Not That I Plan On Getting a Nose Ring Or Anything Like That

I just finished reading Andrew Beaujon's Body Piercing Saved My Life... wow. My atheist gamer buddy, Jonathan Degann, has often said:

When I read a newspaper article about a subject I know nothing about, I think: "hey, this is interesting; I learned something." When I read an article in the same newspaper about a subject I know a lot about, I think: "This article is filled with lies and misconceptions, and the reporter doesn't know what he's talking about."

So, when someone decides to take on a subject which I've essentially LIVED IN since I was in my mid-teens (for those of you playing along at home, that's at little more than 25 years), I'm always a bit scared that the writer will screw it up royally.

Imagine my shock when a non-Christian rock critic for Spin magazine managed to write an entire book on Christian rock & get it pretty much right. I'm still trying to scrape my jaw off the floor. He even interviews my personal Christian rock hero, Steve Taylor, and allows him (and other figures in the industry) to speak candidly about their music, their faith & the business of CCM.

And what really blows me away is that he does all of this without overdoing the whole rock critic vibe - you know, "Look at me, I'm a world-weary guy who's seen & heard it all... and if you don't fit into my narrow definition of cool, I'm going to dismiss you with pop-culture-reference-laced sarcasm." (Which is fun in small doses, but would absolutely wear you out if you had to read a whole book full of it.)

Here's a quote from late in the book:

When I started this book, [my wife] was concerned that I was going to become a Christian. That didn't happen. But I have become a fan, not just of the music, but of Christians, and of Jesus himself. To me, the message of the Gospel is love one another, look out for the less fortunate, and try to walk gently on the earth. And I love that.

And I need to say "thanks" to Andrew Beaujon for turning me onto Mute Math, a band I'd heard of but never listened to before reading about them in his book. Yowsa - I like their sound!

Hey, he's even got a blog, if you want to get a flavor of his writing & viewpoint.