Bang Bang Crash: A Memoir

Novelist and erstwhile musician Brown (In Every Way) narrates this essay collection memorializing his brief career as a professional drummer and why he (mostly) walked away. Brown engagingly details his early life as a hobbyist drummer and the thrilling, unnerving success of the band he formed with one of his best friends for an eighth-grade dance. His warm, raspy tones make it clear how much affection he has for his bandmates while reinforcing his ambiguous feelings about the music in hindsight. Shortly after the height of their popularity with a Billboard Hot 100 single, Brown left to attend college, a decision that, he makes clear, was as much about his restlessness with commercial music as with higher education. It’s only natural that Brown, now a published novelist and professor of creative writing, should narrate his story, and his wry, conversational style really pays off for listeners. Having originated as stand-alone essays, his story ebbs and flows through time, doubling back on itself and rushing forward before ending with his wistful regard for that rock and roll staple: the reunion concert.