Robert J. Wiersema's WALK LIKE A MAN

So on Wednesdays I thought it would be nice to share with you all some of what some of my friends are up to and just how awesome they are!  And the timing couldn't be more perfect, as last night I attended what was being dubbed a "conversation" between author Robert J Wiersema and Book Madam Julie Wilson on his latest book, WALK LIKE A MAN. 

(why is conversation in quotation marks?  Dunno, just felt right.)

Wonder twin water bottle powers activate!

I know! Beautiful right??

And it was held at the absolutely gorgeous Ben McNally Books.

It was a very entertaining evening, Julie and Rob are friends and their easy banter was fun.  And I felt I learned a lot too.  About Rob, Julie and Bruce Springsteen.  If the latter name causes some confusion, let me post the synopsis of the book . . . now:

A frank, funny, and inventive blend of biography, music criticism, and memoir told in thirteen tracks.

As he enters his sixties, Bruce Springsteen remains a paragon of all that is cool in the world of rock. He's a genuine voice of the people, the bastard child of Woody Guthrie and James Brown, and an elder statesman who has inspired generations of bands. He's won twenty Grammy Awards, an Oscar, two Golden Globes, and is a member of two Halls of Fame.

There are dozens of books about Springsteen. What's left to say? Nothing objective, perhaps. But when it comes to music, objectivity is highly overrated. Robert Wiersema has been a Springsteen fan since he was a teenager, following tours to see multiple shows in a row, watching set lists develop in real time via the Internet, ordering bootlegs from shady vendors in Italy. His attachment is deeper than fandom, though: he's grown up with Springsteen's songs as the soundtrack to his life, beginning with his youth in rural British Columbia and continuing on through dreams of escape, falling in love, and becoming a father.

Walk Like a Man is the liner notes for a mix tape, a blend of biography, music criticism, and memoir. Like the best mix tapes, it balances joy and sorrow, laughter seasoning the dark-night-of-the-soul questions that haunt us all. Wiersema's book is the story of a man becoming a man (despite getting a little lost along the way), and of Springsteen's songs and life that have accompanied him on his journey.

Rob is an excellent writer, wonderful reviewer (which is an art that I think has been on the wane of late), and all round lovely chap.  So yes, please do check out his book, it's a fascinating way to tell a story, and it really really works.

In conclusion:

Yay Rob!