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"The band plays music as well as Metallica writes novels," said Dave Barry. But it was FUN. Ridley Pearson saw it as "Being up there on stage you get to do all of the things you can't do when you're stuck in front of a word processor for 10 hours a day. It's sort of like being released from jail." Joel Selvin said, "The magic of the Remainders is that they got to be a rock band - a royally treated rock band - without having to play like one." Stephen King first suggested getting the band back together for the 1993 ABA convention in Miami. The band played the Bottom Line in September 1992 to celebrate the video's release... and Stephen had bigger ideas... what about a five-city tour in 1993 ending at the ABA in Miami? Well, it actually happened. Tad Bartimus named it the "3 Chords and an Attitude Tour," and it hit the road in May 1993. On the tour, the Rock Bottom Remainders played gigs in Providence, Northampton, Cambridge, Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Nashville, and Miami. There was a book in which each band member contributed a chapter to the book, Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude (Viking/Signet 1994). Part gossip, part behind-the-scenes tell-all, part confessional, this book details the strangest tour in rock history, as 15 of America's most popular writers - including Stephen King, Amy Tan, Dave Barry, and Barbara Kingsolver - left their "day jobs" for life on the rock 'n' roll road. Features 100 candid (and often excruciatingly embarrassing) photos, 30 in color. Although it is out of print, you can always try ordering from one of Amazon.Com's network of used bookstores. For the real fans, there are 2 T-shirts available, On the front "3 Chords and An Attitude" and band caricatures by Gretchen Schields and on the back "Suspend Your Credibility." and is available only in paprika. The second has on the front "The Rock Bottom Remainders" and band caricatures by Gretchen Schields and on the back the Mid-Life Confidential book cover. Comes in black only. Ordering information is located at the bottom of the page.
Of course, with this much talent on tap (writing talent that is, the musical talent is somewhat in dispute), there has of course been a CD produced for people outside the touring areas. "Stranger Than Fiction" is a double CD available only from "Don't Quit Your Day Job" Records. Ordering information is located at the bottom of the page. I actually have this CD, and it's quite an experience listening to Stephen bash out "Bo Diddley", "Stand By Me" and his duet with Kathi Kamen Goldmark singing "You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover". Alas Stephen sings about as well as he acts (Grin), but Kathi really has a nice voice, and makes the last song rather enjoyable. The singing ranks from terrible (Sorry Norman), to quite good, but you have to remember that this album was designed to be FUN, not a musical masterpiece. The songs range from old classic blues, to hilarious works written by some of the artists (You have to hear Dave Barry singing "Proofreading Woman" and "Tupperware Blues" to understand what I mean!). Warren Zevon really explains it all when he said "...skill levels that range from the amusingly inept to the downright catastrophic".
The Rock Bottom remainders, in their full glory, consist of the following people:
Ordering of the 2 excellent T-shirts, the video, or the double CD of "Stranger than Fiction" can be done by contacting "Don't Quit Your Day Job" Records at http://www.dqydj.com or by mail at: "Don't Quit Your Day Job" Records Phone: (415) 284-6363 All the information and pictures on this page (with the exception of my personal comments on "Stranger Than Fiction") are courtesy of "Dont Quit your Day Job" records and used with permission of DQYDJ records and Kathi Kamen Goldmark (President and Janitor of DQYDJ Records, and Founder of the Rock Bottom Remainders). My sincere thanks for allowing the use of this information and pictures. "In the fine rock & roll tradition, The Rock Bottom Remainders were conceived in a car. As a semi-pro musician with a day job in book publicity, I spend a lot of time driving touring authors around San Francisco . . . I decided to form a band of authors! We could burst upon the world at the 1992 American Booksellers Association convention in Anaheim!" says Kathi Goldmark in the Remainders' 1992 video. After hammering out a set list, practicing with the rehearsal tape made by Ridley Pearson, and three days' intensive rehearsal under Al Kooper's direction, the Rock Bottom Remainders took the stage of the Cowboy Boogie club in Anaheim. The results are recorded for posterity on the video, "The Rock Bottom Remainders." The set list included "Money," "Nadine," "Sea of Love," "Louie Louie," "Bye, Bye Love," "Good Rockin' Tonight," "Double Shot of My Baby's Love," "Take Out Some Insurance," and "Ripple." |
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