Its been two years in the making but 11th Dimension Press’ multi-media publishing project extraordinaire is finally here!
Rock Is Not Dead: Short Fiction Inspired by Rock Music
It began with a quip by Kiss Superstar, Gene Simmons. In an interview with Esquire magazine (September 4, 2014), the Kiss bassist not only proclaimed the death of Rock n’ Roll, he accused certain people, certain practices, and certain technologies of bringing about its untimely death by eroding its business foundations and murdering Rock n’ Roll. Simmons laments the death of, “an entire industry to help the next Beatles, Stones, Prince, Hendrix, to prop them up and support them every step of the way” at the hands of file sharing, the Internet, and an entire generation who embrace them. So, Rock n’ Roll, says Simmons, is dead.
Well Simmons might be a bass guitar hero, but his star, like his memory, is faded. After all, the Beatles, the Stones, and Prince all found the Rock n’ Roll industry so supportive they created their own record labels to escape the control of the very people that were supposed to be supporting them. It would seem that the Rock n’ Roll Gene Simmons was talking about never really existed. It would seem that he’s really not talking about Rock n’ Roll at all, he’s talking about a business model.
Rock n’ Roll is not a business model. Rock n’ Roll is an attitude, a paradigm; it’s a philosophy that, as you are about to see, is very much alive. The cabal of artists who have conspired to put together this celebration of Rock music and the Rock ideology have done so with one goal in mind: to prove that Rock is Not Dead!
The project includes an anthology containing six short works of prose by six amazingly talented up-and-coming authors, seven graphic stories by seven awesome artists and artist teams all of which were inspired by rock songs. The also includes a soundtrack including the thirteen songs that inspired the stories: twelve cover songs recorded by twelve incredible independent musicians and bands as well as one never-before0released original track from the Russian metal sensation Grenouer!
The Preview
Here is just a small sample of what you’ll find in the anthology/compilation:
Story Title | Author(s)/Artis(s) | Preview | Inspired by… | Originally by… | Recorded by… | Sample |
Not Too Soon | Noel Franklin and Mark Campos | Preview | Not Too Soon | Throwing Muses: Tanya Donelly | Amy Denio | |
Solar Night: A Creation Myth | Larry N. Mayer | Preview | Please, Please Me | The Beatles: John Lennon and Paul McCartney | The Skeltones | |
Desire | Michael Norwitz and Julian Taveras | Preview | Desire | Tuxedomoon: Steven Brown, Peter Dachert, Blaine L. Reininger, and Winston Tong | Highline | |
A Good Club | Sierra Skye Gemma | Preview | I Put A Spell on You | Jay Hawkins | Code Monkey | |
Never Trust a Junkie | Wm Brian MacLean | Preview | Just One Fix | Ministry: Michael Balch, Paul Barker, Allen Jourgensen, and Bill Rieflin | Ugly Brides | |
Sissy | Chris Evans | Preview | Hounds Of Love | Kate Bush | Stewart Gunn | |
Death Or Glory | Paul Bradford and Matt Olson | Preview | Death Or Glory | The Clash: Topper Headon, Michael Jones, John Mellor, and Paul Simonon | David Vukovich | |
All These Wars are Over | Heather Hobma | Preview | Universe of my Heaven | Grenouer | … | |
Last Rites | JJ Hernandez and Jelena Djordjevic | Preview | Just | Radiohead: Colin Greenwood, Jonathan Greenwood, Edward O’Brien, Philip Selway, and Thom Yorke | Kandy Face | |
Snowstorm | Matthew Walsh | Preview | Cry Baby | Norman Meade and Bert Russell | Kathleen Yearwood | |
Night Prowler | Derek Evernden and Gillian Williamson | Preview | TNT | AC/DC: Angus McKinnon Young, Ronald Belford Scott and Malcolm Mitchell Young | Pant City | |
Feastival | Terry Eeles | Preview | I Want To Hold Your Hand | The Beatles: John Lennon and Paul McCartney | The Claviclettes | |
Silver Linings | Dino Caruso and Braden Poirier | Preview | Winter | The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger And Keith Richards | True Vulgarians |
On sale now…
The complete package is currently available only on the 11th Dimension Press Bookstore here, but the print component of the project is already available on Amazon, Amazon Canada, Barnes & Noble, and your favourite book online retailer.