Skip to main content

The Book Cover

Behold the front cover of BASEMENT SONGS. This was the third of three ideas for the cover, and certainly the best. It was designed by a talented artist based in Los Angeles named Joe Game. I've know Joe a little over a year now; our friendship began based on a mutual appreciation for the Gaslight Anthem. If you don't know that band, check them out today!



When I was tossing around my ideas for the cover Joe offered to help out. My original plan was to place my beloved Emerson boombox (below) on the cover, a concept that Joe began working with while the family and I were in Florida for our Make-A-Wish trip to Disney World. However, when I returned he'd been inspired in a completely different direction. Joe's idea of making my mix tape of Basement Songs look like and actual mix tape blew me away. Not only did he capture the heart of the book, but he gave it a unique appearance.







The cassette featured on the cover is actually the very first mix tape I made for Julie, back in 1992. Among other songs, it contained a certain Springsteen tune that was played on our wedding night. That song was...



You didn't think I'd tell you did you? I want you to read the book!



Please look up Joe and tell him how awesome the cover looks. His web address is http://www.chogrin.com and his Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/ChogrinArt







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

MARATHON FOOTNOTES (for those who didn't think I would really footnote a stream of consciousness thought): Footnote #1 Academy Award Winning Best Picture Films from 1969 to the Present: Midnight Cowboy, Patton, The French Connection, The Godfather, The Sting, The Godfather II, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Rocky, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, Chariots of Fire, Gandhi, Terms of Endearment, Amadeus, Out of Africa, Platoon, The Last Emperor, Rain Man, Driving Miss Daisy, Dances With Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs, Unforgiven, Schindler’s List, Forrest Gump, Braveheart, The English Patient, Titanic, Shakespeare in Love, American Beauty, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Chicago, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Footnote #2 Members of the band YES, from 1969 to the present: In 1969, Yes is formed with Jon Anderson on vocals Peter Banks on guitar, Bill Bruford on drums, Tony Kaye on keyboards and Chris Squire playing bass. This group records...

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 9: Mötley Crüe, "Girls, Girls, Girls"

Column 3, Row 13: Mötley Crüe , Girls Girls Girls. I was never a big fan of Mötley Crüe. I liked their radio hits, but I never listened to one of their albums in their entirety until 1989’s Dr. Feelgood , which was orchestrated in a way to dominate radio stations and suck in casual fans, like me, who had trouble getting past the Crüe’s purposeful sleaziness. That said I always admired them more than the other Sunset Strip bands. Bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee were such a formidable rhythm section and laid down a solid groove to all their music. Guitarist Mick Mars had a knack for making his guitar hiss sinister, matching his perpetual scowl. Vince Neil was nothing to write home about as a vocalist, which made his unpolished singing just a little more intriguing than most of the other front then who dominated mainstream rock in the mid-late 80’s. Girls Girls Girls was released in May of 1987, just in time for a long summer of Mötley Crüe taking over the mi...

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 10: U2, "Rattle and Hum"

  Column 1, Row 17: U2 , Rattle and Hum U2 are one of two acts that immediately conjure memories of my late friend, Matt (the other one is Dylan). Matt and I knew each other since first grade. Despite the comings and goings of other friends and girlfriends, we held on to that friendship until the early 2000s. It's a remarkable feat, when you think about it. We both left our suburban Cleveland hometown and moved west (he to Seattle, me to L.A.) and lived very different lives. What I remember of Matt was him chasing the that spark that brought him joy and wonder. He was always curious, sometimes to a fault, at least when I knew him. I can't tell you what he was like toward the end of his life; we'd lost touch. All that I have are the memories of the haunting young man I knew from young adulthood. Matt and I came of age in the mid to late 80s, as U2 made their commercial breakthroughs with War (1983) and The Unforgettable Fire (1984) and then became the most significant band ...