The latest issue of Syncopation Literary Journal just dropped, and I’m excited to have contributed two pieces to it. Syncopation is a music-focused litmag, and Volume 4, Issue 2 focuses on the music of the 1980s. As a product of that era — most of my favorite music and musical influences come from the rock, punk, and new wave sounds of the late ’70s and early ’80s — this theme is right in my wheelhouse.
Here are my two contributions:
- “All Happy Now“ is a nonfiction account of my encounter with a then-not-yet-famous rock band. I won’t name the band here — no spoilers — but they became massively popular in the ’80s and ’90s, and just about everyone who knows me has heard my tale of the encounter. In this piece, though, I go deeper into the back story behind that event, attempt to illuminate the burgeoning college town alt-rock scene of the early 1980s, and share my thoughts (and my former housemates’) on how it may have influenced one of the band’s biggest hits.
- “How to Name a Punk Band“ is a flash fiction excerpt from my (stalled) novel in progress. Maybe I should call it a novel in neutral.
My thanks to Syncopation founder and editor Natalie Welsh (who’s been featured on this blog) for including me once again in her journal. (She was kind enough to feature another nonfiction piece by me, “Not Fade Away,” in Volume 4, Issue 1.) If you love music, please dive into the writings of Syncopation — not only this issue, but also their back catalog. You won’t be disappointed.
Cover image of Syncopation Literary Journal, Volume 4, Issue 2: the ’80s issue. Artwork of Michael Jackson by Elisha Alladina
Andy writes! 
I am possibly your only friend who has never heard that R.E.M. story. It’s a great one.