Books about the music industry and show business can be tricky. Either an author has to do a lot of heavy research or he or she just tries to wing it, hoping one’s imagination will help fill out the pages of a book. But Liz Moore is a former musician turned writer. So she has a lot of inside knowledge and experience within the rarified world of the music industry and the people who make it tick, which may be why her novel, The Words of Every Song is such an insightful and compelling read.
The Words of Every Song is a collection of short stories that work out as a full novel. All of them intermingle (though many can stand on their own). This book tells the various tales of different people within the confines of the music industry in New York City. There is Jax Powers Kline, a high level executive at Titan Records, and her secretary, Cynthia, a failed musician nursing a broken heart. There is up and coming singer, Lenore Lamont, Cynthia’s former girlfriend who is touted the next big thing. (There’s a giant billboard of Lenore in Time’s Square promoting her soon-to-be released debut album). Tommy Mays is a seasoned rocker finding more solace with his devoted wife and their two daughters. On the other hand, one of his bandmates, Jeffrey, is nearly going insane, living in debauchery, banging underage groupies, and feeling soulless and empty.
Theo is the A & R guy, always on the hunt for the next great thing in music, and he’s hoping the latest band he signed, The Burn, will be the next great thing in music. At the helm of The Burn, is Siobhan, still mourning the death of Kurt Cobain and her late mother, gone too soon. There is Tony, the sound engineer, dealing with bands and musicians who are often too strung out to properly record their music. There is a budding girl group, Hype Girlz, dealing with a member who thinks she’s too fat to be a star and her demanding stage father. And then there is the music fan, Gregory, coming to grips with his homosexuality, believing his life would only be complete if he could meet his favorite rock star, Tommy Mays.
All the stories and the characters interweave seamlessly and come across as very true. Yes, there are clichés of rock and roll excess and corporate dirty tricks, but the characters show layers that make them compelling. Jax, usually in control, finds herself regressing when she visits her parents for her mother’s birthday. And Tommy, despite his jadedness, remains a devoted family man. He’s not sneaking off with giggling groupies. And I really liked the how Moore used the lyrics of various artists-Bruce Springsteen, PJ Harvey, Natalie Merchant, Billie Holiday, and The Cure at the beginning of each chapter.
Whether you’re fan of music and want to learn more about the industry, or just in search of good book, you can’t go wrong with The Words of Every Song.
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