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Compiled by Mary Gaitskill and Daphne Carr
Sometimes the story goes deeper than a Rolling Stone cover story.
That’s what editors at Da Capo prove every year with the “Best Music Writing” series, a compilation of essays previously published in magazines, newspapers and Web sites. Series editors recruit a guest editor to help pick stories that tell music’s story in a way rarely, if ever, told before.
The latest result, released in paperback in November, covers everything from country to reggaeton. Artists do the speaking, but often the fans and others affected by the music are given print space as well. National Book Award finalist Mary Gaitskill took the guest editor seat for the 2006 edition (past guest editors include “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart).
Here are a few of the most compelling stories:
“London Calling — For Congo, Colombo, Sri Lanka…”
Written for “PopMatters,” Robert Wheaton examines why one rapper from Sri Lanka managed to usher politics and warfare into the pop culture radar while making critics and fans dance their brains out. Before M.I.A. invaded MySpace with her “Bird Flu” and helped a Honda bounce to “Galang,” she used art to heal pain inflicted in worlds of violence and discrimination.
“Love Hurts”
The relationship between a rapper and his woman goes beyond the word “bitch.” Elizabeth Mendez Berry’s piece for Vibe looks at how the late Big Pun’s alleged abuse on his wife is a reflection on the undercurrent of domestic violence in hip-hop.
“A Very Special Concert: The Enduring Bond Between Huey Lewis and the Developmentally Disabled”
Just as a previous edition of “Best Music Writing” featured an article on Morrissey’s devotion from the Hispanic community, Katy St. Clair writes for SF Weekly about the developmentally disabled community’s view of Huey Lewis as a source of inspiration.
“Thorpe’s Notes on R. Kelly’s ‘Trapped in the Closet’”
An Internet sensation, the Cliffs Notes-style evaluation on R. Kelly’s soap opera, posted on SomethingAwful.com, deflated any ego obtained through the popularity of this project by outlining every ridiculous lyric and plot point. We may never know how big that dresser was, but we now have a source for the meaning of “bogus shit,” “mack shit” and “shit is going down.”
“Disco Inferno”
Written for The Nation, this piece puts a new perspective on torture. American troops blast their prisoners with music for continuous periods of time, creating psychological hysteria. Imagine hearing David Gray’s “Babylon” and, without any hesitation, ripping off the iPod ear buds and sobbing. Moustafa Bayoumi investigates.
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