Bang Bang Crash

December 5, 2022
Writing professor and former alt-rock drummer Brown (Floodmarkers) charts his rise from hopeful high school musician to professional percussionist in this mellow memoir. Detailing his early obsession with drumming and his first record deal at 19, Brown recounts feeling he’d “achieved all he wanted” before turning 21, but he eventually grew disenchanted with the music scene and turned to writing. He chronicles his path in episodic style, and in its most dynamic spots the narrative blossoms into a punchy portrait hinting at a deep-rooted passion for writing, evident in the way he describes the first time he notices hearing loss after a show (“my own nightly proof of self-destruction”) or when he fabricates a backstory for his band, Athenaeum, that gets picked up by the press. As well, his love for the people he encounters is palpable, among them famous actors, musicians he’d idolized in his childhood, and his many tour mates. Unfortunately, these events fail to coalesce, and when he finally lands a spot at the Iowa Writer’s Workshop (after having initially declined Ivy League admission to pursue music), it’s hard not to long for a touch more tension. Budding writers and former musicians who’ve long hung up their instruments are likely to find some resonance, but others will be underwhelmed. Agent: Nat Jacks, InkWell Management.

June 10, 2024

Novelist and erstwhile musician Brown (In Every Way) narrates this essay collection memorializing his brief career as a professional drummer and why he (mostly) walked away. Brown engagingly details his early life as a hobbyist drummer and the thrilling, unnerving success of the band he formed with one of his best friends for an eighth-grade dance. His warm, raspy tones make it clear how much affection he has for his bandmates while reinforcing his ambiguous feelings about the music in hindsight. Shortly after the height of their popularity with a Billboard Hot 100 single, Brown left to attend college, a decision that, he makes clear, was as much about his restlessness with commercial music as with higher education. It's only natural that Brown, now a published novelist and professor of creative writing, should narrate his story, and his wry, conversational style really pays off for listeners. Having originated as stand-alone essays, his story ebbs and flows through time, doubling back on itself and rushing forward before ending with his wistful regard for that rock and roll staple: the reunion concert. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Dave Grohl's The Storyteller or Carrie Brownstein's Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl.--Natalie Marshall

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