Lit Riffs

By: Jonathan Lethem, Tom Perrotta, Lester Bangs, Aimee Bender, Amanda Davis

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Paperback | 1 August 2006 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
432 Pages

Age
14+

Grade
9+

Dimensions(cm)
20.32 x 12.7 x 2.79

Paperback

$55.75

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Following in the footsteps of the late great Lester Bangs -- the most revered and irreverent of rock 'n' roll critics -- twenty-four celebrated writers have penned stories inspired by great songs. Just as Bangs cast new light on a Rod Stewart classic with his story "Maggie May," about a wholly unexpected connection between an impressionable young man and an aging, alcoholic hooker, the diverse, electrifying stories here use songs as a springboard for a form dubbed the lit riff.
Alongside Bangs's classic work, you'll find stories by J.T. LeRoy, who puts a recovering teenage drug abuser in a dentist's chair with nothing but the Foo Fighters's "Everlong" -- blaring through the P.A. -- to fight the pain; Jonathan Lethem, whose narrator looks back on his lost innocence just as an extramarital affair careens to an end -- this to the tune "Speeding Motorcycle" as recorded by Yo La Tengo; and Jennifer Belle, who envisions a prequel to Paul Simon's "Graceland" -- one that takes place at a children's birthday party replete with a real live kangaroo.
With original contributions from Tom Perrotta, Nelson George, Amanda Davis, Lisa Tucker, Aimee Bender, Darin Strauss, and many more -- riffing on everyone from Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen to the White Stripes, Cat Power, and Bob Marley -- this is both an astounding collection of short stories and an extraordinary experiment in words and music.
Soundtrack available from Saturation Acres Music & Recording Co.

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Literature, Poetry & Plays Anthologies (non-poetry)Fiction Modern & Contemporary Fiction Fiction in Translation and Short Stories Short Stories Arts & Entertainment Music Music Styles & Genres

Introduction
Maggie May (1981)	p. 1
The national anthem	p. 41
Blue guitar	p. 53
Untitled	p. 77
Dirty mouth	p. 81
Hallelujah	p. 95
Why go	p. 99
All the security guards by name	p. 119
She once had me	p. 127
Milestones	p. 141
Death in the alt-country	p. 153
I shot the sheriff	p. 165
A simple explanation of the afterlife	p. 171
The eternal Helen	p. 179
Swampthroat	p. 199
Bouncing	p. 219
Graffiti monk	p. 233
Smoking inside	p. 255
The system	p. 287
Four last songs	p. 307
Dying on the vine	p. 339
Rio	p. 375
King heroin	p. 391
The bodies of boys	p. 397
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Lit Riffs

At a Glance

Paperback

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How to return your order

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