areas the way he did. He had both the freedom to go anywhere along with the support to make sure it happened, yet also had time and location constraints that forced moving on. I wonder if somebody has consolidated the locations and roads mentioned for a tour book.

Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to My Life and Times

Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to My Life and Times by Neil Peart

Peart motorcycles out to Big Bend National Park from LA. On the way, he reminisces about his life and music that he found interesting. It is a fairly eclectic mix with modern bands like Tragically Hip and Vertical Horizon, Coldplay and Linkin Park and older ones like Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich. He covers some of his early music experiences and life. He went to some 60s festivals but missed others. He worked in London for a bit. He read books, joined a band and rode his motorcycle and bicycle around. His became a bit different as his band became more popular. He seemed to be fairly introverted, yet public.

The Living Years: The First Genesis Memoir

The Living Years: The First Genesis Memoir by Mike Rutherford

Mike Rutherford's father was a British naval officer that did not communicate well with his children. Mike wished he would have taken more time to get to know him and understand his life and experience. Mike had traveled around a lot while young and went to a well-to-do school. He ran into trouble and did drugs and joined a band. During his life, there were a few times he got in trouble with the drugs. He joined Genesis as a founding member and stayed with the band through multiple iterations. The band kept going, even after key band members left. However, finally when Phil Collins left, they realized their recruited singer would not be enough. They later had legacy tours with original members. Genesis also had multiple members go solo or have alternate groups with great success. Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel each had number one songs on their own. Rutherford's spin off, Mike + the Mechanics also had a number one along with a few other top 40 hits.

Genesis did have a fair amount of turn over. Rutherford was present for all of it. In the book he paints a picture of most people leaving because they wanted to. (The few that were "fired" were portrayed as short-termers.) It is interesting the Phil Collins could have a solo career that eclipsed the band and yet still return for a few more albums (that were also highly successful.) The book talks about the music, but doesn't go into much detail about the evolution through different genres and styles (and different fan appeal.) It is an interesting case of appealing to different groups.

Fahrenheit-182: A Humorous and Inspirational Memoir by Mark Hoppus of Blink-182

Fahrenheit-182: A Humorous and Inspirational Memoir by Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 by Mark Hoppus and Dan Ozzi

Mark Hoppus is the only person that has been a member of Blink-182 for the band's entire history. In his early life, he grew up in the Mojave desert. He was smart and did well in school. His family didn't have a whole lot of money, but they were not poor. Then his parents' marriage had issues. They separated and eventually divorced. There were violent boyfriends and other issues. Mark's sister chose to live with their mother, so Mark chose the father. They moved around a bit. Mark's academic performance faltered. He got into various substances and music. His first concert was They Might Be Giants in DC. He decided he liked to play bass. Later he managed get into a college in California, and lived with his Mom. His sister introduced him to Tom Delonge. They hit it off big and would form the nucleus of Blink-182.

The rest of the book is primarily related to the experience of the band. Even life events (like cancer) seem to be colored by the band. They were somewhat in the San Diego skate-punk scene, though there didn't seem to be a strong tie. Blink-182 was originally blink until another "blink" band sued. Their first concert had nobody in attendance. They had one guy at the next. However, they kept plugging away. Tom was the one that kept pushing for more goals and greater success. Scott, their first drummer was younger and more of an introvert. The book gently threads the issue of dumping him. Scott had a different personality and a drinking problem. He got booted and the band didn't talk to him much afterwards. Travis Barker was recruited from the Aquabats and that became the classic lineup.

They worked hard to get their break. Then they hit it big. They were willing to write poppy songs. They mocked boy bands and got pigeonholed as one. They ran around in nearly naked in a video. There were plenty of juvenile antics and jokes. There may be an undertext of this being a means to hide from concerns. Mark talks about many "one in a million" events. Travis was in a plane crash that killed others and left him burnt all over. Their producer died. Even a deer hit seemed to show tragedy. And later, Mark was diagnosed with cancer. The band became hugely popular. Then they broke up and did not-so-popular side projects. Then they got back together again to big success. Then Tom left again. This time they recruited another singer. They had some success. Finally after Mark's cancer treatment they got back together again as the original band.

The story is similar to other bands. There was a lot of hard work and a desire to succeed as well as lucky breaks. There was also plenty of tragedy of various types. There is very little that is taken outwardly very seriously. Even the cancer treatment was treated flippantly. The internal demons are a different story. How much of this is a facade and how much is just his way of looking at life?

The Wonky Donkey

The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith, illustrated by Katz Cowley

There is an official song that goes with wonky donkey, but I liked making up my own version. The chorus and the hehaws can be a lot of fun. After listening to the real version, I think my version was better. In the chorus, it keeps adding additional descriptors for the donkey that have fun sounds.

Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007)

Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy That Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994–2007) by Dan Ozzi

After Nirvana hit is big with Nevermind, record labels were looking for the next big thing to come out of the musical underground. They struck gold with a punk band from Northern California, Green Day. From that, they were after any other punk band that could write catchy tunes. However, the punk scene particularly eschewed major labels and "selling out". Purist punk clubs would prevent big punk bands such as Green Day from playing there. Once a band reached it big, they needed the reach of a major label, yet would alienate their fanbase by doing so. (I must confess my interest in Green Day waned after they hit it big. Though I also recall them complaining about not being able to get enough CDs and other merch from their record label.)

The book explores the different experiences of a number of bands after they "sold out." The major labels promised more money, but still required more work. Green Day had the songs, showmanship and drive to make it big, even if they did struggle with the loss of some of their old base. Jawbreaker had repeatedly said they would not sell out. Signing a major label deal alienated their fans and couldn't stop the disintegration of their band. Jimmy Eat World was from Arizona and didn't have to worry about alienated a "purist punk" fanbase. They sold before they had a huge base. They were able to grow a bit on the label, but were eventually dropped. (It did feel odd that the book stopped before their big hit, "The Middle". However, that does come up later in the discussion of other bands. Jimmy Eat World ended up self producing and then signing with another label.)

Blink-182 was from San Diego, a scene that is more into skate and surf than self-righteous punks. They were unabashedly going after the best deal they could get and were willing to work hard to go on a major label. 

The punk scene could be very snobbish. Some bands would encounter violence as they tried to perform after signing major record deals. Woman-lead bands could run into some of the sexism and sex-symbol desires.  I was a bit confused of the discussion of Against Me! The process of retro-gendering a trans person may align with current identity, but confuses the external identity of past times. (If you are referring to "her" wearing women's clothes, shouldn't that be "cis-dressing" rather than "cross-dressing"?) Some of the stories of bands I hadn't heard of before were quite interesting. (And now I want to listen to the bands.) There were a few near the end that did seem to go on for a bit too long, but that might have been since I didn't recognize the bands or their associates. Rancid does get an especially bad rap here for their self-righteous mistreatment of the Distillers.

The bands mentioned

• Green Day
• Jawbreaker
• Jimmy Eat World
• Blink-182
• At the Drive-In
• The Donnas
• Thursday
• The Distillers
• My Chemical Romance
• Rise Against
• Against Me!

Record Play Pause: Confessions of a Post-Punk Percussionist: the Joy Division Years: Volume I

Record Play Pause: Confessions of a Post-Punk Percussionist: the Joy Division Years: Volume I by Stephen Morris

Stephen Morris's memoir is the best of the Joy Division autobiography. There is very little "set the record straight" content and just a history of where he came from and what he feels. He came from a fairly normal house. He became enamoured with music. He was not so keen on school. He got into drugs which got him suspended from school. He was only too happy to drop out when he had a chance. He had a stint as a freelance music writer. He took up drums, but was not that good. (He thought he could disguise it by having more drums.) He want on to meet up with the other guys and form Joy Division. He also became attracted to synthesizers and drum machines. The book details the formation and some of the initial activities of the band. The focus is very much on his experience. He self-deprecatingly declares himself a horrible singer and a not very good drummer. (Though he does have a drummer's desire to be on time.) There is very little on conflicts within the band - it seems the biggest "conflict" is him retroactively wondering what they could have done to help Ian Curtis to help him from committing suicide. The book is interesting look at life and experiences in the late 1970s punk and post-punk scene in northern England.

Beginner's Mind: Words + Music, Vol. 13

Beginner's Mind: Words + Music, Vol. 13 by Yo-Yo Ma

Yo-Yo Ma tells us about his history and some of the key events that took place via the "beginner's mind". There is also abundant cello work in the story. He comes across as a very open personality rather than a rigid musician.

The Marching Band Nerds Handbook: Rules from the 13th Chair Trombone Player

The Marching Band Nerds Handbook: Rules from the 13th Chair Trombone Player by DJ Corchin (Author), Dan Dougherty (Illustrator)

This book present a picture and a bit of text on each page describing some parts of marching band. I could relate to many from my time in band. Though some were a little bit modern or just plain "weird".

Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist

Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly

Spotify was started as a marketing company. Music was seen as a good target. It had sought to focus on the long tail. However, it gradually morphed to supporting "big music" instead. Spotify has private contracts with big music labels that weigh things in their favors. There are also schemes to allow artists to promote their own works in a form of "pay for play".  The artist payout mechanisms have lead to favoring of "background music". Songs with minimal streams have been demonetized.

The book starts by analyzing Spotify, but then pivots to search for a way to improve the life of musicians. Streaming is a primary way that people engage with music today. However, it is very difficult for musicians to make money. Many musicians need to maintain other jobs to support themselves. There are also concerns about "work for hire" vs. "artistic endeavors". I wonder if there is just a lot of recency bias in looking at the life of musicians. How would musicians survive 100 years ago? Mass success has only been something fairly recent. Local musicians doing local music may be the way to support oneselves long term.

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R Hofstadter

How could you resist a math book that name drops a great composer and artist in the title? The book ties together the works of the two brilliantly with the Gödel's incompleteness theorem. Examples abound of self-referencing or self-continuing systems. Escher has drawings that seem to extend up endlessly. Bach has compositions that go up only to be back where they started. 

Alas, the book is incredibly verbose. The preface to the 20th Anniversary edition goes on for more than 20 pages. The book itself extends beyond 700 pages. The chapters are mostly in couplets, with the first being a conversation between Tortoise and Achilles, followed by a chapter containing detailed analysis. The author was inspired by Lewis Carroll in approach, but not in succinctness. By the end, I was speed skimming. Perhaps I should have just read the outline at the start. The only problem with that would be missing out on the various drawings (primarily from Escher) included. The author did mention that he started out writing a paper and then transformed it into a book. It would have been nice to see that paper.

The first part of the book talks about incompleteness and systems that return on themselves or require themselves for definition. It elaborates that ad nauseum, and then focuses more on artificial intelligence. The view of machine learning and artificial intelligence from a 45 years ago is much different than today.  At that time approaching human capabilities was seen as fairly impossible. Things are much closer now. The approach has also changed. Rather than try to create detailed decision trees, today most machine learning is done from models and training. AI "learns" and helps program itself. The book can be an interesting reference on the history of artificial intelligence and how things have changed in the past decades.

Nursery Songs. A Little Golden Book

Nursery Songs. A Little Golden Book by Arranged By Leah Gale. Illustrated By Corinne Malvern (Author)

This is a song book. It contains music and words for various classic nursery songs. It is not something you would read, but rather somethin gto play on the piano.

Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History

Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History by David Meerman Scott and Brian Halligan

This short book already feels dated. It also shows how much that technology has changed. The book explores the career of the Grateful Dead and how each aspect of their marketing strategy has been applied in the "modern" world. The Dead were a band of a different era. Cassette tapes, mail newsletters and VW busses were the tehch of the day. It is interesting to read how the Dead went their own way and created a loyal following. The tech companies mentioned as "modern" companies are less interesting. Most of the examples are still around in some sense, but out of the positive zeitgeist. Going counter-culture can be useful, but it must come from a company's internal DNA rather then being slapped on.