Gone Girl

As I'm reading Gone Girl I'm thinking this is playing out like an episode of Dateline.  Needless to say, two pages later one of the main characters, Nick (the husband) says his life feels like an episode of Dateline. 

Amy (the wife) has been known to the world all her life, as her parents used their only child as the model for a highly successful series of children's books, Amazing Amy.  Amy and her amazing-ness will reveal itself.  This is a mystery, so it's hard to talk about details without giving too much away. Like any good episode of Dateline (my husband loves the show) all things seem perfect at the start and then Keith Morrison's voice over quickly changes things with a big "but....."  Am I the only one who thinks he tells a story like he's reading a Dr Seuss book? 

There are twists and turns.  Some are predictable, some are interesting.  The book is a page turner.  There isn't a feel good ending (which is fine). Could this be a modern day prequel to The Omen?  By the end of the book, I was left hating one of the characters and it might not be the one you think.  Ok, I hated Nick and on so many levels.  Maybe it's because I've met guys like him.  They kind of coast, not much of a spine, but they are good looking so they don't try as hard.  I predicted the ending, so by the time I got there I was disappointed. 

I haven't read Gillian Flynn's prior two novels.   Her bio says she saw the movies Bonnie and Clyde and Psycho when she was seven.  I could see how that would play into her writings.  It appears that Reese Witherspoon will produce the movie version with author Flynn adapting her own book. 

Conversations with Tom Petty

 Most things that I worry about / Never Happen Anyway

- from Crawling Back To You

The book Conversations with Tom Petty was published in 2005, but I was compelled to read it after seeing his recent performance at the Garden. Every musician should have a Conversations with .... book. It's a nice piece of history and a look into the writing mind of an immensely talented musician/songwriter.   The title says it all. This book is solely a Q and A .  The author Paul Zollo, spoke with Tom on different occasions over a long period of time.

I could listen to musicians talk for hours about collaborations, recording and touring.  Tom covers all of this.  His most amusing stories seem to involve Dave Stewart  (who is now writing and working with Stevie Nicks).  Apparently somewhat of a character, he hooks up with Tom because Tom recommended him as a songwriter to a producer. Neither had previously met each other.  Dave takes a liking to Encino, CA and buys a house up the street from Tom.  He installs a studio. They write Don't Come Around Here No More. Dave envisions the video:  he will sit atop a mushroom playing a sitar.  That video is now legend. Another collaborator he cherishes is Jeff Lynne as producer and writer. 

Tom truly enjoys being in the presence of other musicians.  He has nothing but praise and admiration for fellow Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench.  As he says, they can play anything.  After seeing them last month, I believe it.  He's worked with George Harrison, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks and the list goes on.   One of his heroes, Carl Wilson, also happens to be one of of mine.  Growing up, Petty really liked his guitar playing and of course that magic voice. 

I finally got insight into something that stuck me as unusual.  Tom Petty songs are not covered very often.  He's probably one of the best songwriters of the past 30 years and yet hardly anyone records his songs.  In Tom's words, people that play his songs "don't get the voicings of the chords right. And the voicings are what it's all about."  His songs, as straight forward as they seem, might not be that easy to perform. 

Unlike a lot of performers, Tom said he writes best when he's happy. He wants to know how you can write a good song when you're miserable. The last thing he wants to do is write when he's down.  Since the interviews in the book took place over time, there is some repetition of stories. I think an edit would have helped the book flow better. It does not take away from the book.   If you want to explore the work of Tom Petty, read this.