Fencraft Book Review, Entry 1
Aug. 27th, 2023 06:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
goatgodschildThe Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock by David Weigel
I was introduced to the book The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock by David Weigel through the blog of Nathan Rabin, an author I enjoy so much that I have commissioned him to write about each episode of The Long Bright Dark. Feel free to read his post about this book first, or after this one.
https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2017/8/2/literature-society-the-show-that-never-ends
The book is a dense read, though a better term might be compact. The figures throughout the book are fascinating, feeling less like actual people than characters. The amount of lineup changes alone is utterly wild, it seems like band members were changing about every 9-18 months! There's not too much talk about individual songs, or a list of recommendations, but the depth and reasoning and planning behind the bands as a whole are on full display. What can and can't be done was constantly being pushed, and it seems utterly astounding.
There's also the sheer talent on display, and that most frustrating form of ego. You want to say to an egotist, "you're not as good as you think you are", but when someone IS that good, it's almost as bad, if not worse! Descriptions of the drama isn't particularly salacious, and the coverage seems observant rather than mocking. That makes things more intense when you see painful or strange things happening, unforgettable moments for all the wrong reasons. When I read about the infamous Rush interview that turned into a debate over Objectivist philosophy, I actually slapped my face and said aloud, "oh no, oh no, no no no".
I would like to read this again, and I would write the names of individuals down, so I wouldn't get so confused.
I was introduced to the book The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock by David Weigel through the blog of Nathan Rabin, an author I enjoy so much that I have commissioned him to write about each episode of The Long Bright Dark. Feel free to read his post about this book first, or after this one.
https://www.nathanrabin.com/happy-place/2017/8/2/literature-society-the-show-that-never-ends
The book is a dense read, though a better term might be compact. The figures throughout the book are fascinating, feeling less like actual people than characters. The amount of lineup changes alone is utterly wild, it seems like band members were changing about every 9-18 months! There's not too much talk about individual songs, or a list of recommendations, but the depth and reasoning and planning behind the bands as a whole are on full display. What can and can't be done was constantly being pushed, and it seems utterly astounding.
There's also the sheer talent on display, and that most frustrating form of ego. You want to say to an egotist, "you're not as good as you think you are", but when someone IS that good, it's almost as bad, if not worse! Descriptions of the drama isn't particularly salacious, and the coverage seems observant rather than mocking. That makes things more intense when you see painful or strange things happening, unforgettable moments for all the wrong reasons. When I read about the infamous Rush interview that turned into a debate over Objectivist philosophy, I actually slapped my face and said aloud, "oh no, oh no, no no no".
I would like to read this again, and I would write the names of individuals down, so I wouldn't get so confused.
