Untethered

John Fitzgerald McKnight, born into an unsympathetic Catholic family on the day JFK was assassinated, is a highly educated, multi-lingual, classical composer with a charming, sarcastic wit and a love of women. Right after college, he was tagged as “potentially brilliant” when his piano concerto premiered in New York City. Since that time, he has been quite successful in remaining undiscovered and consistently “unbrilliant.” John is left slogging through meaningless jobs in LA trying to figure out how he fits into the world of music, love and contentment.

While working as a temp at a law firm, he meets optimistic Elizabeth, a sexy entertainment attorney climbing the ladder of success. Together they party their way through Hollywood’s booze-drenched television elite, rubbing elbows with the unsavory rich. Elizabeth is a believer in John’s talents and abilities and enthusiastically puts her foot in his ass to jump-start his career. In a desperate attempt to end his cycle of meaningless, low paying jobs, John asks Elizabeth for an introduction to the world of television music. Although John knows it is beneath his talents to work in this arena, he dives in, only to be bitch slapped by the all-knowing producers. Burnt bridge after burnt bridge leaves John and Elizabeth’s relationship at an impasse. John believes she’s the girl of his dreams, but can’t stop himself from ruining everything and driving Elizabeth away.

John handles this by doing what any decent, insecure, melodramatic artist would do. He stays in his Van Nuys apartment for a full year without ever leaving. He becomes a modern day Robinson Crusoe surviving by sheer cunning. He runs out of money, sells off his prized possessions to the Chinese food delivery guy, discovers a taste for mustard, caper and Cocoa Puff sandwiches, shaves his balls and listens to the music that has made him who he is. But not all is wasted. Wisely, John spends this quality alone time in a vodka soup pot cloud, contemplating string theory, early childhood traumas, and the smell of old lady piano teachers. A lifelong oath to never whore out his musical talents ends when he plays piano for the elderly woman next door – for pizza.

John barely hangs on but after a very sexy, romantic dinner with a pair of Elizabeth’s panties, she inadvertently left behind, he finds his muse again and begins to write. But it ain’t all pansies and poodles. In a moment of desperation, he steals the electricity, telephone and cable tv from his neighbor and a fire subsequently starts in the apartment building. As everyone and everything stands before the grim reaper, John, in his final breaths of smoke clogged air, finally manages to grasp one small part of the puzzle called “life.”

Brilliant, disturbed, mesmerizing, hilarious, and brutally f**ked up. The entire Hollywood enchilada. What’s a creative soul to do when confronted by the entire freaking weight of the universe, not to mention his own missteps?

This sharp satiric book by Scooter Pietsch is as fresh and compelling as it is dark and kinky. At times I couldn’t believe where this author goes, but I couldn’t put it down. I’m glad it’s available on Kindle.

– Jerrilyn Farmer, Amazon.com

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...

No Comments