Whenever I visit New York I try to check the music section at the Housing Works Bookstore. They always have a great biography or provocative tale of rock excess I can pick up in this second hand store for a bargain, their motto: “fighting AIDS one book at a time” which is pretty noble if you ask me. All proceeds go to charity and the staff are mostly volunteers so it would be unforgivable not to contribute even a little.
On a snowy February afternoon we stumbled in there mostly to protect ourselves from the chilly wind and warm up with a wonderfully clichéd large NYC latte. The place was set up for a book reading and a small crowd had already gathered. Having bought our coffee we sat down trying to decipher what people were waiting for.
It turned out that a few contributing authors were presenting the Da Capo Best Music Writing for 2006 book in a few minutes. Though at the time i was unfamiliar with the series I’ve since had the pleasure of reading 3 editions and can say they all collect sensational music essay covering various genres (from Metallica to R. Kelly through Bob Dylan). The one constant throughout is the high level of writing and the fresh take the authors have on the music they love.
We were fortunate to hear Nick Weidenfield narrate from his piece “Dying In The Al Gore Suite“. He claimed that he was the first journalist given complete freedom to talk with David Berman, leader of the Silver Jews. The result was the story of the troubled frontman’s battle with alcohol and substances which culminates in a spectacular suicide attempt in the same hotel suite Al Gore sat in for 2 weeks whilst waiting to find out that he had lost the election. Ultimately Berman‘s wife plays a huge part in the fact that he was even alive to be interviewed by Weidenfield.
It takes some a degree of bravery to put yourself in the spotlight again when everybody knows the exact nature of your troubles but pulled back from the brink Berman threw himself into writing and recording the album that would become the Silver Jews 5th studio album. ‘Tanglewood Numbers‘ acts as a logbook of emotions and realisations as tracks like ‘Punks In The Beerlight’ set a downbeat tone but are presented with charm and verve.
Elsewhere there is a real playful element to some of the songs like ‘How Can I Love You If Won’t Lie Down’displaying optimism akin to a man who has lost it all and then found it all again Berman is a happier person now and the Silver Jews are a stronger band for it.
