“A Man Called Destruction” flatly documents the life of Big Star’s Alex Chilton

book cover - a man called destructionIt seems that Alex Chilton and Big Star are in the midst of a revival. It started with 2009’s Keep an Eye on the Sky, a box set that compiled music from all eras of Big Star’s existence and continued with last year’s Nothing Can Hurt Me documentary. Now we finally have the literary companion in Holly George-Warren‘s Chilton biography, A Man Called Destruction: The Life and Music of Alex Chilton, From Box Tops to Big Star to Backdoor Man, out March 20 from Viking.

It’s a thoroughly comprehensive book. My big complaint with Nothing Can Hurt Me is that it seemed awfully rushed, fitting far too much into a short running time. However, as thorough as the book is — going all the way back to the Chilton family’s European roots — A Man Called Destruction completely lacks any sort of emotional core.
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Nude Beach, “II” LP

cover-nude-beach-iiNude Beach‘s II is my new Saturday night record. It has all elements such an album requires: you can dance to it, it’s upbeat, and you feel like you could just let it go on infinite repeat until it’s time to head out or pass out.

Frankly, after listening to just the first two tracks, I wanted to buy a stack of copies and start pressing them into the hands of friends with an emphatic, “You need to hear this, man!” The further and deeper you make it into the far-too-brief 35 minutes that II runs, the further and deeper you will fall in love with their power pop. Continue reading