John Sellers takes Perfect book party on the road

Angry writer John Sellers may have spent his preteen years lost in the cool luminescent glow of MTV faves like Duran Duran and Wham!, but he managed to pull himself out of the miasma of hair spray and synthesizers thanks to the soul-saving power of alternative music (meaning "an actual alternative" as opposed to "Northwestern grunge").

But, in the wise words of LeVar, you don't have to take my word for it—Sellers himself explains it all in his memoir, Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life, due in its first paperback edition on March 4. For more rock-solid proof that he's permanently cleansed the peroxide out of his listening habits, take a gander at the eclectic line-up Sellers chose for the Brooklyn stop of his upcoming book tour: Times New Viking, Matthew Friedberger (Fiery Furnaces), Doug Gillard (Guided by Voices), and The Textbook Committee (a Guided by Voices tribute band).

Taking its title from a Built to Spill album, the crux of Perfect From Now On is Sellers' gradual immersion into the "indie rock" pool and resultant obsession with the Dayton, Ohio-based Guided by Voices, whom he ended up singing on stage with during the band's 2004 farewell tour. Now he's simply repaying them (well, Gillard, anyway) the favor in Brooklyn.

Catch Sellers (with occasional musical accompaniment) at these booksellers (OK, and also bars):

March
1 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Don Pedro's Bar (w/Times New Viking, Friedberger, Gillard, and a late-night set by The Textbook Committee)
3 (7 p.m.) - Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Schuler Books 28th Street
3 (9 p.m.) - Grand Rapids, Mich. @ HopCat
5 - Kalamazoo, Mich. @ Kalamazoo Public Library
6 - Chicago, Ill. @ The Hideout
8 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ 7th Street Entry
16 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Mountain Bar
26 - Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Book Court (w/Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500 and Luna and Dean & Britta)