Did I get your attention?
The past few months have been very slow on my blog–not, probably, that anyone has noticed, but still…I’ve let it slide. I have not been talking much about new music, because I haven't been listening much to new music, and there is a reason for that: something else has taken precedence.
Here’s a bit of context:
A few years ago (well, more than a few, but let’s not talk about how quickly time is passing...), I started a series of posts in which I ranked and reviewed all of Riverside's studio albums and EPs. I meant to do the same thing for Lunatic Soul but somehow it didn't happen: this project is of such profound importance to me that I struggle to express how I feel about it. I have written reviews for all the LS albums from Walking On a Flashlight Beam to Through Shaded Woods, but I always felt at a loss when I tried to explain the whole project's impact.
Then something entirely unexpected happened. I mean, completely out of the blue, I never saw it coming, never in a thousand years would it have occurred to me, all of that.
One day I responded to a text message, and in the middle of the conversation, the sender suddenly said: “You know what I think? One day you should write a book. About Riv/LS, maybe MD stuff. I can help you.”
The sender was Mariusz Duda.
I was floored. “Astonishment” does not even begin to describe my reaction. Nor does "flabbergasted”, "amazed”, "elated”, and plenty of other words. Oh--and "abject terror”. All I could think was: He can't possibly be serious.
Of course, I agreed. So here I am, writing what is essentially an authorized biography of Mariusz Duda (he was indeed serious).
Obviously I've not said anything about this publicly. A tiny handful of my internet friends are aware of it (you know who you are) as are my instructor and classmates in the Non-fiction Writing course I took and who read and provided valuable critiques on sections of the manuscript; and of course the various interviewees. I suspect others know as well, but so far I've seen no indication that the information is ‘out there'. But now it is time to start talking about it, because time is…doing that thing that time does.
What is the book about?
It is, as noted, an authorized biography: there is a working title I will not reveal, because it is probably not the final title. However, it is going to talk a lot about Lunatic Soul, because in order to understand the creative persona that is Mariusz Duda, we have to dig deeply into Lunatic Soul. Early years, Xanadu, Riverside, the other projects–all of that must be included to some degree, of course, because all of it is crucial to Duda's musical development, but it is not a biography of Riverside. Lunatic Soul is the foundation.
What are the plans?
At this point, my intention is to try and have at least an English version published by September of 2025. Whether it happens remains to be seen: in the book-writing world, a year is not a long time. The learning curve, especially around the publishing process, has been steep. There is a lot left to be done, and only about a third of that is the writing part. A lot is the promotion part, and that's why I am breaking the news now.
Over the next months, then, I'll be publishing book-related blog posts, and there will eventually be a Facebook Page (there may be other sites as well: FB and Insta are terrible platforms for artists and writers these days). I will drop hints and post updates and tell stories and maybe include some excerpts from interviews… who knows? I hope I can count on at least some of you to come along for the ride. Feel free to ask me anything, and if I can answer it, I will try.
Stay tuned!!!! Buy my book!! (just practicing…)
