In Jane Smiley's rock 'n' roll novel, does good sense make good fiction?

Los Angeles Times— Toward the end of Jane Smiley’s new novel, “Lucky,” its narrator takes a moment to flip through her mother’s record collection. It’s got a lot of ’60s folk-rock, including, she notes, “the four J’s.” Presumably she means artists like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Judy Collins and Janis Ian. But maybe one of the J’s is the narrator herself — Jodie Rattler, a moderately famous singer with a knack for writing melancholy love songs. “Lucky” is framed as a rock ’n' roll novel, but it’s a tricky and...

The Guardian—Duane Eddy’s twang remains one of rock’n’roll’s greatest sounds. The late guitarist was rightly ubiquitous in the late 1950s thanks to his otherworldly sound, earning admirers from Bruce Springsteen to John PeelYou could get the measure of Duane Eddy – who has died aged 86 – from a selection of his album titles: Have “Twangy” Guitar Will Travel (1958, his debut), The “Twangs” the “Thang” (1959), $1,000,000.00 Worth of Twang (1960, with Volume 2 in 1962), Twistin’ ’n’ Twangin (1962), “Twangin’” Up a Storm (1963), The Biggest Twang of All (1966). Concentrate...

Forbes—Jane's Addiction, Mariah Carey And Sinead O'Connor: Who Didn't Make The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame In 2024?. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2024 was announced on American Idol, and Eric B. and Rakim, Mariah Carey, and Oasis are among those left out.

Time Magazine—Netflix’s Flimsy A Man in Full Makes Tom Wolfe’s Epic Novel Feel Small. Created by David E. Kelley and starring Jeff Daniels, this slight adaptation of Tom Wolfe's era-defining book is permeated by bad choices.