Your Inner Caveman

I was fascinated by the news last week that Neanderthals had mated with modern humans.  I think my first response was probably the typical reaction that most people had:  Hubba hubba!

Then I thought that Neanderthals, presumed to have gone extinct about 30,000 years ago, had never really died out--at least not genetically.  If you're descended from ancestors who lived in pre-historic Europe or Asia, chances are that up to 4% of your genetic makeup is Neanderthal in origin.  When I thought back to the first time I met my wife--how I clubbed her over the head and dragged her home by her hair--I perceived the essential truth of this.

Being a book flack, musing about the fate of the Neanderthal ultimately led me to a novel:  William Golding's The Inheritors, published in 1955.  (This was his second novel, the followup to his classic Lord of the Flies.)  The Inheritors is about the last surviving group of Neanderthals and what happens when they encounter Homo sapiens.  As you might imagine, it doesn't go real well for the Neanderthals.

But it seems that Golding didn't get it quite right.  Turns out before modern humans drove Neanderthals to extinction, we mated with them.  In retrospect, this shouldn't be surprising.  After all, it's so easy even a caveman could do it.

I was also delighted to find that Golding's novel inspired a Genesis song called "A Trick of the Tail"--perfect fodder for my Classics Rock! blog.  You'll find the details posted there, along with my theory that lyricist Tony Banks may have been influenced as much by the book's cover art as by its themes.  See what you think.

A Song Book Publicists Can Embrace

While this blog was napping (picture it yawning and stretching in its feety pajamas), my other blog, Classics Rock!, passed an important milestone:  Its one-year anniversary.

I observed this milestone with a song that touched on both my background in book publicity and my interest in the intersection of music and literature:  "Lady Writer" by Dire Straits.  Mark Knopfler saw an author interviewed on television and wrote a song about it ( Lady writer on the TV is the opening line).

Knopfler never identified the author (as far as I can determine) but clues in the lyrics have led to a consensus that the song was inspired by one author in particular.  (Check out the post to find out who that is.)

The lady writer in question blushingly acknowledges that she is the inspiration behind the song and says, "I wish I could claim something of more distinction in terms of popular culture, but I don't know that I can."  First of all:  Way to dis Dire Straits!  Second (and I may be biased here), credit really goes to the unknown publicist who booked you on that TV show.  They may not even be aware that they affected the course of rock and roll history.

Song of the Volcano

The giant ash cloud caused by the eruption of the Icelandic volcano led to all kinds of chaos throughout Europe, but for the publishing industry it specifically impacted the London Book Fair, which took place earlier this week.  Because of travel restrictions and canceled flights, attendance at the fair was down dramatically this year.  Most Americans planning to attend never got off the ground and spent the week at the office as usual.

This event is a disaster by any measure and has had serious ramifications for a lot of people, but there have also been some lighter takes on the situation--like the diagram by Information is Beautiful comparing the daily CO2 output of the volcano vs. the European airline industry.  Or this image posted by Miss Daisy Frost showing the London Book Fair as a volcano.

My own contribution, over on Classics Rock!, was a consideration of volcano-related songs.  But in keeping with the mission of Classics Rock!--songs based on books--these are songs inspired by literary volcanoes.  There are compositions based on Under the Volcano, The Last Days of Pompeii, Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings, Journey to the Center of the Earth...

I hope you'll check it out (and alert me to any I missed).  Also:  A thank you to Shelf Awareness for the shout-out.

All I Wanna Do

Earlier this week I learned that Sheryl Crow's breakthrough hit "All I Wanna Do" is based on a poem called "Fun" by Wyn Cooper.  This is probably common knowledge, and may even be taught in elementary school, but it was news to me and I was only too happy to feature it on my blog Classics Rock!, which explores the intersection of popular music and literature.

A few hours after the post went up yesterday, something cool happened:  Wyn Cooper left a comment.  In the glorious and esteemed ten-month history of Classics Rock!, this marks the first time a writer featured on the blog has left a comment.  For all I know, it's the first time a writer featured on the blog has read the blog.

I was particularly gratified (not to mention relieved) by the fact that his comment was positive:  "This is incredibly accurate," he wrote, "something I don't see often when my poem and the song that came out of it are discussed. Thanks."  Thank you, Wyn!  He also pointed me toward other poems he's written that have been set to music (including a musical collaboration with novelist Madison Smartt Bell), which will almost certainly be turning up on Classics Rock! at some point.

Authors, please follow Wyn Cooper's lead.  If you are fortunate enough to be featured on Classics Rock!, by all means, leave a comment.  Especially if it's complimentary.  On the other hand, if you're feeling snarky then please think twice before posting.

Oh, and Sheryl?  Love to hear from you too.

Hat Trick

With this blog post, I'm blogging about another blog post I wrote on The Huffington Post, which in turn focuses on my other blog, Classics Rock! That's a triple play by anyone's standards--even I have trouble following it. I'm hoping to drum up more input for Classics Rock!, which features songs based on books and authors--I'm running out of ideas (though I hope you'll visit tomorrow for a song that's appropriate to November 11th).

Catcher in the Rye Got Caught

I'm pleased to report that the list of Catcher in the Rye-related songs posted on my Classics Rock! site last Friday drew some attention. Gloria McDonough-Taub at CNBC featured it in the Bullish on Books blog on the network's web site, and gave it a shout-out on Twitter as well. Ron Charles at the Washington Post also tweeted about it. And Deirdre Donahue of USA Today posted it on Facebook.

I guess it pays to have two blogs. Perhaps I should start a third....

My Other Blog--Classics Rock!

I have another blog I've been playing around with for fun and maybe a little profit (I doubt it, though). It's kind of a parlor game: How may songs can you think of that are based on or refer to a book, author, poem, or literary character?

It's called Classics Rock! I hope you'll give it a look and if you come up with a song, please submit it. I'll post it and give you credit on the blog.

Have fun!


Update: Ron Hogan, of Beatrice.com and GalleyCat, mentioned Classics Rock! on Twitter. Thanks Ron!