Fresh Plugs for my friends: New issue of REMEMBER THE LIGHTNING, and a podcast appearance by DAVE MURRAY

A couple of quick plugs for a couple of friends of undetermined velocity. That...seemed a lot more clever in my head than it looks like in print. But anyway....

The fourth and latest edition of writer/editor S.W. Lauden's quarterly guitar pop journal Remember The Lightning is out and it is--as always--an essential purchase. Of course, Lauden's Remember The Lightning Substack page is also a must, but the printed journal gathers otherwise unavailable essays on the best of contemporary guitar pop music, written by a variety of capable contributors. In the new issue, Lauden himself takes on the cover feature about Philadelphia combo 2nd Grade, while my Facebook friend Paul Myers writes about the Lemon Twigs and my long-time fellow pop pundit John M. Borack discusses his work as drummer for the Armoires (whose current effort Octoberland is one of my favorite albums of 2024). All this and more, as Stiv Bators once sang, and it's well worthy of a Boppin' recommendation. You can snag your copy of Remember The Lightning # 4 here. Tell 'em a friend sent you.

This week, my pal Dave Murray appeared on the Meet The Author podcast, chatting with hosts Rob and Joan Carter about his splendid fact-based novel A Breath Of Fresh Air (A Transplant Tale). Dave's book is another of my favorite things this year; it's the Octoberland of engaging, emotional, and funny novels about a lung transplant. His appearance on Meet The Author gives Dave another opportunity to talk about the true-life experiences that went into creating his work of fiction, and I hope it helps to spread the Breath Of Fresh Air story to potential readers near and far. You can watch the video podcast here, listen to its audio-only version here, visit Dave's own blog here, and BUY THE DAMNED BOOK ALREADY!! here.

Incidentally: Dave's novel is based in large part upon a fictionalized account of his actual life story as a cystic fibrosis patient and the recipient of a double lung transplant. In this interview, Dave mentions that some people have told him that the two entirely fictional chapters in A Breath Of Fresh Air are its strongest chapters. Dave kinda shrugged as he said he didn't know what to make of that.

Well. 

As one of the people who told him that very thing, complimenting him on the only two wholly fabricated elements in his fictionalized but otherwise fact-based tale, let me say that those two chapters nail everything into place. It's not that they're better than the other parts of the work--the whole book is great--but they are the emotional rabbit punches that enhance the story, that make a heartbreaking connection to...no, no spoilers. Suffice it to say that Dave took his life story, presented it as a compelling chronicle of where he thought he was and what that place looked like each day, and then HE COMPLETELY MADE UP, from whole cloth, a stunning and unforgettable additional layer, something that didn't really happen but feels as though it must have. That's amazing, and so well-written. It suits the narrative, and makes it even better.

But the enhancements wouldn't have worked if the story itself wasn't fascinating and well-told to begin with.

Remember The Lightning. A Breath Of Fresh Air (A Transplant Tale). Octoberland. Meet The Author. I have some pretty talented friends. You should check 'em all out.

A toast! To my friends!

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My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.