Peter Coviello
Autor(a) de Long Players: A Love Story in Eighteen Songs
About the Author
Peter Coviello is professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His most recent books include Long Players: A Love Story in Eighteen Songs (2018) and Make Yourselves Gods: Mormons and the Unfinished Business of American Secularism (2019).
Obras de Peter Coviello
Associated Works
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
There is no Common Knowledge data for this author yet. You can help.
Membros
Resenhas
Prêmios
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Estatísticas
- Obras
- 6
- Also by
- 2
- Membros
- 92
- Popularidade
- #202,476
- Avaliação
- 3.7
- Resenhas
- 5
- ISBNs
- 17
I'll get the one little negative out of the way and explain why it isn't a big deal. There is a bit of repetition from essay to essay, which might bother some readers if they plan to read straight through. Two reasons should keep the potential annoyance from bothering you too much. First, these are essays, meant to be self-contained prose pieces. Closely coupled with that is the second, some of these were previously published (though likely reworked for this collection) which means there were no other Coviello essays to have possibly just read. So when you read these, just start every one as a new text, not as part of the whole that is the book.
Okay, what I particularly enjoyed in these essays is what I also enjoyed in one of his previous books, Vineland Reread, namely offering perspective with the acknowledgement that not only will yours be different, but that in a different point in his own life it will be different. A song I heard in 1976 then again in 1996, then 2016 will all mean different things to me, though each successive hearing will also bring back memories. My high school senior self in '76, my twice divorced but in grad school self in '96, and my "OMG I'm almost 60" self in '16. Each understanding of the song is valid, even if no longer valid for me now. And don't even ask about the deterioration of my dance moves!
Coviello has some similar musical tastes as I do, though I certainly don't fully agree with his assessment (only semi-serious, I hope) of the boomer generation. While I don't generally think of the (sometimes heated but usually friendly) debates about the merits of a song/film/book/etc as fights (his preferred term) I can see why he might choose that term. At most I might use argument, but for most of my life and places I lived, fights were physical and the most physical mine have been involves the possible tossing of a drink, but that is another story. The point is, if you have ever passionately argued with friends about the merits of something, almost anything, knowing that you're both being hyperbolic but still insisting on having the exchange, then you will appreciate these essays.
I would also suggest reading these more with an eye toward understanding where he is coming from rather than whether you agree or disagree. That will allow you, even if you do disagree with something, to at least find some common ground. It is that common ground from which you can then reflect on times in your life that might be similar, or feelings that are relatable.
Since I am a big Prince fan I absolutely loved every mention of him and his music. I also added a couple books to my list of ones to find and read, and I revisited some songs and artists I haven't listened to in a while. So there is an odd mix of nostalgia and our current world, how do I now hear that 1976 song when so many things, politically, socially, culturally seem precariously close to some cliff over the abyss?
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mais)