Looking for a rock'n'roll hero  Where is the novel that can
capture the essence of rock'n'roll?  Elvis Presley  I wonder, I
wonder, I wonder ... Elvis Presley. Photograph: Hulton Archive
It's 50-odd years since Elvis told his Mama that it was Alright,
and yet still the Great Rock'N'Roll Novel remains defiantly
unwritten. Sure, there are countless examples of novels that use
specific musical references as scene dressing or as a cultural
compass - few things more effectively establish time and
character, as well as allowing authors to show off their record
collection; and there have been several novels told from a fan's
perspective. But I've yet to read a novel that convincingly sums
up the experience and the value of making popular music, or that
captures the weird, savage compulsion that keeps everyone from
Bloc Party to Bob Dylan traipsing around the world, year-in
year-out.  There have been some notable contenders: Espedair
Street; Great Jones Street; Expresso Bongo; The Ground Beneath
Her Feet; The Commit