Best music writing

For beginners, aficionados, voyeurs and whatnot of that elusive genre that is Music journalism I warmly recommend my reading for this past holidays: "Best music writing 2005", Da Capo press. Provided they can get over the fact that it's edited by the artist formerly known as... JT LeRoy. Swallow, if you can, this jagged little pill. Swallow with grace, I'm sure you can, we've all swallowed much worse than that in our blazing, vicious lives. And you'll be blessed with two of the best features on the Clash - and the year 1979 as watershed in punk rock - I've ever read. Long live the Queen.

If on the other hand time is your problem and you only bite into what can be read during the average human crap (quote, "The big chill", Jeff Goldblum) then I URGE you to sit down with your sphincter and a copy of this week's New York magazine. Jay McInerney's cover story on The Strokes? Forget it. Makes me wanna bury myself in that bathroom - with MY sphincter thank you very much - and never resurface again, at least not to write anything about music.

Lines like: "it's always 3 a.m. in Casablanca's voice"
"I thought I was going to have a contact anxiety attack"
Just read the LEAD for Chrissake: "Hiding behind a pair of of big aviator shades and clutching the mike stand, Julian Casablancas can hardly tell if he's singing or not, the monitors are so murky, and lead guitarist Nick Valensi feels like the bass is some kind of malignant force swallowing all the music..."
IsItFinallyItForTheStrokes?

I mean shit like that makes you feel like shit. Makes your ego be that jagged little pill you can't seem to swallow.