There should be more books about music. Not more biographies of any kind but novels where the main character has that desperate love for music to the extent that it actually consumes his or her life. More books where the music is an intrinsic part of the plot simply because the person it is about cannot live without it. High Fidelity is one of them, even though it is much more humorous in tone than Austin’s second novel about the hard life on the Jersey shore.
The Red Album of Asbury Park is also one of those novels. Alex Austin’s sequel to debut The perfume factory may have many more happenings in its intricate plot but everything that our narrator and untimely hero, Sam Nesbitt gets himself into is only because he has one goal in life; to start a band and become famous.
Four years have passed since the previous novel ended and Sam returns home after a stint in the navy and is on his way to see his mother, but doesn’t know her new address. After an encounter with a cute girl on the train and a bizarre accident, he finds himself wondering around in the cold.
A murder mystery unfolds that night, and over the span of the novel it turns out to have a much bigger part in Sam’s story than he ever would have expected.
The beginning chapters of the book take you through these events, as Sam tries to absorb these occurrences while being romantically involved with two women and trying to nurture his dream of becoming a rock star.
Sam is not just a gifted musician but also a deep thinker and the pages are filled with his philosophical ruminations. It is truly wonderful to read about a character that burns so undeniably for something. His passion for music, to be somebody in a town of nobodies is infectious.
Article comments
1 - Marguerite van de Poll
I like the statement you put at the top of this article! Music is very important. Because of what I read, including your referral to Bukowski, I thought you might be interested in the Bach-Bukowski project (concerts and CDs) by Willem van Ekeren (Holland).
Bach-Bukowski is an extraordinary mixture of singing and piano.
22 of the poems of Bukowski's "The last night of the earth poems" are woven together with 22 parts of the "Well-tempered Clavier" of Bach. The lyrics are sung blues/jazz style in combination with authentic Bach music on the piano.
On YouTube you can find some video material of live concerts and also our very first videoclip (with the poem THIS, about the self congratulatory nonsense of the famous) this and more can be found under: Bach Bukowski.
Of course you can find this and much more info also on our website as well as more audio and video fragments. It is also possible to order the cd.
Thought you might want to know!
Best regards!
2 - ted
A great novel, good writing, gripping story.. this book needs more recognition!
If you are interested in having the Soundtrack to this moving story of Sam Nesbitt, feel free to download it from my blog and read the interview with Alex Autstin.
Enjoy!
ted