Stuff I've Read: Monolith Records by Thom Carnell

A young man gets a job at a neighborhood record store in 1985, setting in motion a transformative year filled with vinyl, pop stars, and synth music movie scores that threatens to change his life forever.  That is, of course, if he can stay sane, sober, employed, and get the girl.  It’s time for a musical trip down Gen X memory lane in Thom Carnell’s 2025 semiautobiographical novel, Monolith Records.

Monolith Records by Thom Carnell

Monolith Records follows Kendall Leevy, a well-traveled record store worker, as he earns the opportunity to work at the titular record store, the most popular one in San Robles, California.  He’s initially greeted warily by the misfits that work there, from the gruff supervisor that acts as a father figure, to the stoners in the video department, to the girl who’s notorious for throwing epic parties.  After the initial “new guy” time in which he not only displays an impressive breadth of musical knowledge and stops a shoplifter cold, Kendall makes friends and finds himself quickly promoted.  He meets Diana, a single mom to a young son and is immediately smitten.  As the year progresses, Kendall finds himself morphing from one of the guys—someone who’ll get high with his coworkers on a warm summer night or meet for a movie before his shift—to a ringleader of this circus and caretaker of the band of freaks, misfits, and rebels that make up Monolith’s staff.  And he finds that the coolest place in town might slowly be turning him into an asshole.

Before I talk about what I liked and didn’t like about Monolith Records, it’s worth noting that Thom Carnell is a friend of mine; I’ve known the guy almost 15 years.  I can understand that some of my endorsement can come off as a bit biased.  I’m trying to keep my support for a friend from interfering with objectivity.  And now that I’ve said that, let’s get to it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story.  Kendall as a main character is a great window to a world very adjacent to the sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll ethos of the 80’s music industry.  Monolith Records seems borne from the distinct memory that MTV once stood for Music Television and pulls double duty as both a nostalgia piece and a coming-of-age workplace comedy.  Carnell does an excellent job infusing the employees and patrons of Monolith Records with distinct personalities, and even though the named cast is rather large, you’re never at a loss for who’s who.  Additionally, the knowledge that this is based on Carnell’s experiences working at a popular record store (the pictures scattered through the back of the book show the inspirations for some of these people) gives this a behind-the-scenes authenticity as we examine an integral part of the music industry of the day.  Kendall’s cooler-than-thou appreciation for music somehow avoids coming off as smugness (save for one scene where he snaps a record in half for someone’s “benefit”).  Additionally, his blossoming relationship with Diana and her son Scotty matures him right in front of the reader.  Carnell’s ability as a storyteller is also showcased here; his writing tends to evoke an informal, talk around the watercooler style, and while this is a huge departure from his normal, horror-themed catalog, it’s no less enjoyable stylistically.

There isn’t much that I can complain about, but if I went looking for something, the exclusion of the then-emerging hip-hop scene seems a bit sad, even if reflective of the time and the place.  Even though Run-DMC gets an early nod, some of the acts from my youth like LL Cool J or the Beastie Boys, both of whom were receiving MTV airplay (albeit limited) at the time, would have made it into the periphery of seasoned musical curators like the ones depicted in Monolith Records.  Who knows? Maybe they did. The scene was still in its infancy, not nearly the cultural juggernaut it is today. I was 7 in 1985, and I didn’t live in California, so it’s entirely plausible that the largely New York-based genre hadn’t made it to the other coast as yet.  It’s ultimately a small gripe, and one I found because I went digging for it.

Monolith Records is a solid weekend trip down memory lane to a time when big hair, neon colors, and local record stores reigned supreme.  Ready to remember your heyday?  Ready to know what your parents were like when they thought they were cool?  Take a ride down to the record store!

Pros: Fun, engaging story; lots of nostalgia; solid lead character; large and distinct cast.

Cons: No hip-hop; it is a large cast; admitting this is nostalgia means admitting that we’re now old.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.