Scale

A Novel

By: Keith Buckley

Narrated by: Keith Buckley

Ray Goldman will outdrink you, out-party you and, unfortunately for him, probably outlive you. As a hopeless and struggling indie rock musician, Ray's best chance of discovering any beauty and purpose in his dysfunctional life will come only when he ceases to struggle against life itself. These are his memoirs.

Scale chronicles Ray Goldman’s journey downward through the adversarial trials that sometimes prove necessary in facilitating an eventual ascent into truth and happiness. The odd chapters of the novel find Ray, now a 31-year-old guitar player, seeking fulfillment in the wake of a life-altering tragedy while the even chapters see him reflecting on the depravity and selfishness that hastened his descent towards it. Scale is about the relationship between instability and balance, death and resurrection, perception and reality, but ultimately it is about the endless war waged between our disquieted minds and our noble hearts.

Fans of pop culture, Americana, Punk Rock music, and Charles Bukowski’s Ham on Rye.

Music © Joseph Trohman

©2015 Keith Buckley (P)2015 Rare Bird Books. Music © Joseph Trohman.

a fever dream

the kind you can't wake up from or don't know what to do with your life after definitely worth a second listen

He is a wordsmith. Complex and depth of meaning. Like his lyrical work.

Love everything K Buckley does. The background music, though unique and adds atmosphere, is too loud in the mix and thus distracting.

buffalo 666

I really enjoyed the book. it was fun and didn’t sugar coat the music industry. the audio was fine, the background tunes were a bit overwhelmingly at times but manageable.

Dark and thought provoking

I love every time I die so had to give this a chance. Could do without the background music but a great story, seems to be semi biographical for Keith but also philosophical and in a way reminds me of catcher in the rye with its nihilistic tones.

Extreme in every sense

As a fan of his music for over a decade and someone very familiar with the indie music scene, I appreciated this book to no end. Granted, the prose can be overly grandiose and absolutist at times, but given the ever present themes of narcissism and cynicism, it works.