I was about to blog more on hip-hop lit with the announcement that Eminem is set to publish his memoir, The Way I Am.
At this point, I wish Slim Shady all the best and hope it’s much better than Russell Simmons’ completely self-obsessed tome Life and Def. Quick synopsis: Russell details how he invented everything in hip-hop. Jammaster Jay was just a snazzy dresser. His brother Run is pretty good thanks to strong genetics, but DMC is only good when he listen to Russell’s advice. Russell invented the break beat. Russell invented Def Jam. Russell invented Public Enemy. Russell, Russell, Russell.
Honestly, if I want egocentric maudlin then I go right to the source:
A Morrissey Memoir? Possibly Very Soon
If you’ve recently found yourself feeling upbeat and optimistic about life, Morrissey, the dour dauphin of rock, may soon put a stop to that: he has announced that he is working on his memoirs. In an interview with the BBC, Morrissey, the former Smiths frontman and symbol of romanticized depression, said he had begun writing an autobiography to communicate directly with his fans and to speak over the filter of the mainstream media.
Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. This and a new album makes the Moz in me happier than a ten-ton truck coming my way.