Rock 'n' Read: Colleen Green
by Dana Sagona, Senior Librarian, Chatham Square LibraryNovember 2, 2015
“To me the library represents peace, warmth, and understanding.”
Colleen Green's musical output began as one-woman lower-than-lo-fi cassette recordings made in her bedroom. More apparent than her love for The Descendents (two album titles make reference to the seminal punk band, and her cover of "Good Good Things" is highly recommended) was her loner ennui. With the release of I Want To Grow Up in February, Green's third full length album, she may have left her bedroom and entered a proper studio, but her indie-pop is still fuzzy and her tone remains endearingly straightforward. While pop music may not have a reputation for particularly deep lyrics, the LA (by way of Boston) transplant smashes this stereotype. It comes as no surprise that such a skilled writer has been a lifelong reader. Check out Green's literary predilections and rock 'n' read forever!
What role have libraries played throughout your life?
As a kid I was constantly at the Dunstable Town Library, always reading a new book and acting in the plays they would present. In high school it was a welcoming place, a gathering place, like your parents' living room. In college it was my secret spot to be alone and eat lunch on a comfy couch. I have very fond memories of school libraries. To me the library represents peace, warmth, and understanding.
Is there a specific person or book that made you into the reader you are now?
My mother is undoubtedly the force that made me into a reader. She would always read to me when I was young, so much so that I would memorize the stories she'd read to me even before I was literate myself. To this day she can invariably be found with her nose in a book.
Has any one book in particular had a lasting effect on you?
Love You Forever by Robert Munsch is a memorable story from my childhood that my mother would read to me. I can barely look at the title without bursting into tears.
Who is your favorite character from literature and why?
At the risk of sounding trite, my answer is Holden. He just gets it, and I relate to him because he's an outsider and feels alienated from all the people and things he perceives as being phony. This is a feeling I've always coped with but especially with the advent of social media and society's obsession with it. He thinks he's crazy because he isn't like them, but actually he is the most sane, present, and thoughtful of all. All of Salinger's characters are pretty wonderful; he has a gift for making them seem real and not imagined. But especially being the age I was when I first read The Catcher in the Rye, Holden was the most real to me. Patrick Bateman [from American Psycho] is also pretty awesome.
What genre do you prefer? Are there any you can't get into?
At present I'm most interested in reading celebrity autobiographies. Chris Rock, Ronnie Spector, Gene Wilder, Don Rickles,Rob Lowe, Pattie Boyd, and Bob Dylan all have great stories and I'd love recommendations in that category. You had a question earlier in the interview about "classic" books, and I'd say that is probably the genre that I have tried to get into in the past and can't quite seem to, and I deleted that question! But maybe I am not trying the right ones.
What are you currently reading? If nothing at the moment, what was the last book you read?
I just started reading Rose Madder by Stephen King. I've gone through his best and now on to the rest. He has a lot though. The last book I read was Gone Girl.
"I recently realized that I can download books on my iPad...and that's kind of fun because I can easily take it with me when I travel and don't run the risk of thrashing a precious paperback."
Are you looking forward to any books to be released soon?
The day Mel Brooks releases an autobiography, I will be first in line!
While on tour, are you able to get much reading done?
Oh yes. Long car and plane rides are perfect for reading. I recently realized that I can download books on my iPad, and it's OK and it doesn't make me a complete piece of sh*t, and that's kind of fun because I can easily take it with me when I travel and don't run the risk of thrashing a precious paperback.
Do you have any tour memories involving books or libraries?
While on a U.S. tour with my first band, we would go into public libraries to use the internet and get directions because smart phones and laptops weren't really in use yet. On another tour, I had just finished reading Pet Sematary and was staying deep in the woods in Colorado and couldn't sleep because I was too scared.
Where is your favorite place to read?
Most of my reading is done on the road because there's so much downtime and there's no TV. But it's been really hot here in Los Angeles lately, so a couple of days ago I went out and sat in the shade in my driveway and read for a couple of hours and it was quite nice.
Do you do any other writing aside from songwriting?
Sometimes I write comics.
What kind of book would you write?
My book would probably be a sardonic kind of self-help book.
Have any specific authors, books, and/or poems influenced your songwriting in any way?
There's a line in my song "Goldmine" that alludes to something Holden Caulfield says: "I told her I loved her and all. It was a lie, of course, but the thing is, I meant it when I said it." I've always felt like a hopeless romantic and always connected with that sentiment. The line in my song goes: "I can't help myself / When I see you I believe I need you."
Do you have any favorite memoirs by musicians?
I don't enjoy Bob Dylan's music at all but I really enjoyed his Chronicles books. They are interestingly compiled and poetic. Ronnie's [Spector] is also very fascinating and sad.
What is the best book recommendation you have received?
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With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Gain access to digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.