Probably more than anything else, RARWRITER.com is a writer's site, and on this page we house examples of the work of RARWRITER readers with similar interest in the "written arts". - - RAR

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THE SKUNK LIST

Publisher's Weekly's current list of Top 25 Hard Cover Fiction may not be their fault - or maybe it is, I'm not even sure what Publisher's Weekly does other than advertise the products of publishing houses - but fiction in 2013 sucks every bit as bad as does popular music. There is a nexus there someplace, probably having something to do with the downward spiral of humanity that refuses to

RANK	LAST WEEK	WEEKS ON LIST	BIBLIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION (Click title for review)	PUB DATE	UNITS   2013 YTD
1	2	7	The Cuckoo's Calling Robert Galbraith, Author Mulholland Books, $26.00 (464)  978-0-316-20684-6	Apr 2013	17,929   215,720
2	-	1	How the Light Gets in: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel Louise Penny, Author Minotaur Books, $25.99 (416)  978-0-312-65547-1	Aug 2013	16,717   17,136
3	1	5	Mistress James Patterson, Author, David Ellis, Author Little Brown and Company, $28.00 (410)  978-0-316-21107-9	Aug 2013	16,661   106,994
4	3	16	Inferno Dan Brown, Author Doubleday Books, $29.95 (480)  978-0-385-53785-8	May 2013	14,515   1,226,620
5	5	15	And the Mountains Echoed Khaled Hosseini, Author Riverhead Books, $28.95 (416)  978-1-59463-176-4	May 2013	9,140   450,502
6	4	3	Rose Harbor in Bloom Debbie Macomber, Author Ballantine Books, $26.00 (322)  978-0-345-52893-3	Aug 2013	8,336   37,622
7	-	1	Bones of the Lost: A Temperance Brennan Novel Kathy Reichs, Author Scribner Book Company, $26.99 (336)  978-1-4391-0245-9	Aug 2013	8,072   8,151
8	-	1	The Whole Enchilada: A Novel of Suspense Diane Mott Davidson, Author William Morrow & Company, $26.99 (384)  978-0-06-134817-4	Aug 2013	7,503   7,610
9	8	2	The Kill List Frederick Forsyth, Author Putnam Adult, $27.95 (352)  978-0-399-16527-6	Aug 2013	6,101   14,053
10	9	2	The Bone Season Samantha Shannon, Author Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, $24.00 (480)  978-1-62040-139-2	Aug 2013	5,720   12,937
11	7	2	Night Film Marisha Pessl, Author Random House, $28.00 (624)  978-1-4000-6788-6	Aug 2013	5,607   14,985
12	-	1	Kenobi: Star Wars John Jackson Miller, Author Lucas Books, $27.00 (380)  978-0-345-54683-8	Aug 2013	5,530   5,654
13	10	7	First Sight Danielle Steel, Author Delacorte Press, $28.00 (384)  978-0-385-33830-1	Jul 2013	5,512   110,645
14	12	5	The Husband's Secret Liane Moriarty, Author Amy Einhorn Books, $25.95 (416)  978-0-399-15934-3	Jul 2013	5,055   25,512
15	11	7	The English Girl Daniel Silva, Author Harper, $27.99 (496)  978-0-06-207316-7	Jul 2013	4,801   108,521
16	6	2	The Third Kingdom Terry Goodkind, Author Tor Books, $29.99 (527)  978-0-7653-3599-9	Aug 2013	4,643   14,470
17	15	8	William Shakespeare's Star Wars Ian Doescher, Author Quirk Books, $14.95 (174)  978-1-59474-637-6	Jul 2013	4,563   41,833
18	13	4	Hotshot Julie Garwood, Author Dutton Books, $26.95 (356)  978-0-525-95301-2	Aug 2013	3,952   31,361
19	16	4	The Last Witness W. E. B. Griffin, Author, William E. Butterworth, IV, Author Putnam Adult, $27.95 (352)  978-0-399-16257-2	Aug 2013	3,757   24,805
20	-	1	The Family Business 2 Carl Weber, Author, Treasure Hernandez, With Urban Books, $23.95 (324)  978-1-60162-559-5	Aug 2013	3,504   3,676
21	14	11	The Ocean at the End of the Lane Neil Gaiman, Author William Morrow & Company, $25.99 (192)  978-0-06-225565-5	Jun 2013	3,407   124,982
22	-	1	The Returned Jason Mott, Author Mira Books, $24.95 (400)  978-0-7783-1533-9	Aug 2013	3,272   3,326
23	17	11	Second Honeymoon James Patterson, Author, Howard Roughan, Author Little Brown and Company, $28.00 (432)  978-0-316-21122-2	Jun 2013	3,251   161,507
24	18	6	The White Princess Philippa Gregory, Author Touchstone Books, $27.99 (544)  978-1-4516-2609-4	Jul 2013	3,154   31,360
25	-	1	Blind Justice Anne Perry, Author Ballantine Books, $26.00 (352)  978-0-345-53670-9	Aug 2013	2,616   2,653

 

Phillip Rauls' Photo Archive

Photo-documenting Rock History

Former Atlantic A&R pro Phillip Rauls will probably eventually want to donate his extraordinary personal collection of photographs of golden era rock luminaries to a rock museum someplace. It is probably paralleled by few other such collections. For now, however, he has put some of it online, in documentary form, and you can watch it by going to his Photolog site. Just click on the image at right or on the link provided here. Happy trails.

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on Baron Wolman, and to view his work, visit:

www.baronwolman.com

www.omnibuspress.com

 

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Proper Records presents ...
Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic - John ‘Drumbo’ French

Written by the man who spent more time than anyone else with Don Van Vliet and The Magic Band this book serves as the definitive story about the group.

This book clocks in at nearly 900 pages with 16 pages of very rare and often previously unpublished photos. Tracing the history of the group it includes reminiscences from key members of The Magic Band and The Mothers Of Invention. There are amazing stories about the recording process, particularly Trout Mask Replica, and life on the road with the Captain.
Few names carry such formidable mystique and rabid cult status as Captain Beefheart, who led various line-ups of his Magic Band to make some of the most startling, ground-breaking albums of the last century. In 1982, he retired to concentrate on painting, leaving the mythology he’d stoked himself to grow untamed over the years.

John French is better qualified than anyone to talk about Beefheart, joining the Magic Band in 1966 at the age of 17 just before recording their Safe As Milk debut album, finding himself plunged into a tyrannical regime which would dominate his life for the next 14 years as he played a major role in eight subsequent albums, including translating the mind-blowing avant-blues assault of 1969’s Trout Mask Replica into readable music for the Magic Band from the Captain’s piano poundings under torturous conditions he likens to a cult.

French’s remarkable memoir starts with a vivid description of the rarely-documented early 60s Lancaster garage-rock scene which also spawned names like Ry Cooder and Beefheart’s childhood friend and later nemesis Frank Zappa, whose appearances in the book will enthral his own legion of fans. As his spellbinding, often shocking tale unwinds, he encounters names including jazz giant Ornette Coleman, Jim Morrison and Paul McCartney, writing with dry, sometimes surreal humour and disarming honesty about his old boss and even himself, occasionally bringing in his old Magic Band comrades to jog his memory. The book is packed with new revelations, many previously-unseen photos and enough anecdotes to keep the Beefheart faithful ruminating for years, French finally crystallising and bringing to life over 40 years of legend and speculation in what has to be the ultimate book on the mercurial genius of Captain Beefheart.

"One of the most incredible stories to emerge out of 20th century music ... the definitive account of life with the Captain from the inside." Kris Needs - Mojo.

 

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Trower Drummer Bill Lordan's Rock Life

Bill Lordan, pictured left, has been in the high ether of the rock, funk and soul universe for 40 years. Coming from humble beginnings in Minnesota, Lordan caught on with soul groups The Amazers and The Esquires, perfecting his chops at Harlem's Apollo Theatre, the only white guy in otherwise Black ensembles. Success in that company led to the big time with Gypsy, The Mystics, Sly and the Family Stone and the Robin Trower Band.

Bill Lordan, working with RARWRITER.com contributor Diana Olson, has written his autobiography, From the Basement to the Coliseum, charting his long and successful career. They are currently in negotiations with publishers. Lordan remains an active player, winning an L.A. Music Award as recently as 2004 for his compilation album "The Best of BLX" (i.e., the Bill Lordan Experience).

Click here to read a brief excerpt from the book and listen to MP3 from his "Best of..." LP.

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"Valhalla of Decadence"

L.A. Rocker Tony Gamble (left) has been through quite a lot over the past six years, including album releases, rock tours, and shows at the annual NAMM conference, where he represents ESP Guitars.

And...oh yeah, there was that murder, that body found in a trash bag in a dumpster wearing Tony's watch...

Oh-oh...

Tony Gamble is a RARWRITER Featured Artist in this edition, where he discusses the book he is writing on his experiences surrounding a highly publicized murder case in L.A., his childhood in Malibu, growing up with the Z-Boys of Dogtown and the children of famous rockers, and his plans for the future.

Click here to read the Tony Gamble exclusive.

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RARWRITER.com Offers Serial Novels

NOTE FROM RAR: Beginning with this May 2009 edition, RARWRITER.com will begin the practice of serializing novels, offering long works in installments. I intend to do this with my own completed work as well as a few things that I currently have in development. I invite the participation of other writers of short and long fiction, should they have work they feel would find an audience through this site. Contact me by email at Rick@RARWRITER.com to make inquiries.

The first offering is my "western novel" Cowboy Town, which is a story of love and redemption set against temptation, lust and violence. If that sounds like promotional text from another era, it is meant to. Modeled on 1930s-40s era cinema - read the forward provided with the novel - Cowboy Town aims at the unapologetically romantic and sentimental, and serves it up sautéed in testosterone, just like how I knew it growing up out there on the Great Plains and in Rocky Mountain country.

This first installment includes the first 11 chapters of 50 total. Next month will include additional until the book is full.

Click here to go to Cowboy Town. The serialized novel will open chapter-by-chapter in separate HTML files.

Click here to go to the RARWRITER Literature page for additional information.

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INSIDE STORY: James Warner, Ransom Stephens and Yanina Gotsulsky launched InsideStoryTime, which SF Weekly selected "Best New Reading Series" of 2006. It is described at Jame's site as "A fun, cozy event where you can booze and schmooze with the San Francisco literati." Ransom Stephens is a PhD., a Physicists, and a public speaker in the fields of electrodynamics and signal analysis. He is also a novelist, a memoirist, a technical writer, and a consultant in problem solving. Yanina Gotsulsky is a novelist, poet, and a translator of Akhmatova and Pasternak. She holds a degree in Russian Literature from York University in Toronto, travels frequently, and splits her home time between Canada and Northern California. She is represented by Markus Hoffmann of Regal Literary. James Warner is profiled briefly in the following story.

James Warner: Identity Theory

San Francisco, California - Our friend James Warner has carved out something of a niche for himself in San Francisco's literary circles, publishing in various on-line publications (McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Eclectica, Monkey Bicycle), reading at the City's LITQUAKE festival, and producing the club-hosted InsideStoryTime reading series. British-born James, whose credentials include a degree in philosophy from Oxford and a Java programming certificate, tends toward the "pataphysical" in his own writing - and he will appreciate that reference, along with Paul McCartney, Eugene Ionesco, Autolux, and other readers of obscure French journals - or at least he used to. These days he is hosting a literary blog (click here to read and leave comment) in which he is downright sober, like a 7:30 a.m. survey class on 19th and 20th Century British and American novelists.

James' recent entries have included musings on Nabokav, Joseph Conrad, Thomas Hardy, Henry James, Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, and a bevy of other historical heavies, plus the very alive Louis de Bernieres. For those who enjoy deep analysis of what it may mean to be brilliant, all tied up in neat Gordian bows, you might find James' musings highly entertaining. You might even learn something! Or become inspired to write.

James is a musician, classically trained on piano, and he has written some wonderfully entertaining tunes over the years, though this avocation seems to have taken a backseat to his literary explorations into what it all must mean. Check out James blog at www.identitytheory.com.