When will I be seeing this film, you ask? Like, how soon is now???
Well, soon, anyway, after it comes out.
I have actually probably become a bigger Smiths fan as an adult. I was totally into them in the mid 80s; their earlier tunes (pre The Queen Is Dead days) were always my favorites. And I have always regretted that this is one of those important alternative 80s groups that I did not see live (how in the heck did that happen). But they didn’t quite seem as necessary to me as they do to the characters in Shoplifters of the World.
I like the title, by the way.
I did, however, have a bonafide Smiths concert t-shirt from the Queen Is Dead tour. My friend, Mary, who went to a show, nabbed one for me, which was very thoughtful of her. I wore it a lot.
It seems like the look back at Gen X’s formative years is upon us. It makes sense. We’re in our 40s and 50s now. (Or maybe it just seems that way to me because I have spent the past six years writing my 80s novel, Your Silent Face, and also just recently read Rob Sheffield’s book, Talking to Girls about Duran Duran). The Smiths, though, seem to speak to a lot of 30 and 20 somethings, as well, as far as I can tell. I know that both of my kids like The Smiths, whom they had to hear blaring from my studio, or from the kitchen, when they were growing up.
My favorite song is probably “This Charming Man.”
Fiction
Coming of Age
“The reader will likely be reminded of Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel High Fidelity or possibly Richard Linklater’s 1993 film Dazed and Confused; Lane’s tale is similarly episodic and digressive and more dedicated to re-creating the feeling of a time and place than telling a cohesive story. Even so, the sharp prose and inviting energy help it to succeed where similar novels fail. Readers will enjoy following Stuart’s thought processes, wherever they lead.” —Kirkus Reviews
What lies ahead that doesn’t suck? Summer break forces Stuart Page to return home and wrestle with his fraying ties to the East Side of Flint, his memory an archive of cassettes he would like to erase. His freshman year of college was lame. More early Cure than Spandau Ballet, he might be overheard saying. More Gary Numan than Falco.
Flustered by visits from a stoic viking, fueled by an endless supply of beer, Stu picks apart an obsession with the lead singer of Joy Division and chugs the sour dregs of insecurity as he drunkenly veers through Flint’s blue collar fight culture, summer hook ups, the aftereffects of Old School Catholicism and Reaganomics in Your Silent Face.
Key words; fiction, coming of age, 80s music, New Wave, Gen X, Rust Belt, Native American, graffiti, urban poetry
Fiction
Coming of Age
“The reader will likely be reminded of Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel High Fidelity or possibly Richard Linklater’s 1993 film Dazed and Confused; Lane’s tale is similarly episodic and digressive and more dedicated to re-creating the feeling of a time and place than telling a cohesive story. Even so, the sharp prose and inviting energy help it to succeed where similar novels fail. Readers will enjoy following Stuart’s thought processes, wherever they lead.” —Kirkus Reviews
What lies ahead that doesn’t suck? Summer break forces Stuart Page to return home and wrestle with his fraying ties to the East Side of Flint, his memory an archive of cassettes he would like to erase. His freshman year of college was lame. More early Cure than Spandau Ballet, he might be overheard saying. More Gary Numan than Falco.
Flustered by visits from a stoic viking, fueled by an endless supply of beer, Stu picks apart an obsession with the lead singer of Joy Division and chugs the sour dregs of insecurity as he drunkenly veers through Flint’s blue collar fight culture, summer hook ups, the aftereffects of Old School Catholicism and Reaganomics in Your Silent Face.
Key words; fiction, coming of age, 80s music, New Wave, Gen X, Rust Belt, Native American, graffiti, urban poetry
Your Silent Face is now available for Kindle at Amazon:
Your Silent Face available at Amazon
or at the Apple Book Store:
Your Silent Face available at the Apple Book Store
You can also purchase here at yoursilentface.com:
What lies ahead that doesn’t suck? Summer break forces Stuart Page to return home and wrestle with his fraying ties to the East Side of Flint, his memory an archive of cassettes he would like to erase. His freshman year of college was lame. More early Cure than Spandau Ballet, he might be overheard saying. More Gary Numan than Falco.
Flustered by visits from a stoic viking, fueled by an endless supply of beer, Stu picks apart an obsession with the lead singer of Joy Division and chugs the sour dregs of insecurity as he drunkenly veers through Flint’s blue collar fight culture, summer hook ups, the aftereffects of Old School Catholicism and Reaganomics in Your Silent Face.
Key words; fiction, coming of age, 80s music, New Wave, Gen X, Rust Belt, Native American, graffiti, urban poetry
This playlist is a companion to my 80s coming-of-age novel, Your Silent Face. Stuart Page is a protagonist obsessed with 80s New Wave and Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Divison. All of the tunes and bands in the playlist get a mention in the novel. The novel is available on Amazon.