Dear Santa,

This has been a rough year. Here's my list; please be nice to me:

1. cold, hard cash;
2. hot, hard men;
3. the student loan I deserve, gawdammit;
4. upgrades and residuals;
5. peace on earth;
6. rock in my stocking.

That's not three wishes? Okay, so I don't do math – my bank can attest to that. But I do have a passion for books and rock music so there's nothing that I'd like better than some of each, please. How 'bout you twist it, shake it, and mix it up the way I like it, do some delicious genre-bending and slip some BOOKS BY ROCKERS under the tree? Yup, that'd be hot: musicians who write, act and sing.

And then, maybe some writers who sing, paint and call me late at night with a bed-time story. Am I asking too much?

When we look at most books written by musicians we aren't necessarily going to find Giller-prize winners, but, we may find some entertaining moments at the very least. At the top of the stack though, we have musicians who have made writing one of their primary focuses and are talented craftspeople in either field.

GENNI GUNN, who spent over a decade in rock and blues, is the disciplined and committed writer of the recently released TRACING IRIS. When I cracked open this purple volume, Gunn's accessible style and the plot's psychological suspense drew me in. The setting and characters are real, here and now: our age, our culture. Well worth reading.

Now what are we going to do with The Tragically Hip's GORDON DOWNIE, the tragical no-show booked for three events at the Vancouver International Writer's Festival, and author of COKE MACHINE GLOW? Salman Rushdie canceling is one thing, but…what the hell, I still found some enjoyment in his collection of poetry. Certainly, many of the lyrics simply don't stand on their own as poetry, and many of the poems are throw-aways, but the book's format and compact size makes it easy to flip through to find those selections that are worth reading whether you're a Hip fan or not.

While we're speaking of 'flip', and of no-shows, let's thumb through the flippant MATTHEW GOOD's fresh-on-the-shelf, AT LAST THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO SAY. I think this intelligent young man (hardy-har all you want!) needs to give his share of mouthfuls to a literary audience, so it's unfortunate that Matthew jammed out of his Vancouver Public Library reading, which may possibly have been an opportunity to hope for a legitimate audience of readers rather than a flock of stalking 'boppers. While I don't agree with the logic in some of his essay/short stories, his prose style and content are an arresting and pleasing surprise. I do think he makes it as a writer as well as a musician. I admit that the chip on Good's shoulder gives his music and his writing an irreverent and brash edge that I enjoy. Yeah, okay, I was impressed too when we met at a recent audition – even though I didn't make the final cut for "Carmelina". This young man is not the self-absorbed dork sometime portrayed in the media and I am keen to see where his creativity will take him toward the end of this decade.

No genre tangling would be complete without a mention of VIGGO MORTENSEN. His coalescence of poetry, photographs, and original visual art, RECENT FORGERIES, grabs me – I want more! Quibbles? A handful of the poems and photos are merely ordinary. However, at its best, Mortensen's visual art is a textural collage richly layered with words, mixed mediums and inventive applications. Come to think of it, I could say the same about his poetry.

On the included CD, as on his other CD's, Mortensen renders stimulating fusions of word, music and wound. At his best, his words are serious: vulnerable, haunting and lingering. I must admit I discovered Mortensen quite by accident when I was checking out the credentials of an acting coach on the net. Actors are a dime a dozen both in Hollywood and out, but poets are something else…well, after all, as Shelly said, poets are the unacknowledged legislators of…humanity. While I'm glad Mortensen easily scrapes the Hollywood glitz 'n crud off his boots, I do believe he'll be worth watching as 'Aragorn' in the big budget splash 'Lord of the Rings'; hey, it's one for the whole family. (Great for the mortgage, yeah, but just wait 'n see what it'll do for his privacy).

Sharing similar Danish roots with Mortensen, is ULRIKKA S. GERNES, who did, indeed, show up at the Writer's Festival, where I had the pleasure of hearing her poetry on several occasions. She reads with deliberation and is most assuredly also a 'sound' poet, but way more fun after a bit of an intermission 'buzz'. A SUDDEN SKY was translated into English and edited by PER BRASK and PATRICK FRIESEN.

Patrick Friesen is just one of the dozens of poets who contributed to the lyric and poem collection WHY I SING THE BLUES edited by JAN ZWICKY and BRAD CRAN. This one's so good. The accompanying CD remains in my car, where I often obsessively play and replay:

1. track 8: LYNN COADY's RAINY LADY, memorably accompanied by the BILL JOHNSON BLUES BAND;
2. track 12: RICK MADDOCK's stirring TOBACCO BELT;
3. track 6: PATRICK FRIESEN's catchy ST. MARY'S BLUES.

As Brad Cran would say, for only $15.95 US – a book and a CD! The anthology's contributors include Canada's best poets, including two of my favourites, zany bill bissett (thats a lot of suitcases 4 onlee a whil) and the incomparable LORNA CROZIER, aka Lorna-Jean, one of Canada's smartest people (WAITING FOR THE PHONE TO RING).

Hmmm...writers who sing, badly...How about a Canadian version of "The Rock Bottom Remainders"? Yeaaahh....and I'd love to hear newly-wed poets Lorna Crozier and Patrick Lane yowl a country-blues duet...but the act they do give us this fall is serious and poignant. This insightful duo has edited ADDICTION: NOTES FROM THE BELLY OF THE BEAST, a collection of "essays" - ten writers talk frankly, and bravely, about their addictions. As Crozier says, "each is a gift, offering the possibility of healing and hope...without self-pity or false justifications, their essays break through the isolation and loneliness that addiction creates". I've been moved repeatedly by their live readings, especially Peter Gzowski and Lane on the C.B.C., and Evelyn Lau and Crozier at the Vancouver Public Library, and Crozier at a retreat weekend we shared this August. Maybe this Christmas instead of a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates, this host/ess gift would be thoughtful inspiration for someone that you know is struggling with an addiction, or with the addiction of a loved one.

It's easy to assume that a novella by writer/actor/comedian STEVE MARTIN would be funny. Wrong-O! Multi-talented Martin is an amazing actor who has an integrity that is easily respected. Not everyone knows that he's been writing for years. Yes, I've loved him loyally since the early Saturday Night Live Belushi-days, way back when. He is damn funny. But don't be fooled. SHOPGIRL is not a comedic book. Nah, I don't like the chick's ass on the cover, and yeah, there are a few confusing sub-plot meanderings, but this truly is a well-wrought and poignant story, which will particularly strike a chord with anyone on the sunny side of 30, ok....over 40, and heading into mid-life. Bravo Steve.

I can't end without expressing my hunger for more from LEONARD COHEN - perhaps a book? Then put Leonard and the book under my tree. With the release of 10 NEW SONGS, I hope we'll be able to "lean back and be loved" often with his warm, talented presence, which is still so very very sexy at 60.

Sigh. Running out of room...but let's not forget musicians turned actors: BIF NAKED is the brainy, energetic, mouthy punk-rocker who's always mindful of her loyal Vancouver fans - like many Canadian artists she frequently performs all ages shows at affordable, smaller local venues, often for such good causes as "Rock for Choice". She has patriotically released her new album PURGE here in Canada six months ahead of its U.S. release. (I'm so pleased that there are several Canadian bands doing this now.) One of the things that puzzles me about her new album, "Purge", is her choice of title. I do know why she chose it - it represents a cleansing and a removal of sin, but it may be confused as an approval of bulimia to someone who has not purchased the CD, especially in the light of the fact that she recently sunk to a size 0. I would like to hear her make her disapproval of eating disorders more outspoken, especially in this season of overindulgence. In fact, Bif's liner notes do give a wonderful "big fuck off to the insipidity of North America's female body image insistence" which I loudly applaud her for. Bif is also featured prominently in a Much Music special about Eating disorders - which should be aired more often. (I wonder if she heard about the one group she shared billing with at this summer's Snow Jam that hauled two fans onstage to have a "chug-til-you-puke" competition. Yes, the fans threw up on stage. I saw it. My teenage daughters saw it.) But back on track: Bif is awesome, infectious and genuine, and stars in the Leo award winning Canadian indie movie, LUNCH WITH CHARLES. I look forward to seeing her in it.

I could have written 1000 words on each of these artists...their diverse talents are intriguing. However, I needed to leave room for a list of Hot-fresh-&-new, unreviewed but coveted winner CD's that I'd recommend for any music lover from 14 to 40. Never mind fruit cake and eggnog! Gotta have these Canadian treats:

54-40's CASUAL VIEWIN', DAVID USHER's MORNING ORBIT, CREED's WEATHERED, and TEA CITY's INTERZONE MANTRA.

And let's get eclectic with:

SARAH BRIGHTMAN's CLASSICS, TORI AMOS's STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS, DAVE MATTHEW's LIVE AT CHICAGO, SHELBY LYNNE's LOVE, MYSTIC's CUTS FOR LOVE AND SCARS FOR FREEDOM and anything in support of SARAH JONES, if you please.

Now back to those three Christmas Wishes. I keep trying...how about:

1. Lime wedges that actually fit into the Corona bottle;
2. Warm, kind men;
3. The student loan all students deserve gawdammit - and enough overdraft protection to pay for a course at the Mix School of Bartending and then, loads of tips because I'm nice...uh, and I'm cute and I can write poetry on demand; and quick: a tall order of cheery cuteness;
4. Work for Vancouver actors, words for the writers, and much, much more music;
5. Sixth gear for the 99;
6. Disneyland and a white Christmas for my daughters;
7. Justice, courage, compassion, and safe harbours for all of us.

Merry Christmas!

Leonora Record