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Gary Benchley is actually the fictional creation of Paul Ford and is now available in the fantastic novel Gary Benchley, Rock Star (Plume); click here for the full explanation. Otherwise he is 22 years old and a recent immigrant to New York. Not long ago, he graduated from a state university in the middle of New York state. He absolutely hates Albany. His stories on TMN are only part of the story; you need to read the book to truly rock.
Ruts can happen to anyone, even 23-year-olds, and the best response is a brand-new gym membership—and a new girlfriend?
After a year of living in New York, you’ve acquired an apartment, a job, a rewarding hobby, and a meaningful, sexless relationship—all the tokens of an early middle age?
If a band plays a concert, and no one pays attention, can it still aspire to musical greatness? Is anything louder than the sound of no hands clapping?
Who has better lyrics, the GOP or New York’s rockers? And can a romantic relationship survive “hug therapy?”
What name is good enough for a band meant to rock the world, and must it reference Elvis Costello somehow?
Is love different when it’s declared in the big apple, and if so, do you have to tell your co-workers about it?
It’s hard to stay focused when your girlfriend ignores you, your roommates are openly intimate, and your father calls with some unexpected advice.
Trying to complete his indie-prog band as a model of diversity, Benchley runs into trouble when racial profiling turns out to be a less-than-sensitive method for recruiting a bass player.
Benchley continues to assemble his band, though finding the perfect hot chick drummer turns out to be harder than he anticipated. That, and keeping his roommate from starting a taxidermy collection.
Benchley begins to make his dreams come true: time to assemble the band. But the gap between buying a guitar and playing one proves wider than expected, and it may only be Depeche Mode who can save the day.
Aspiring rock star Gary Benchley learns it’s not easy to date older women, considers giving up rock for branding, and, in a dark hour, composes the first rock tribute to Abu Ghraib.
Aspiring rock star Gary Benchley moves to the epicenter of hipsters’ Brooklyn, gets to know his new neighborhood and roommates, enjoys burlesque, and accidentally attends an A-list blogging party.