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From The Desk Of Peter Holsapple: “20th Century Boy” By Duncan Hannah

It makes sense that since Peter Holsapple has long been the go-to guy for musicians such as R.E.M., Hootie & The Blowfish, John Hiatt, Indigo Girls, the Troggs, Juliana Hatfield and too many others to name here that when he needed assistance on his first solo album in 21 years that he would turn to, well, himself. Game Day (Omnivore) is a solo record in the truest sense of the word, as the dB’s co-founder pretty much did everything himself on the LP. Holsapple will being guest editing magnetmagazine.com—for the second time—all week. Grab some beer and some pizza: It’s game day.

Holsapple: Wow! 20th Century Boy, artist/author Duncan Hannah’s journals of his young Manhattan, has been a total treat to read. So many stories, so many characters, it almost seems impossible it could’ve all happened to one person. It was the New York I’d begun reading about back in North Carolina: It sounded irrepressible, artistic and musical, and mostly fun. And Duncan was there and a constant part of it. He had the savvy to write it all down—the subtitle is Notebooks Of The Seventies, and the author has decided to keep his observations intact from their entries. It’s charming, rakish and always written in a somewhat offhand voice.

It’s funny to read this at the same time as I was reading Chris’ autobiography. They’re of an overlapping time in Manhattan, and the circles both Chris and Duncan ran in would conceivably have intersected in a club somewhere downtown. I’m grateful to have both books, to really remember the sense of what drew me to live in New York for my formative adulthood. It was where I wanted to grow up, which I got to do, and I feel that throughout these pages.