I find myself wondering about the rock band Modest Mouse. Do you ever wonder why the artists you appreciate are the way they are? I wonder. However, I hate that I learn information about the band second hand. So, it is my mission, my new year’s resolution if you will – and i know that you will – to sign on, or simply write a biography about the band.
In a hastily-organized attempt to capture the band, Chicago-based writer Alan Goldsher’s “Modest Mouse: A Pretty Good Read” which has been compared to, among other things, a “an incredibly boring eleventh-grade research paper,” according to one Amazon.com reviewer didn’t go over well with lead singer Isaac Brock.
When getting the story it helps to:
a.) You gotta go to know. Doing face-to-face interviews is important. Multiple if possible and absolutely necessary when writing a book. I don’t know everything about Modest Mouse. I don’t claim to and at this point I really don’t want to. However, I can’t force myself to stop listening to one of my favorite groups. For more than five years, I’ve read interviews and listened to every one of their albums. I don’t know all the changes, I haven’t used “Medication” as fodder for a creative writing class to analyze/break down what Isaac truly meant. I’d rather get some background and then ask him himself. That is, they say, how you do that. Goldsher didn’t even interview a member of the band and what did he get for it (besides a paycheck for completing the book)? That’s right. An “ass-beat threat” from Brock.
b.) I’d be willing to put in the time, money. Neil Young biographer Jimmy McDonough claimed to have taken “10 years” to compile and write what is perhaps the definitive book on the enigmatic star. I don’t have a deadline, a book deal or a deep, deep understanding of what makes the band tick. However, I would like to write their story. All the elements of a great narrative are there: “poverty” if you want or can call it that (Isaac living in The Shed); turmoil (false rape accusations, DWI accident, punched during Moon sessions, still manages to produce mind-bending work) and meteoric rise … your typical local band makes good story (although, the guys – or at least Isaac I believe – don’t really like Issaquah, Wash. where they’re all from anymore). Nonetheless, the elements are there. There’s a story and I’d be willing to (although not preferably) spend my own cash up front telling it.
c.) I fit the role of what they may be looking for in an author. I’m relatively young, not a rabid fan, but I’m not a flaky douche who would shuck the responsiblity of news gathering. While that isn’t a resounding self-endorsement, I’d be fair. I’d also be willing to give the band an opportunity to refute any portion of the book they deemed to be inaccurate. I appreciate music, and have at least a rudimentary knowledge of their style of music, instrumentation … however, I’ve never heard arrangments or song structure quite like this band. It is an anachronism. Post-modern example perfunctory punk-funk. It’s good. The guys in the band seem like good guys. However, that written, I’d be an ethical, objective source. I wouldn’t get shit-canned (that much) and I’d treat it like a job because that’s exactly what it would be. I figure, at minimum, 50 meetings, 50 writing sessions, 10 chapters, three plane tickets, 5 concerts, 100 phone calls, 100 e-mails and a ton of luck.
But all the questions are whys and hows?
Why would they want anyone (or to cooperate with anyone) wishing to write about them?
How does one set this up, write it and then get it published?
Right now, I’m in Phase I of the project: Research and networking. I’ve compiled the band’s managerial contacts; talked to them (except Tom and Isaac) after the Dec. 3 Minneapolis show to float the idea and am now trying to figure out how you actually get a book published (I have a friend in the publishing biz…).
Any suggestions, comments or cosmic truths anyone would like to pass along regarding Modest Mouse or the process of getting a book published would be greatly appreciated.
Aluminium 