Song Man: A Melodic Adventure, or, My Single-Minded Approach to Songwriting

by Will Hodgkinson

Overview

Song Man is the endearing sequel to Will Hodgkinson's Guitar Man, wherein our hero, having learned to play guitar (badly) in six months, endeavors to unlock the process of songwriting and ultimately record a single. Featuring pithy, humorous, and illuminating one-on-one songwriting lessons with Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Ray Davies of the Kinks, Andy Partridge of XTC, Arthur Lee of Love, Chan Marshall of Cat Power, Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne, Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals, and a host of others who run the gamut from unknown muses to cult icons to superstars-including Hodgkinson's lovable crew of ne'er-do-wells first introduced in Guitar Man -- Song Man is at once an investigation into the most ephemeral of arts and a highly readable journey of discovery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780306817328
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	12/10/2007
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	707 KB

About the Author

Will Hodgkinson has written for the Guardian, Mojo, and the Daily Telegraph, among other publications. He lives with his wife and two children in London.

Editorial Reviews

Hodgkinson picks up right where his previous and immensely entertaining Guitar Manleft off. After learning to play the guitar and perform on stage in only six months, with the help of fret board luminaries such as the Smiths' Johnny Marr, Hodgkinson attempts to learn how to write songs and then get them recorded, although this time he gives himself a year to do it all. When his first songs are met by his friends with less than enthusiasm ("Are you going to sing 'Mystery Fox' to Hal David and Carole King?"), Hodgkinson seeks out various songwriters such as XTC's Andy Partridge who are more encouraging ("At least it's a good title"). One of Hodgkinson's most endearing features-and one that his prose perfectly captures-is his utter lack of fear. In his humbling, and enjoyable, musical journey, he's willing to talk with unknown songwriters as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber ("With perfect grace he found a way of agreeing with whatever inanity spewed from my mouth before explaining aspects of his craft with eloquence"). (Feb)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Publishers Weekly

In this sequel to Guitar Man (2007), music journalist Hodgkinson challenges himself to write and ultimately record an original song and, in the process, to determine the keys to creativity from some masters of the genre. A diverse array of songwriters from megastars Keith Richards and Ray Davies to such esoteric artists as folkie Bridget St. John and Lawrence Hayward, an eccentric songwriter from the 1980s, reflect on songwriting in conversations that endeavor to explain the magic, mystery, and magnetism of song. Hodgkinson displays a journalist's narrative style coupled with a novelist's eye for piquant descriptions of characters and places as the book progresses from his nascent lyric writing to a studio session in London. Other highlights of his often hilarious sojourns include a visit to a remote Scottish island to find inspiration and his self-deprecating description of singing in front of a professional music teacher. Stellar music writers-and with his two books, Hodgkinson certainly qualifies-elevate their writing to reflect on what music tells us about ourselves and our humanity. Highly recommended for all public libraries.-Jim Collins, Morristown-Morris Twp. P.L., NJ

Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal