A lot of
people ask me why I chose the 1970’s as the setting for my novel, The Devil’s
Metal. And I say, why the hell not?
First off,
I couldn’t have thought of a better time for a young female music journalist to
go on tour with a band. The 1960’s? Nah, the scene was just starting. The 80’s?
I find that decade tacky and the music heading toward synthesizers and hair
bands. The 90’s? I love the 90’s but unfortunately, a lot journalists stopped
going on tour with bands for liability reasons. So, why not the 1970’s? It was
the decade where women’s liberation really came around, where women music
journalists were finally coming up in the ranks, thanks to pioneers like Patti
Smith and Lisa Robinson, and rock and roll merged into something called metal, because
of writers at Creem magazine and bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
Look, I
write for myself. I write what makes me happy. And one of the things that make
me happy is writing myself into decades I never got a chance to experience.
Isn’t that the beauty of literature? As a reader or writer we get to immerse
ourselves in new lands, new lives and different time periods. Frankly, I look
for books that take me away on a journey and The Devil’s Metal does just that. I’ve
never read a book set in the 1970’s that wasn’t written in that time period. So
I was totally for writing something a little bit different, giving readers a trip
out of the ordinary.
I’ve heard
people shy away from this book purely because it’s set in the 1970’s and it
makes me laugh. Okay, so I may have picked one of the unsexiest decades to write about thanks to long mustaches, ugly
polyester clothing and questionable body hair. But it doesn’t mean it’s an
unsexy book. Trust me when I say, it’s not. It’s very sexy and very fun,
because how can the 1970’s NOT be fun? The Devil’s Metal combines that freedom
and excitement of a country on the verge of something and the music that has
just begun to claw its wildness into people’s heart.
So thread
some flowers in your hair, pick up a six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon and a copy
of The Devil’s Metal and get ready for some sex, drugs and rock n’roll. About Karina Halle
Karina Halle is a music journalist
and all around wino who resides in beautiful British Columbia. When she's not
rocking out or taking a nap, she can be found writing her ghost-hunting
Experiment in Terror Series.
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1 comment:
I actually liked that the book takes place in the 70's. I enjoy books that transport me to different times. Thanks for being a guest author on my blog.
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