A man, his demons, and the Grammy Awards are forced to FACE THE MUSIC
Long time California entertainment attorney and producer Joe Anderson's debut novel, FACE THE MUSIC is a "warts and all" comedic take on the music business, full of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, but with equal helpings of rehab and redemption. It is available in print at Amazon.com and other major online booksellers and via Kindle or the Kindle app.
"I always found the music business to be a fascinating mixture of amazing creativity existing alongside self destructive and often downright abusive behavior, and I thought it would be fun to explore all those forces exploding under the bright lights of Music's Biggest Night," comments Anderson. "I also like the idea of second chances, which is really what this book is about."
Protagonist Zack Fluett was living the rock star dream until one fateful night at the Grammys when he broke his hand on his lead singer's nose and began a downward spiral of wreckage and addiction. Now, a decade later, Zack's back – sober, wiser, and this time nominated for Song of the Year. But ghosts from his past in the form of ex-wives, former band mates, and booze give his hard won self-control and hopes of redemption a beating when he finds himself unexpectedly forced to play on the telecast as the clock ticks down on the announcement of his category.
"The author writes knowingly about the music scene. His story is as old as rock 'n' roll itself--a cautionary tale of how sex, drugs and rampant ego can torpedo a career. What redeems it is the wit and honesty with which Zack narrates his story and the author's eye for detail, as manifested in his faux discographies, Billboard charts and newspaper articles that begin every chapter.... [T]here are enough jagged edges for this rock novel to qualify as the real deal." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Face the Music is a fast-paced entertainment for anyone with a smidgeon of interest in rock, pop, the music industry as a whole. That's not required as the book can be enjoyed simply for the humorous scenes and very human characters. But if you know anything about music, you know all these people and many of these places, just by different names." -- Dr. Wesley Britton of Bookpleasures.com
A native of Montana, Anderson spent the last twenty years as an entertainment and digital media attorney in addition to serving as a record company executive and producer, feature film producer, and musician. In the 1990s he played keyboards in a San Francisco rock band and ran a small record label that earned three Grammy nominations, in addition to serving on the NARAS Board of Governors, attending the Grammys many times. In 2001, he moved to Los Angeles and produced the Miramax film On the Line and the Weinstein company film Lovewrecked.