August 2004

Flippin' Through His Stack: Grandpa's Book Reviews
Reading about the 90's and Coltrane

Milk It! The Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's by Jim DeRogatis
Chasing that Trane by J.C. Thomas

As you recall from our Summer issue, I've amassed quite a collection of books to read this summer. Two of the first three I tackled were about music. The first is a collection of Jim DeRogatis' reviews and interviews of music and musicians from the 1990's. The other is a biography of John Coltrane. Reading them on the train to and from work was a very good choice. They both are broken into small sections, making it quite easy to read in short trips without being left hanging in the middle of a story. However, reading both back-to-back was a mistake.

DeRogatis' collection is a decent read. He packs his articles together into neatly organized chapters covering all the disparate adventures 'alternative music' took in the 90's. Jim knows what sucks, who is too mired in reminiscence, and who talks too much. He blends his anger with more humor than irony, which I expected (being written in the 90's and all.)

Reading music reviews in random magazines often leaves me confused - I know what the reviewer thinks, but I could not tell you what I am supposed to think. Reading DeRogatis' collection as it is packaged, I found themes easy to follow, and the specific musical influences behind the biggest bands were made clear. Most importantly, I learned to never buy Rolling Stone magazine (and appreciate Pitchfork a little bit more.)

On the other hand, Thomas' book on Coltrane is difficult to digest, much less read. He writes the biography in what amounts to a stream-of-consciousness of John Coltrane's friends and family. Far from being informative, he skips over important stories and lingers over minor ones. Heroin addiction and a broken family deserved more than a passing glance. He could have written ten pages instead of ONE about Coltrane quitting H cold-turkey without it becoming a dime story novel. I am positive that he did not have access to the right people for the most critical stories - Trane's divorce from Naime and marriage to Alice, for instance.

Despite it's failings, Thomas' book did it's job - it makes me want to buy more Coltrane albums. The interviews with musicians and fans about each and every recording made me question my collection, which is not too bad considering how many recordings Trane made. Taken individually, and if spaced apart between a couple paychecks, the required CD purchases resulting from reading "Trane" and "Milk It!" would not be such a burden. But damn! Reading those two back-to-back is killing me!

Anyone who listened to at least some part of the 1990's should read "Milk It!" If not only for the new perspective, then at least to have something to argue with a book about. No one should have to read a book about a magnificent musician like Coltrane that is as terrible as J.C. Thomas'. Listen to some CD's, read the liner notes, but don't read that book.

NEXT Month: Zippy the Pinhead and John Kenneth Galbraith