In May 2004, Portland author Jonathan Raymond (who was living in Brooklyn at the time) published an incredible debut novel, The Half-Life. (Raymond also wrote Old Joy, which he helped turn into a great movie, and co-edits Plazm magazine.) Set in Portland, The Half-Life alternated between two stores of friendship: between two teen girls living on a Reagan-era commune off Highway 30, and two unforgettable (and hilarious) 19th-century trappers looking for Eden in the Oregon Territory. In my review when the book came out, I gushed that it was “breathtaking, dazzling, honest,” and a bunch of other superlatives that failed to make the book the hit it deserved to be. In fact, I’m hard-pressed to think of one friend who has read the book and they didn’t exactly fly off the shelfs at major book retailers.

But at last night’s (fucking incredible) Thurston Moore show at the Doug Fir, the Sonic One paused to dedicate a song to “a cat (he didn’t) even know, Jonathan Raymond.” He then proceeded to tell the audience how incredible The Half-Life was, and started going on and on about the different storylines until he caught himself and began to wrap it up. “I’m going to tell you every single subplot,” he laughed. “China even gets worked in somehow…” Then he told the audience, “That book inspired this song,” launching into the wonderful “Fri/End.”

When I told Raymond this morning what he missed at last night’s show, he was as excited as anyone would be if they just found out that Thurston Moore was writing songs inspired by their novel, saying “He’s one of the reasons that I wanted to make art in the first place.” Check out the book. If not on my recommendation, then on Thurston’s.

Thurston Moore “Fri/End” (mp3)