It has been three years since the publication of "I Save My Soul Through Rock-n-Roll." Since then, I have been asked by family and close friends about certain aspects of my love for rock-n-roll music that I didn’t directly address in the original publication.

Although there was a lot that I failed to mention in my "rock journal" (aka/ "I Saved Myself Through Rock-n-roll"), the only real reason to dig further is because of the music that was omitted. I hate to leave out groups that were pivotal to my well-being and personal development at different points in time and in different ways. Since my answer to almost any question I get about my rock journal is "You know what, I should probably make a new playlist about that," then it was only fitting that this addendum, itself, would be a compilation of additional playlists.

You can glean a lot from the things someone chooses to include in a story. I will note that, as I explained various times in my rock journal, most of the themes and chapters of the book were not planned. Trying to mimic a true artist, I just "went with the flow."

The content revealed itself to me, and then I just sort of got out of the way of it. I didn’t want to force any particular song or artist into the story just for the heck of it or because I didn’t want them to feel left out (like they would really care). About half of this addendum was the exact opposite of that. I specifically set out to include a Heavy Metal playlist, a playlist about "being miserable" (that would draw from The Cure, The Smiths and Depeche Mode) and a playlist of Austin artists that I had failed to mention in my original manuscript.

In the same way that you can gain insights about what someone chooses to share (or include), you can also glean a lot from the things someone chooses to omit, consciously or subconsciously. While there is a bit of "filling in the gaps" that I’m doing here, I am also trying to present a more complete picture of myself even if these additions might be obscure or embarrassing to the author. I am glad that these artists and themes have found their way into the story even if it is as an addendum.

One section and group of playlist in this collection of “afterthoughts” is called “rock fusion.” A common question I would get after publishing the book is “so, what are you listening to now?” As a classic rock aficionado, I would think to myself, “I listen to those groups that I mentioned in the book.” Why would I be listening to something other than that?” 50% of the time. I listen to the bands I mention in my book (via CD or Spotify), and the other 30% of the time I listen to radio stations that play those bands. However, there is that last 20% that may be worth discussing.

The one band that I listen to that has left a huge impact (that was only tangentially mentioned in the first part of my rock journal) is King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (KGLW). I am such a huge fan. It’s “prog rock” on steroids which is right up my alley. Listening to KGLW on Spotify has led me to discover many other artists that also agree with my rock sensibilities. KGLW’s influence inspired me to create the first “rock fusion” playlist of international rock artists from the last 10 to 15 years. One rock fusion playlist led to another playlist, and that led to another playlist. For the sake of this addendum, I stopped at four “rock fusion” playlists. I’m sure more playlists will follow, but this was a heck of a good sample of “new” rock.

The music that I uncovered was just incredible! The breadth of rhythms and styles mixed with cultural and linguistic elements is mind blowing. It suggests that while rock music does not get the airplay and attention that it once did in the U.S., its power and influence are still monumental across the globe.

Slipping Through the Cracks

In the main body of my rock journal, I picked the themes of a chapter first and built the playlist second. Thus, it was the song themes that were most important in building a playlist and not the artists per se. In this addendum, I did still lead with a theme, but the themes were created with the specific intention of including certain artists. The themes that emerged are insightful in terms of the states of mind that may have led to my appreciation of those particular bands and genres at that point in my life. Only the first two playlists listed below have linkages to the original manuscript. The rest of the new playlists fill in musical gaps.