About the Book
A provocative, entertaining but ultimately serious examination of rock's most essential questions: Beatles or Stones? Which is the best air guitar to play? Does Rush suck? And what is the meaning of Billy Joel?
Metaphysical Graffiti is a book for music fans, humor fans, and, if a meaningful ontological category, fans of philosophy too. It is a provocative, inflammatory, hilarious, but ultimately serious book about the essential questions of rock-Beatles or Stones? What Kind of Air Guitar Do You Play? Does Rush Suck? and, of course, The Meaning of Billy Joel. In a rich mix of original pieces, Kaufman not only examines the essential issues facing all rock fans, but delves into the deeper, metaphysical roots of these questions.
The book's title is a riff on the classic Led Zeppelin album, Physical Graffiti, while the book itself is an innovative, critical work that in many ways mirrors the best rock 'n' roll. Funny, audacious, irreverent, and relentlessly creative, it stretches the parameters of traditional criticism by incorporating short fiction, "Moronic Dialogues," and even a short mini-play, "Godot, The Musical," in order to explore philosophical concepts of Reality, Authenticity, Hype, and, ultimately, the purpose of music criticism itself.
Table of Contents:
An Acoustic Intro
Beatles or Stones? Or the Question of Identity
What Kind of Air Guitar Do You Play? Or the Question of Reality
Billy Joel, Really? Or the Question of Authenticity
Does Rush Suck? Or the Question of Taste
What Do You Call a Drummer in a Three-piece Suit? Or the Question of Rock Band Hierarchy
Rock's Secret Weapon, or the Question of Audacity (and Concept Albums)
Godot the Musical, Or the Question of Hype
Deadheads and Mekons Fans, or the Question of Musical Cults
The Coolest Song You've Never Heard, Or the Question of Musical Archeology
To Cover or to Run for Cover? Or the Question of Sonic Forgery
Can a Dj Save Your Life? Or The Oxymoronic Question of EDM Concerts
What We Write About When We Write About Rock
About the Author :
Recovering musician SETH KAUFMAN grew up overseas, in Kenya and India, the son of a foreign correspondent. He ran a popular online music store where he sold so many copies of Kenny G records he should be tried at The Hague. He has written a number of books, including The King of Pain ("One of 2012's most enjoyable novels" -The New York Times), contributed humor pieces to the New Yorker website and freelanced for many other publications.
Review :
Praise for Metaphysical Graffiti
“A genial foray into the meaning of rock ’n’ roll.” —Kirkus Reviews
"If you liked Better Living Thru Criticism—or, to be honest, if you wished it was funnier and shorter, with more about Billy Joel—you might dig this book, by journeyman rock n roll baldhead @kingofpain411" —A. O. Scott via Twitter
"Metaphysical Graffiti will make you think twice (and laugh thrice)." —Will Hermes, Rolling Stone senior critic and NPR contributor
"Erudite, caustic and hilarious, Seth Kaufman’s essays in Metaphysical Graffiti are creative non-fiction writing at its best." —Andy Hedgecock, Morning Star
"Metaphysical Graffiti is worthy companion to Psychotic Reactions & Carburetor Dung, mining music history, philosophy and comedy to explore our relationships to and with popular music." —Andreas Killen, author of 1973 Nervous Breakdown
Praise for Nuns with Guns
"A smart, witty and engrossing satire! Kaufman is a wonderfully sharp-eyed observer of modern American lunacies." —Zoe Heller, author of Notes on a Scandal
Praise for The King of Pain
"One of 2012's most enjoyable novels." —Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times
"Seth Kaufman's novel is a hoot and a boot, a zany, unsettling, satisfying, post post-modern, tragic-comic tour of prisons around the world and pain in the human heart. Start it and you won't stop. If you're a claustrophobe, read it out-of-doors." —John Darnton, author of Neanderthal
