Nick Hornby, who immortalized intimidating record stores in High Fidelity (as brilliantly conveyed by Jack Black in its on-screen translation: “Do we look like the kind of store that sells “I Just Called to Say I Love You”? Go to the mall.”) wrote a paean to the brave new world of music on the Internet in this weekend’s Guardian Observer:
But more importantly, you need never again feel as though the pop life is drifting away from you – indeed, the anonymity and user-friendliness of the MP3 blogs mean that one feels emboldened to walk into even the scariest-looking website in the full confidence that nobody will laugh at you.
He also makes an amusing (albeit slightly depressing) prediction for the future of musicians and bands. Read the full article here.
Hornby’s new novel, Juliet, Naked, about the relationship between a reclusive songwriter and the girlfriend of his biggest fan, is due out later this month. You can hear him talk about it in the video above or in person at Brookline Booksmith on Wednesday, September 30th.
“I will now sell five copies of The Three EPs by the Beta Band.”
zed equals zee 