Ryan,
I picked up the new "Complete Idiot's Guide to Indie Rock" today. The author took some liberties and there are some glaring mistakes. For example, check out this excerpt from Chapter Four, "Liverpool Rising."

"After being shot in 1980, John Lennon retreated from the spotlight to old home, Liverpool, England. Tired of the music business, yet still interested in the art of rock, Lennon gathered four impressionable lads from local boarding schools. Four years later, their first album was released. Lee Mavers, Mike Badger, Phil 'Butchie' Butcher, and John 'Lumps' Timson fought to be called the Choo Choos, but an obstinate Lennon insisted on 'The La's.'

"Meanwhile, across the river, in a cramped attic above a tiny bakery called 'Lord's Buns,' four college dropouts with a xylophone and battered trumpet formed 'The Ba's,' who would later go on to become Stereolab. Lennon lived vicariously though the zealous youths. Later the boys would claim that a deranged Lennon was attempting to recreate his Hamburg days. Butchie and Lumps fled the group after Lennon forced them to dress as his lost love, Astrid. They were replaced with John Power and Barry 'Berry' Walsh. Lennon had ignored Yoko Ono's letters and phone calls, largely on the account that a psychic confessed to Lennon that his new son, Sean, would one day grow up to become a bass player in Cibo Matto. Fueled by regret, Lennon strove to mastermind the second coming of the Beatles.

"The early years of the La's between 1984 and 1986 were rough going, but the band hinted at greatness. Songs such as 'Breakloose' kept the torch of the early Clash alive in a post- 'Rock the Casbah' world. Moody, bongo- laden instrumentals like 'Dovecoat Dub' foreshadowed the Stone Roses and the Beta Band. 'My Girl Sits Like a Reindeer' and 'Trees and Plants' echoed the Buddy Holly- worshipping Cavern days of the Beatles. "Open Your Heart" spooked like an undead Billy Bragg yearning for a lost love. The tunes were simple, raw, beautiful, and sincere. The touch of the blues, the spectre of the '60s, and the devotion to the roots of rock and roll inherent in the lads pleased Lennon to a great degree. Lennon would write letters to Paul McCartney bragging about his accomplishments. 'Dear Paul, While you're tossin' off with fruits like Michael Jackson, I got me the real deal,' he wrote in one letter. 'We got a new tune called 'Moonlight' which blows the bollocks off George's toss.

"But there was one beast Lennon could not tame-- the anal perfectionism of lead La Lee Mavers. When the band began recording their debut record, Mavers was never satisfied. Often scrapping entire sessions, Mavers quickly enraged Lennon who could see the light fading in his dream. After five versions and several producers, The La's was finally finished by Steve Lillywhite. A huge hit, "There She Goes," won hearts. Nearly a decade later, Sixpence None the Richer would spoil the minds of American children with a lamentable cover.

"Lennon retreated to Iceland after the headstrong Mavers killed the La's and John Power formed the bloke- band Cast. The guilt over the creation of Cast lead Lennon to the cloth. Lennon claimed to have destroyed the band's early demos, but they resurfaced in 1999 in an empty can of beans in London. The demos were released to the public, but the cracky four- track version tarnished the glitter, and the public had sadly forgotten the La's. Yet, in an era where Guided by Voices can win hearts for their lack of production, the La's demos became a favorite with American webzine critics. Well, at least one."

"For two countries that technically speak the same language, the United States and the UK can seem radically different. In the realm of pop culture, the divide becomes more obvious. Any American who's ever tried to watch an episode of 'Chef' or listen to the Happy Mondays recognizes this. While a band may sell 14 copies every minute on London's Oxford Street, the same band will tickle the Yankee palate like a Lamb and Mint Jelly- flavoured crisp dipped in jellied meat. The La's were one such band. A momentary magnesium flare in a dark time of dance-pop, they should not be forgotten."

-Brent DiCrescenzo