Books | Life and How to Live it
Author Biography
Daniel Mayhew lives in York with his wife, three young children and various other cliches. Read more at www.danielmayhew.com
Publication Date
16 March 2007
Blurb
"We start playing and one by one, the whole field falls silent. And they're speechless. They're in awe. And by the end of our set there's people crying, doubled over, lying in the mud. We go off stage and these people get up, silently pack up their tents and go back to their lives, changed forever. They become better people, we save them."
Serpico are the best and most unproductive band in Bristol. All that changes when a week-long sickie brings the greatest album ever made into the world.
Reilly, all home-made T-shirts, red wine addiction and occasional musical genius, is the sort of person you end up hating: but there's something to him, some kind of honesty, that saves him. He breathes life into Serpico, his astounding voice elevating them to potential rock gods. Jacob, his flat-mate and band partner, wants this status in his own life, but with Reilly's unpredictability and charismatic lunacy, the transformation from layabout to rock god isn't easy, or maybe even possible.
Daniel Mayhew's terrific debut novel 'Life and How to Live It' charts the awkward birth of Serpico's album and is a tale full of friendship, idealism, music, and ponders the question if it possible to be succesful, sell records, and still remain a decent human being.
First Chapter
Click here to access a PDF of the first chapter.
Reviews
"Of particular interest to struggling/deluded musicians everywhere is this tale of egotism, decadence and sheer bad luck. Serpico are just yet another rock band who think they are better than they are, but when they write the best album ever, life rapidly unspools. Witty, terrifically well written and so true to life it hurts."
- The Fly
"A gripping, funny ride through the exhilarating highs and brutal lows of the quest for musical perfection and fame. A book filled with characters that jump off the page and writing so vivid you hear the guitars, taste the hangovers and live every emotion."
- Laura Roychowdhury, The Jadu House
"Writing successful novels about music or bands is a notoriously difficult thing to do, and something that rarely succeeds. Step forward Daniel Mayhew to prove the exception to the rule... At its heart, this is book is a black comedy and a worthy examination of male friendship... The highest praise that can be paid to Mayhew is that it would have been easy to simply write a book that would only satisfy music fans with its myriad of cool references, and while it will certainly resonate with anybody who's been in or close to a band, the humour and the well drawn characters neatly help to side step any suggestion of musical snobbery... Fast-paced, hilarious, a wild ride."
- thisisull.com
"This novel is a romp through Bristol and the dreams that go with being in a rock band. But you don't need to have experienced either to relate to this hugely engaging comedy of manners; you just need a decent sense of humour. Mayhew peppers his story about Serpico, a band who are soon to be the next big thing, with highly amusing comic gems that are like the finely tuned material of a seasoned stand-up comic. But aside from the pitch-perfect glimpses of Bristol and caustic wit, the real heart of the book is a portrait of friendship. The two main characters feel so real because they are expertly brought into focus by the perceptions of each other. The finale will leave you guessing and genuinely questioning your own values about the meaning of success. Ultimately, Mayhew's book is about ambition, the creative process and the battle between pragmatism and idealism. It really deserves to be a big hit, despite the mantra of Serpico singer Reilly: 'Success on these terms is failure.'"
- The Bookseller
"I tend not to read books about music, musicians and musos, partly because I get enough of that from my boyfriend, but mainly because I think it's very hard to do well. It's too easy for writers to end up proving their own muso credentials, name-checking favourite bands, wallowing in purple prose to show they "get it", rather than delivering an interesting plot and characters to care about. Luckily for me, Mayhew manages both with real ability, and charm.
It's a simple idea. Jacob and Reilly are struggling musicians with appalling day jobs, no songs, no gigs, and a barely-there band with the (frankly terrible) name Serpico. From out of this awful present, Reilly, fuelled by genius and Valpolicella, takes a week long sicky and manages to write the greatest album of all time. Now all they have to do is get some money, a demo, a record label to listen, a gig, signed, and on to becoming little rock gods. But with integrity, of course.
And, interestingly, Mayhew makes that the central dilemma. Instead of a straightforward comedy about the ups and downs of the music industry, he takes the trouble to draw two believable characters, and finds the story in their conflicting ambitions. Jacob dreams of the commercial success Reilly claims to despise. Reilly fights anything and anyone while Jacob always appears to adopt the path of least resistance. There are no barriers placed in their way greater than their own self-doubt and cynicism. In fact, everything appears to fall so easily into their laps that there is a certain air of fairytale about it. Which is part of the point...
Mayhew delivers a sharp, warm and, in places, very funny story about two lads beginning to make good in spite of themselves, with a pace that keeps you turning the pages and a finale that, while not unexpected, is extremely satisfying. An enjoyable muso novel. Now, there's a thing!"
- The Talk Magazine
"[Life And How To Live It is ] full of Bristol landmarks...the writing about music is absolutely superb, the descriptions of music comes right off the page. You don't have to be in a band to appreciate this book...there's a real conflict between being creative and trying to earn a living. Reilly is such a character, he really lives - and is quite scary. It was an enjoyable read, I finished it really quickly, which was a good sign for me."
- BBC Bristol
Video
Links
- www.danielmayhew.com
- www.myspace.com/mayhewdaniel
- buy the t-shirts that feature in the novel at www.danielmayhew.spreadshirt.net
Purchase Book
Click here to purchase Life and How to Live it from Amazon.
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