As I am reading Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, specially in english, because it had been mentionned that Mick Jagger got the idea for “Sympathy for the Devil” from this book, as my brother started to read “The zero and infinity” after reading a Sting’s interview describing the hability of the principal character to find something positive from his memory even in a prison cell, I wonder if an artist in particular (or many) made you read one (or many) book(s) ?
And one more question, what would you suggest them back?
Well, I suppose I read Colin MacInnes’s “Absolute Beginners” because of the Jam song of that name, and Paul Weller’s general enthusiasm for the book. I really liked it, and went on to read the other two books of the London Trilogy (City of Spades and Mr Love and Justice) as well.
The film, of course, was dire.
Sadly I read the poetry of Alan Ginsberg and On The Road by Jack Kerouac because of Bob Dylan.
I also read Bukowski because of the line mentioning him in “Mellowship Slinky In B Major” by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Never read anything recommended by a pop star folks. It’s pretty much always shite.
I confess that I started to read Kerouac because I was recommencer Tom Wolfe’s “Acid test” (it has another name in english) by a french neighbour, the références lead me to it. Allen Ginsberg, that’s after his show in Toulouse where my hired english teacher brought me. I felt like I should read more by him.
Orwell due to Weller going on about him, and William Burroughs after reading somewhere that Joe Strummer was a fan
I recall investing in some Koestler musings about synchronicity at about the time when the Police were singing about ghosts in the machine, but I’m not sure exactly which came first – the listen or the learn.
Sting uses a great deal of book références, both in songs and in interviews, I notice it now. Even on his page he had a book of the month section. People may have diverse opinions about his music, but his influence on readers is impressive.
I did read “that book by Nabokov”, not sure if I am allowed to admit that these days though.
I could have, at the time, know someone who did and didn’t like it, that was in french of course. I might try the english version one day. Many russian authors translated to french got away with the excuse that their work were badly translated, so, why not him, even if he wrote that roman in english. Then comes the question: knowing what you know now, what book would you recommand Sting , @Vulpes Vulpes and @dai ?
Lolita in the original language (English) is a magnificently written book whatever one feels about the main protagonist. What would I recommend Sting? Advanced Tantric Sex?
The only one that comes to mind is John Gardner’s Grendel, which I read in my teens because it was the inspiration for the early Marillion song.
Interestingly the next book on my reading list is ‘Fingersmith’ by Sarah Waters, based on reading a book about Bowie, which mentions the former book and passim references to DB’s list of 100 favourite books – https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/david-bowie-influencers-books-literature-the-book-list-orwell-music-creative-a8252801.html – if you’re interested.
Very interesting for me, as there are both some real classics by famous authors and some other that I wouldn’t even try to read or imagine that they even exists. Another book-list for the years to come.
The Broons annual was a pleasant surprise.
Is that the one where Oor Wullie cams oot and self-identifies as a gurrl?
Wullie played guitar, jiving good with Wee Eck and Soapy…
Here’s LGBT Wullie. There are dozens of Oor Wullie’s all over Scotland at the moment, more details in the link below the pic.
https://www.oorwullie.com/
Michty Me! Whit a catastrophe! Major Tom’s a junk-ee!
There are you, drive like a demon frae Dundee tae Falkirk
Hen’s an Aberdonian
Hen wants Square Sausage in a poke
Ground control to but an’ ben …
Take yer protein pills and pit yer bunnet on…
It’s not the side-effects of the Buckie, I’m thinking that it must be love
I read Seize The Time because of Public Enemy. It’s a thrilling book – bonkers and incendiary.
Richmond Fontaines lead singer Willy Vlautin became an author – I read his books because of the band. I am glad I did because he is perhaps my favourite author currently and his books are far superior to his music good though that is.
I agree he is a fine author, but the songs he writes for the Delines are of the same high quality.
A perfect soundtrack for reading the books!
Well, which book would you both recommend Willy Vlautin, @Kaisfatdad and @SteveT then?
My favourite is “Don’t Skip Out on Me”.
Runner-up: “Lean on Pete”
I’ve only read Don’t skip out on me @Pizon-Bros but can warmly recommend it.
not sure if I read the authors because of the music but I know I was reading James Ellroy and listening to the Afghan Whigs around the same time, similar cross-consumption with David Peace and Luke Haines/Auteurs.
I definitely read Absolute Beginners because of Weller and some Iain Sinclair because of Cathal Coughlan. Nick Cave led me to read I was Dora Suarez … which was horrible!
Did anybody read Kurt Vonnegut because of Basher?…. often wondered….
About being a basher as an author?
If you find yourself explaining a joke it’s either shit or too obscure. Or both.
Great song though.
The first commenter here says he can hear Thin Lizzy in this. True! Never thought of that.
I can make it more obscure if I refer to Anthony Williams’s “on and on” instead of Darren Anderson.
I did some light reading about the Kabbalah after hearing Station To Station. (“Here are we, one magical movement from Kether to Malkuth”). Way above my pay grade.
My best friend in school got into Crowley on the strength of the inner groove scratchings of “So Mote Be It’ and ‘Do What Thou Wilt’ on the vinyl Led Zeppelin III. I found him drawing runes one day and screwed up the paper, leading to a bit of a fight. I was having thoughts of him inadvertently unleashing dark forces.
It was hard to be an edgy teen in the pre-Internet days, but we managed.
I think there was a mention of Thomas Pynchon’s V in a review of Station to Station. I’ve read it twice, although the last time was over 30 years ago! I may re-read it. V led to The Crying of Lot 49 and Gravity’s Rainbow, but I couldn’t get into Vineland and even though I bought Mason and Dixon, I stalled after a handful of incomprehensible pages.
I recall à french journaliste presenting Pynchon’s “V” as the inspiration for the TV-show…
Really? I vaguely remember the TV series, watching some of it because I loved the novel. Wasn’t it a sci-fi / future dystopia thing? Whereas V (the novel) ranged from 50s New York to South-West Africa in the early 20th century. But one might have inspired the other.
It was directly inspired by the épisode of the original series Twilight Zone “how to serve man” .
I guess that the journalist simply jumped on conclusions.
I am reliably informed that that @johnny-concheroo reads the Beano still.
“…and Johnny Concheroo reads the Beano still…” is prime Gabriel-era Genesis.
I imagine that interest in Peter Reich’s memoir of his father Wilhelm, A Book Of Dreams , had a major spike in 1985 after the release of a certain Kate Bush song.
I had a go at The Tibetan Book Of The Dead after hearing it was an influence on The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”. Didn’t inspire me to become a Buddhist monk or anything.
I recognised Pink Floyd’s “Chapter 24” as being based on an I-Ching reading, as I’d already dabbled with that book when I heard it.
It’s a myth about TNK and Book of the Dead – it’s actually based on The Psychedelic Experience by Timothy Leary, which picks out a few bits from the BOTD for lysergic purposes. Lennon read widely but not very deeply.
Reading widely but not deeply was what I was doing too, back in those days.
I had read and (unlike ganglesprocket) enjoyed On the Road, but had only heard of Dharma Bums because of Van Morrison. Read it as a result, and thought it was terrific.
Don’t imagine I will ever read Christmas Humphreys’ book on Zen, mind you…
And as for those dudes smokin’ up in Kendal…
Those Iron Maiden-boys made me read Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, due to their song and album, er, Brave New World. I don’t know if it was the translation, but I found it very poorly written. Come to think about it, Iron Maiden have probably made me read more books and discover more movies and TV-shows than any other artist. The Prisoner being, perhaps, my favourite.