Hodgkinson picks up right where his previous and immensely entertaining Guitar Man
left off. After learning to play the guitar and perform on stage in only six months, with the help of fret board luminaries such as the Smiths' Johnny Marr, Hodgkinson attempts to learn how to write songs and then get them recorded, although this time he gives himself a year to do it all. When his first songs are met by his friends with less than enthusiasm (“Are you going to sing 'Mystery Fox' to Hal David and Carole King?”), Hodgkinson seeks out various songwriters such as XTC's Andy Partridge who are more encouraging (“At least it's a good title”). One of Hodgkinson's most endearing features—and one that his prose perfectly captures—is his utter lack of fear. In his humbling, and enjoyable, musical journey, he's willing to talk with unknown songwriters as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber (“With perfect grace he found a way of agreeing with whatever inanity spewed from my mouth before explaining aspects of his craft with eloquence”). (Feb)
