Struts & Frets (29 page)

“Car Wash Hair,” by Mercury Rev

“Just Like Heaven,” by the Cure

“La La Love You,” by the Pixies

“Taste the Pain,” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers

“Summer Sketch,” by Russ Freeman

“Overpowered by Funk,” by the Clash

“Addicted to Fame,” by Subset

“Just Like Honey,” by the Jesus and Mary Chain

“Everything in Its Right Place,” by Radiohead

“Sins of the Father,” by Tom Waits

“Burning Inside,” by Ministry

“I Hate Rock 'n' Roll,” by the Jesus and Mary Chain

“The Moon and Antarctica,” by Modest Mouse

“So Far I Have Not Found a Science,” by Soul Coughing

For more music suggestions, go to

strutsandfretsbook.com
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There are so many people who were directly or indirectly responsible for the creation of this book. Thank you of course to my agent, Emily Sylvan Kim, who suggested I try my hand at young adult fiction and without whom this story would have remained only a text file on my computer. To my editor, Maggie Lehrman, who pushed this story to a richness I hadn't realized was possible until she pointed it out to me. To Chad W. Beckerman and Melissa Arnst, who somehow conjured up the perfect book design. To Zach Morris, Mark Levine, and Scott Pinzon for their thoughtful criticism and enthusiasm in early drafts. To my mother, Gini, for giving me my first guitar, and my stepfather, Tom, for giving me my first album. To my wife, Gretchen, for her endless support, encouragement, and patience throughout the writing process. And to my sons, Logan and Zane, for being a constant reminder of why I must write.

Lastly, I want to thank the real Tragedy of Wisdom, Fidgeting, Monster Zero, and all the other bands who inspired me back in the day when I made music, as well as all the amazing artists coming out of unexpected places today.

is a music geek who can play nine instruments, but none of them well. This is his first novel. In his spare time, he writes technical manuals and tries to forget about his sordid past as an actor. He lives with his wife and two kids outside Washington, D.C. To learn more about him, the book, or the music, visit him at
strutsandfretsbook.com
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and designed by Chad W. Beckerman. The display type was hand drawn by Melissa Arnst. The text is set in 12-point Adobe Garamond, a typeface based on those created in the sixteenth century by Claude Garamond. Garamond modeled his typefaces on ones created by Venetian printers at the end of the fifteenth century. The modern version used in this book was designed by Robert Slimbach, who studied Garamond's historic typefaces at the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp, Belgium. The jacket and interior photographs were taken by Jonathan Beckerman.