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Peepin' in a Seafood Store
184 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1992
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December 2, 2020
*FULL DISCLOSURE. I (VAGUELY) KNOW THE AUTHOR*
I have written elsewhere of my love of D’Arch Smiths books which are erudite, funny and extremely well written. I don’t quite know how this volume managed to slide by me (its was quite hard to find) but I am glad I have finally gotten a hold of a copy.
Smith is a big music fan and these short essays (subtitled ‘some pleasures of rock music’) cover a wide range of artists from The Allman Brothers to Warren Zevon with stop-offs including Pink Floyd, Prince, Joan Jett, Dolly Parton and X-Ray Spex. Many of the essays relate the music back to early American Blues and Smith demonstrates a very sound knowledge of the genre and makes analogies and observations. Smith is primarily known as a writer on the byways of literature and also has an eye for the unusual so there are a lot references and allusions (all relevant, often funny) which make the volume a joy to read beyond the authors obvious erudition on the band under consideration. Where else would we get a reference to the Process Church of The Final Judgement (and the occult in general) in an essay on Blue Oyster Cult, Coleridge and Creedence Clearwater Revival, a discussion of Frank Sinatra in the context of Donna Summer, De Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom in relation to the Rolling Stones, and Baron Corvo in a Lynyrd Skynard review? Smith also dissects various tracks to reveal their message and their symbolism and questions why no-one might complain about the rampant misogyny in Wynonie Harris ( ‘you’ld better close those peepers before you bleed to death’) or why any number of ’sweet sixteen’ songs are acceptable whereas ‘sweet fifteen’ would most certainly not. There are far more to these essays than an initial reading might suggest.
Worryingly (for me at least!) I came away from each essay wanting to hear the album or artist written about. ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’ (my favourite album) will not be a problem, but I've never (knowingly) listened to The Soft Boys and fairly successfully repressed my experiences of the likes of Dr Hook and (Gawd ‘elp me) Mott The Hoople; but yet Youtube seems to beckon. What greater endorsement of this book could one ask for if it arouses such odd desires?
It’s only downside is that it is now 28 years old. Smith has subsequently appeared onstage with ‘apocalyptic folk’ group Current 93 and is also known to be a big Death Metal fan. It would seem that a second volume is overdue.
I have written elsewhere of my love of D’Arch Smiths books which are erudite, funny and extremely well written. I don’t quite know how this volume managed to slide by me (its was quite hard to find) but I am glad I have finally gotten a hold of a copy.
Smith is a big music fan and these short essays (subtitled ‘some pleasures of rock music’) cover a wide range of artists from The Allman Brothers to Warren Zevon with stop-offs including Pink Floyd, Prince, Joan Jett, Dolly Parton and X-Ray Spex. Many of the essays relate the music back to early American Blues and Smith demonstrates a very sound knowledge of the genre and makes analogies and observations. Smith is primarily known as a writer on the byways of literature and also has an eye for the unusual so there are a lot references and allusions (all relevant, often funny) which make the volume a joy to read beyond the authors obvious erudition on the band under consideration. Where else would we get a reference to the Process Church of The Final Judgement (and the occult in general) in an essay on Blue Oyster Cult, Coleridge and Creedence Clearwater Revival, a discussion of Frank Sinatra in the context of Donna Summer, De Sade’s 120 Days of Sodom in relation to the Rolling Stones, and Baron Corvo in a Lynyrd Skynard review? Smith also dissects various tracks to reveal their message and their symbolism and questions why no-one might complain about the rampant misogyny in Wynonie Harris ( ‘you’ld better close those peepers before you bleed to death’) or why any number of ’sweet sixteen’ songs are acceptable whereas ‘sweet fifteen’ would most certainly not. There are far more to these essays than an initial reading might suggest.
Worryingly (for me at least!) I came away from each essay wanting to hear the album or artist written about. ‘The Velvet Underground and Nico’ (my favourite album) will not be a problem, but I've never (knowingly) listened to The Soft Boys and fairly successfully repressed my experiences of the likes of Dr Hook and (Gawd ‘elp me) Mott The Hoople; but yet Youtube seems to beckon. What greater endorsement of this book could one ask for if it arouses such odd desires?
It’s only downside is that it is now 28 years old. Smith has subsequently appeared onstage with ‘apocalyptic folk’ group Current 93 and is also known to be a big Death Metal fan. It would seem that a second volume is overdue.
Displaying 1 of 1 review