The first song on Oasis' first record is called "Rock And Roll Star." I guess they didn't become brash when they got success. Heading into the chorus, Liam Gallagher sneers, "In my mind, my dreams are real." For some of us, the dream of being a rock star just can't be fulfilled with fake instruments plugged into our television screens.
Some of us still daydream of an alternate universe where if we'd only practiced a little harder or started a little younger, our path would have led us to a stage in front of thousands, playing our songs for an adoring crowd waiting to explode with ecstasy and adulation. Then we wake up. Switching bands and continents, former Semisonic drummer Jake Slichter had the dream, realized the dream, and then he, too, woke up. He's written a memoir of his journey, offering a sobering yet pleasant reminder that even our fantasies come with small print.
So You Wanna Be A Rock And Roll Star: How I Machine-Gunned a Roomful Of Record Executives and Other True Tales from a Drummer's Life is our invitation to follow Slichter from an Ivy League education that didn't lead to a lucrative or fulfilling career — at least not one that could compete with "the dream." Before, during, and after college he never completely loses hope of finding a career in music even if he wasn't always sure how to find it.
Enter Dan Wilson. Wilson was a former college mate of Slichter's who was already in a band with John Munson called Trip Shakespeare. TS had a good run in Minneapolis and in the indie circles, but their run was coming to an end. As Slichter tells it, Pleasure — the band that would later become Semisonic — forms almost by accident, or at least without a lot of planning and forethought. The trio begins by doing some loose jamming and over time begins generating some new material. Using the knowledge and contacts of their Trip Shakespeare years, Wilson and Munson begin the process of shopping this new band to record labels.
Slichter is experiencing this ride for the first time, and it's through his eyes we get a glimpse of the music business. It turns out that all the stories we've heard about it are true. The unspoken but implicit rule of the industry seems to be this: if an artist gets paid by a record label, it has to be a mistake and may very well be a fireable offense. His ability to explain the confusing and often corrupt practices with good humor rather than bitterness makes this an informative read without turning into a pity party.
Article comments
1 - Kt
I loved this book. It was an intelligent, informative read. And even though his music career burned out, you knew he was going to be okay without it. p..s Aren't you still an award-winning journalist?
2 - Josh Hathaway
Kt, thanks for the comment. I agree. Jake comes across as someone who was doing it all for the right reasons and wasn't going to shrivel up and die either way regardless of the anxiety he often experienced while on the rollercoaster ride.
As for my bio, I'm technically out of the straight journalism business and took a day job, doing my work here for Blogcritics as a sideline. Thanks for your comment!
3 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
When I was working at the Santa Monica Borders the music dept manager, when it was his turn to emerge from the third floor to close out the store, would hop on the speaker system to sometimes announce "you don't have to go home but you can't stay here" -- this a few years before "Closing Time" â€" a holdover from his days as a stand-up comedian who survived a similarly Semisonic “world of dive bars with nowhere to change or shower.” Evocative review, Josh.
4 - Josh Hathaway
Thanks, Gordon. I'm sure the experience in the comedy clubs was plenty similar. It was an interesting and entertaining read.