Allo ladies and gents!
Well, the date has been set and we’re raring to go. On Friday, December 10th, I will release both my novel Gadfly and the EP Declaration of Us at The Living Room at 10 PM. We’ll be rockin’ and rollin’ all night long, I can promise you that. My good friends Emily Easterly and J. Seger will also be releasing their new EP, VA/MD, that evening at 9 pm. Chris Cubeta and The Liars Club will play at 11.
Please allow me this opportunity to share a little about how we finally got to this night. I started Gadfly more than four years ago as an MFA student at the New School and am indebted to so many people for their help, support and critiques, both solicited and unsolicited. I don’t know if Gadfly will end up resonating with a lot of people (I think my dad liked it, but he might be biased), but I do know that the process has been worth it no matter what happens next. I believe in it and am grateful to all the people who have helped get me through this thing. Even Dale Peck.
For those of you who don’t know, Gadfly is a self-published novel. But that decision was far from a last resort. In fact, self-publishing this book became a choice I felt I had to make, not only for my own satisfaction, but as an acknowledgement to the numerous writers, far better and more worthy than me, forced to toil in obscurity because of the whims of the marketplace and the lack of vision of some folks in the literary game. But this is not meant to be a screed against publishing houses. We all know the problem of trying to mix art and commerce, and I’m not going to waste space with that old debate. But I do want to make it known that even writers who have book deals spend years waiting to see their words in print, to say nothing of those who can’t get an agent, can’t find a publisher, etc. etc. It can be pretty demoralizing. And I simply didn’t want to wait around for the approval of someone who probably wasn’t that interested in my artistic goals in the first place. That’s not a knock on those folks, just a fact.
So, in addition to my own aspirations, I am willing to throw down the gauntlet to show there are possibilities available to us. That doesn’t mean I’m the only one who can do it; it just means I like gauntlet-throwing. I know other people have self-published before me. Independent musicians have been doing this kind of thing for years, after all. But we are on the cusp of an era where artists will have more control over the ability to cultivate an audience. And that is truly something to celebrate. I am also extremely lucky to have a rock and roll band to help bring my words off the page in an exciting way. I take very little credit for that, by the way. Most of that belongs to Chris Cubeta, my co-writer, and the band.
Over the next few weeks leading up to the release, I’ll be sending out email reminders about the show, my blog updates and anything else I might want to share. (The Knicks might not be terrible!) You can now access my blog, as well as some music and videos through my new website dannylanzetta.com. I’d appreciate all of you spreading the word about December 10th and hope many of you can make it out to share the evening with us. The book and EP will be available together for 15 dollars that night, which is cheaper than they will be separately or online. So you’re getting a deal too! (Because you know what America’s real pastime is? It’s not baseball. It’s saving money. So says the weird looking State Farm pitchman in this strangely disturbing commercial. But I digress.)
Thanks again to everyone who has been a part of this . . . well, I want to say “journey,” but I’m tired of that metaphor. Let’s call it an extended trance that has included, but wasn’t limited-to, ecstasy, suffering and boredom. That probably doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well, does it? Oh well.
Pertinent details below. See ya soon.
Danny
Danny Lanzetta – The Release of Gadfly and Declaration of Us
With Chris Cubeta and The Liars Club and VA/MD featuring Emily Easterly and J. Seger
Friday, December 10th
9 PM
The Living Room
154 Ludlow Street
NYC
Free
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