Third Rail: The Poetry of Rock and RollEdited by Jonathan WellsPocket Books/Simon & Schuster, Inc.Four out of five stars
First off, I like music. I like “that old time rock ‘n’ roll,” but I also like poetry.
Most would say the two don’t go hand-in-hand, but I beg to differ-and apparently so do nine Pulitzer Prize winners (along with a cadre of other excellent literary figures).
The reason: Art reflects its time. Music is poetry, which is art, which is theater. So, it should come as no surprise that Third Rail: The Poetry of Rock and Roll does, in fact, rock.
Third Rail is bolstered by an all-star cast of poets who run the gamut from dead and rotting to poets in their prime-and even those with bright futures. Inside Third Rail , one finds humor and heartbreak, desperation and delight, elegies and exultation-plus rock ‘n’ roll staples music, drugs and sex.
The various authors contributed different structures, rhythms and beats to their poems. Third Rail acts like a free-for-all and mirrors listening to a compilation rock CD, which can be both good and bad.
People unfamiliar with poetry will get a good introduction to some fascinating writing. Literature geeks already know what they like, so the only selling point is that Third Railis a collection of poems about rock.
In my experience, aficionados want the album or the book, not “Now That’s What I Call ’80s” or the all too popular “Punk Goes?” series made from suck and Rob Zombie movies.
Also, because most of the authors were born much earlier than college-aged students, the “rock ‘n’ roll” talked about the most is embodied in greats from the past, including Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Janis Joplin and The Rolling Stones-bands that, although highly influential, haven’t connected with our generation as much as say?50 Cent or U2.
Speaking of Bono, he lends a “hip” MTV-edged forward to Third Rail. Personally, it makes me puke my guts out, but it only takes up three quarters of a page.
So, poetry and rock ‘n’ roll?
Some might say that combination sounds weird, and that may be true, but the content of Third Rail truly is music to the ears.