Waiting for the Sun: Strange Days, Weird Scenes, and the Sound of Los Angeles

Hoskyns (From a Whisper to a Scream) proposes that Los Angeles is a city embodying with particular clarity both the brightest and darkest parts of American culture. Yet this aura of ""irresistible... disjuncture"" has provided a fertile ground for musical creativity. Here, Hoskyns traces the evolution of L.A.'s popular music scene from the 1940s through the 1990s with the intent of demonstrating how the city's unique atmosphere has informed the work of artists ranging from Nat King Cole and Charlie Parker to Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to Jane's Addiction and NWA. The penetrating sociocultural analysis of Hoskyns's introductory chapter loses steam, however, as Hoskyns focuses on the relationships between various artists and music industry executives. Even so, the author constructs a comprehensive and critically astute history of the major developments and players in the Southern California music business. Hoskyns is particularly perceptive about the racial politics of music culture and those musical and cultural moments of dynamic transition when new genres of popular music emerge. The numerous photos and pithy quotes from other observers of the L.A. scene make for enjoyable and informative reading. (Aug.)