Charles Bock On “Cereal Song”
Charles Bock, the author of Beautiful Children shared his holiday playlist with New York times and one of the songs he picked and talked about was The Bicycle Thief’s Cereal Song.
14) Cereal Song, the Bicycle Thief (Bob Forrest w/John Frusciante). Of course, there also comes a time when other people can provide you with nothing, a time when a person looks into the abyss. The only God I could possibly believe in is a god of empathy. That God is very much present in this song. It was written and sung by Bob Forrest, the former lead singer for the influential Los Angeles band Thelonious Monster, and a recovering heroin addict. He is accompanied by the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, another recovering heroin addict. “Cereal Song†extends the Velvet Underground’s famed “Heroin†beyond the addiction, into the damage and ravages inflicted by the drug. It includes a guitar solo that, at minimum, is tied for the best of all time. This song is both a prayer and a lamentation, a song that swells my heart with love every time I hear it. If there is anything to celebrate during this sham of a holiday season, if there is anything I can share with you, it is this notion: love and compassion. There is nothing else.
If you’re interested in mr. Bock’s playlist in its entiety, click here to read the whole article; on the Paper Cuts blog. The interview was done by Gregory Cowles.
