WRACK AND ROLL by Bradley Denton, Questar Books, 1986.
This is the 60th in my series of Forgotten Books.
Has it really been 25 years since this novel was first published? Time certainly flies as you age. I remember reading this when it first came out, several years before Brad Denton moved to Austin and before I met him.
It was a fun, edgy, alternate history where FDR died early on, Truman was assassinated. Patton drove on to Moscow and died from a sniper’s bullet and became an icon. America got to the moon first but the tragedy of 1967 happened. America sent celebrities into space to help bolster a flagging program. Bitch Alice, a Wrack singer, was on the moon when her lander (and only way home) exploded. She realized the truth and before she was cut off the airwaves she uttered those immortal words “Trash Dallas!” Forty thousand Wrackers did so. Today even more might join in.
Bitch Alice had an illegitimate daughter who formed her own band a few years later. The band was Blunt Instrument and it was led by the Bastard Child, Lieza Galilei. Wrack music is a way of life that makes the punks looks like Pat Boone. Live hard, party hard, raise Hell and bury it again.
The Chinese and others have taken over the moon program and the current US president is worried that somebody might decide to throw moon rocks his direction. He wants Lieza to head up a Mars expedition which might gain him some political points. Lieza has her own plans.
I remember thinking at the time “If Grace Slick had a kid who grew up to be Chrissy Hynde and she decided to get into politics, this might be her life story.” I think that description still fits.
I am still in the process of re-reading this book (it is a long book and my weekend was cut short by visiting the in-laws. Poor planning on my part) and it is every bit as good as I recalled if not better. Brad Denton is an amazing writer and I have known him for a long time. This was his first novel and he followed it with LUNATICS, BUDDY HOLLY IS ALIVE AND WELL ON GANYMEDE, BLACKBURN, and LAUGHIN’ BOY as well as an impressive array of short fiction. He does not write frequently enough for me.
WRACK AND ROLL was an American paperback original with a UK hardcover. Neither edition is terrifically expensive or hard to come by, which is good news for those of you who are ready to Wrack.
Series organizer Patti Abbott hosts more Friday Forgotten Book reviews at her own blog, and posts a complete list of participating blogs.
Brad Denton sounds like another author I somehow missed, and that I’ll need to read. Add several titles to my “Recommended by Scott” list. And for some reason, your piece also has me wanting to re-read Lewis Shiner’s GLIMPSES and George R. R. Martin’s THE ARMAGEDDON RAG. Sounds like a theme … any more suggestions? I seem to recall a science fiction short story somehow invoking Bob Dylan’s music, but cannot remember the details right now. Google is no help — it keeps presenting me with science fiction rock songs, not rock science fiction stories.
Guy – Do not miss Brad Denton! He is the real deal. All his novels are worth while. I believe BUDDY HOLLY is being filmed. He also plays some wicked drums and blues.
GLIMPSES was a wonderful book, though, oddly enough, the albums Shiner postulates have pretty much been issued with the exception of The Doors CELEBRATION OF THE LIZARD. The Martin is also great. Among shorter fiction I like Spinrad’s “The Big FLash” from one of the early ORBITS (5, I think). Gyneth Jones’s BOLD AS LOVE sequence is anoher good rock novel set in England and covering 5 novels – BOLD AS LOVE, CASTLES MADE OF SAND, MIDNIGHT LAMP, BAND OF GYPSIES, and RAINBOW BRIDGE, Only BOLD AS LOVE had an American edition. The first four had UK hardcovers while RAINBOW BRIDGE was only issued as a trade paperback.
Don’t forget John Shirley’s ECLIPSE trilogy, in which a drug-addled rocker ends up joining the revolutionaries intent on saving the world from a Pat Robertson-like U.S. president. And Shiner’s excellent DESERTED CITIES OF THE HEART (named for a Cream song) featured a burnout rock-n-roller as its central character.
It’s fantasy, not SF, but Emma Bull’s groundbreaking WAR OF THE OAKS involves a struggling rock band caught up in the war between fay folk.
Sanford – Thanks for the additional titles. I knew someone would provide more titles. I have read the Bull and the Shiner but not the Shirley. Good fun stuff.
Brainstormed a few more last night, Scott.
Mike Moorcock did a book called “Time of the Hawklords” which featured the psych band Hawkwind as its central characters. I believe it was originally published under the name Michael Butterworth. Hawkwind also showed up in a story in his “Moorcock’s Book of Martyrs” collection.
Bruce Sterling’s short story “Dori Bangs” imagined what would have happened if legendary rock crit Lester Bangs had hooked up with underground cartoonist Dori Seda.
William Gibson’s “Idorou” involves an aging rock star interested in marrying a synthetic media personality.
Jeremy Wagner’s recently published “The Armageddon Chord” is a dark fantasy in which the heavy metal guitarist protag discovers an ancient Egyptian song that can unleash the end of the world. The author is actually a veteran metalhead who plays for the touring band Lupara.
Caitlin R. Kiernan also has a number of punk, goth and rock musicians sprinkled through her stories and novels.
And, of course, Joe Hill’s well-received “Heart Shaped Box” is a horror novel about a hard rock musician who collects morbid memorabilia and stumbles across a new piece that is truly terrifying.
WRACK & ROLL looks like another book I’ll be searching for. Keep these cool, obscure books coming!
Look also to Howard Waldrop, David Schow, Poppy Brite, Michael Bishop’s post Lennon-assassination Beatles reunion, and not a few others…at least once or twice…
Good calls, Todd. Waldrop’s story about the doo-wop battle of the bands buzzed by the flying saucer cracks me up every time I read it.