Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
No!  No!  Go on, please!
  

    

Yes, more more!!
  

    
OK...well, the Enchanters taught me a lot about showmanship and teamwork.
I worked with a bunch of other groups in the eighties:  The Coupons,
probably most interesting vocally, was a trio that did a lot of acapella
stuff or vocally complex songs with just acoustic rhythm guitar.  It was
very portable and we were able to play at a lot of the clubs that have
neighborhood volume problems because we weren't as loud as an amplified
band.  The Sweethearts of the Bancroft Lounge was a fun, Berkeley based
country-rock group.  Four Shy Guys was usually five or six people
including at least one female, and we weren't together very long, but for
a while our bass player was Buddy Miller who is now a very successful
Nashville songwriter who often tours with Emmy Lou Harris.  My all-time
favorite, though, is the Ray Price Club.  This is ALMOST my dream band:
I get to sing a lot, but there's another woman singer, who is truly
terrific - Kathleen Enright.  (Kath and I also sometimes write songs and
perform as the "Kath Sisters" known to the people on the Well as the team
who brought you the Slut Song.)  It's my most comfortable vocal situation
ever - I get to do a lot of harmony, and also bring in originals and old
favorites, and Kath and I have a very nice blend.  The musicianship is
wonderful: Peter Tucker (drums), Chris Kee or David Golia (bass), Henry
Salvia (keyboards), Joe Goldmark (pedal steel).  We started the group
without a regular lead guitar player, and use whoever is available on the
rare occasions that we play - hardly ever anymore.  I miss it, but somehow
no one ever gets around to remembering to book gigs, so we don't play
much.  Anyway, I've been in a lot of bands, some of which were very
good...none of which got beyond well-kept-secret status. Until....

in the early nineties, I began to hear a lot of author rock star fantasies
while working with people on their book tours.  On a whim, I started the
Rock Bottom Remainders (most often known as "Stephen King's band") with a
bunch of authors who had always wanted to be rock stars.  We were supposed
to play one gig in 1992.  We're still playing a couple of shows a year
(all benefits - "We suck, but we suck for a good cause" is one of our
slogans.)  Now seven years later, we've written a book together, gone on a
tour (Roadies will spoil you for life.  Trust me.) and most of us
participated in the CD "Stranger than Fiction."  

The Remainders are not a good band.  But we put on a very entertaining
show.  And we get a lot of the fun rock star treats that I never got as a
regular musician in "real" bands.  
  

    
so whatever happened to Jim Hodder (can that be right? from deep memory
storage)? Or Denny Dias, for that matter?
  

    
Yes.  Jimmy Hodder ended up in Northern California, in Point Arena.  He
died eight or nine years ago -he'd (finally!) been sober for a few years,
but fell off the wagon and drowned in a swimming pool. So I guess you
could say he died of complications of alcoholism.  He was a great drummer!
I finally had a chance to play a gig with him a few months before he died,
and it was great fun - important for me to at last be treated as a musical
equal.  We became friends after a long period of no contact, and I'm still
very close to his son Jameson, now grown up.

Denny - Yikes, I'm racking my brain for who just told me they'd done
studio work with him in New York - I can't remember.  But I guess he's
still around, and doing a lot of session stuff.  I've stayed in touch with
"Skunk" Baxter, who was a close friend through the years.   He played on a
Stephen King song on our CD...and I hear he's running for Congress on the
Republican ticket!
I've had a few moments in my life that I call "I-Can-Die-Now" moments -
dreams coming true.  One was on the Rock Bottom Remainders
tour...remember
we're a truly bad-to-mediocre band, but we know how to get publicity.  On
the tour, we invited a couple of rock critics in each city tojoin us
onstage for the evening singing "Louie Louie" with our own Critics Chorus.
Of course, they'd assign the photographer to THAT story, and we ALWAYS got
the front page above-the-fold-with-a-photo of the Lifestyle section.
We were in Atlanta, and someone got hold of the Philadelphia paper that
ran our review from a few nights before.  There we were, the typical "I
GOT WHIPPED BY AMY TAN ONSTAGE" story with a photo of Steve and Dave and
Al.  (All the stories were pretty much the same, about how much fun it was
and how the band wasn't "really that bad.")  In the lower corner of the
page, there was a teensy one-column article:  "STEELY DAN REUNION TOUR
PLANNED" read the headline.
Hee Hee - that was fun.
  

    

Ah that must have been satisfying. Tell us more about Rockbottom.
Who is in the band? How did you persuade them to join? Where was
your first gig? I'm sure we'd love to hear on the road stories if
you'd care to tell them. Any RBR concerts coming up in the near
future?
  

    
The best chronicle of the Rock Bottom Remainders is our (sadly out of
print) book, Mid-Life Confidential, edited by Dave Marsh with an essay
contributed by each band member.  In those days the lineup was:

Stephen King:  rhythm guitar
Dave Barry:  lead guitar
Ridley PEarson: Bass
Barbara Kingsolver:  Keyboards
Amy Tan: "Remainderette" vocals
Kathi Goldmark:  "Remainderette" vocals
Tad Bartimus: "Remainderette" Vocals
Critic Chorus:  Dave marsh, Greil Marcus, Roy Blount Jr., Matt Groening,
Joel Selvin
Robert Fulghum:  mandocello (only a couple of shows)
michael Dorris: percussion (only 2 shows)
Ringers on drums and saxophone,
Al Kooper: musical director

The current lineup is Stephen King, Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Amy Tan,
Kathi Goldmark, Roy Blount Jr. and occasionally Matt Groening
new members:
Mitch Albom (keyboards)
Warren Zevon (rock star in residence)
James mcBride (saxophone)

with a sort of revolving door group of sit-ins.
More in a few minutes - have to deal with some office stuff!
  

    

Kathy,

If Matt Groenig would ever consider meeting a kid who (1) thinks he's god,
(2) has bought and memorized every book he's ever written, and (3) is a
damned good cartoonist in his own right, let me know.

;-)
  

    
The first gig was in May, 1992 at a cowboy bar in Anaheim called Cowboy
Boogie.  It was an "outlaw" event (in other words not sponsored by any of
the publishers or the ABA itself) at the American Booksellers Association
Convention (ABA) that year.  I just wrote a letter to about 15 authors I
thought would like to be in a band, and who I thought would get along well
together.  I didn't audition anyone musically, but I guess  the audition
was that I had to really have fun with them on their book tour days, and
also sense that they longed to play rock & roll.  Almost everyone said
yes, to my great surprise.  So then I had to make it happen.  I hired Al
Kooper (after getting "no" answers from several other high-profile
rockers) to be musical director.  In some ways he was a great choice, but
none of the women in the band were very comfortable with his 'boys club"
routine...anyway, he did help get the set into shape for our first gig.

What happened was, we somehow got a tour manager who usually worked for
major acts like Van Halen.  He got us a real rock & roll tour bus to go 10
blocks from the hotel to the club and no one wanted to get off the bus at
the end of the night. So when Steve proposed a tour the following year,
paid for by a book advance, we all bit.

It was maybe the most fun I've ever had in my life, despite the fact that
there were some discomforts and tensions...that's just part of it.  I
really loved being on the road and having the whole focal point of each
day being the show...you never get that luxury in bar bands, where you
have to show up and sparkle after a day of work, childcare, bill paying
etc., then set up your own PA, then play, then load out and fight with
club owner over money.  As a band member I was spared all the details and
it was wonderful.  Even though we were only out 3 weeks, parts of that
tour spoiled me for life.  Since then, I find a lot less enjoyment in gigs
where I have to haul a bunch of equipment around and no one shows up and I
gig a lot less now because of that.  Roadies WILL spoil you for life.

The scariest part for me was later, when I had to come up with a chapter
for the book.  I had never yearned to be a published writer.  I didn't
have a half-written novel sitting in a drawer, or magazine rejection
letters or anything.  I had never before written ANYTHING for publication
and here I was faced with the challenge of writing an essay that would
stand up in a book alongside Stephen King, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver,
Dave Marsh etc.  I really didn't believe they were going to make me do it.

But people - everyone! - had viciously stored memories of indignities they
had suffered at my insistence, or so they said.  "You made me wear those
polka dot boxer shorts onstage in Atlanta?!? You're writing a chapter,
honey!"  was pretty much the way it went.  So, I tried.  I'd be banging
away on my typewriter thinking I was getting somewhere when the phone
would ring:

"Hi, this is Amy.  Can I read this paragraph to you, to fact check?"

And a perfect emerald of prose would come over the phone line.  And I'd
throw my chapter away and start over.  Finally i came up with something
that was about six times too long, but at least it was written.  Dave
Marsh, who had recently suffered a horrible personal tragedy and was in a
perpetual bad mood, nevertheless took the time to teach me how to write,
how to edit, and how to structure the blob of single-spaced 60 pages of
words I had presented to him.  I ended up with something I wasn't totally
embarrassed by, at least.

The band played two more ABA shows.  At the last one, we sold out the
Hollywood Palladium (in 1994) and Bruce Springsteen sat in with us on
GLORIA.  Another "I Can Die Now" moment.  Now we play the Miami Book Fair
every year, and an occasional other gig.  We were supposed to do a
mini-tour this November, but since Steve got hit by the van and won't be
able to join us, that's been postponed.  We will play in Miami again - a
really fun gig because rock stars who have written books and are out on
tour often join us.  Last year I had the thrill of a lifetime, for
example, singing background vocals for Darlene Love on "Da Doo Ron Ron"

I can't really go into detail on a public forum, but some of the personnel
changes have been sad for me - for various reasons, Dave Marsh, Joel
Selvin, Barbara Kingsolver and Greil Marcus no longer perform with us.
Michael Dorris died.  Robert Fulghum and Tad Bartimus have slipped out of
the picture as well.  And Al quit in a huff of misunderstanding - just
like a real band, huh?  Although things haven't always gone the way I
would have liked them to, it's been a grand adventure and I'm in till the
last chord rings out in the empty club.  Or something.
  

    
Libbi slipped.  I can pass on some valuable words of advice from Matt:
"Don't ever let your mom throw out your drawings!"
He's a great guy.
  

    

Steve being hit by a van was a real shock to all of us. Can you
say something about "Stand By Steve"--inspired by his song on
"Stranger Than Fiction", I believe.
  

    
I think "Stand by Steve" got started at a radio station in New York, but
no one is actually sure and we're trying to find out...if anyone knows,
please email me!  On our new CD "Stranger than Fiction!" Stephen King has
three songs:
Bo Diddley, which features a guitar/vocal duet with Skunk Baxter
You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover (a duet with me), backed up by a
kick-ass Austin band assembled by Jimmy LaFave
and 
Stand by Me, featuring some keyboard work by Warren Zevon.

Apparently after Steve's accident, listeners were asked to call in and
request our version of STAND BY ME, dedicated to Steve's recovery.
They called it "Stand by Steve"  - a sweet gesture, I think.  When someone
that famous and popular is hurt it's often hard to find appropriate
responses that aren't intrusive, so I think it's a nice thing. So far, I
haven't actually heard anyone DO it though, I've just heard about it and
been asked to comment.

 
  

    
Actually with "Stand by Steve" - at first, when people started asking for
comments about it, I tried to include a message along the lines of:
Yes, it's a shame about Stephen King, we all send him our love and wishes
for a speedy recovery.  
But how about taking it an extra step, finding someone we all actually
know in our own lives who could use a hospital visit or some kind
attention, or a worthy cause that needs volunteers or something, and
dedicating that effort to Steve's recovery?
Of course, no one wants to hear stuff like that, especially on morning
radio, so I gave up.

One strange side effect, though is that the comments about the authors'
singing have been a lot kinder since the accident, for some reason.
  

    

I think our singing on the CD has always inspired amusement and pity
(and awe, of course--some of the writers who sing are really good, and
some of us inspire the kind of awe you might feel if your cat broke
into a spirited rendition of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction.").

So let's talk about the genesis of "Stranger Than Fiction." How
did you decide to produce the CD. Was it your first? What kinds
of things did you have to do to persuade the authors to sing?
Tell us about the recording sessions, the ecstasy and the agony.
As you know, I sing "Busted" on the CD. You suggested it--made me
sing it, actually, and to my amazement it was the perfect song for
me and my vestigial Kentucky accent. Did you select the songs for
all the authors?
  

    
STRANGER THAN FICTION! is actually my eighth release on "Don't Quit Your
Day job" Records...this grew sort of indirectly out of the Remainders.
What happened was, we started getting a lot of requests to play impossible
gigs.  Every library and book festival in the country wanted the
Remainders for a benefit and due to our amazingly complicated schedule
conflicts and the bare-bones production costs which are huge (I should
note that we never accept payment for shows, but we do expect expenses to
be covered and certain tech requirements to be met, and that gets
expensive.) we had to say no to most of them.  Then I started doing
"literary talent shows" which were cheaper and easier and more flexible in
terms of personnel.  Jessica Mitford became the headliner, singing
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and I decided to record her.

So, the first DQYDJ release was a Decca & the Dectones single (Jessica
Mitford's nickname since childhood was Decca), with kazoos playing the
French horn parts, of Maxwell and an English ballad called Grace Darling.
This was followed closely by "There Is A Moral to It All" - two musical
duets by Jessica Mitford and Maya Angelou, close friends for 30 years.

Then, at Amy Tan's suggestion I released two spoken word cassettes:
"Required Reading and Other Dangerous Subjects" - a lecture by Amy Tan
about the pitfalls of being on the required reading list, and an answer to
those who accuse her of not being a PC-enough representative of Chinese
Americans, and "A Celebration on the Occasion of Guy Johnson's 50th
Birthday" - a poetry event featuring Maya Angelou, Guy Johnson (her son,
who has since published a novel called Standing at the Scratch Line), and
Janice Mirikitani.

Then we did two children's records:
"You Bug Me! songs guaranteed to annoy your parents" by my son Tony, who
was 12 at the time.  It was kind of his Bar Mitzvah, really...and "Potty
Animal" funny songs about potty training.  We also did a DQYDJ sampler on
cassette called "Lit-Rock Sampler" featuring songs by some of the authors
I'd been recording.  This was more of a demo for STRANGER THAN FICTION!
than anything else, and I used it to get other authors interested in
participating, which wasn't very hard actually.

More about that later, as real-life schedule calls.  But maybe some of the
other Well members who participated (or almost participated) would like to
add a comment or two?
  

    
Mary asked about song choices on STRANGER THAN FICTION! And actually it worked all kinds of different
ways.  I chose some of the songs for people, as in Mary's case - I remembered an old version of
"Busted" performed by Hazel Dickens in a country arrangement that I thought would be good for Mary's
voice - and it worked.  I also chose "Hot Rod Lincoln" for Blanche Boyd, which I think musically is
one of the best tracks on the CD.  I picked the song because Blanche has a beautiful, velvety
speaking voice and loves cars, and that song is really spoken rather than sung, and a bout a car
race, and I've always wanted a girl to do it. I also picked "Johnny Get Angry" for Walter Mayes, and
a couple of the others.  other songs were either written or brought in by the singers themselves, and
in a couple of cases I would have chosen differently but I wanted people to do what would make them
happy.  Basically, we were pretty loose about song choices.  (lin) - Linda Dyer did all the clearance
work and luckily we didn't get turned down for anything.

A harder question to answer is - "WHY?"  With all the time and money and energy spent, why not do a
"real" record?  That goes pretty deep for me, and has to do with my basic feelings about music and
what it's supposed to mean to people and how it should be included in everyone's life.  I mean,
ANYONE can record a great singer, right?  Where's the challenge?  I got more kicks out of watching
76 year old Jessica Mitford steam through "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" in a sparkly gown and a ton of
attitude, than I'll ever get from a Celine Dion record.  But don't get me started on that stuff or
we'll be here all night!  Uh - did I answer your questions, Mary?
  

    
I just reread your question - you were asking about the recording sessions:
The scariest moment will give you some idea of the degree to which this prooject
was put together with bubble gum and spit, at times.  BTW, it took 3 years,
11 studios in 5 states, and over 100 participants.  Crazy? Perhaps.  But I'm
really proud of the end result.

Scariest moment:
I was in Austin for a friend's birthday party.  Knowing Molly Ivins was
around, I called and asked her if she wanted to record a song for the CD.
Her delightful reply:  "Singing is too much fun to be left to the talented!
Sure, let's do it."  So - and here's the thing I learned how to do with this
project, above all else - I called a friend, Jimmy LaFave, who got a band together
for me and recommended a studio.  I booked studio time, and somehow came up with
the money to pay for it, and the musicians.  Except for Jimmy and Molly, I'd
never met any of them before.  

The only problem was, Molly was traveling and never really got around to choosing
the song she wanted to sing.  (I sent her a tape with about 10 suggestions, but
she was crazed on book tour and never had time to pick one.)  Anyway, recording day
rolled around and we didn't know what song we were doing!  (Not knowing the key is
par for the course, but we usually at least know the song ahead of time!)  Well,
Molly chose "It Wasn't God Who made Honky Tonk Angels" which was a good call.  And she
announced that she'd invited Jerry Jeff Walker to join us, and do a song by "M.D. Shafter"
about Mitzi Gaynor.  But just as J.J. walked in the door, someone noticed that the
recording console power source had just burst into flames!  How would you like to 
have to introduce yourself to Jerry Jeff Walker and say, "Hi - um, we don't exactly know what we're
playing, and the studio just caught fire, so it'll be a few minutes...have a seat?"

The miracle was, we got to record 3 songs that day - Mitzi Gaynor and Honky Tonk
Angels, AND the instrumental tracks to "Book by its Cover" which I ended up doing as a
duet with Stephen King. The band members have never met Steve, but they've all told me 
they're thrilled to have played on one of his songs!    
  

    
On that first Remainders gig at Cowboy Boggie, there were a number of
go-go-dancers, me included. One woman took the rock and roll life very
seriously (I think Heimel went out and bought dog collar and a
see-through blouse, another bought a Wonder Bra) but Marian Winnick
did't see the need for any undies. . . rock and roll, dontcha love it.

It was a thrill to stand on stage with Broooooooooce and do the watusi
to "G-L-O-R-I-A". Kathi put us in silver painted go-go cages. Heimel
took one look at them and uttered "f.... no," but the rest of us
thought it was kinda retro, kinda cute. . . including me and Follett's
wife who is this Brit feminist. So much for feminist rhetoric.

I asked Kathi if I could keep the quilted gold lame skirt she'd loaned
me from her costume closet and she said she'd sent it to  me via the
post office. . . so this skirt, which never got to me, is at home with
every missing sock, probably dancing to "Who Wears Short Shorts".

As for "Stranger Than Fiction," we originaly planned for Theo Bikel
but he couldn't make it (has this phobia against freebeeze, I think);
and the someone else was supposed to pair with me, but he was sick;
Billy Philadelphia laid down an answer track with me and it sounded so
great, he be the guy. . . He laid down the piano track; we did maybe 2
takes and some over-dubbing of two or three bars (bad cold); then Billy
Philly recut his solo and that was that. Cool stuff, recording with
the world's best ear phones. You could hear a gnat fart. 
  

    
(swoon)
  

    

Before I launch into my own memories, Kathi, how about talking
about Barroom Bookworms, the B Band for the Remainders. Decca
and I were definitely part of it, as was Pat Holt (former Book
Editor at the San Francisco Chronicle). This was the band that
taught me to blow on a kazoo instead of sucking, but I never
heard how it came about.
  

    

i have to add that it was really swell talking to Jerry Jeff
Walker's...agent?  producer?  not sure, but the guy who answers the phone at
the studio and seems to know everything JJW.  when i called to get all of
the information about the song "Happy Birthday Mitzi Gaynor," i was informed
that the writer of the song was M.D. Shafter.  i repeated the name, and then
the man laughed and said "yeah, a group of them sometimes write songs under
various names, and this is one of them."  i inquired further about the name
and was told that JJW hates doctors, hence M.D. Shafter!  i also had nice
conversations with one or two widows who only recently were receiving
royalties long withheld from their late husbands for song credits.

my favorite song on the CD is the original song by Oscar Hijuelos.  it is
a ravenous love song called "I Want to Eat."   maybe the sexiest song
ever.  
  

    
The Barroom Bookworms - one of our talent show incarnations!  (There was
also the Grateful Deadlines, the Rock Bottom All-Star Revue, the Paperback
Writers, and a couple of others I can't remember.  But the Barroom
Bookworms were special because we did two shows.  The first, which was
Decca's last, opened the new San Francisco library.  It was fun for me
because I'd recently joined the Well and a couple of my new well friends
participated.  The other show was at the first Books By The Bay and was
broadcast on West Coast Live.  I was there in body but not in spirit.
Decca was in a hospital in Berkeley and she died a few days later - that
was all I could think about.

But Pat Holt?  You must be thinking of Alex Madrigal, who was then her
associate at the Chronicle.  Pat supports all our efforts any way she can
but has never overcome her kazoo anxiety enough to jump onstage with us!
  

    

Ah yes, it was Alex, not Pat. The opening of the new SF Library
was a great event. Tents were put up in front of the new library
and people paid a lot of money ($1000--maybe) to be served
dinner and listen to us (all funds going to the library). Surely
it couldn't have been $1000. Maybe $100. In any event, we were
the headliners. I sang (rather badly because I'd never done a
public performance as a rock star before) while tnf (David Gans)
and the band backed me up.Two of the Sisters of Perpetual
Indulgence danced in the snazziest habits (gold and blue harem
veil wimples), and eveyone else ate shrimp and urged us on
as we kazooed and belted out songs. Decca was in great form that
night. I sat with her during the breaks and she joked and
was her usual witty acerbic self. None of us had any idea that it
would be her last performance.
  

    

Kathi, I think it would be great if you'd list the authors who
sing on "Stranger Than Fiction" along with their songs, and
tell people where they can get hold of the CD. Perhaps you could
also tell us what you're up to at present and if you plan any more
CDs or RBR tours.
  

    
I'll answer the last question first, if that's OK.  The Remainders were
supposed to tour in November -Denver, Boston, DC, Miami.  Since Steve's
accident all dates except Miami have been postponed indefinitely.  The
Miami show is always held the last Saturday night of the Miami
International Book Festival at Bayside Marketplace, early evening.  This
year the date is November 20, and we usually have a wonderful surprise
guest or two.  As for the literary talent shows, I kind of lost the heart
to do them after Decca died.  Maybe sometime in the future...

As for more CDs- I would LOVE to!  I'm totally addicted to recording and
producing, and I have 3 uncompleted projects in the works.  But the sad
reality is that until we at least break even on STRANGER THAN FICTION! I
can't justify walking into another recording studio.   I've learned a lot
about the marketplace this time around and it's complicated and difficult
to actually break even on an indie project like this.  I hasten to add
that we give a hefty 25% royalty to charities chosen by the authors, and
that many people worked either for free or for less than usual to make
this happen.  (A special wink goes to our all-star publicist Gail
Parenteau, Parenteau Guidance in NY, if anyone needs a GREAT publicist.)

Where can people get the STRANGER THAN FICTION! CD?  Most chain book/music
stores, thanks to our wonderful distribution/sales team at Oglio
Entertainment. Also the more enlightened independent bookstores.  In the
Bay Area, I know they have them at Book Passage, Cody's and Cover to
Cover.  Retailers can order from Oglio or from BookPeople or Ingram.  It's
also available at amazon.com and at books.com - you want to ask for:

STRANGER THAN FICTION by The Wrockers 
"Don't Quit Your Day Job" Records/Oglio Entertainment

Our other products are only consistently available on our website- 

http://www.dqydj.com  

or at Book Passage in Corte Madera. 

Now for the track list - It's a double CD with a beautiful package
featuring cover art by Gretchen Schields and liner notes by Warren Zevon:


Chapter 1 

1.  Bo Diddley: Stephen King, with Jeff "Skunk" Baxter on lead guitar
2. Jungle Hop: Amy Tan and Kathi Kamen Goldmark, with James W. Hall's
jungle stylings 
         Tony Goldmark as Tarzan
3. Alimony Blues: Norman Mailer
4. Proofreading Woman: Dave Barry, with Ridley Pearson on bass, Carl
Hiaasen on backup v's
5. Right, Said Fred:  Maya Angelou and Jessica Mitford
6. Roly Poly: Roy Blount, Jr. with Jim Campilongo and the Ten-Gallon Cats
7. I Want To Eat: Oscar Hijuelos
8. Baby, It's Cold Outside: Cynthia Robins (cynthiar) and Billy
Philadelphia
9. Act Naturally: Leonard Maltin with Meg Mackay
10. Rave On: Bob Greene         
11.Steamroller Blues: Susanne Pari      
12. Double Shot Of My Baby's Love: Greil Marcus, Joel Selvin, Sandra
Choron, Roger Clark,     
           Bud E. Love, Gail Parenteau, Faith Sale, Amy Tan, Susanne Pari
& the Party Gang
13. It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels: Molly Ivins, accompanied by
Jimmy 
           LaFave, Jerry Jeff Walker & the Tourettes            
14. Chain Gang: Robert Reich with Jaime Brockett                
15. On the Good Ship Lollipop: Tomie dePaola, with Harry Choron as the
Announcer and my 
          niece Adaire and the Friendly Captain
16. Stand By Me: Stephen King, with Warren Zevon on piano and synthesizer
strings

Chapter 2

1. Rainy Day Bookstores: Ben "Bobby" Fong-Torres and Ben "Elvis"
Fong-Torres 
2. Hot Rod Lincoln: Blanche McCrary Boyd
3. Tupperware Blues: Dave Barry, with Ridley on bass, Warren Z  on lead
guitar  
4. Man Smart, Woman Smarter: Peggy Orenstein    
5. If I Had a Talking Picture of You: Leonard Maltin, with the Android
Sisters
6. Johnny Get Angry: Walter M. Mayes
7.These Boots Are Made For Walkin': Amy Tan
8. Happy Birthday, Mitzi Gaynor, by M.D. Shafter: Molly Ivins, Bob
Livingston and Jerry Jeff Walker, with Ron Erwin, KK Goldmark, Tony
Goldmark, John Inmon, Jimmy LaFave, Wonderbuns Murphy, Glenn Schuetz; the
Tourettes on kazooba    
9. Wall Of Death: Louis B. Jones (lead vocal and guitar), with Kevin
Griffin (harmony vocal and guitar) and Nion McEvoy on drums
10. You'll Come Back, You Always Do: Norris Church Mailer
11. Wild Thing: "Critical Mess" - Roy Blount Jr. and Dave Marsh, with Lou
Aronica, Marc Barasch, The Chorelles (Harry & Sandra Choron), Tom Dupree,
Tony Goldmark, Matt Groening, and Peter Schneider - featuring Marc Barasch
on lead guitar
12. Busted: Mary Mackey (mm)
13. Proud Mary: Tananarive P. Due, with Warren Zevon and the Tananarettes
14. I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man: Ken Follett with Damn Right I Got the
Blues   
15. Hit the Road, Jack: Digby Diehl (lead vocal, saxophone) and Kay Diehl
16. You Can't Judge A Book By The Cover: Stephen King and Kathi Kamen
Goldmark (kkg)


Whew!