There have always been bookish rockers and the likes of The Decemberists' Colin Meloy carry on that grand tradition. If the music fiend in your life needs a stocking stuff, here are two very different options. Neither, however, will fit that easily into a stocking without straining the seams.
Blossoming jazz fans will devour "Jazz: An Introduction to the History and Legends Behind America's Music," written by noted expert Bob Blumenthal, who often pens the liner notes to Blue Note's Rudy Van Gelder Series of reissues.
Published in paperback by Collins, this slim volume is heavily illustrated and might not have a lot to tell a veteran jazz fan, but as the title suggests, it provides a great general history of the music and introduces everyone from King Oliver to Cassandra Wilson.
Also in paperback, but from Backbeat Books -- distributed by Milwaukee's Hal Leonard Corporation -- comes the light-hearted but spirited "The Official Punk Rock Book of Lists," by Amy Wallace and The Dictators' Handsome Dick Manitoba.
We're not sure what makes this "official," or what makes it -- as the cover boasts -- "Genuine 100% Punk!" (Both statements seem anathema to punk, to me), but it's fun reading, mostly.
There is Debbie Harry's list of people she'd like to, ahem, make sweet love to; Jim Jarmusch's top 25 pre-punk films with "punk attitude"; and the like. Other contributors include, among others, Steve Jones and Johnny Rotten of Sex Pistols, Captain Sensible of The Damned, Lenny Kaye, Chris Stein, Kid Congo Powers, Tommy Ramone and rock lensman Bob Gruen.
Why a guy from Pearl Jam is included is a mystery.
Some of the lists are pretty lame, like "101 Ridiculous Punk Rock Names," which is basically a list of every punk with a nom de punk or nickname. For example why, exactly is "HR" ridiculous? And why is Ian Woodcock on there? You might find his name witty, but I think it's his real name.
More interesting is the follow-up, "How 20 Punks Got Their Names," which actually tells the stories of, well, you get the idea.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
