I may regret it at some point, but I'm going to pass this book along to someone else without finishing it. I read the acknowledgments, the "documentary history", and part of the first chapter (written by Stephen King), and realized I don't really want to slog my way through the rehash of the Rock Bottom Remainders 1993 tour. Bless their hearts, it appears the gang had a great time, and if I ever run out of stuff to read I may find a copy of this at the library, but right now it holds no appeal. ( )

Mid-life Confidential, the Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude was a sweet, innocent, naive and charming look into the making of a literary band. The line-up of participants was interesting and varied, but the big ticket draws were, of course, the authors. Top writers like Stephen King, Dave Barry, Amy Tan and Barbara Kingsolver, to name a few, drew the crowds into the shows and got this band so pumped up to the point, they actually believed they were a band! A far cry from Motley Crue, they were still badass in a Maalox, Tums and Vick's sort of way.

The chapters in the book are written by each of the members and various supporting players. Funny, honest, poignant--everyone shared their moment in the sun with a unique style and if you listen closely, through all the jokes, you can feel how special and memorable this tour meant to each and every one of the cast members. I think each unique voice added a different feel to the book and shed light from a different viewpoint. Good, bad and ugly, The Rock Bottom Remainders rocked. By the end of the book, I believed in them--I believed they were a real band too!

To you RBR-- I light my Bic and squeal! Oh, and here's a pair of my baggy 'ol drawers thrown up on the stage for good measure. ( )

Lots of successful writers (Stephen King, Dave Barry, Amy Tan, and, uh, Roy Blount, Jr.?) who wish they were rockers try their hand at touring as a band. No, really. Each chapter is written by someone else, and they're all pretty lame. At least there wasn't a CD inside the front cover. ( )