If you haven’t heard, Matthew Specktor wrote a semi-autobiographical novel called That Summertime Sound about a nameless Los Angeles protagonist who spends a between-college summer in Columbus in the mid ’80s. The book is chock-full of thinly veiled references to Columbus locales and figures past and present (e.g. Mick Divvens/Boys from Nowhere become Nic Devine/Lords of Oblivion, Ron House becomes Gary Hauser, Used Kids Records becomes School Daze Records, and on and on).

The book is getting mixed reviews on the message board, but I imagine there will be a pretty good turnout for the free reading at the Wexner Center Wednesday night at 7pm. (I guess this is Wexner Center Week on Donewaiting.) I’m mostly hoping Ron House and others mentioned in the book will show up to say their piece.

Also, if you wanna hear people like James Franco, J. Mascis, Gwyneth Paltrow and Morgan Freeman read excerpts from the book, check out the TSS website.

Video of a book release party, containing a performance by J. Mascis, after the jump.

Click here to view the embedded video.

MP3: Don’t Let Our Youth Go To Waste by Galaxie 500
MP3: Bobby Peru by Luna
MP3: Indian Summer by Dean and Britta

I just finished reading Dean Wareham’s memoir, Black Postcards. Highly recommended. Dean gives an honest look at his life, from childhood to Galaxie 500 and then onward to Luna. Dean certainly didn’t hold back on any punches. It paints a career that when it was high, it was okay, and when it was low, it could only go lower.

There’s drugs, there’s cheating, there’s sold out shows and shows that bomb. Throughout it all, Wareham doesn’t make being in a rock and roll band seem glamorous. With each minor success there ’s little time to enjoy it as it seems like everything is about to fall apart at any given moment.

I’ve posted an MP3 of each of Dean’s projects. If I were you, I’d gobble down every record he’s even looked at.