Show Business

This series of brief, evocative vignettes featuring marginalized rock 'n' rollers is marked by a dry, black sense of humor tinged with desperation. Two recurring themes are the conflict between the truth of musical genius and the false persona required for commercial success, and the break with reality that comes with success. In one story, a rock musician has been so taken over by image consultants that he has no identity of his own; his deafness after years in the business symbolizes his emptiness but also serves as his defense mechanism. In another tale, a singer deludes himself into believing he is a potential superstar while blaming others for his failures. The book's standout piece takes readers to ``the great bar in the sky,'' where Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley and others sit in judgment of Teddy Bold. This mediocre musician was killed by Sid Vicious in an act of heavenly retribution for Bold's taking credit for others' talents. A professional musician with 28 albums to his credit, Coyne ( The Party Dress ) clearly knows whereof he writes, and he compresses deep emotions and betrayals into remarkably few pages. The results are almost poetic in their emotional dissonance. (Oct.)