Dispatches From the Kingdom of Outsiders: Writing on Music, Culture and More 1979-2025

The work of outspoken music critic Tim Sommer collected in this anthology explores how left-of-the-dial rock in the '80s turned a generation of awkward loners into a cultural community.

Sommer recalls his precocious emergence as a teenaged journalist, marvels at many amazing Zelig-like experiences in his life, mounts controversial arguments about a number of well-known artists, connects music and politics in surprising ways and reflects on a handful artists whose deaths strongly affected him.

Grouped into seven themed sections, the pieces, which originally appeared in a variety of publications between 1979 and the present, amply display Sommer's broad curiosity and many enthusiasms. Subjects range from U2 and R.E.M. to the Beatles and Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan to Frank Sinatra and Bruce Springsteen. The writing is fervent, smart and provocative, filled with unique insights and personal memories.

Sample chapter titles:

• I Was Almost a Temporary Beastie Boy
• Meet the Beatles' First Left-Handed Bassist
• What Was the First Punk Rock Record?
• Weezer's cover of Toto's "Africa" Is the Most Repugnant Pop Recording of All Time
• How Kent State Helped Create the Template for American Indie Rock

With its diverse collection of subjects and entertaining opinions, this colorful, rollicking collection of writing will appeal to a wide variety of music fans.