My new book Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is my first long-form fiction project, following two nonfiction music books (2023's Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones and 2024's The Greatest Record Ever Made! [Volume 1]). I'll be returning to nonfiction for my next two books (Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES and a secret collaboration I'm referring to as I, [Redacted Redacted]. Down the road apiece, I have three novels in various early stages of pre-prep. I hope to write a big ol' little stack of books over the next few years, mixing fiction and nonfiction projects as my whims dictate.
But even as I delve more into just making stuff up, my love of music is an integral part of my writing's DNA. Of the three eventual novels referenced above, one of them--Meet The Frantiks!--features a fictional 1960s pop combo as a key element, and some incidental music content is likely in the other two novels (Lazarus Lives and The Legends Of The Copperhead Kid).
My new short story collection includes some fictional rock groups, notably the titular Guitars Vs. Rayguns, plus one short short about a combo I call Pants-On Flyers. There is a short story about a 1976 Beatles reunion concert, and one of the five Guitars Vs. Rayguns stories includes a cameo by legendary Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer [redacted].
Beyond those, the book contains a ton of passing references to real-life musical performers. Many of these are acts that our imaginary pop group Guitars Vs. Rayguns have covered in their live sets or rehearsals (or in their jam session with [redacted]), and we'll also hear a guy listing artists he prefers to his pesky younger brother's fave raves Pants-On Flyers, a girl telling her mother about Joan Jett, time-travel options to see Cab Calloway, Jimi Hendrix, or Enrico Caruso, a plot gimmick inspired (with proper credit) by the pilot episode of The Monkees, my own this-actually-happened! memory of singing a Ramones song onstage with members of 1.4.5. and Perilous, a guitarist's O'Jays t-shirt, some professional baseball players' choices of Now-batting! song intros, and random recording artists shuffled on an iPod as a frazzled guy tries to drive through a Midwest blizzard. The references may not seem material, but they suggest the specific soundtrack of the lies I'm attempting to tell.
Here they are! Musical artists mentioned in GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!! SHORT STORIES AND OTHER WHITE LIES
If the list isn't complete, it's pretty durn close. I'm omitting acts that are referenced in the book but not specifically mentioned by name. I don't mention Blondie or Sly and the Family Stone, but I do mention both Sly Stone and Blondie drummer Clem Burke, and I figure those qualify. The list doesn't include group members mentioned individually if their band is also mentioned (like Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols, Dennis Diken of the Smithereens, Tommy Allen of the Flashcubes, Gene Simmons of KISS, Michael Nesmith of the Monkees, Marky Ramone, Joey Ramone, Dee Dee Ramone, Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap, Keith Moon of the Who, and each of the Beatles (John, Paul, George, Ringo, Pete, and Stu). Finally, the list excludes artists (like Neil Diamond and Lynyrd Skynyrd) whose work is referenced in the book without ever naming the artist.
The finished book is still navigating the proofreading process. I should have it available for order (as paperback and e-book) within a couple of weeks. For those who choose to get it: I hope you enjoy my tapestry of lies. And as you read, I hope you can imagine hearing the music that accompanies those lies.
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I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. 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. You can read about our history here.
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