But for all its bogus posturing and academic pretensions, Supernatural Strategies is ultimately the work of one of the movement's true believers, and might be read as a serious — some might say important — effort. As he puts it, Svenonius sees rock and roll as "a sort of expression that was smothered during the rational age of enlightenment," or a form of primordial communication that addresses timeless ideas of community and collaborative effort. "That explains its totally universal appeal. That's why it's like rediscovering fire, why it never gets old."
Ideology is grossly inefficient, and so it naturally goes overlooked in any profit-bearing career model, let alone one as competitive as the music business. The ones proferred in Supernatural Strategies, over a brisk 250 pages, analyze seemingly every facet of the industry as we know it, yet still might not get you any closer to the ultimate, unimpeachable goal of rock stardom. Some truly determined entrepreneurs out there might even subvert the author's aim, finding Supernatural Studies to be a useful proxy for years of toil gigging the club circuit or conducting countless hours of stereo research. But however useful its readers might find it, this book is an event — because let's face it, today's rock and roll so often isn't.
SUPERNATURAL STRATEGIES FOR MAKING A ROCK 'N' ROLL GROUP | by Ian Svenonius | 250 pages | Akashic Books | $14.95 | Svenonius reads, with a DJ set, January 27 @ 7:30 pm | at SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St, Portland | 207.828.5600 | space538.org
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Music Features
, Ian Svenonius, Rock and Roll, SXSW, More 
, Ian Svenonius, Rock and Roll, SXSW, showcase, Less 
