In an effort to justify my failed attempts at pitchingÂÂ a review of this book to every single magazine inÂÂ which I have a relationship, you now have this post to read. Get the book.
Joe Carducci
Enter Naomi: SST, L.A., and All That…..
Redoubt Press P.O. Box 276 Centennial, WYOM. 82055 (redoubtpress.com)
I will preface this review by stating that Carducci’s sorta-infamous Rock and the Pop Narcotic is the only lengthy piece of rock writing, and only non-fiction book, that I’ve read three times. I don’t agree 100% with RPN, but it still delivers personal inspiration, and has been a big influence on my writing. It was a book that awarded the proper amount of intellectualization (some say too much, but I disagree) and heart to metal and hard rock during a time (1990) when these forms were weathering an especially unfair phase of disinterest. If you haven’t read it, do so. You cannot borrow my copy. The book has gone through three printings. Rollins did a printing for his house in the mid-90’s, and Redoubt released the most recent version. Get it!!
There are Carducci works between Rock and the Pop…. and his brand new Enter Naomi: SST, L.A. and All That (Get your rundown here: www.joecarducci.com). Even so, this one will be endlessly compared to his previous epic. They are different animals. Instead of a highly-enjoyable, dense monster, Enter Naomi is an equally enjoyable, rather straightforward bio of three distinct subjects: Deceased photographer Naomi Peterson (she was essentially SST’s inhouse photog), SST Records, and the underground L.A. music scene from about 1975 up until around ‘86 (when Carducci moved away).
It’s sad book. It will hopefully encourage all of us to be better to our livers. Enter Naomi also proves that the “outsiderâ€Â of, say, 1981, underwent extinction long ago. Regardless of shady business dealings and an intimidating anti-social personality, the cloth Greg Ginn was cut from is nowhere to be found in the “undergroundâ€Â of 2007, if one can even find the underground in 2007.
IÂÂ finished Enter NaomiÂÂ in three while trying to readÂÂ three other books. I spent long stretches staring at the photos.
Carducci deserves exposure and some book sales. In the face of publishing industry indifference and public’s (and publishing industry’s) poor taste in music books, Joe has toiled along.
That’s it. And that was a very loose interpretation of a “book review.â€Â ÂÂ
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