I have two minor regrets regarding Larry Norman. First, at some point I wrote to him, perhaps to join the Phydeaux fan club or something, and he sent a personal note. I didn't keep it. Second, when I was living in Michigan, he played a couple hours away. This was around 2001 or 2002, I think. I didn't go. I sure wish I had. I didn't get turned on to Larry Norman until later in his career. It wasn't my fault; I was born a few years too late. I think I was 13 when I bought Something New Under the Son, in 1982 or so. This was after the peak of Norman's fame in the 1970s.
I am grateful for Gregory Thornbury's new book, Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music?: Larry Norman and the Perils of Christian Rock. Thornbury had unprecedented access to Norman's correspondence, journals, and many other records, as well as the cooperation of his family, friends, and business associates. The result of his labors is a thorough, thoughtful look into Norman's life, career, and perspective.
A constant theme of the book, and of Norman's life, was his struggle to straddle the Christian world and the secular world. He never wavered from his Christian faith and remained theologically sound, yet mainstream Christianity rejected him from the start. In a way, though, he didn't long for the approval of mainstream Christianity. He was critical of the materialism and hypocrisy of the American church. He saw his life's work as outside of the church.
This outsider status guided his career. He was a vocal critic especially of the Christian music industry. He wrote, "Almost none of the Christian music succeeds as art . . . it is merely propaganda masquerading as art . . . Not only is it misconceived as a musical project . . . but it fails to deliver its message . . . [their records] are sold only by Christian bookstores or direct mail. Non Christians do not frequent religious bookstores." To the extent that Christian music aims to reach the lost, it fails. In an interview he said, "The sad irony of almost all Christian music is that it preaches salvation to people who already have it . . . while the people who need the message don't usually hear it."
It's a tough line, and I think every Christian artist since Norman has dealt with the same questions. Most don't sound as contentious about it, and Norman sounds accusatory and snobbish when he dismisses many Christian musicians as substandard artists or misguided in their ministry. Nevertheless, Norman's influence grew and has continued even after his death.
Thornbury doesn't hold back in discussing some of the unsavory parts of Norman's life, including an affair while he was on tour. The most troubling part of his life is the wreck he made of his business relationships. Due to lack of wisdom, poor counsel, and good old-fashioned stubbornness, Norman had a very difficult time maintaining good relationships with record labels, tour promoters, and other musicians. Thornbury covers these stories in great detail.
As troubled as Norman's personal and professional life was at times, his legacy as an artist and as a Christian witness is what endures. He was one of the greats, and the music industry and the universal church owe him a great debt. We won't know until we get to heaven the full extent of his impact on the Kingdom of God, but I won't be surprised to see him in heaven's worship band.
(Side note: his CDs are very expensive and sometimes hard to find. I wish his estate would figure out how to get the rights to his albums and release a nice box set of all his music, including original album art and his voluminous liner notes. I'd snap that up in a heartbeat.)
Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!
No comments:
Post a Comment