From Blue to Black - Joel Lane

Ladymol's Review:

If he slipped the catch from the razor of his needs, who would it cut?

I think that line sums up this novel, not only its bleak beauty, but its startling commentary on a life lived on the edge between madness and genius.

David becomes the bass player in an up-and-coming Indie band called Triangle. Karl, the enigmatic lead singer begins a passionate affair with him.  Played out in the grimy post-industrial north of England, their relationship underpins their music: harsh, bleak, obsessive.

Told in the first person by David, the novel charts the band’s rise from obscurity to some level of fame. The author’s knowledge of the British music scene is awesome, and the book is so well written that even if you aren’t into Indie or the British music scene in general, you won’t find the music references dull

The real power of the story, however, is the relationship between Karl and David. Karl, bi-sexual and troubled, David gay but damaged from a previous relationship. Their lifestyle is all so damaging—drink, drugs, lack of sleep, stress—that’s it’s a wonder to me they can find as much love and comfort as they do together.

The novel is a mystery story, too. Who is Dean? Why does Karl feel he’s being haunted by him? Everything in this book is authentic: the settings, the writing and characters.

It’s not an easy read; it’s not to be thought of if you’re feeling blue. But I guarantee you won’t be able to put it down, and you won’t be able to forget it.

Cerisaye's Review:

Having read the cover proclaiming a novel about rock’n’roll I approached this book thinking it wasn’t my cup of tea.  It’s about an indie rock band called Triangle, set in Birmingham in 1992, and  most of the musical references went over my head.  But the real centre of the book is a compelling romantic relationship between its two main characters, David, bassist and narrator, and Karl, lead singer/songwriter. 

It doesn’t matter if you’re not too into early 90s bands and the music scene.  The music is there, running like a soundtrack through the novel, to illuminate the story of Karl Austin, founder of Triangle.  Karl writes arresting songs about dark subjects like murder and exile, blood and drowning, expressing fear, pain and loss.  He also writes of gay love:  “I drank the whisky from his mouth/He drank his seed from mine.”  Karl’s voice, says one critic, comes from another world, beyond the blue, in the black (Radiohead came to mind).  He uses music to escape from himself, sending messages in bleak lyrics; David as he listens worries Karl’s slipping beyond reach of help. 

There’s a wicked interview with gay magazine “Flounce”, where Karl and David are accused of not showing gay sensitivity because of their style of music.  Karl rightly gets angry at the assumption that because you love another man you should fit some stereotype.  To Karl the music is more important than his sexuality.  He doesn’t define himself as gay or straight.  Right now he’s with David, but he’s divorced with a child and has a fling with a female journalist.  Karl says he’s ‘a little bit gay’ but those more confident or accepting of their sexuality think that’s rubbish.

As Triangle achieves success in the business, struggling with touring, producing albums and record company deals, Karl is under pressure.  In an attempt to explain his deep-seated psychological problems he takes David back to his childhood home, the scene of events that have shaped his life.  An Irish kid growing up in the shadow of IRA bombings in Birmingham and racist hatred stirred up by the National Front and local politicians like Enoch Powell, Karl was subject to physical and verbal abuse.  Karl has a secret that causes him to resist fame’s lure. Karl cringes when David first takes him, yet he’s aroused by pain.  The book raises questions about punishment and redemption, how violence changes you, and homophobia, internal as well as external.  Is love enough to prevent Karl’s disintegration, and with it the future of Triangle? As Karl wanders off the map, a book about a band becomes a haunting excursion into the shadowlands of the mind.

The poetic quality of the writing contrasts with its grimy, post-industrial Black Country setting.  The novel is tinged with foreboding, moody and atmospheric, frequently depressing, yet there’s humour too- admittedly of the black, dry-as-dust kind.  Conspicuous consumption of alcohol and drugs features heavily, as you’d expect.  It’s erotic even though there isn’t much in the way of graphic sex- passive smoke, blown by Karl across David’s face and kissed into his mouth, leaning together as in drunken support when they dare not kiss in public.  It has disturbing scenes, and its bleak realism might not suit everyone’s taste.   Its power to move lies in details like the offering of hope towards the end, when David goes to a concert and with tears in his eyes watches a fan and the band’s singer openly kissing at the edge of the stage, rock music absorbed into gay culture. Definitely recommended reading.

Publisher: Sperpent's Tail. ISBN: 1852426187

 

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