Welcome to Tales From the Metalnomicon, a column delving into the surprisingly vast world of heavy metal-tinged/inspired literature and metalhead authors…
Man, Lewis Dimmick truly delivers something special with This Music, an exquisite collection of lyrical, poignant, often very funny vignettes detailing his coming of age in the 80s New York City hardcore scene. Naturally, there are pitstops in punk and metal along the way — see, for example, “Slave to the Power,” which hilariously details fourteen year-old Dimmick attending a Iron Maiden show at Radio City Music Hall (!) with his mom (!!) in 1985 — and the pieces in the book delving into the hope, elation, and struggle of going from observer to participant via his band Our Gang will no doubt touch hearts and raise spirits, but perhaps nothing gets to the sense of otherness more fully than this exchange:
I explained to my Uncle Bob, when he asked how many records we had sold, that only five hundred were pressed, that this music was meant for a select audience.
He asked if by select I meant the deaf.
What Decibel reader can’t relate to that?
Check out a couple excerpts from This Music below then pick your copy here.
Note: For more Sabbath worship, see the Metalnomicon’s December 2012 offering, Children of the Grave.
