UNSTRUNG

A widely varied collection of writing by a guitar master whose vast contributions are especially renowned among fellow musicians.

Ribot might be best known to cratediggers and other musical cultists who pay attention to liner notes. By any measure, he has enjoyed a singular career: a catalyst in the musical progressions of Tom Waits and Elvis Costello, a favorite among visionary producers, an experimenter in countless styles, and a downtown New York fixture of the “no-wave” fusion of jazz, punk, funk, industrial, and other genres. It’s fitting that his book debut is so characteristically unclassifiable, blending memoir, music writing, fairy-tale fantasy, political manifesto, savage social satire, and even some parenting advice and tips on how to bring a landlord to his knees. The results are uneven, as perhaps they should be, but the book will find a home with other guitarists and iconoclastic artists of all stripes. Ribot offers lovely tributes to guitar virtuoso Robert Quine, producer/conceptualist Hal Willner, and bassist Henry Grimes, and there are provocative essays fusing ethics and aesthetics in a way that provides underpinnings for his sonic excursions. Perhaps the most sustained highlight is the section entitled “Film (Mis)Treatments,” many of which illuminate life on the road of the midcareer, mildly successful sideman. The pitches range from a reframing of Titanic to a bloody action romp through the great restaurants of Europe to a couple of different scenarios to fit our current era of reality TV. Ribot admits that he’s a hustler of sorts, as most artists must be, and he’s open to possibilities that can turn his experience into money without betraying his version of a moral code. With his first book, the author extends his brand, seeking fresh life and a larger readership for pieces originally published in niche journals.

Ribot is an all-American original, and this collection provides plenty of insight into his fascinating mind.