Why shouldn’t a story come illuminated by photographs, enlivened by a video, and haunted by a soundtrack? Especially when the story is about rock and roll. Robert Klein is a music-obsessed graduate student whose world shifts when his ex-girlfriend, now a highflying music editor, shows up in a Minneapolis bar. Next thing he knows, she has hired him to go on the road with Sprawl, an alternative band being chased by major labels. He and Shaw, the bass player, become friends while falling in, out, and back in love with same two women.

As you read their tale, you’ll be looking at the soulful photographs of Chad Folstad, listening to the Flops songs, and watching a Barry Kimm video of the Flops live at the 400 Bar, which, not coincidentally, is where the story begins and ends. The words, photos, songs, and video are integrated in a cunning design by Phillip Koenig. Put it all together, and you get full immersion in the ache, tawdriness, and beauty of rock and roll.

The story was created by Sam Magavern with the help of John Munson. Magavern is an up-and-coming Minneapolis writer whose work has appeared recently in places like the Partisan Review and the Paris Review. He also wrote the screenplay for The Last Word, the upcoming Firelight Films feature starring Mary Lucia and the Flops.

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