A glimpse of John McFetridge's latest, or What do rock and rollers really want?
I am pleased to report that John McFetridge offers a preview of his novel-in-progress over on his own blog. I am even more pleased to report that the man keeps getting better and better.No one mixes action, humor and wistfulness better than McFetridge. In this new book-to-be, members of a 1970s rock band with the wonderful name of The High have cast off their adult lives, reunited, gone back on the road, and turned to crime. What happens when old rockers get back into the life? This:
"Cliff started to follow, felt a hand on his arm and looked around to see two very hot chicks, had to be teenagers, but maybe legal, looked exactly the same; long blonde hair, tight jeans, low cut tees, like twins, same serious look on their faces and he said, `Hey ladies, looking for some fun?'Read my posts about McFetridge here – scroll down – including an interview that will give a fair idea of what makes him tick as a writer.
"One of the girls said, `No, we're looking for our Mom, she was talking to you before.'"
© Peter Rozovsky 2009
Labels: Canada, John McFetridge
posted by Peter Rozovsky at 10:18 PM
19 Comments:
That's hilarious. And in the context of a band called 'The High', my v word is just as much so.
To wit:lowlings
My definition is, teenage daughters of former groupies of 'The High' who couldn't imagine having anything to do with the band--and don't mind saying so.
It's nice, isn't it?
The Lowlings are a girl band who look to the Tubes' "White Punks On Dope" for inspiration.
My v-word is not as good as yours. Perhaps it's the break between classes that those rich daughters enjoyed when they were sent to boarding school in Geneva: ressesse
"No, we're looking for our Mom ..."
Gold. I'm going to have to read this.
Back when I was working for an entertainment magazine, I went to review a Pantera show. You know, nasty metal with racist overtones in some of the songs, lots of drug use at the show. I'm the only person with a pad and pen. Behind me were four kids, the oldest of which was fourteen, the youngest ten.
John has quickly moved onto my relatively small "must read" list. DIRTY SWEET was good; EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE was great. SWAP can't come out soon enough for me.
There was a UK band called The High. I saw them in about 1991 in Lancaster. I even have their album in the corner gathering dust. I guess it would have been unusual for someone not to have used the name before given the pun potential.
Loren, were the four kids there with their mother? And have you read the full chapter on John's blog?
Dana, now you'll have something to look forward to after Swap. I know from your comment on John's blog that books that start the way this one does always grab your attention.
Thanks, Rob. I wonder if McFetridge knows about The High. The name has marvelous pun potential but, even more, it's a marvelous expression of its time -- when later decades had thoroughly assimilated all kinds of notions from the 1960s. I wonder if any band called itself The High back in the '60s.
Peter: No, they weren't. They had won tickets from a PR firm called Girlie Action. The mom had dropped them off. Not exactly responsible parenting, eh?
I had no idea there was a real band called The High. I got the idea from someone I knew who was in a band called The High Fives. They never recorded anything, though,and only played a few gigs.
I hope The High don't mind. On this TV show I'm working on every name we use has to be cleared. Even names of criminal street gangs. Pretty soon we're just going to number the characters.
As always, thanks fr the support everyone, I really appreciate i
t.
How do you go about getting clearances from criminal street gangs? Sounds risky.
I do have to post my resultant v word:
Forkers
As in, "Leave me alone, you forkers--I haven't finished me dinner yet."
Girlie Action. Irresponsible parenting. It's enough to give a Republican pause for thought.
Funny you should say that, John. Here in the U.S., there seems to have risen a school of thought that anything can be copyrighted. I hope numbering characters will not be a result of this quintessentially greedy, selfish and, as far as I know, American way of thinking.
Criminy, Seana, in today's America, who knows what does not require clearance from the legal department?
And now, once again, I will log off then log on again in a bid for a good v-word.
Alas, the best v-words are serendipitous. I could make something of my current one -- ultsubs -- but the effort would be rather forced.
Forkers sounds suspiciously like you have been dining with some Irishmen.
That and the miasma of marijuana smoke hanging over the auditorium. Goodbye young brain cells.
Loren, I went to my share of concerts at arenas in my youth, and I saw some big names: The Who, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and so on. It was only later that I acknowledged that an arena is a crappy place to hear music and that I probably did not enjoy any of the concerts.
Didn't the Who used to be called the High Numbers?
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