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From The Desk Of Her Space Holiday’s Marc Bianchi: John Fante

This week’s release of Her Space Holiday‘s 10-track, self-titled album marks the end of the one-man musical project that Marc Bianchi started back in 1996. Fittingly, HSH’s final album is also the first on the Austin-based Bianchi’s No More Good Ideas label. While he has some live dates set to support the LP, the genre-defying musician mostly plans for the album to be the closing statement from HSH, who over the past decade and a half has also remixed tracks by the likes of R.E.M., Bright Eyes, Elastica and the Faint. Bianchi can now add MAGNET guest editor to his already-impressive resume, as that’s what he’ll be doing all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him.

Bianchi: I read a lot of Charles Bukowski in my late teens. After poring over a couple novels and volumes of poetry. I noticed the name John Fante more than a few times. I eventually took the hint and purchased Wait Until Spring, Bandini from a little used bookshop in my old hometown. After devouring the novel in one sitting, I instantly went out and purchased the rest of the Arturo Bandini saga: The Road To Los Angeles, Ask The Dust and Dreams From Bunker Hill.

Years later, I was having dinner with a friend, and she was talking about how much she loved the Bukowski novel Ham On Rye. I asked her if she was familiar with Fante’s work. She said she wasn’t and asked what his writing was like.

“You know those rare Bukowski moments, the ones between all the fucking and drinking, the horse races and all the talk of a world gone mad? Those poignant bits that keep him endearing no matter how much of a bastard he was seconds earlier?”

“Yeah.”

“Well that is every line of John Fante’s writing.”

Video after the jump.