Hollywood Dream – The Thunderclap Newman Story by Mark Ian Wilkerson (Third Man Press, available October 1).
This is an exhaustively researched history of a band whose actual lifespan was stunningly brief, while creating ripples that reverberate to this day. Who fans with a taste for Pete Townshend trivia will find a lot to luxuriate in here, as the chapters devoted to the group’s formation and recording inevitably revolve around him. But each of the three band members is a remarkable character of his own, with a completely different background to the others, and it’s seems impossible they could have come together under any other circumstances than being three people in Townshend’s orbit. And with this trio of unlikely bedfellows, he produces the only number-one hit single of his entire career.
A good rock bio should resemble several evenings out at the pub, hearing the principals tell long rambling stories about the old days. There’s a lot of swinging sixties/ London stuff, but we also spend a good amount of time in the Scottish rock scene that birthed guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, who went from neighborhood whiz kid to actual rock star, before either joining Thunderclap Newman or turning fifteen years old. Wilkerson is an enthusiast for the material, and for good writing about rock music, and his latest addition to the canon is a real gem. And it might just inspire some more people to listen to the record, which is a treasure.
Mark Ian Wilkerson will appear at Book Soup in West Hollywood on December 3 at 7pm in conversation with Matt Pinfield.
