In Martin Millar’s “Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me,” he writes, “I’m not going to say much about school.
After all, you were at school. You know what it’s like.”
Teenage misery is universal. Even if your high school years were wonderful, some difficulty probably dogged your footsteps.
Maybe it was unreciprocated love or the burden of not being popular.
Millar hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be an unhappy, teenager.
He hopes you haven’t, either. He speaks intelligently and personably to his audience about his teenage crush, Suzy, and his first favorite band.
Guess which one.
At its core, Millar’s most recent book is a sincere tribute to Led Zeppelin, their songs and rock god fame in 1972.
The author’s younger self eagerly awaits the legendary band’s arrival in his hometown of Glasgow, Scotland.
Humor and teenage lust are all part of the atmosphere.
The book flashes forward to his adulthood.Millar appears happier. He still has his share of problems.
Like his younger self, he is all too happy to find escapism through entertainment.
Instead of Led Zeppelin, however, he finds solace in “Buffy” reruns and in cheering up his depressed friend, Manx.
Manx, the audience is informed, is not easily cheered up.
Millar’s preferred tactic is to tell her stories of when Led Zeppelin improbably decided to play Glasgow.
The memoir is framed with modern anecdotes of Manx’s and Millar’s misadventures.
Millar’s younger self is often troubled. His crush, the beautiful and unreachable Suzy, is involved with the most popular guy in their school, Zed.
Zed’s name is no doubt a further tribute to the glory of the aforementioned metal band.
Unlike many teenage movies, Zed is never Millar’s enemy.
He isn’t the cool guy jock who doesn’t deserve “the girl.”
Instead, Zed is a laid-back young man who makes several bad decisions.
The novel is an engaging journey into the early seventies.
Hippie culture, which has just reached Glasgow, is disruptive and fun, much like Led Zeppelin.
Millar, while nostalgic for the past, refuses to dote on it for too long.
“Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me” has chapters that are short and sharp. The book goes by enjoyably and quickly.
Its pace keeps the material upbeat.
Not everything in the world of “Suzy” is cheerful, however.
Young Millar details how he and a friend intimidate a well-meaning geek, Cherry.
Both the story and the older version of Millar is sensitive toward her troubles.
The climax of the book begins with several chapters detailing Led Zeppelin’s performance in Glasgow.
Different events come to a head that shape Millar’s youth and, in many ways, his adulthood.
Just as the concert grows tiresome in its fantastic description, the curtain is drawn, and the drama of the story comes to a surprising close.
Millar has created a gem of a novel.
It does not patronize its teenage characters for being teenagers. Adult Millar does not look down on youthful laziness and lust, openly indulging in similar vices as he goes through middle age.
I’m not a big fan of memoirs. Then again, “Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me” isn’t exactly a memoir.
There are sporadic forays into fantasy, including an imaginary zeppelin home to Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Apparently, they also wanted to watch the concert that night in ’72.
This is the sort of book I wish would top The New York Times bestseller list. It’s moving and funny, but most of all it’s about being young, foolish, and in love with one of the most popular bands of the 20th century.