I just finished reading Steve Almond’s collection of essays, Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life, and I loved it… It’s all about the author’s love for music and the ways in which being what he terms a drooling fanatic has affected his life for better or for worse (but mostly for better!). Among the more hilarious passages in the book is Almond’s description of the Macarena:
- The dancer extends his arms forward, palms down, then flips his arms over on the beat.
- The dancer sets his hands on his shoulders, the back of his head, and his hips.
- The dancer executes a pelvic rotation in time with the line “Ehhh, Macarena!” simultaneously executing a 90-degree jump-and-turn maneuver so as to repeat the same routine all over again.
- Steve shoots himself in the skull.
It’s a fun book for anyone who’s ever fallen head-over-heels in love with a band — especially one that no one else ever seems to have heard of. And in that spirit, I offer the following series of posts, On Being a Name-dropping Groupie for a Lesser-known Pop Band with Roots in Philly. A much shorter version of this essay appeared in Origivation magazine in 2005 or thereabouts. This is the extended dance remix…
5 responses to “Rock and Roll Will Save Your Life”
Haha. I’ll have to read this!
It’s a really fun book, especially if you’re into obscure rock groups.
And if you like chocolate, check out his Candy Freak.
Sounds like a must-read!
Definitely! Steve Almond is one of my favorite writers. His latest short story collection, God Bless America, is great, too!