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Rock Bottom Paperback – January 9, 2009
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But something happened on the way to glory, and now, two years later, along with their coke-fueled, mohawked female manager, they have washed up in Amsterdam for the final show of their doomed and dismal European tour. The singer has become a born-again Buddhist who preaches from the stage, the bass player's raging eczema has turned his hands into a pulpy mess, the drummer is a sex-fiend tormented by the misdeeds of his porn-king father, and the guitar player -- the only talented one -- is thoroughly cowed by the constant abuse of his bandmates.
As they stumble through their final day together, the Blood Orphans find themselves on a comic tour of frustration, danger, excitement, and just possibly, redemption.
- Print length373 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateJanuary 9, 2009
- Dimensions5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100316031925
- ISBN-13978-0316031929
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
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Review
"A rock and roll novel at once rocking and rollicking. ROCK BOTTOM knowingly skewers the pretensions of the music business, while never taking them seroiusly, and the result is a simultaneously scabrous yet affectionate portrait of a band and its entourage in the final throes of a tour de farce. Michael Shilling writes with wit, fury and an infectious gusto; it's the kind of high-energy prose that makes a reader want to get up and strut their stuff."―Peter Ho Davies, author of THE WELSH GIRL
"Michael Shilling's debut is everything one wants in a novel: tragic and thrilling, farcical and realistic. The prose is exuberant in its range and wildness, but also in its little treasures, its unfoldings and depths. Here is a writer who brings characters to life, circumstances to light, and imbues them with resonance, traveling the whole map of human obsession and longing with breathless energy. This is a sexy, funny novel, but with the kind of profundity we need from our best novelists at this time. Michael Shilling is an important new writer, and this is novel you won't forget having read."―Laura Kasischke, author of BEFORE HER EYES and SUSPICIOUS RIVER
"Finally, at last, an ass-kicking, authentic rock & roll novel, one that peels back the veneer and gloss and--with an insider's eye--exposes the lovely, wondrous dirt."―David Means, author of ASSORTED FIRE EVENTS
"[Rock Bottom is] enlivened by characterizations as deep as would seem allowable for such a narcissistic gang and industry, brisk observations about the pitfalls of fame, and often funny banter among the dueling inhabitants of a sinking musical ship."―Publishers Weekly
"Simultaneously bleak and archly funny... With rich characterizations and surprisingly complex back stories, the author gets under the skin of his ragtag brotherhood... A thoughtful snapshot of a crumbling rock 'n' roll fantasy."―Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Back Bay Books; 1st edition (January 9, 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 373 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0316031925
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316031929
- Item Weight : 13 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #5,836,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,619 in Humorous American Literature
- #27,578 in Fiction Satire
- #43,348 in Humorous Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author
Michael Shilling is the author of Rock Bottom, which Back Bay Books/Little, Brown and Company published in 2009. This summer, the book will be adapted to the stage by the Landless Theater Company in Washington DC. Mr. Shilling, whose short stories have appeared in The Sun, Fugue, and Other Voices, teaches at Seattle University, plays the drums in a soul band, and is working on a novel, Midnight Hippies, which involves people running out of time while running after each other. It takes place in sunny Miami, rainy Seattle, and snowy California.
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Some have found the book misogynistic which is fair, but I think you have to consider the book on its merits – this is a book about a rock band on tour. And the tour does not go according to plan. There are moments when you’ll likely identify with each of the main characters and then, often on the same page, want to slap them to their senses. It’s both human and reptilian in this regard which makes the characters so engaging.
I enjoyed spending the day with Michael’s band a great deal and think you will too. My only hope is that this work wasn’t overtly informed by his own experience as a touring musician.
However, this book was a little too cartoonish for me. I was hoping for a glimpse of the desperation of humanity in a situation of absolute personal and professional failure, which this book delivered to a degree, but the strong points of this book are also its' weak points. The book presents a look into the day of the life of members of a band on the verge of finalizing it's irreperable failure. Here is what I did not like about it:
I thought the author too often wandered into the territory of shock and depravity - particularly in the lurid porn-filled back-story of Darlo the drummer's childhood. It went way beyond the purpose it was supposed to serve - presumably - to illustrate why Darlo was in such heavy denial about his band, the incredulously named - "Blood Orphans" - ultimately being dropped from the label.
And that's another thing while we're on the subject. Could anyone credibly see a band with THAT name, plus a song called "Hella Prosthetica" about having sex with a women with no legs actually having a distance to fall from to begin with? Could anyone see a band like this ever actually having the chance to open up for Aerosmith? I didn't think the "Spinal Tap" type irony worked too well here. Often these bands rise, then fall like this, simply because they're not very interesting to begin with - yet some A&R type took a chance that they could capitalize on someone else's success. That would be a more believable premise in my opinion.
It isn't that these shock elements are offensive as I expect lurid stuff in a book like this. It just isn't necessary, and it robs the story of credibility. I wish the author would have found more subtle and effective ways to characterize the members of the group and their coke-head manager, Joey.
Still, I made it through the book in under a week - that's automatically a minimum of 3 stars.
Of course, Bobby, the neurotic "passenger" bass player, is only one viewpoint throughout. Thankfully, Shilling takes us through the warped minds of all these guys, along with their well-meaning female manager, Joey, whose heart is in the right place but managing skills leave a lot to be desired. Due to being tagged racists (perhaps unfairly) and thumbing their collective noses at the music industry and everybody else for too long, the Blood Orphans are on a severe downward spiral, commercially, spiritually and mentally -- and it's a shameful blast to read about them going through it. From the arrogant and oversexed Darlo (drummer) and Shane (singer) to the only level-headed and truly talented member of the band, Adam (guitar), Blood Orphans are a big-time wreck, damaged goods to the core.
And yet, on the band's wild last day on tour, epiphanies, contrition, camaraderie, shared experiences and, yes, even newfound loves, develop. And it's done in a way that's true-to-life, organic and far from a love-is-all-you-need cliche. Even more impressive, tucked away amid all the bawdy dialogue and hilarious prose, there are spots of writing that are simply gorgeous, almost too good for this motley crew of young has-beens who never actually attained rock star glory. Though some of the melodramatic, woe-is-me thoughts and actions from these characters get a bit tiresome toward the end, they aptly convey band dynamics and the hopelessness that comes with being in a failed rock group that once had high hopes. The hazy end is near for the drunk, drugged-up and drained Blood Orphans, and they can't wait to get there.