With me today is the author of the incredibly innovative YA novel Dust of 100 Dogs, A.S. King. When I discovered A.S. was a lover of rock music, I contacted her and invited her to be a guest here today.
A.S., you mentioned in other blogs that you are a Jimi Hendrix fan, and I was wondering if you might share a bit about how/when you grew to love Jimi?
A.S. I was really lucky to receive my first Jimi when I was 11 years old. I was the youngest child in my family, and my sister had gone off to art college so, I was blessed with an early immersion into all sorts of great art school music. The Jimi album (which was a really old copied cassette tape with The Ventures taped on the other side) was Smash Hits–and I instantly loved it. I soon bought the three Experience studio albums, which carried me through high school & college.
L.F. Because I delve into the esoteric, spiritual, and psychological impact of music in my book, I quote Hendrix when he said, “Rock music is more than music. It’s like church!” Do you feel that’s true? Does his music, or the music of another musician/band that you enjoy make you feel connected to something bigger than yourself when you’re at a concert?
A.S. My favorite author, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., once said, “My epitaph, should I ever need one, God forbid: ‘The only proof he ever needed of the existence of God was music.’”
I think music is the closest I’ll ever get to God. I think, at times, that music IS God–a mysterious rope to the place. Jimi takes me there. Bob Marley takes me there as well. Others have too. And I agree that concerts can hold the same sort of rapture as religious ceremonies, and a connectedness with the other people and energy in the room that’s unmistakable. Nothing else is quite like it.
Trailer for Dust of 100 Dogs…it’s cool! Watch it!
L.F. Got a favorite rock concert story? Wanna share?
A.S. That’s tough! I tossed my top ten into a hat & came up with this one, which probably makes me look like a dork: The second time I saw Elvis & the Attractions was in Kilkenny City, which was a day-long gig with all sorts of great names, including Elvis & Bob Dylan. I sat on my husband’s shoulders, while the bouncers yelled at me to get down–about 15 feet from Elvis, and I looked into his eyes and screamed, “I LOVE YOU ELVIS!!!” And he gave me the Elvis eyebrows over his glasses. The 13-year-old inside me is still sobbing with joy about this. Then, he played Lipstick Vogue for an encore and I think a little part of me exploded.
Random A.S. King Rock Concert Facts:
My first = Public Enemy & The Beastie Boys
My last = Adrian Belew Power Trio
Odd Concert Fact = My honeymoon was the 1992 St. Patrick’s Day Grateful Dead show at the Spectrum in Philly.
The one who got away = Bootsy Collins at the Tivoli in Dublin. Had tickets, and was nearly in the door when I passed out because I was sick (and pretending I wasn’t, because I really wanted to see Bootsy Collins.) Scared poor Mr. King to death.
L.F. What are your current three favorite bands/musicians, and why do you think their music resonates with you?
A.S. In my car CD player:
Gnarls Barkley’s St Elsewhere
The Wailers Burnin’
Black Sabbath Paranoid
The why question is tough. Music resonates with me when it’s the exact mix of quality, content, structure and love.
OKGO’s Oh No inspired my next book, IGNORE VERA DIETZ (Random House/Knopf 2010) and as I write this, Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere is getting me through my work-in-progress.
Thanks so much for having me, Laura. This was so much fun!