Artefacts
#031: My copy of Dean Wareham's memoir 'Black Postcards'

A well thumbed copy of Black Postcards

Dean Wareham has just started reading Black Postcards (with occasional footnotes/asides) for his Patreon subscribers so for today’s artefact here is my first edition of Dean Wareham’s Black Postcards, which raises the question what should a fan’s copy of Black Postcards look like?

• Should it be treasured, carefully read, and filed away in as near mint condition as is possible? Or better still not read at all, with a second viewing copy for use?[1]
• Should it be a constant source of research so that the repeated reference to it wears it down? So it looks like an invaluable source!
• Should it look like it’s been loved?
• Should it look like it’s been cherished?

Mine, as you can see, fits into the repeated reference and been loved categories!

My copy of Black Postcards falling apart

This is the first (hardback) edition that was published in 2008 which was given the subtitle “A Rock & Roll Romance”, when the papeback edition was released it came with the rather tamer subtitle “A Memoir”.

The other important (well important to me) difference between the two editions is that in the hardback Dean got the running order of the last Luna show (in 2005) wrong - which to me seemed inconceivable - he was there, I wasn’t, but I knew they ended with 23 Minutes in Brussels and not Indian Summer. I made a bit of a song and dance about this at the time - because… facts are important!

When the paperback was being prepared Dean emailed me…

was just thinking, before I go ahead and make this change in the book, did you have a recording of the final show that shows it’s “23 Minutes” after “Indian Summer”? Or did someone a setlist? I went back to my original diary and I have us playing a 4-song encore with “Indian Summer” at the end, which would have been taken from a computer file on my computer..

I did have a scan of a setlist… but that didn’t help. Luckily I also had access to a recording that confirmed that there had been a last minute decision to switch the last two songs.

So, the paperback edition is correct. I suspect there may be other changes in there but that’s the only one I’ve spotted.

Someone emailed me to tell me that the Kindle edition (sadly not available in the UK) is of the first edition, so… ebook readers get the wrong ending!

So, this is the evidence I sent to Dean…

Luna - encore from final show 28th February 2005

Source: 28th February 2005 - Luna - Bowery Ballroom, New York NY, USA

The dedication in my copy of Black Postcards

[1] Actually when this started to fall apart I did track down another copy - but, the one that’s falling apart is the one with the dedication so - this is my primary copy - and yes, it’s still the one I use for research.