Take a bite

I’m thrilled that an excerpt from Magic Circles has found its way into another magnificent anthology of music writing. In Sound Bites: Big Ideas in Popular Music, just out from the Great Books Foundation, “writers reflect on the immense impact of popular music on our culture, our lives, and our ways of thinking about the world.” The collection encompasses not just criticism but also personal essay, fiction, and poetry; in terms of approach, it doesn't labor to escape the white male rockist presumption, it simply ignores it. (Which is why I'm especially happy to be represented by an excerpt about the Beatles' special relationship to their female fans.)

Too many stellar contributors to list here (okay, a few: Hilton Als, Bobbie Ann Mason, Sherman Alexie, Oliver Sacks, Ellen Willis), but the honor of finding my contribution next to James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues,” be it only a happenstance of arrangement, is something I’ll always treasure.