My long-awaited first book, Cancel Your Own Goddam Subscription, is now in stores. No, wait, mine is The Rest Is Noise. The other day I performed the idiotic newbie-author ritual of hanging around by the table where my book was displayed to see if anyone would pick it up. When someone eventually reached for a copy, I fled, fearing he would recognize me from the author photo and make the mistake of thinking that I was simply hanging around to see if anyone would pick it up.
The reviews keep pouring in. No less an authority than Opera Chic has acclaimed my tome (in a private communication) as "the greatest music book since Weingartner's manual on conducting the Beethoven symphonies." Mme Chic has obtained some blurbs from leading twentieth-century composers; I wish we'd had these for the publicity. I'm also honored to have inspired a Matthew Guerrieri comic strip!
I celebrated my official release date with Peet's coffee and pizza from the Cheeseboard; there is no serious rival in either category. It's a rainy day in Berkeley. Tomorrow is my symposium on modern music with John Rockwell and Linda Ronstadt; the next day I will speak at UC Berkeley, focusing on California's legacy to twentieth-century music. Various events ensue in Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles.
